diff --git a/awx/main/tasks.py b/awx/main/tasks.py
index 51862c8855..f801e3be58 100644
--- a/awx/main/tasks.py
+++ b/awx/main/tasks.py
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 
 # Python
 import cStringIO
+import datetime
 import distutils.version
 import json
 import logging
@@ -23,6 +24,7 @@ from celery import Task
 
 # Django
 from django.conf import settings
+from django.utils.timezone import now
 
 # AWX
 from awx.main.models import Job, ProjectUpdate
@@ -192,6 +194,35 @@ class BaseTask(Task):
             return False
         return True
 
+    def post_run_hook(self, instance, **kwargs):
+        '''
+        Hook for actions to run after job/task has completed.
+        '''
+        # Cleanup instances that appear to be stuck.
+        try:
+            stuck_task_timeout = int(getattr(settings, 'STUCK_TASK_TIMEOUT', 300))
+        except (TypeError, ValueError):
+            stuck_task_timeout = 0
+        if stuck_task_timeout <= 0:
+            return
+        # Never less than 30 seconds so we're not messing with active tasks.
+        stuck_task_timeout = max(stuck_task_timeout, 30)
+        cutoff = now() - datetime.timedelta(seconds=stuck_task_timeout)
+        qs = self.model.objects.filter(status__in=('new', 'waiting', 'running'))
+        qs = qs.filter(modified__lt=cutoff)
+        for obj in qs:
+            # If new, created but never started.  If waiting or running, the
+            # modified timestamp should updated regularly, else the task is
+            # probably stuck.
+            # If pending, we could be started but celeryd is not running, or
+            # we're waiting for an open slot in celeryd -- in either case we
+            # shouldn't necessarily cancel the task.  Slim chance that somehow
+            # the task was started, picked up by celery, but hit an error
+            # before we could update the status.
+            obj.status = 'canceled'
+            obj.result_traceback += '\nCanceled stuck %s.' % unicode(self.model._meta.verbose_name)
+            obj.save(update_fields=['status', 'result_traceback'])
+
     def run(self, pk, **kwargs):
         '''
         Run the job/task using ansible-playbook and capture its output.
@@ -224,6 +255,7 @@ class BaseTask(Task):
         instance = self.update_model(pk, status=status, result_stdout=stdout,
                                      result_traceback=tb,
                                      output_replacements=output_replacements)
+        self.post_run_hook(instance, **kwargs)
 
 class RunJob(BaseTask):
     '''