diff --git a/app/helpers/application_settings_helper.rb b/app/helpers/application_settings_helper.rb
index d9e748d7b27cc4ed7613faedc03e08ac425be106..bb38799844aeab44722f01aa1cab537d237926b1 100644
--- a/app/helpers/application_settings_helper.rb
+++ b/app/helpers/application_settings_helper.rb
@@ -267,6 +267,7 @@ def visible_attributes
       :auto_devops_domain,
       :autocomplete_users_limit,
       :autocomplete_users_unauthenticated_limit,
+      :ci_delete_pipelines_in_seconds_limit_human_readable,
       :ci_job_live_trace_enabled,
       :ci_partitions_size_limit,
       :concurrent_github_import_jobs_limit,
diff --git a/app/models/application_setting.rb b/app/models/application_setting.rb
index 385860e5d040d251ff7e93f6d99bd85e851d2f7f..fda2f11fbaeeeaa9861d87274f6cd8a473ec2485 100644
--- a/app/models/application_setting.rb
+++ b/app/models/application_setting.rb
@@ -523,10 +523,15 @@ def self.kroki_formats_attributes
 
   jsonb_accessor :ci_cd_settings,
     ci_job_live_trace_enabled: [:boolean, { default: false }],
-    ci_partitions_size_limit: [::Gitlab::Database::Type::JsonbInteger.new, { default: 100.gigabytes }]
+    ci_partitions_size_limit: [::Gitlab::Database::Type::JsonbInteger.new, { default: 100.gigabytes }],
+    ci_delete_pipelines_in_seconds_limit: [:integer, { default: ChronicDuration.parse('1 year') }]
+
+  chronic_duration_attr :ci_delete_pipelines_in_seconds_limit_human_readable, :ci_delete_pipelines_in_seconds_limit
 
   validate :validate_object_storage_for_live_trace_configuration, if: -> { ci_job_live_trace_enabled? }
   validates :ci_partitions_size_limit, presence: true, numericality: { only_integer: true, greater_than: 0 }
+  validates :ci_delete_pipelines_in_seconds_limit, presence: true,
+    numericality: { only_integer: true, greater_than_or_equal_to: 1.day }
 
   validates :default_ci_config_path,
     format: { without: %r{(\.{2}|\A/)}, message: N_('cannot include leading slash or directory traversal.') },
@@ -1154,6 +1159,11 @@ def failed_login_attempts_unlock_period_in_minutes_column_exists?
     self.class.database.cached_column_exists?(:failed_login_attempts_unlock_period_in_minutes)
   end
 
+  def ci_delete_pipelines_in_seconds_limit_human_readable_long
+    value = ci_delete_pipelines_in_seconds_limit
+    ChronicDuration.output(value, format: :long) if value
+  end
+
   private
 
   def parsed_grafana_url
diff --git a/app/models/application_setting_implementation.rb b/app/models/application_setting_implementation.rb
index cd71001f8ea1e40f477ebd4ad647ef4f4d26059e..ceed2a91eaca04691099394ba6ac70cd5145d3c6 100644
--- a/app/models/application_setting_implementation.rb
+++ b/app/models/application_setting_implementation.rb
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ def defaults # rubocop:disable Metrics/AbcSize
         ci_job_live_trace_enabled: false,
         ci_max_total_yaml_size_bytes: 314572800, # max_yaml_size_bytes * ci_max_includes = 2.megabyte * 150
         ci_partitions_size_limit: 100.gigabytes,
+        ci_delete_pipelines_in_seconds_limit_human_readable: '1 year',
         commit_email_hostname: default_commit_email_hostname,
         container_expiration_policies_enable_historic_entries: false,
         container_registry_features: [],
diff --git a/app/models/project_ci_cd_setting.rb b/app/models/project_ci_cd_setting.rb
index 726feae71a937ad4033dee0f70333faf35a71e06..10c3e9658d01da113dc42e9333943b5fc4aecd26 100644
--- a/app/models/project_ci_cd_setting.rb
+++ b/app/models/project_ci_cd_setting.rb
@@ -42,8 +42,11 @@ class ProjectCiCdSetting < ApplicationRecord
     numericality: {
       only_integer: true,
       greater_than_or_equal_to: ChronicDuration.parse('1 day'),
-      less_than_or_equal_to: ChronicDuration.parse('1 year'),
-      message: N_('must be between 1 day and 1 year')
+      less_than_or_equal_to: ->(_) { ::Gitlab::CurrentSettings.ci_delete_pipelines_in_seconds_limit },
+      message: ->(*) {
+        format(N_('must be between 1 day and %{limit}'),
+          limit: ::Gitlab::CurrentSettings.ci_delete_pipelines_in_seconds_limit_human_readable_long)
+      }
     }
 
