diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 63f8083c..03523298 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ SSR-safe, zero-config Web Workers integration for [Nuxt](https://nuxt.com).
 - 🔥 SSR-safe usage of Web Workers
 - ✨ auto-imported, zero-configuration
 - 💪 fully typed
+- 🕒 Automatic shutdown of workers after 1 second of inactivity
 
 ## Quick Setup
 
@@ -58,6 +59,10 @@ const message = await hi()
 > [!TIP]
 > Even if your function is synchronous, it will always become async when it is called within a worker because communication with a worker will always be asynchronous.
 
+### Worker Auto-Shutdown
+
+The module automatically shuts down workers after 1 second of inactivity to free up resources. This behavior ensures that your application remains efficient and responsive, without unnecessary resource consumption by idle workers.
+
 ## Roadmap
 
 - [x] 📖 basic documentation
@@ -65,7 +70,7 @@ const message = await hi()
 - [ ] 📦 webpack support
 - [ ] ⚠️ type-level + dev warning if non serialisable args are passed
 - [ ] 🤝 automatic shared workers with `.shared.ts` suffix
-- [ ] 💤 worker auto-shutdown
+- [x] 💤 worker auto-shutdown
 
 ## 💻 Development
 
diff --git a/src/plugins/unplugin.ts b/src/plugins/unplugin.ts
index b7b99bbe..59316de4 100644
--- a/src/plugins/unplugin.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/unplugin.ts
@@ -85,6 +85,7 @@ export const WorkerPlugin = (opts: WorkerPluginOptions) => createUnplugin(() =>
         source += `
 const counts = {}
 const map = {}
+const workerTimeouts = {}
 
 function initWorker (worker, name) {
   map[name] = {}
@@ -96,7 +97,20 @@ function initWorker (worker, name) {
     } else {
       resolve(e.data.result)
     }
+    // Reset the inactivity timer upon receiving a message
+    clearTimeout(workerTimeouts[name]);
+    workerTimeouts[name] = setTimeout(() => {
+      worker.terminate();
+      delete workerTimeouts[name];
+      console.log(\`Worker \${name} terminated due to inactivity.\`);
+    }, 1000); // 1 second of inactivity
   }
+  // Initialize the inactivity timer
+  workerTimeouts[name] = setTimeout(() => {
+    worker.terminate();
+    delete workerTimeouts[name];
+    console.log(\`Worker \${name} terminated due to inactivity.\`);
+  }, 1000); // 1 second of inactivity
   return worker
 }`
       }
diff --git a/test/e2e.spec.ts b/test/e2e.spec.ts
index e957e21e..0b58bb6f 100644
--- a/test/e2e.spec.ts
+++ b/test/e2e.spec.ts
@@ -26,4 +26,18 @@ describe('nuxt-workers', () => {
     expect(await page.getByText('Client-side message: Hello from worker!').textContent()).toBeDefined()
     await page.close()
   })
+
+  it('should automatically shut down the worker after 1 second of inactivity', async () => {
+    const page = await createPage()
+    const logs: string[] = []
+    page.on('console', (l) => {
+      logs.push(l.text())
+    })
+    await page.goto(url('/'))
+    await page.getByText('Load client side message').click()
+    // wait for more than 1 second to ensure worker shutdown
+    await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 1500))
+    expect(logs).toContainEqual(expect.stringContaining('Worker hi terminated due to inactivity.'))
+    await page.close()
+  })
 })