diff --git a/sql/rowexec/ddl_iters.go b/sql/rowexec/ddl_iters.go
index 67e8a95951..ecbc16be97 100644
--- a/sql/rowexec/ddl_iters.go
+++ b/sql/rowexec/ddl_iters.go
@@ -570,7 +570,8 @@ func (i *modifyColumnIter) rewriteTable(ctx *sql.Context, rwt sql.RewritableTabl
 		return false, err
 	}
 
-	rowIter := sql.NewTableRowIter(ctx, rwt, partitions)
+	var rowIter sql.RowIter = sql.NewTableRowIter(ctx, rwt, partitions)
+	rowIter = withSafepointPeriodicallyIter(rowIter)
 	for {
 		r, err := rowIter.Next(ctx)
 		if err == io.EOF {
@@ -1117,7 +1118,8 @@ func (c *createPkIter) rewriteTable(ctx *sql.Context, rwt sql.RewritableTable) e
 		return err
 	}
 
-	rowIter := sql.NewTableRowIter(ctx, rwt, partitions)
+	var rowIter sql.RowIter = sql.NewTableRowIter(ctx, rwt, partitions)
+	rowIter = withSafepointPeriodicallyIter(rowIter)
 
 	for {
 		r, err := rowIter.Next(ctx)
@@ -1221,7 +1223,8 @@ func (d *dropPkIter) rewriteTable(ctx *sql.Context, rwt sql.RewritableTable) err
 		return err
 	}
 
-	rowIter := sql.NewTableRowIter(ctx, rwt, partitions)
+	var rowIter sql.RowIter = sql.NewTableRowIter(ctx, rwt, partitions)
+	rowIter = withSafepointPeriodicallyIter(rowIter)
 
 	for {
 		r, err := rowIter.Next(ctx)
@@ -1329,6 +1332,7 @@ func (i *addColumnIter) UpdateRowsWithDefaults(ctx *sql.Context, table sql.Table
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
+	tableIter = withSafepointPeriodicallyIter(tableIter)
 
 	schema := updatable.Schema()
 	idx := -1
@@ -1430,7 +1434,8 @@ func (i *addColumnIter) rewriteTable(ctx *sql.Context, rwt sql.RewritableTable)
 		return false, err
 	}
 
-	rowIter := sql.NewTableRowIter(ctx, rwt, partitions)
+	var rowIter sql.RowIter = sql.NewTableRowIter(ctx, rwt, partitions)
+	rowIter = withSafepointPeriodicallyIter(rowIter)
 
 	var val uint64
 	var autoTbl sql.AutoIncrementTable
@@ -1740,7 +1745,8 @@ func (i *dropColumnIter) rewriteTable(ctx *sql.Context, rwt sql.RewritableTable)
 		return false, err
 	}
 
-	rowIter := sql.NewTableRowIter(ctx, rwt, partitions)
+	var rowIter sql.RowIter = sql.NewTableRowIter(ctx, rwt, partitions)
+	rowIter = withSafepointPeriodicallyIter(rowIter)
 
 	for {
 		r, err := rowIter.Next(ctx)
@@ -2252,7 +2258,8 @@ func buildIndex(ctx *sql.Context, n *plan.AlterIndex, ibt sql.IndexBuildingTable
 		return err
 	}
 
-	rowIter := sql.NewTableRowIter(ctx, ibt, partitions)
+	var rowIter sql.RowIter = sql.NewTableRowIter(ctx, ibt, partitions)
+	rowIter = withSafepointPeriodicallyIter(rowIter)
 
 	// Our table scan needs to include projections for virtual columns if there are any
 	isVirtual := ibt.Schema().HasVirtualColumns()
@@ -2339,7 +2346,8 @@ func rewriteTableForIndexCreate(ctx *sql.Context, n *plan.AlterIndex, table sql.
 		return err
 	}
 
-	rowIter := sql.NewTableRowIter(ctx, rwt, partitions)
+	var rowIter sql.RowIter = sql.NewTableRowIter(ctx, rwt, partitions)
+	rowIter = withSafepointPeriodicallyIter(rowIter)
 
 	isVirtual := table.Schema().HasVirtualColumns()
 	var projections []sql.Expression
diff --git a/sql/rowexec/dml_iters.go b/sql/rowexec/dml_iters.go
index 0682976e4e..8b40e0f335 100644
--- a/sql/rowexec/dml_iters.go
+++ b/sql/rowexec/dml_iters.go
@@ -121,6 +121,7 @@ func (i *triggerBlockIter) Next(ctx *sql.Context) (sql.Row, error) {
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
+		subIter = withSafepointPeriodicallyIter(subIter)
 
 		for {
 			newRow, err := subIter.Next(ctx)
@@ -143,6 +144,7 @@ func (i *triggerBlockIter) Next(ctx *sql.Context) (sql.Row, error) {
 			}
 		}
 	}
+	sql.SessionCommandSafepoint(ctx.Session)
 
 	return row, nil
 }
@@ -264,6 +266,7 @@ func (t *triggerIter) Next(ctx *sql.Context) (row sql.Row, returnErr error) {
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
+	logicIter = withSafepointPeriodicallyIter(logicIter)
 
