diff --git a/man/coredns-etcd.7 b/man/coredns-etcd.7
index 371f81f2b..f3484adde 100644
--- a/man/coredns-etcd.7
+++ b/man/coredns-etcd.7
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 .\" Generated by Mmark Markdown Processer - mmark.miek.nl
-.TH "COREDNS-ETCD" 7 "March 2021" "CoreDNS" "CoreDNS Plugins"
+.TH "COREDNS-ETCD" 7 "August 2025" "CoreDNS" "CoreDNS Plugins"
 
 .SH "NAME"
 .PP
@@ -85,6 +85,10 @@ file - if the server certificate is not signed by a system-installed CA and clie
 is needed.
 
 .RE
+.IP \(bu 4
+\fB\fCmin-lease-ttl\fR the minimum TTL for DNS records based on etcd lease duration. Accepts flexible time formats like '30', '30s', '5m', '1h', '2h30m'. Default: 30 seconds.
+.IP \(bu 4
+\fB\fCmax-lease-ttl\fR the maximum TTL for DNS records based on etcd lease duration. Accepts flexible time formats like '30', '30s', '5m', '1h', '2h30m'. Default: 24 hours.
 
 
 .SH "SPECIAL BEHAVIOUR"
@@ -93,7 +97,7 @@ The \fIetcd\fP plugin leverages directory structure to look for related entries.
 an entry \fB\fC/skydns/test/skydns/mx\fR would have entries like \fB\fC/skydns/test/skydns/mx/a\fR,
 \fB\fC/skydns/test/skydns/mx/b\fR and so on. Similarly a directory \fB\fC/skydns/test/skydns/mx1\fR will have all
 \fB\fCmx1\fR entries. Note this plugin will search through the entire (sub)tree for records. In case of the
-first example, a query for \fB\fCmx.skydns.text\fR will return both the contents of the \fB\fCa\fR and \fB\fCb\fR records.
+first example, a query for \fB\fCmx.skydns.test\fR will return both the contents of the \fB\fCa\fR and \fB\fCb\fR records.
 If the directory extends deeper those records are returned as well.
 
 .PP
@@ -120,6 +124,8 @@ skydns.local {
     etcd {
         path /skydns
         endpoint http://localhost:2379
+        min\-lease\-ttl 60     # minimum 1 minute for lease\-based records
+        max\-lease\-ttl 1h     # maximum 1 hour for lease\-based records
     }
     prometheus
     cache
@@ -349,6 +355,7 @@ If you would like to use \fB\fCTXT\fR records, you can set the following:
 
 .nf
 % etcdctl put /skydns/local/skydns/x6 '{"ttl":60,"text":"this is a random text message."}'
+% etcdctl put /skydns/local/skydns/x7 '{"ttl":60,"text":"this is a another random text message."}'
 
 .fi
 .RE
@@ -362,6 +369,7 @@ If you query the zone name for \fB\fCTXT\fR now, you will get the following resp
 .nf
 % dig +short skydns.local TXT @localhost
 "this is a random text message."
+"this is a another random text message."
 
 .fi
 .RE
diff --git a/plugin/etcd/README.md b/plugin/etcd/README.md
index 0c7f1ea33..f01a66931 100644
--- a/plugin/etcd/README.md
+++ b/plugin/etcd/README.md
@@ -55,6 +55,8 @@ etcd [ZONES...] {
     * three arguments - path to cert PEM file, path to client private key PEM file, path to CA PEM
       file - if the server certificate is not signed by a system-installed CA and client certificate
       is needed.
+* `min-lease-ttl` the minimum TTL for DNS records based on etcd lease duration. Accepts flexible time formats like '30', '30s', '5m', '1h', '2h30m'. Default: 30 seconds.
+* `max-lease-ttl` the maximum TTL for DNS records based on etcd lease duration. Accepts flexible time formats like '30', '30s', '5m', '1h', '2h30m'. Default: 24 hours.
 
 ## Special Behaviour
 
@@ -83,6 +85,8 @@ skydns.local {
     etcd {
         path /skydns
         endpoint http://localhost:2379
+        min-lease-ttl 60     # minimum 1 minute for lease-based records
+        max-lease-ttl 1h     # maximum 1 hour for lease-based records
     }
     prometheus
     cache
diff --git a/plugin/etcd/etcd.go b/plugin/etcd/etcd.go
index a78673027..b311def1b 100644
--- a/plugin/etcd/etcd.go
+++ b/plugin/etcd/etcd.go
@@ -21,21 +21,25 @@ import (
 )
 
 const (
-	priority    = 10  // default priority when nothing is set
-	ttl         = 300 // default ttl when nothing is set
-	etcdTimeout = 5 * time.Second
+	defaultPriority    = 10    // default priority when nothing is set
+	defaultTTL         = 300   // default ttl when nothing is set
+	defaultLeaseMinTTL = 30    // default minimum TTL for lease-based records
+	defaultLeaseMaxTTL = 86400 // default maximum TTL for lease-based records
+	etcdTimeout        = 5 * time.Second
 )
 
 var errKeyNotFound = errors.New("key not found")
 
