# istio_54962-istioctl-timeout.yaml
apiVersion: release-notes/v2
kind: feature
area: istioctl
issue:
- 54962
releaseNotes:
- |
    **Added** `--kubeclient-timeout` flag to `istioctl` root flags. May be unset, or set to a valid `time.Duration` string.
    When specified, this will override the default 15s timeout for all `istioctl` commands that use the Kubernetes client.
    This is useful for environments with slow Kubernetes API servers, such as those with high latency or low bandwidth.
    Note that this flag is just used for the Kubernetes client, and does not affect other timeouts in `istioctl`, such as 
    installation timeouts.