 	defer func() {
 		err := logicIter.Close(t.ctx)
@@ -613,15 +616,15 @@ func AddAccumulatorIter(ctx *sql.Context, iter sql.RowIter) (sql.RowIter, sql.Sc
 		switch innerIter := i.InnerIter().(type) {
 		case *insertIter:
 			if len(innerIter.returnExprs) > 0 {
-				return innerIter, innerIter.returnSchema
+				return withSafepointPeriodicallyIter(innerIter), innerIter.returnSchema
 			}
 		case *updateIter:
 			if len(innerIter.returnExprs) > 0 {
-				return innerIter, innerIter.returnSchema
+				return withSafepointPeriodicallyIter(innerIter), innerIter.returnSchema
 			}
 		case *deleteIter:
 			if len(innerIter.returnExprs) > 0 {
-				return innerIter, innerIter.returnSchema
+				return withSafepointPeriodicallyIter(innerIter), innerIter.returnSchema
 			}
 		}
 
@@ -631,6 +634,43 @@ func AddAccumulatorIter(ctx *sql.Context, iter sql.RowIter) (sql.RowIter, sql.Sc
 	}
 }
 
+func withSafepointPeriodicallyIter(child sql.RowIter) *safepointPeriodicallyIter {
+	return &safepointPeriodicallyIter{child: child}
+}
+
+// A wrapper iterator which calls sql.SessionCommandSafepoint on the
+// ctx.Session periodically while returning rows through calls to
+// |Next|.
+//
+// Should be used to wrap any iterators which are involved in
+// long-running write operations and which are exhausted or iterated
+// by other iterators in the iterator tree, such as accumulatorIter.
+//
+// This iterator makes the assumption that a safepoint, from the
+// Engine's perspective, can be established at any moment we are
+// within a Next() call. This is generally true given the Engine's
+// lack of concurrency on a given Session, but if something like
+// Exchange node came back, this would not necessarily be true.
+type safepointPeriodicallyIter struct {
+	child sql.RowIter
+	n     int
+}
+
+const safepointEveryNRows = 1024
+
+func (i *safepointPeriodicallyIter) Next(ctx *sql.Context) (r sql.Row, err error) {
+	i.n++
+	if i.n >= safepointEveryNRows {
+		i.n = 0
+		sql.SessionCommandSafepoint(ctx.Session)
+	}
+	return i.child.Next(ctx)
+}
+
+func (i *safepointPeriodicallyIter) Close(ctx *sql.Context) error {
+	return i.child.Close(ctx)
+}
+
 // defaultAccumulatorIter returns the default accumulator iter for a DML node
 func defaultAccumulatorIter(ctx *sql.Context, iter sql.RowIter) (sql.RowIter, sql.Schema) {
 	clientFoundRowsToggled := (ctx.Client().Capabilities & mysql.CapabilityClientFoundRows) > 0
@@ -639,7 +679,7 @@ func defaultAccumulatorIter(ctx *sql.Context, iter sql.RowIter) (sql.RowIter, sq
 		return iter, nil
 	}
 	return &accumulatorIter{
-		iter:             iter,
+		iter:             withSafepointPeriodicallyIter(iter),
 		updateRowHandler: rowHandler,
 	}, types.OkResultSchema
 }
diff --git a/sql/rowexec/proc.go b/sql/rowexec/proc.go
index 35af6c65e8..877ba953f9 100644
--- a/sql/rowexec/proc.go
+++ b/sql/rowexec/proc.go
@@ -340,6 +340,7 @@ func (b *BaseBuilder) buildLoop(ctx *sql.Context, n *plan.Loop, row sql.Row) (sq
 				return nil, err
 			}
 		}
+		loopBodyIter = withSafepointPeriodicallyIter(loopBodyIter)
 
 		includeResultSet := false
 
diff --git a/sql/session.go b/sql/session.go
index de6ee992c8..ad655f2cc3 100644
--- a/sql/session.go
+++ b/sql/session.go
@@ -229,6 +229,15 @@ type LifecycleAwareSession interface {
 	SessionEnd()
 }
 
+// An optional Lifecycle callback which a session can receive. This can be
+// delivered periodically during a long running operation, between the
+// CommandBegin and CommandEnd calls. Across the call to this method, the
+// gms.Engine is not accessing the session or any of its state, such as
+// table editors, database providers, etc.
+type SafepointAwareSession interface {
+	CommandSafepoint()
+}
+
 type (
 	// TypedValue is a value along with its type.
 	TypedValue struct {
@@ -763,6 +772,13 @@ func SessionCommandEnd(s Session) {
 	}
 }
 
+// Helper function to call CommandSafepoint on a SafepointAwareSession, or do nothing.
+func SessionCommandSafepoint(s Session) {
+	if cur, ok := s.(SafepointAwareSession); ok {
+		cur.CommandSafepoint()
+	}
+}
+
 // Helper function to call SessionEnd on a LifecycleAwareSession, or do nothing.
 func SessionEnd(s Session) {
 	if cur, ok := s.(LifecycleAwareSession); ok {