   attribute :forward_deployment_enabled, default: true
diff --git a/app/validators/json_schemas/application_setting_ci_cd_settings.json b/app/validators/json_schemas/application_setting_ci_cd_settings.json
index 2eaf126ad9bf1cebb278186f00cbea1abea75b41..6e7afa7e9c2f189e80d983de8781d08babafc942 100644
--- a/app/validators/json_schemas/application_setting_ci_cd_settings.json
+++ b/app/validators/json_schemas/application_setting_ci_cd_settings.json
@@ -11,6 +11,10 @@
     "ci_partitions_size_limit": {
       "type": "integer",
       "description": "Maximum table size limit for a CI partition used for creating new partitions."
+    },
+    "ci_delete_pipelines_in_seconds_limit": {
+      "type": "integer",
+      "description": "Maximum value allowed for configuring pipeline retention."
     }
   }
 }
diff --git a/app/views/projects/settings/ci_cd/_form.html.haml b/app/views/projects/settings/ci_cd/_form.html.haml
index 1dd8188180a253ba2e6c4e53e69d7166b7b721a9..2208cf5ef5aebb0fe4e0aad9282d9a1373908e9c 100644
--- a/app/views/projects/settings/ci_cd/_form.html.haml
+++ b/app/views/projects/settings/ci_cd/_form.html.haml
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@
               = form.label :delete_pipelines_in_human_readable, s_('CICD|Automatic pipeline cleanup'), class: 'label-bold'
               = form.text_field :delete_pipelines_in_human_readable, { class: 'form-control gl-form-input' }
               %p.form-text.gl-text-subtle
-                = html_escape(s_("CICD|Pipelines older than the configured time are deleted. Leave empty to never delete pipelines automatically. The default unit is in seconds, but you can use other units, for example %{code_open}15 days%{code_close}, %{code_open}1 month%{code_close}, %{code_open}1 year%{code_close}. Can be between 1 day to 1 year.")) % { code_open: '<code>'.html_safe, code_close: '</code>'.html_safe }
+                = html_escape(s_("CICD|Pipelines older than the configured time are deleted. Leave empty to never delete pipelines automatically. The default unit is in seconds, but you can use other units, for example %{code_open}15 days%{code_close}, %{code_open}1 month%{code_close}, %{code_open}1 year%{code_close}. Can be between 1 day to %{limit}.")) % { code_open: '<code>'.html_safe, code_close: '</code>'.html_safe, limit: ::Gitlab::CurrentSettings.ci_delete_pipelines_in_seconds_limit_human_readable_long }
                 = link_to sprite_icon('question-o'), help_page_path('ci/pipelines/settings.md', anchor: 'automatic-pipeline-cleanup'), target: '_blank', rel: 'noopener noreferrer'
 
