diff --git a/scripts/base/init-bare.zeek b/scripts/base/init-bare.zeek
index b69880db55..847c2f21e8 100644
--- a/scripts/base/init-bare.zeek
+++ b/scripts/base/init-bare.zeek
@@ -161,6 +161,32 @@ type PacketSource: record {
 	netmask: count;
 };
 
+
+## If a packet source does not yield packets for this amount of time,
+## it is considered idle. When a packet source is found to be idle,
+## Zeek will update network_time to current time in order for timer expiration
+## to function. A packet source queueing up packets and not yielding them for
+## longer than this interval without yielding any packets will provoke
+## not-very-well-defined timer behavior.
+##
+## On Zeek workers with low packet rates, timer expiration may be delayed
+## by this many milliseconds after the last packet has been received.
+const packet_source_inactivity_timeout = 100msec &redef;
+
+## Whether Zeek will forward network_time to the current time upon
+## observing an idle packet source (or no configured packet source).
+##
+## Only set this to *F* if you really know what you're doing. Setting this to
+## *F* on non-worker systems causes :zeek:see:`network_time` to be stuck
+## at 0.0 and timer expiration will be non-functional.
+##
+## The main purpose of this option is to yield control over network time
+## to plugins or scripts via broker or other non-timer events.
+##
+## .. zeek:see:: network_time set_network_time packet_source_inactivity_timeout
+##
+const allow_network_time_forward = T &redef;
+
 ## A connection's transport-layer protocol. Note that Zeek uses the term
 ## "connection" broadly, using flow semantics for ICMP and UDP.
 type transport_proto: enum {
diff --git a/src/RunState.cc b/src/RunState.cc
index 3188f4b63c..19cc97c0de 100644
--- a/src/RunState.cc
+++ b/src/RunState.cc
@@ -137,6 +137,44 @@ void update_network_time(double new_network_time)
 	PLUGIN_HOOK_VOID(HOOK_UPDATE_NETWORK_TIME, HookUpdateNetworkTime(new_network_time));
 	}
 
+// Logic to decide when updating network_time is acceptable:
+static bool should_forward_network_time()
+	{
+	// In pseudo_realtime mode, always update time once
+	// we've dispatched and processed the first packet.
+	// run_state::detail::first_timestamp is currently set
+	// in PktSrc::ExtractNextPacketInternal()
+	if ( pseudo_realtime != 0.0 && run_state::detail::first_timestamp != 0.0 )
+		return true;
+
+	if ( iosource::PktSrc* ps = iosource_mgr->GetPktSrc() )
+		{
+		// Offline packet sources always control network time
+		// unless we're running pseudo_realtime, see above.
+		if ( ! ps->IsLive() )
+			return false;
+
+		if ( ! ps->HasBeenIdleFor(BifConst::packet_source_inactivity_timeout) )
+			return false;
+		}
+
+	// We determined that we don't have a packet source, or it is idle.
+	// Unless it has been disabled, network_time will now be moved forward.
+	return BifConst::allow_network_time_forward;
+	}
+
+static void forward_network_time_if_applicable()
+	{
+	if ( ! should_forward_network_time() )
+		return;
+
+	double now = util::current_time(true);
+	if ( now > network_time )
+		update_network_time(now);
+
+	return;
+	}
+
 void init_run(const std::optional<std::string>& interface,
               const std::optional<std::string>& pcap_input_file,
               const std::optional<std::string>& pcap_output_file, bool do_watchdog)
@@ -319,21 +357,21 @@ void run_loop()
 			// date on timers and events.  Because we only
 			// have timers as sources, going to sleep here
 			// doesn't risk blocking on other inputs.
-			update_network_time(util::current_time());
+			//
+			// TBD: Is this actually still relevant given that the TimerMgr
+			//      is an IO source now? It'll be processed once its
+			//      GetNextTimeout() yields 0 and before that there's nothing
+			//      to expire anyway.
+			forward_network_time_if_applicable();
 			expire_timers();
+
+			// Prevent another forward_network_time_if_applicable() below
+			// even if time wasn't actually updated.
+			time_updated = true;
 			}
 
-		// Ensure that the time gets updated every pass if we're reading live.
-		// This is necessary for e.g. packet sources that don't have a selectable
-		// file descriptor. They'll always be ready on a very short timeout, but
-		// won't necessarily have a packet to process. In these case, sometimes
-		// the time won't get updated for a long time and timers don't function
-		// correctly.
-		if ( (! time_updated && reading_live) )
-			{
-			update_network_time(util::current_time());
-			expire_timers();
-			}
+		if ( ! time_updated )
+			forward_network_time_if_applicable();
 
 		event_mgr.Drain();
 
diff --git a/src/const.bif b/src/const.bif
index 4d793d82c1..55d5222f47 100644
--- a/src/const.bif
+++ b/src/const.bif
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@
 ##! internally.  Documentation and default values for the scripting-layer
 ##! variables themselves are found in :doc:`/scripts/base/init-bare.zeek`.
 
+const packet_source_inactivity_timeout: interval;
+const allow_network_time_forward: bool;
 const ignore_keep_alive_rexmit: bool;
 const skip_http_data: bool;
 const use_conn_size_analyzer: bool;
diff --git a/src/zeek-setup.cc b/src/zeek-setup.cc
index 1ba3e4270b..98e87cfcbf 100644
--- a/src/zeek-setup.cc
+++ b/src/zeek-setup.cc
@@ -1036,7 +1036,8 @@ SetupResult setup(int argc, char** argv, Options* zopts)
 				segment_logger = profiling_logger;
 			}
 
-		if ( ! run_state::reading_live && ! run_state::reading_traces )
+		if ( ! run_state::reading_live && ! run_state::reading_traces &&
+		     id::find_const("allow_network_time_forward")->AsBool() )
 			// Set up network_time to track real-time, since
 			// we don't have any other source for it.
 			run_state::detail::update_network_time(util::current_time());