 // Etcd is a plugin talks to an etcd cluster.
 type Etcd struct {
-	Next       plugin.Handler
-	Fall       fall.F
-	Zones      []string
-	PathPrefix string
-	Upstream   *upstream.Upstream
-	Client     *etcdcv3.Client
+	Next        plugin.Handler
+	Fall        fall.F
+	Zones       []string
+	PathPrefix  string
+	Upstream    *upstream.Upstream
+	Client      *etcdcv3.Client
+	MinLeaseTTL uint32 // minimum TTL for lease-based records
+	MaxLeaseTTL uint32 // maximum TTL for lease-based records
 
 	endpoints []string // Stored here as well, to aid in testing.
 }
@@ -146,7 +150,7 @@ Nodes:
 
 		serv.TTL = e.TTL(n, serv)
 		if serv.Priority == 0 {
-			serv.Priority = priority
+			serv.Priority = defaultPriority
 		}
 
 		if shouldInclude(serv, qType) {
@@ -159,10 +163,39 @@ Nodes:
 // TTL returns the smaller of the etcd TTL and the service's
 // TTL. If neither of these are set (have a zero value), a default is used.
 func (e *Etcd) TTL(kv *mvccpb.KeyValue, serv *msg.Service) uint32 {
-	etcdTTL := uint32(kv.Lease)
+	var etcdTTL uint32
+
+	// Get actual lease TTL from etcd if lease exists and client is available
+	if kv.Lease != 0 && e.Client != nil {
+		if resp, err := e.Client.TimeToLive(context.Background(), etcdcv3.LeaseID(kv.Lease)); err == nil && resp.TTL > 0 {
+			leaseTTL := resp.TTL
+
+			// Get bounds with defaults
+			minTTL := e.MinLeaseTTL
+			if minTTL == 0 {
+				minTTL = defaultLeaseMinTTL
+			}
+			maxTTL := e.MaxLeaseTTL
+			if maxTTL == 0 {
+				maxTTL = defaultLeaseMaxTTL
+			}
+
+			// Clamp lease TTL to configured bounds
+			minTTL64 := int64(minTTL)
+			maxTTL64 := int64(maxTTL)
+
+			if leaseTTL < minTTL64 {
+				leaseTTL = minTTL64
+			} else if leaseTTL > maxTTL64 {
+				leaseTTL = maxTTL64
+			}
+
+			etcdTTL = uint32(leaseTTL)
+		}
+	}
 
 	if etcdTTL == 0 && serv.TTL == 0 {
-		return ttl
+		return defaultTTL
 	}
 	if etcdTTL == 0 {
 		return serv.TTL
diff --git a/plugin/etcd/setup.go b/plugin/etcd/setup.go
index 68a1b7f42..2ddbf4597 100644
--- a/plugin/etcd/setup.go
+++ b/plugin/etcd/setup.go
@@ -2,7 +2,11 @@ package etcd
 
 import (
 	"crypto/tls"
+	"errors"
 	"path/filepath"
+	"strconv"
+	"strings"
+	"time"
 
 	"github.com/coredns/caddy"
 	"github.com/coredns/coredns/core/dnsserver"
@@ -33,7 +37,11 @@ func setup(c *caddy.Controller) error {
 
 func etcdParse(c *caddy.Controller) (*Etcd, error) {
 	config := dnsserver.GetConfig(c)
-	etc := Etcd{PathPrefix: "skydns"}
+	etc := Etcd{
+		PathPrefix:  "skydns",
+		MinLeaseTTL: defaultLeaseMinTTL,
+		MaxLeaseTTL: defaultLeaseMaxTTL,
+	}
 	var (
 		tlsConfig *tls.Config
 		err       error
@@ -88,6 +96,24 @@ func etcdParse(c *caddy.Controller) (*Etcd, error) {
 					return &Etcd{}, c.Errf("credentials requires 2 arguments, username and password")
 				}
 				username, password = args[0], args[1]
+			case "min-lease-ttl":
+				if !c.NextArg() {
+					return &Etcd{}, c.ArgErr()
+				}
+				minLeaseTTL, err := parseTTL(c.Val())
+				if err != nil {
+					return &Etcd{}, c.Errf("invalid min-lease-ttl value: %v", err)
+				}
+				etc.MinLeaseTTL = minLeaseTTL
+			case "max-lease-ttl":
+				if !c.NextArg() {
+					return &Etcd{}, c.ArgErr()
+				}
+				maxLeaseTTL, err := parseTTL(c.Val())
+				if err != nil {
+					return &Etcd{}, c.Errf("invalid max-lease-ttl value: %v", err)
+				}
+				etc.MaxLeaseTTL = maxLeaseTTL
 			default:
 				if c.Val() != "}" {
 					return &Etcd{}, c.Errf("unknown property '%s'", c.Val())
@@ -124,3 +150,35 @@ func newEtcdClient(endpoints []string, cc *tls.Config, username, password string
 }
 
