diff --git a/internal/datastore/crdb/watch.go b/internal/datastore/crdb/watch.go
index 0cd8749daa..58dbb90e63 100644
--- a/internal/datastore/crdb/watch.go
+++ b/internal/datastore/crdb/watch.go
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import (
 const (
 	queryChangefeed       = "EXPERIMENTAL CHANGEFEED FOR %s WITH updated, cursor = '%s', resolved = '%s', min_checkpoint_frequency = '0';"
 	queryChangefeedPreV22 = "EXPERIMENTAL CHANGEFEED FOR %s WITH updated, cursor = '%s', resolved = '%s';"
+	watchConnectTimeout   = 1 * time.Second
 )
 
 var retryHistogram = prometheus.NewHistogram(prometheus.HistogramOpts{
@@ -93,7 +94,7 @@ func (cds *crdbDatastore) watch(
 	// changefeed data, instead of using a connection pool as most client
 	// drivers do by default."
 	// see: https://www.cockroachlabs.com/docs/v22.2/changefeed-for#considerations
-	conn, err := pgxcommon.ConnectWithInstrumentation(ctx, cds.dburl)
+	conn, err := pgxcommon.ConnectWithInstrumentationAndTimeout(ctx, cds.dburl, watchConnectTimeout)
 	if err != nil {
 		errs <- err
 		return
diff --git a/internal/datastore/postgres/common/pgx.go b/internal/datastore/postgres/common/pgx.go
index fbc4b05b0a..47f3a4c474 100644
--- a/internal/datastore/postgres/common/pgx.go
+++ b/internal/datastore/postgres/common/pgx.go
@@ -103,6 +103,17 @@ func ConnectWithInstrumentation(ctx context.Context, url string) (*pgx.Conn, err
 	return pgx.ConnectConfig(ctx, connConfig)
 }
 
+// ConnectWithInstrumentationAndTimeout returns a pgx.Conn that has been instrumented for observability
+func ConnectWithInstrumentationAndTimeout(ctx context.Context, url string, connectTimeout time.Duration) (*pgx.Conn, error) {
+	connConfig, err := ParseConfigWithInstrumentation(url)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	connConfig.ConnectTimeout = connectTimeout
+	return pgx.ConnectConfig(ctx, connConfig)
+}
+
 // ConfigurePGXLogger sets zerolog global logger into the connection pool configuration, and maps
 // info level events to debug, as they are rather verbose for SpiceDB's info level
 func ConfigurePGXLogger(connConfig *pgx.ConnConfig) {