diff --git a/swh/core/db/common.py b/swh/core/db/common.py
--- a/swh/core/db/common.py
+++ b/swh/core/db/common.py
@@ -36,9 +36,15 @@
 def db_transaction(**client_options):
     """decorator to execute Backend methods within DB transactions
 
-    The decorated method must accept a `cur` and `db` keyword argument
-
-    Client options are passed as `set` options to the postgresql server
+    The decorated method must accept a ``cur`` and ``db`` keyword argument
+
+    Client options are passed as ``set`` options to the postgresql server. If
+    available, decorated ``self.query_options`` can be defined as a dict which
+    keys are (decorated) method names and values are dicts. These later dicts
+    are merged with the given ``client_options``. So it's possible to define
+    default client_options as decorator arguments and overload them from e.g. a
+    configuration file (e.g. making is the ``self.query_options`` attribute filled
+    from a config file).
     """
 
     def decorator(meth, __client_options=client_options):
@@ -48,9 +54,14 @@
         @remove_kwargs(["cur", "db"])
         @functools.wraps(meth)
         def _meth(self, *args, **kwargs):
+            options = getattr(self, "query_options", None) or {}
+            if meth.__name__ in options:
+                client_options = {**__client_options, **options[meth.__name__]}
+            else:
+                client_options = __client_options
             if "cur" in kwargs and kwargs["cur"]:
                 cur = kwargs["cur"]
-                old_options = apply_options(cur, __client_options)
+                old_options = apply_options(cur, client_options)
                 ret = meth(self, *args, **kwargs)
                 apply_options(cur, old_options)
                 return ret
@@ -58,7 +69,7 @@
                 db = self.get_db()
                 try:
                     with db.transaction() as cur:
-                        apply_options(cur, __client_options)
+                        apply_options(cur, client_options)
                         return meth(self, *args, db=db, cur=cur, **kwargs)
                 finally:
                     self.put_db(db)
@@ -72,9 +83,15 @@
     """decorator to execute Backend methods within DB transactions, while
     returning a generator
 
-    The decorated method must accept a `cur` and `db` keyword argument
+    The decorated method must accept a ``cur`` and ``db`` keyword argument
 
-    Client options are passed as `set` options to the postgresql server
+    Client options are passed as ``set`` options to the postgresql server. If
+    available, decorated ``self.query_options`` can be defined as a dict which
+    keys are (decorated) method names and values are dicts. These later dicts
+    are merged with the given ``client_options``. So it's possible to define
+    default client_options as decorator arguments and overload them from e.g. a
+    configuration file (e.g. making is the ``self.query_options`` attribute filled
+    from a config file).
     """
 
     def decorator(meth, __client_options=client_options):
@@ -84,16 +101,21 @@
         @remove_kwargs(["cur", "db"])
         @functools.wraps(meth)
         def _meth(self, *args, **kwargs):
+            options = getattr(self, "query_options", None) or {}
+            if meth.__name__ in options:
+                client_options = {**__client_options, **options[meth.__name__]}
+            else:
+                client_options = __client_options
             if "cur" in kwargs and kwargs["cur"]:
                 cur = kwargs["cur"]
-                old_options = apply_options(cur, __client_options)
+                old_options = apply_options(cur, client_options)
                 yield from meth(self, *args, **kwargs)
                 apply_options(cur, old_options)
             else:
                 db = self.get_db()
                 try:
                     with db.transaction() as cur:
-                        apply_options(cur, __client_options)
+                        apply_options(cur, client_options)
                         yield from meth(self, *args, db=db, cur=cur, **kwargs)
                 finally:
                     self.put_db(db)
diff --git a/swh/core/db/tests/test_db.py b/swh/core/db/tests/test_db.py
--- a/swh/core/db/tests/test_db.py
+++ b/swh/core/db/tests/test_db.py
@@ -415,3 +415,45 @@
     actual_sig = inspect.signature(g)
 
     assert actual_sig == expected_sig
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "query_options", (None, {"something": 42, "statement_timeout": 200})
+)
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("use_generator", (True, False))
+def test_db_transaction_query_options(mocker, use_generator, query_options):
+    class Storage:
+        @db_transaction(statement_timeout=100)
+        def endpoint(self, cur=None, db=None):
+            return [None]
+
+        @db_transaction_generator(statement_timeout=100)
+        def gen_endpoint(self, cur=None, db=None):
+            yield None
+
+    storage = Storage()
+
+    # mockers
+    mocked_apply = mocker.patch("swh.core.db.common.apply_options")
+    # 'with storage.get_db().transaction() as cur:' should cause
+    # 'cur' to be 'expected_cur'
+    expected_cur = object()
+    db_mock = MagicMock()
+    db_mock.transaction.return_value.__enter__.return_value = expected_cur
+    mocker.patch.object(storage, "get_db", return_value=db_mock, create=True)
+    mocker.patch.object(storage, "put_db", create=True)
+
+    if query_options:
+        storage.query_options = {
+            "endpoint": query_options,
+            "gen_endpoint": query_options,
+        }
+    if use_generator:
+        list(storage.gen_endpoint())
+    else:
+        list(storage.endpoint())
+
+    mocked_apply.assert_called_once_with(
+        expected_cur,
+        query_options if query_options is not None else {"statement_timeout": 100},
+    )