 const defaultEndpoint = "http://localhost:2379"
+
+// parseTTL parses a TTL value with flexible time units using Go's standard duration parsing.
+// Supports formats like: "30", "30s", "5m", "1h", "90s", "2h30m", etc.
+func parseTTL(s string) (uint32, error) {
+	s = strings.TrimSpace(s)
+	if s == "" {
+		return 0, nil
+	}
+
+	// Handle plain numbers (assume seconds)
+	if _, err := strconv.ParseUint(s, 10, 64); err == nil {
+		// If it's just a number, append "s" for seconds
+		s += "s"
+	}
+
+	// Use Go's standard time.ParseDuration for robust parsing
+	duration, err := time.ParseDuration(s)
+	if err != nil {
+		return 0, errors.New("invalid TTL format, use format like '30', '30s', '5m', '1h', or '2h30m'")
+	}
+
+	// Convert to seconds and check bounds
+	seconds := duration.Seconds()
+	if seconds < 0 {
+		return 0, errors.New("TTL must be non-negative")
+	}
+	if seconds > 4294967295 { // uint32 max value
+		return 0, errors.New("TTL too large, maximum is 4294967295 seconds")
+	}
+
+	return uint32(seconds), nil
+}
diff --git a/plugin/etcd/setup_test.go b/plugin/etcd/setup_test.go
index 4922641bb..c88dd1044 100644
--- a/plugin/etcd/setup_test.go
+++ b/plugin/etcd/setup_test.go
@@ -66,6 +66,31 @@ func TestSetupEtcd(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 			`, true, "skydns", []string{"http://localhost:2379"}, "Wrong argument count", "", "",
 		},
+		// with custom min-lease-ttl
+		{
+			`etcd {
+			endpoint http://localhost:2379
+			min-lease-ttl 60
+		}
+			`, false, "skydns", []string{"http://localhost:2379"}, "", "", "",
+		},
+		// with custom max-lease-ttl
+		{
+			`etcd {
+			endpoint http://localhost:2379
+			max-lease-ttl 1h
+		}
+			`, false, "skydns", []string{"http://localhost:2379"}, "", "", "",
+		},
+		// with both custom min-lease-ttl and max-lease-ttl
+		{
+			`etcd {
+			endpoint http://localhost:2379
+			min-lease-ttl 120
+			max-lease-ttl 7200
+		}
+			`, false, "skydns", []string{"http://localhost:2379"}, "", "", "",
+		},
 	}
 