         = f.submit _('Save changes'), pajamas_button: true
diff --git a/doc/administration/instance_limits.md b/doc/administration/instance_limits.md
index 047495da5dbf0ad8db0aa82a34267ed05db46f42..0399aebf4b45a2e013f0a5b2ae119c2547c136b3 100644
--- a/doc/administration/instance_limits.md
+++ b/doc/administration/instance_limits.md
@@ -987,6 +987,25 @@ To change the limit, update `ci_partitions_size_limit` with the new value. For e
 ApplicationSetting.update(ci_partitions_size_limit: 20.gigabytes)
 ```
 
+### Maximum config value for automatic pipeline cleanup
+
+{{< history >}}
+
+- [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/merge_requests/189191) in GitLab 18.0.
+
+{{< /history >}}
+
+Configures the upper limit for [CI/CD pipeline expiry time](../ci/pipelines/settings.md#automatic-pipeline-cleanup).
+Defaults to 1 year.
+
+You can change this limit by using the [GitLab Rails console](operations/rails_console.md#starting-a-rails-console-session).
+To change the limit, update `ci_delete_pipelines_in_seconds_limit_human_readable` with the new value.
+For example, to set it to 3 years:
+
+```ruby
+ApplicationSetting.update(ci_delete_pipelines_in_seconds_limit_human_readable: '3 years')
+```
+
 ## Instance monitoring and metrics
 
 ### Limit inbound incident management alerts
diff --git a/doc/api/settings.md b/doc/api/settings.md
index 523e7ac93162cb49304547631f5cb0ba8beb80c7..dde2a78c726a5928197b76fdeecc418464a176c5 100644
--- a/doc/api/settings.md
+++ b/doc/api/settings.md
@@ -465,6 +465,7 @@ to configure other related settings. These requirements are
 | `bulk_import_max_download_file_size`     | integer          | no                                   | Maximum download file size when importing from source GitLab instances by direct transfer. [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/384976) in GitLab 16.3. |
 | `can_create_group`                       | boolean          | no                                   | Indicates whether users can create top-level groups. [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/367754) in GitLab 15.5. Defaults to `true`. |
 | `check_namespace_plan`                   | boolean          | no                                   | Enabling this makes only licensed EE features available to projects if the project namespace's plan includes the feature or if the project is public. Premium and Ultimate only. |
+| `ci_delete_pipelines_in_seconds_limit_human_readable` | string | no                                | Maximum value that is allowed for configuring pipeline retention. Defaults to `1 year`. |
 | `ci_job_live_trace_enabled`              | boolean          | no                                   | Turns on incremental logging for job logs. When turned on, archived job logs are incrementally uploaded to object storage. Object storage must be configured. You can also configure this setting in the [**Admin** area](../administration/settings/continuous_integration.md#incremental-logging). |
 | `ci_max_total_yaml_size_bytes`           | integer          | no                                   | The maximum amount of memory, in bytes, that can be allocated for the pipeline configuration, with all included YAML configuration files. |
 | `ci_max_includes`                        | integer          | no                                   | The [maximum number of includes](../administration/settings/continuous_integration.md#maximum-includes) per pipeline. Default is `150`. |
diff --git a/locale/gitlab.pot b/locale/gitlab.pot
index d63b82bd65538563c3ba292ebfd20d2c1f60234f..27bf636c4b730e9ff9f5f81e3fd66a4b3cdc4064 100644
--- a/locale/gitlab.pot
+++ b/locale/gitlab.pot
@@ -11740,7 +11740,7 @@ msgstr ""
 msgid "CICD|Pipelines and jobs cannot be cancelled"
 msgstr ""
 
-msgid "CICD|Pipelines older than the configured time are deleted. Leave empty to never delete pipelines automatically. The default unit is in seconds, but you can use other units, for example %{code_open}15 days%{code_close}, %{code_open}1 month%{code_close}, %{code_open}1 year%{code_close}. Can be between 1 day to 1 year."
