diff --git a/.github/workflows/docker.yml b/.github/workflows/docker.yml
index 184f37c6ce8..ff751b5108a 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/docker.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/docker.yml
@@ -66,6 +66,7 @@ jobs:
         password: ${{ secrets.LUM_ASKEM_DOCKERHUB_TOKEN }}
     - name: "Free disk space"
       run: |
+        sudo apt-get update
         sudo apt clean
         sudo rm -rf /usr/share/dotnet
         sudo rm -rf /opt/ghc
diff --git a/skema/text_reading/scala/webapp/build.sbt b/skema/text_reading/scala/webapp/build.sbt
index d77f1c7243e..c5844123e35 100644
--- a/skema/text_reading/scala/webapp/build.sbt
+++ b/skema/text_reading/scala/webapp/build.sbt
@@ -8,3 +8,6 @@ libraryDependencies ++= Seq(
   "org.clulab"                 %% "model-streamed-trigram-ser"   % "1.0.0",
   guice
 )
+
+// Enable longer timeouts on the webservice controllers (40 min)
+PlayKeys.devSettings += "play.server.http.idleTimeout" -> "2400 seconds"
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/skema/text_reading/scala/webapp/conf/application.conf b/skema/text_reading/scala/webapp/conf/application.conf
index 5caf06d4979..5d7643935d4 100644
--- a/skema/text_reading/scala/webapp/conf/application.conf
+++ b/skema/text_reading/scala/webapp/conf/application.conf
@@ -29,3 +29,6 @@ play.filters.hosts {
 
 // This is particularly important for cosmosJsonToMentions
 play.http.parser.maxMemoryBuffer=500K
+
+// Necessary to finish long papers
+play.server.http.idleTimeout = 2400 seconds
\ No newline at end of file