diff --git a/Annex.hs b/Annex.hs
index 6e4ebb9b70..0f0464dcac 100644
--- a/Annex.hs
+++ b/Annex.hs
@@ -200,7 +200,7 @@ data AnnexState = AnnexState
 	, cleanupactions :: M.Map CleanupAction (Annex ())
 	, sentinalstatus :: Maybe SentinalStatus
 	, errcounter :: Integer
-	, skippedfiles :: Bool
+	, reachedlimit :: Bool
 	, adjustedbranchrefreshcounter :: Integer
 	, unusedkeys :: Maybe (S.Set Key)
 	, tempurls :: M.Map Key URLString
@@ -253,7 +253,7 @@ newAnnexState c r = do
 		, cleanupactions = M.empty
 		, sentinalstatus = Nothing
 		, errcounter = 0
-		, skippedfiles = False
+		, reachedlimit = False
 		, adjustedbranchrefreshcounter = 0
 		, unusedkeys = Nothing
 		, tempurls = M.empty
diff --git a/CHANGELOG b/CHANGELOG
index 0623c8b6e7..eebd73c927 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG
+++ b/CHANGELOG
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ git-annex (10.20220823) UNRELEASED; urgency=medium
     repository when --git-dir or GIT_DIR is specified to relocate the git
     directory to somewhere else.
     (Introduced in version 10.20220525)
+  * Improved handling of --time-limit when combined with -J
 
  -- Joey Hess <id@joeyh.name>  Mon, 29 Aug 2022 15:03:04 -0400
 
diff --git a/CmdLine/Action.hs b/CmdLine/Action.hs
index 6d7932bb0b..d99cdad17a 100644
--- a/CmdLine/Action.hs
+++ b/CmdLine/Action.hs
@@ -32,8 +32,8 @@ import qualified System.Console.Regions as Regions
 {- Runs a command, starting with the check stage, and then
  - the seek stage. Finishes by running the continuation.
  -
- - Can exit when there was a problem or when files were skipped.
- - Also shows a count of any failures when that is enabled.
+ - Can exit when there was a problem or when a time or size limit was
+ - reached. Also shows a count of any failures when that is enabled.
  -}
 performCommandAction :: Bool -> Command -> CommandSeek -> Annex () -> Annex ()
 performCommandAction canexit (Command { cmdcheck = c, cmdname = name }) seek cont = do
@@ -43,19 +43,19 @@ performCommandAction canexit (Command { cmdcheck = c, cmdname = name }) seek con
 	finishCommandActions
 	cont
 	st <- Annex.getState id
-	when canexit $ liftIO $ case (Annex.errcounter st, Annex.skippedfiles st) of
+	when canexit $ liftIO $ case (Annex.errcounter st, Annex.reachedlimit st) of
 		(0, False) -> noop
 		(errcnt, False) -> do
 			showerrcount errcnt
 			exitWith $ ExitFailure 1
-		(0, True) -> exitskipped
+		(0, True) -> exitreachedlimit
 		(errcnt, True) -> do
 			showerrcount errcnt
-			exitskipped
+			exitreachedlimit
   where
 	showerrcount cnt = hPutStrLn stderr $
 		name ++ ": " ++ show cnt ++ " failed"
-	exitskipped = exitWith $ ExitFailure 101
+	exitreachedlimit = exitWith $ ExitFailure 101
 
 commandActions :: [CommandStart] -> Annex ()
 commandActions = mapM_ commandAction
@@ -328,7 +328,7 @@ checkSizeLimit (Just sizelimitvar) startmsg a =
 			Nothing -> do
 				fsz <- catchMaybeIO $ withObjectLoc k $
 					liftIO . getFileSize
-				maybe skipped go fsz
+				maybe reachedlimit go fsz
 		Nothing -> a
   where
 	go sz = do
@@ -342,6 +342,6 @@ checkSizeLimit (Just sizelimitvar) startmsg a =
 				else return False
 		if fits 
 			then a
-			else skipped
+			else reachedlimit
 	