+msgid "CICD|Pipelines older than the configured time are deleted. Leave empty to never delete pipelines automatically. The default unit is in seconds, but you can use other units, for example %{code_open}15 days%{code_close}, %{code_open}1 month%{code_close}, %{code_open}1 year%{code_close}. Can be between 1 day to %{limit}."
 msgstr ""
 
 msgid "CICD|Pipelines triggered by composite identities, including AI agents, run automatically without review or manual interaction."
@@ -72635,7 +72635,7 @@ msgstr ""
 msgid "must be before %{expiry_date}"
 msgstr ""
 
-msgid "must be between 1 day and 1 year"
+msgid "must be between 1 day and %{limit}"
 msgstr ""
 
 msgid "must be enabled."
diff --git a/spec/models/application_setting_spec.rb b/spec/models/application_setting_spec.rb
index 799ff70640c99ce8ae7b30a9807d5291176e22ec..10bcf59f5d0bfecc78c1e44ba7c12180e320bda9 100644
--- a/spec/models/application_setting_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/application_setting_spec.rb
@@ -96,7 +96,8 @@
         reindexing_minimum_index_size: 1.gigabyte,
         reindexing_minimum_relative_bloat_size: 0.2,
         top_level_group_creation_enabled: true,
-        ci_partitions_size_limit: 100.gigabytes
+        ci_partitions_size_limit: 100.gigabytes,
+        ci_delete_pipelines_in_seconds_limit: ChronicDuration.parse('1 year')
       )
     end
   end
@@ -452,6 +453,22 @@ def many_usernames(num = 100)
 
     it { is_expected.not_to allow_value(nil).for(:math_rendering_limits_enabled) }
 
+    context 'with pipeline retention limits' do
+      it 'allows only integers' do
+        is_expected.to validate_numericality_of(:ci_delete_pipelines_in_seconds_limit)
+          .only_integer.is_greater_than_or_equal_to(1.day)
+      end
+
+      it { is_expected.not_to allow_value(nil).for(:ci_delete_pipelines_in_seconds_limit) }
+
+      describe '#ci_delete_pipelines_in_seconds_limit_human_readable=' do
+        it 'propagates values' do
+          expect { setting.ci_delete_pipelines_in_seconds_limit_human_readable = '1 month' }
+            .to change { setting.ci_delete_pipelines_in_seconds_limit }.to eq(ChronicDuration.parse('1 month'))
+        end
+      end
+    end
+
     context 'when deactivate_dormant_users is enabled' do
       before do
         stub_application_setting(deactivate_dormant_users: true)
@@ -2150,4 +2167,8 @@ def expect_invalid
     it { is_expected.not_to allow_value({ reindexing_minimum_index_size: "3" }).for(:database_reindexing) }
     it { is_expected.not_to allow_value({ reindexing_minimum_relative_bloat_size: true }).for(:database_reindexing) }
   end
+
+  describe '#ci_delete_pipelines_in_seconds_limit_human_readable_long' do
+    it { expect(setting.ci_delete_pipelines_in_seconds_limit_human_readable_long).to eq('1 year') }
+  end
 end
diff --git a/spec/models/project_ci_cd_setting_spec.rb b/spec/models/project_ci_cd_setting_spec.rb
index df72110505260b5d8284c1d958393c09a6ddaefe..16641fa31bc1b25146eacecd7530f1f409c8f25e 100644
--- a/spec/models/project_ci_cd_setting_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/project_ci_cd_setting_spec.rb
@@ -45,6 +45,22 @@
         .is_less_than_or_equal_to(ChronicDuration.parse('1 year'))
         .with_message('must be between 1 day and 1 year')
     end
+
+    context 'with custom delete_pipelines_in_seconds limits' do
+      let(:limit) { ChronicDuration.parse('3 years, 2 months, 1 day') }
+
+      before do
+        stub_application_setting(ci_delete_pipelines_in_seconds_limit: limit)
+      end
+
+      it 'validates delete_pipelines_in_seconds' do
+        is_expected.to validate_numericality_of(:delete_pipelines_in_seconds)
+          .only_integer
+          .is_greater_than_or_equal_to(ChronicDuration.parse('1 day'))
+          .is_less_than_or_equal_to(limit)
+          .with_message('must be between 1 day and 38 months 16 days 18 hours')
+      end
+    end
   end
 
   describe '#pipeline_variables_minimum_override_role' do