diff --git a/server/client.go b/server/client.go
index 4d79d9ce..b3f5f1cf 100644
--- a/server/client.go
+++ b/server/client.go
@@ -306,7 +306,7 @@ func (c *client) readLoop() {
 				wfc := cp.wfc
 				cp.wfc = 0
 
-				cp.nc.SetWriteDeadline(time.Now().Add(DEFAULT_FLUSH_DEADLINE))
+				cp.nc.SetWriteDeadline(time.Now().Add(s.opts.WriteDeadline))
 				err := cp.bw.Flush()
 				cp.nc.SetWriteDeadline(time.Time{})
 				if err != nil {
@@ -520,7 +520,7 @@ func (c *client) sendProto(info []byte, doFlush bool) error {
 	if c.bw != nil && c.nc != nil {
 		deadlineSet := false
 		if doFlush || c.bw.Available() < len(info) {
-			c.nc.SetWriteDeadline(time.Now().Add(DEFAULT_FLUSH_DEADLINE))
+			c.nc.SetWriteDeadline(time.Now().Add(c.srv.opts.WriteDeadline))
 			deadlineSet = true
 		}
 		_, err = c.bw.Write(info)
@@ -941,8 +941,8 @@ func (c *client) deliverMsg(sub *subscription, mh, msg []byte) {
 
 	deadlineSet := false
 	if client.bw.Available() < (len(mh) + len(msg)) {
-		client.wfc += 1
-		client.nc.SetWriteDeadline(time.Now().Add(DEFAULT_FLUSH_DEADLINE))
+		client.wfc++
+		client.nc.SetWriteDeadline(time.Now().Add(client.srv.opts.WriteDeadline))
 		deadlineSet = true
 	}
 
@@ -1260,7 +1260,7 @@ func (c *client) clearConnection() {
 	// With TLS, Close() is sending an alert (that is doing a write).
 	// Need to set a deadline otherwise the server could block there
 	// if the peer is not reading from socket.
-	c.nc.SetWriteDeadline(time.Now().Add(DEFAULT_FLUSH_DEADLINE))
+	c.nc.SetWriteDeadline(time.Now().Add(c.srv.opts.WriteDeadline))
 	if c.bw != nil {
 		c.bw.Flush()
 	}
diff --git a/server/configs/test.conf b/server/configs/test.conf
index f5c163ba..e877aeb5 100644
--- a/server/configs/test.conf
+++ b/server/configs/test.conf
@@ -37,3 +37,6 @@ max_payload: 65536
 # ping interval and no pong threshold
 ping_interval: 60
 ping_max: 3
+
+# how long server can block on a socket write to a client
+write_deadline: 3
diff --git a/server/opts.go b/server/opts.go
index 70ca94f2..8b97fa45 100644
--- a/server/opts.go
+++ b/server/opts.go
@@ -82,6 +82,7 @@ type Options struct {
 	TLSKey         string        `json:"-"`
 	TLSCaCert      string        `json:"-"`
 	TLSConfig      *tls.Config   `json:"-"`
+	WriteDeadline  time.Duration `json:"-"`
 }
 
 // Configuration file authorization section.
@@ -234,6 +235,8 @@ func ProcessConfigFile(configFile string) (*Options, error) {
 				return nil, err
 			}
 			opts.TLSTimeout = tc.Timeout
+		case "write_deadline":
+			opts.WriteDeadline = time.Duration(v.(int64)) * time.Second
 		}
 	}
 	return opts, nil
@@ -841,4 +844,7 @@ func processOptions(opts *Options) {
 	if opts.MaxPayload == 0 {
 		opts.MaxPayload = MAX_PAYLOAD_SIZE
 	}
+	if opts.WriteDeadline == time.Duration(0) {
+		opts.WriteDeadline = DEFAULT_FLUSH_DEADLINE
+	}
 }
diff --git a/server/opts_test.go b/server/opts_test.go
index 2554335f..283463ca 100644
--- a/server/opts_test.go
+++ b/server/opts_test.go
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ func TestDefaultOptions(t *testing.T) {
 			AuthTimeout: float64(AUTH_TIMEOUT) / float64(time.Second),
 			TLSTimeout:  float64(TLS_TIMEOUT) / float64(time.Second),
 		},
+		WriteDeadline: DEFAULT_FLUSH_DEADLINE,
 	}
 
 	opts := &Options{}
@@ -69,6 +70,7 @@ func TestConfigFile(t *testing.T) {
 		MaxConn:        100,
 		PingInterval:   60 * time.Second,
 		MaxPingsOut:    3,
+		WriteDeadline:  3 * time.Second,
 	}
 
 	opts, err := ProcessConfigFile("./configs/test.conf")
@@ -230,6 +232,7 @@ func TestMergeOverrides(t *testing.T) {
 			NoAdvertise:    true,
 			ConnectRetries: 2,
 		},
+		WriteDeadline: 3 * time.Second,
 	}
 	fopts, err := ProcessConfigFile("./configs/test.conf")
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/server/server_test.go b/server/server_test.go
index 879759cd..66053b57 100644
--- a/server/server_test.go
+++ b/server/server_test.go
@@ -275,3 +275,56 @@ func TestProcessCommandLineArgs(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Errorf("Expected an error handling the command arguments")
 	}
 }
+
+func TestWriteDeadline(t *testing.T) {
+	opts := DefaultOptions
+	opts.WriteDeadline = 20 * time.Millisecond
+	s := RunServer(&opts)
+	defer s.Shutdown()
+
+	c, err := net.DialTimeout("tcp", fmt.Sprintf("%s:%d", opts.Host, opts.Port), 3*time.Second)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Error on connect: %v", err)
+	}
+	defer c.Close()
+	if _, err := c.Write([]byte("CONNECT {}\r\nPING\r\nSUB foo 1\r\n")); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Error sending protocols to server: %v", err)
+	}
+	// Reduce socket buffer to increase reliability of getting
+	// write deadline errors.
+	c.(*net.TCPConn).SetReadBuffer(10)
+
+	url := fmt.Sprintf("nats://%s:%d", opts.Host, opts.Port)
+	sender, err := nats.Connect(url)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Error on connect: %v", err)
+	}
+	defer sender.Close()
+
+	payload := make([]byte, 1000000)
+	start := time.Now()
+	for i := 0; i < 10; i++ {
+		if err := sender.Publish("foo", payload); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("Error on publish: %v", err)
+		}
+	}
+	dur := time.Now().Sub(start)
+	// user more than the write deadline to account for calls
+	// overhead, running with -race, etc...
+	if dur > 100*time.Millisecond {
+		t.Fatalf("Flush should have returned sooner, took: %v", dur)
+	}
+	// Flush sender connection to ensure that all data has been sent.
+	sender.Flush()
+	// At this point server should have closed connection c.
+
+	// On certain platforms, it may take more than one call before
+	// getting the error.
+	for i := 0; i < 100; i++ {
+		if _, err := c.Write([]byte("PUB bar 5\r\nhello\r\n")); err != nil {
+			// ok
+			return
+		}
+	}
+	t.Fatal("Connection should have been closed")
+}