-	skipped = Annex.changeState $ \s -> s { Annex.skippedfiles = True }
+	reachedlimit = Annex.changeState $ \s -> s { Annex.reachedlimit = True }
diff --git a/CmdLine/Seek.hs b/CmdLine/Seek.hs
index 24ee8f03f4..895250ec8d 100644
--- a/CmdLine/Seek.hs
+++ b/CmdLine/Seek.hs
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
  - the values a user passes to a command, and prepare actions operating
  - on them.
  -
- - Copyright 2010-2021 Joey Hess <id@joeyh.name>
+ - Copyright 2010-2022 Joey Hess <id@joeyh.name>
  -
  - Licensed under the GNU AGPL version 3 or higher.
  -}
@@ -41,7 +41,6 @@ import Annex.Link
 import Annex.InodeSentinal
 import Annex.Concurrent
 import Annex.CheckIgnore
-import Annex.Action
 import qualified Annex.Branch
 import qualified Database.Keys
 import qualified Utility.RawFilePath as R
@@ -49,6 +48,7 @@ import Utility.Tuple
 import Utility.HumanTime
 
 import Control.Concurrent.Async
+import Control.Concurrent.STM
 import System.Posix.Types
 import Data.IORef
 import Data.Time.Clock.POSIX
@@ -610,20 +610,25 @@ notSymlink :: RawFilePath -> IO Bool
 notSymlink f = liftIO $ not . isSymbolicLink <$> R.getSymbolicLinkStatus f
 
 {- Returns an action that, when there's a time limit, can be used
- - to check it before processing a file. The first action is run when over the
- - time limit, otherwise the second action is run. -}
+ - to check it before processing a file. The first action is run when
+ - over the time limit, otherwise the second action is run one time to
+ - clean up. -}
 mkCheckTimeLimit :: Annex (Annex () -> Annex () -> Annex ())
 mkCheckTimeLimit = Annex.getState Annex.timelimit >>= \case
 	Nothing -> return $ \_ a -> a
-	Just (duration, cutoff) -> return $ \cleanup a -> do
-		now <- liftIO getPOSIXTime
-		if now > cutoff
-			then do
-				warning $ "Time limit (" ++ fromDuration duration ++ ") reached! Shutting down..."
-				shutdown True
-				cleanup
-				liftIO $ exitWith $ ExitFailure 101
-			else a
+	Just (duration, cutoff) -> do
+		warningshownv <- liftIO $ newTVarIO False
+		return $ \cleanup a -> do
+			now <- liftIO getPOSIXTime
+			if now > cutoff
+				then do
+					warningshown <- liftIO $ atomically $
+						swapTVar warningshownv True
+					unless warningshown $ do
+						Annex.changeState $ \s -> s { Annex.reachedlimit = True }
+						warning $ "Time limit (" ++ fromDuration duration ++ ") reached! Shutting down..."
+						cleanup
+				else a
 
 propagateLsFilesError :: IO Bool -> Annex ()
 propagateLsFilesError cleanup =
diff --git a/doc/git-annex-common-options.mdwn b/doc/git-annex-common-options.mdwn
index 0705496035..932d7288c1 100644
--- a/doc/git-annex-common-options.mdwn
+++ b/doc/git-annex-common-options.mdwn
@@ -68,8 +68,10 @@ Most of these options are accepted by all git-annex commands.
   Limits how long a git-annex command runs. The time can be something
   like "5h", or "30m" or even "45s" or "10d".
 
-  Note that git-annex may continue running a little past the specified
-  time limit, in order to finish processing a file.
+  Note that git-annex may continue running for some time past the specified
+  time limit, in order to finish processing files it started before the
+  time limit was reached. That and a cleaner shutdown are the differences
+  between using this option and a command like `timeout(1)`.
 
   When the time limit prevents git-annex from doing all it
   was asked to, it will exit with a special code, 101.