diff --git a/packages/k8s/src/k8s/index.ts b/packages/k8s/src/k8s/index.ts
index ae773da3..055eb842 100644
--- a/packages/k8s/src/k8s/index.ts
+++ b/packages/k8s/src/k8s/index.ts
@@ -250,9 +250,130 @@ export async function execPodStep(
   stdin?: stream.Readable
 ): Promise<number> {
   const exec = new k8s.Exec(kc)
+  core.debug(
+    `[execPodStep] Starting execPodStep with command: ${JSON.stringify(command)}, podName: ${podName}, containerName: ${containerName}`
+  )
 
   command = fixArgs(command)
-  return await new Promise(function (resolve, reject) {
+  core.debug(`[execPodStep] Fixed command: ${JSON.stringify(command)}`)
+
+  // Heartbeat constants matching kubectl's Go implementation
+  const PING_PERIOD_MS = parseInt(
+    process.env.ACTIONS_RUNNER_HEARTBEAT_PERIOD_MS || '5000',
+    10
+  )
+  const PING_READ_DEADLINE_MS = parseInt(
+    process.env.ACTIONS_RUNNER_HEARTBEAT_DEADLINE_MS ||
+      String(PING_PERIOD_MS * 12 + 1000),
+    10
+  )
+  core.debug(
+    `[execPodStep] Heartbeat config: PING_PERIOD_MS=${PING_PERIOD_MS}, PING_READ_DEADLINE_MS=${PING_READ_DEADLINE_MS}`
+  )
+
+  let pingInterval: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | null = null
+  let pongTimeout: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | null = null
+  let lastHeartbeatLog = 0
+  const HEARTBEAT_LOG_INTERVAL_MS = 2 * 60 * 1000 // 2 minutes
+
+  const shouldLogHeartbeat = (): boolean => {
+    const now = Date.now()
+    if (now - lastHeartbeatLog >= HEARTBEAT_LOG_INTERVAL_MS) {
+      lastHeartbeatLog = now
+      return true
+    }
+    return false
+  }
+
+  const stopHeartbeat = (): void => {
+    if (shouldLogHeartbeat()) {
+      core.debug('[Heartbeat] stopHeartbeat called')
+    }
+    if (pingInterval) {
+      clearInterval(pingInterval)
+      pingInterval = null
+    }
+    if (pongTimeout) {
+      clearTimeout(pongTimeout)
+      pongTimeout = null
+    }
+  }
+
+  const resetPongTimeout = (): void => {
+    if (shouldLogHeartbeat()) {
+      core.debug('[Heartbeat] resetPongTimeout called')
+    }
+    if (pongTimeout) {
+      clearTimeout(pongTimeout)
+      pongTimeout = null
+    }
+    pongTimeout = setTimeout(() => {
+      core.warning(
+        `[Heartbeat] No pong received in ${PING_READ_DEADLINE_MS}ms, connection may be stale`
+      )
+    }, PING_READ_DEADLINE_MS)
+  }
+
+  const startHeartbeat = (ws: any): void => {
+    core.debug(
+      `[Heartbeat] Starting with period=${PING_PERIOD_MS}ms, deadline=${PING_READ_DEADLINE_MS}ms`
+    )
+    lastHeartbeatLog = Date.now() // Initialize timer
+
+    // Handle pong responses
+    ws.on('pong', () => {
+      if (shouldLogHeartbeat()) {
+        core.debug('[Heartbeat] Pong received')
+      }
+      resetPongTimeout()
+    })
+
+    // Handle errors
+    ws.on('error', (err: Error) => {
+      core.error(`[Heartbeat] WebSocket error: ${err.message}`)
+      stopHeartbeat()
+    })
+
+    // Cleanup on close
+    ws.on('close', () => {
+      core.debug('[Heartbeat] WebSocket closed, stopping heartbeat')
+      stopHeartbeat()
+    })
+
+    // Set initial pong timeout
+    resetPongTimeout()
+
+    // Start ping loop
+    pingInterval = setInterval(() => {
+      // WebSocket readyState: 0 = CONNECTING, 1 = OPEN, 2 = CLOSING, 3 = CLOSED
+      if (shouldLogHeartbeat()) {
+        core.debug(`[Heartbeat] Ping loop, ws.readyState=${ws.readyState}`)
+      }
+      if (ws.readyState === 1) {
+        try {
+          ws.ping()
+          if (shouldLogHeartbeat()) {
+            core.debug('[Heartbeat] Ping sent')
+          }
+        } catch (err) {
