diff --git a/lua/oil/config.lua b/lua/oil/config.lua
index 61fd4be..8bc1802 100644
--- a/lua/oil/config.lua
+++ b/lua/oil/config.lua
@@ -34,6 +34,10 @@ local default_config = {
   trash_command = "trash-put",
   -- Selecting a new/moved/renamed file or directory will prompt you to save changes first
   prompt_save_on_select_new_entry = true,
+  -- Oil will automatically delete hidden buffers after this delay
+  -- You can set the delay to false to disable cleanup entirely
+  -- Note that the cleanup process only starts when none of the oil buffers are currently displayed
+  cleanup_delay_ms = 2000,
   -- Keymaps in oil buffer. Can be any value that `vim.keymap.set` accepts OR a table of keymap
   -- options with a `callback` (e.g. { callback = function() ... end, desc = "", mode = "n" })
   -- Additionally, if it is a string that matches "actions.<name>",
diff --git a/lua/oil/view.lua b/lua/oil/view.lua
index 150bd64..9cd5992 100644
--- a/lua/oil/view.lua
+++ b/lua/oil/view.lua
@@ -258,11 +258,18 @@ M.initialize = function(bufnr)
       -- First wait a short time (10ms) for the buffer change to settle
       vim.defer_fn(function()
         local visible_buffers = get_visible_hidden_buffers()
-        -- Only kick off the 2-second timer if we don't have any visible oil buffers
+        -- Only delete oil buffers if none of them are visible
         if visible_buffers and vim.tbl_isempty(visible_buffers) then
-          vim.defer_fn(function()
-            M.delete_hidden_buffers()
-          end, 2000)
+          -- Check if cleanup is enabled
+          if type(config.cleanup_delay_ms) == "number" then
+            if config.cleanup_delay_ms > 0 then
+              vim.defer_fn(function()
+                M.delete_hidden_buffers()
+              end, config.cleanup_delay_ms)
+            else
+              M.delete_hidden_buffers()
+            end
+          end
         end
       end, 10)
     end,