 	for i, test := range tests {
@@ -113,6 +138,84 @@ func TestSetupEtcd(t *testing.T) {
 					t.Errorf("Etcd password not correctly set for input %s. Expected: '%+v', actual: '%+v'", test.input, test.password, etcd.Client.Password)
 				}
 			}
+
+			// Check TTL configuration for specific test cases
+			if strings.Contains(test.input, "min-lease-ttl 60") {
+				if etcd.MinLeaseTTL != 60 {
+					t.Errorf("MinLeaseTTL not set correctly for input %s. Expected: 60, actual: %d", test.input, etcd.MinLeaseTTL)
+				}
+			}
+			if strings.Contains(test.input, "max-lease-ttl 1h") {
+				if etcd.MaxLeaseTTL != 3600 {
+					t.Errorf("MaxLeaseTTL not set correctly for input %s. Expected: 3600, actual: %d", test.input, etcd.MaxLeaseTTL)
+				}
+			}
+			if strings.Contains(test.input, "min-lease-ttl 120") && strings.Contains(test.input, "max-lease-ttl 7200") {
+				if etcd.MinLeaseTTL != 120 {
+					t.Errorf("MinLeaseTTL not set correctly for input %s. Expected: 120, actual: %d", test.input, etcd.MinLeaseTTL)
+				}
+				if etcd.MaxLeaseTTL != 7200 {
+					t.Errorf("MaxLeaseTTL not set correctly for input %s. Expected: 7200, actual: %d", test.input, etcd.MaxLeaseTTL)
+				}
+			}
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+func TestParseTTL(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		input    string
+		expected uint32
+		hasError bool
+		desc     string
+	}{
+		// Plain numbers (assumed to be seconds)
+		{"30", 30, false, "plain number should be treated as seconds"},
+		{"300", 300, false, "plain number should be treated as seconds"},
+
+		// Explicit seconds
+		{"30s", 30, false, "explicit seconds"},
+		{"90s", 90, false, "explicit seconds"},
+
+		// Minutes
+		{"5m", 300, false, "5 minutes"},
+		{"1m", 60, false, "1 minute"},
+
+		// Hours
+		{"1h", 3600, false, "1 hour"},
+		{"2h", 7200, false, "2 hours"},
+
+		// Complex durations (Go's ParseDuration supports this)
+		{"2h30m", 9000, false, "2 hours 30 minutes"},
+		{"1h30m45s", 5445, false, "1 hour 30 minutes 45 seconds"},
+
+		// Edge cases
+		{"0", 0, false, "zero should be allowed"},
+		{"0s", 0, false, "zero seconds should be allowed"},
+		{"", 0, false, "empty string should return 0"},
+
+		// Error cases
+		{"-30s", 0, true, "negative duration should error"},
+		{"abc", 0, true, "invalid format should error"},
+		{"1y", 0, true, "unsupported unit should error"},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.desc, func(t *testing.T) {
+			result, err := parseTTL(tt.input)
+
+			if tt.hasError {
+				if err == nil {
+					t.Errorf("parseTTL(%q) expected error but got none", tt.input)
+				}
+			} else {
+				if err != nil {
+					t.Errorf("parseTTL(%q) unexpected error: %v", tt.input, err)
+				}
+				if result != tt.expected {
+					t.Errorf("parseTTL(%q) = %d, expected %d", tt.input, result, tt.expected)
+				}
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
diff --git a/plugin/etcd/ttl_test.go b/plugin/etcd/ttl_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6dd346bb7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugin/etcd/ttl_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,112 @@
+package etcd
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/coredns/coredns/plugin/etcd/msg"
+	"go.etcd.io/etcd/api/v3/mvccpb"
+)
+
+func TestTTL(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name        string
+		leaseID     int64
+		serviceTTL  uint32
+		minLeaseTTL uint32
+		maxLeaseTTL uint32
+		hasClient   bool
+		expectedTTL uint32
+	}{
+		{
+			name:        "no client, large lease ID falls back to default",
+			leaseID:     0x12345678FFFFFFFF, // Large lease ID that would cause issues
+			serviceTTL:  0,
+			minLeaseTTL: 0,
+			maxLeaseTTL: 0,
+			hasClient:   false,
+			expectedTTL: defaultTTL,
+		},
+		{
+			name:        "no client, zero lease ID falls back to default",
+			leaseID:     0,
+			serviceTTL:  0,
+			minLeaseTTL: 0,
+			maxLeaseTTL: 0,
+			hasClient:   false,
+			expectedTTL: defaultTTL,
+		},
+		{
+			name:        "no client, service TTL takes precedence",
+			leaseID:     120,
+			serviceTTL:  300,
+			minLeaseTTL: 0,
+			maxLeaseTTL: 0,
+			hasClient:   false,
+			expectedTTL: 300,
+		},
+		{
+			name:        "no client, smaller service TTL wins",
+			leaseID:     600,
+			serviceTTL:  120,
+			minLeaseTTL: 0,
+			maxLeaseTTL: 0,
+			hasClient:   false,
+			expectedTTL: 120,
+		},
+		{
+			name:        "custom bounds, no client",
+			leaseID:     0x12345678FFFFFFFF,
+			serviceTTL:  0,
+			minLeaseTTL: 60,   // 1 minute
+			maxLeaseTTL: 3600, // 1 hour
+			hasClient:   false,
+			expectedTTL: defaultTTL,
+		},
+		{
+			name:        "zero service TTL with lease ID",
+			leaseID:     600,
+			serviceTTL:  0,
+			minLeaseTTL: 0,
+			maxLeaseTTL: 0,
+			hasClient:   false,
+			expectedTTL: defaultTTL,
+		},
+		{
+			name:        "both zero, falls back to default",
+			leaseID:     0,
+			serviceTTL:  0,
+			minLeaseTTL: 0,
+			maxLeaseTTL: 0,
+			hasClient:   false,
+			expectedTTL: defaultTTL,
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			// Create Etcd instance with test configuration
+			e := &Etcd{
+				MinLeaseTTL: tt.minLeaseTTL,
+				MaxLeaseTTL: tt.maxLeaseTTL,
+			}
+
+			// Create test data
+			kv := &mvccpb.KeyValue{
+				Key:   []byte("/test/service"),
+				Value: []byte(`{"host": "test.example.com"}`),
+				Lease: tt.leaseID,
+			}
+
+			serv := &msg.Service{
+				Host: "test.example.com",
+				TTL:  tt.serviceTTL,
+			}
+
+			resultingTTL := e.TTL(kv, serv)
+
+			if resultingTTL != tt.expectedTTL {
+				t.Errorf("TTL() = %d, expected %d", resultingTTL, tt.expectedTTL)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}