+          core.error(`[Heartbeat] Ping failed: ${err}`)
+          stopHeartbeat()
+        }
+      } else {
+        if (shouldLogHeartbeat()) {
+          core.debug(
+            `[Heartbeat] WebSocket not open (readyState=${ws.readyState}), stopping`
+          )
+        }
+        stopHeartbeat()
+      }
+    }, PING_PERIOD_MS)
+  }
+
+  return new Promise<number>((resolve, reject) => {
+    core.debug('[execPodStep] About to call exec.exec')
+    let ws: any | null = null
+
     exec
       .exec(
         namespace(),
@@ -263,22 +384,83 @@ export async function execPodStep(
         process.stderr,
         stdin ?? null,
         false /* tty */,
-        resp => {
-          core.debug(`execPodStep response: ${JSON.stringify(resp)}`)
+        async resp => {
+          core.debug(
+            `[execPodStep] execPodStep response: ${JSON.stringify(resp)}`
+          )
+
+          // Stop heartbeat immediately
+          stopHeartbeat()
+
+          // Close WebSocket and wait for it before resolving/rejecting
+          const closeWebSocket = async (): Promise<void> => {
+            if (ws && (ws.readyState === 1 || ws.readyState === 0)) {
+              return new Promise<void>(closeResolve => {
+                // Set a timeout to ensure we don't hang forever
+                const closeTimeout = setTimeout(() => {
+                  core.warning(
+                    '[execPodStep] WebSocket close timeout, forcing cleanup'
+                  )
+                  closeResolve()
+                }, 5000)
+
+                ws.once('close', () => {
+                  clearTimeout(closeTimeout)
+                  core.debug('[execPodStep] WebSocket closed cleanly')
+                  closeResolve()
+                })
+                ws.close()
+              })
+            }
+          }
+
           if (resp.status === 'Success') {
+            core.debug(`[execPodStep] Success, code: ${resp.code}`)
+            await closeWebSocket()
             resolve(resp.code || 0)
           } else {
             core.debug(
-              JSON.stringify({
-                message: resp?.message,
-                details: resp?.details
-              })
+              `[execPodStep] Failure: ${JSON.stringify({ message: resp?.message, details: resp?.details })}`
             )
+            await closeWebSocket()
             reject(new Error(resp?.message || 'execPodStep failed'))
           }
         }
       )
-      .catch(e => reject(e))
+      .then(websocket => {
+        core.debug('[execPodStep] exec.exec resolved, ws object received')
+        ws = websocket
+        // Start heartbeat once WebSocket is connected
+        if (ws) {
+          startHeartbeat(ws)
+        } else {
+          core.warning('[Heartbeat] WebSocket is null, heartbeat not started')
+        }
+      })
+      .catch(async e => {
+        stopHeartbeat()
+        core.error(`[execPodStep] exec.exec threw error: ${e}`)
+
+        // Close WebSocket before rejecting with timeout protection
+        if (ws && (ws.readyState === 1 || ws.readyState === 0)) {
+          await new Promise<void>(closeResolve => {
+            const closeTimeout = setTimeout(() => {
+              core.warning(
+                '[execPodStep] WebSocket close timeout in error handler'
+              )
+              closeResolve()
+            }, 5000)
+
+            ws.once('close', () => {
+              clearTimeout(closeTimeout)
+              closeResolve()
+            })
+            ws.close()
+          })
+        }
+
+        reject(e)
+      })
   })
 }