diff --git a/transaction.go b/transaction.go
index b179627f..23d74bfb 100644
--- a/transaction.go
+++ b/transaction.go
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import "C"
 import (
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
+	"runtime"
 	"runtime/cgo"
 	"strings"
 	"sync/atomic"
@@ -253,7 +254,7 @@ func Start(service, user string, handler ConversationHandler) (*Transaction, err
 // StartFunc registers the handler func as a conversation handler and starts
 // the transaction (see Start() documentation).
 func StartFunc(service, user string, handler func(Style, string) (string, error)) (*Transaction, error) {
-	return Start(service, user, ConversationFunc(handler))
+	return start(service, user, ConversationFunc(handler), "")
 }
 
 // StartConfDir initiates a new PAM transaction. Service is treated identically to
@@ -281,6 +282,12 @@ func StartConfDir(service, user string, handler ConversationHandler, confDir str
 	return start(service, user, handler, confDir)
 }
 
+type panicHandlerFunc func(any)
+
+var defaultPanicHandler = func(v any) { panic(v) }
+
+var panicHandler panicHandlerFunc = defaultPanicHandler
+
 func start(service, user string, handler ConversationHandler, confDir string) (*Transaction, error) {
 	switch handler.(type) {
 	case BinaryConversationHandler:
@@ -295,6 +302,33 @@ func start(service, user string, handler ConversationHandler, confDir string) (*
 		conv: &C.struct_pam_conv{},
 		c:    cgo.NewHandle(handler),
 	}
+
+	callers := make([]uintptr, 10)
+	haveCallerInfo := runtime.Callers(2, callers) > 0
+	runtime.SetFinalizer(t, func(t *Transaction) {
+		handle := atomic.LoadPointer((*unsafe.Pointer)(unsafe.Pointer(&t.handle)))
+		if handle == nil {
+			return
+		}
+		if haveCallerInfo {
+			stackTrace := make([]string, 0, len(callers))
+			for i := 0; i < len(callers); i += 1 {
+				frame, more := runtime.CallersFrames(callers).Next()
+				stackTrace = append(stackTrace, fmt.Sprintf("%s:%d",
+					frame.File, frame.Line))
+				if !more {
+					break
+				}
+				callers = callers[1:]
+			}
+			panicHandler(fmt.Sprintf("Transaction %p was never ended. "+
+				"Initialization was at:\n %s",
+				t, strings.Join(stackTrace, "\n ")))
+		} else {
+			panicHandler(fmt.Sprintf("Transaction %p was never ended", t))
+		}
+	})
+
 	C.init_pam_conv(t.conv, C.uintptr_t(t.c))
 	s := C.CString(service)
 	defer C.free(unsafe.Pointer(s))
diff --git a/transaction_test.go b/transaction_test.go
index a9211ee1..622da86c 100644
--- a/transaction_test.go
+++ b/transaction_test.go
@@ -6,7 +6,10 @@ import (
 	"os"
 	"os/user"
 	"path/filepath"
+	"regexp"
+	"runtime"
 	"testing"
+	"time"
 )
 
 func maybeEndTransaction(t *testing.T, tx *Transaction) {
@@ -550,6 +553,72 @@ func Test_Status(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func Test_Finalizer(t *testing.T) {
+	if !CheckPamHasStartConfdir() {
+		t.Skip("this requires PAM with Conf dir support")
+	}
+
+	func() {
+		tx, err := StartConfDir("permit-service", "", nil, "test-services")
+		defer maybeEndTransaction(t, tx)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("start #error: %v", err)
+		}
+	}()
+
+	runtime.GC()
+	// sleep to switch to finalizer goroutine
+	time.Sleep(5 * time.Millisecond)
+}
+
+func Test_FinalizerNotCleanedUp(t *testing.T) {
+	if !CheckPamHasStartConfdir() {
+		t.Skip("this requires PAM with Conf dir support")
+	}
+
+	panicChan := make(chan any)
+	panicHandler = func(v any) { panicChan <- v }
+	go func() { time.Sleep(time.Second * 2); panicChan <- errors.New("<timeout>") }()
+
+	func() {
+		_, err := StartConfDir("permit-service", "", nil, "test-services")
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("start #error: %v", err)
+		}
+	}()
+
+	runtime.GC()
+
+	panicMsg := (<-panicChan).(string)
+	panicHandler = defaultPanicHandler
+
+	match, err := regexp.MatchString(
+		"Transaction 0x[0-9a-f]+ was never ended", panicMsg)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected error %v", err)
+	}
+	if !match {
+		t.Fatalf("no match in result:\n%s", panicMsg)
+	}
+	match, err = regexp.MatchString(
+		"transaction.go:[0-9]+", panicMsg)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected error %v", err)
+	}
+	if !match {
+		t.Fatalf("no match in result:\n%s", panicMsg)
+	}
+	match, err = regexp.MatchString(
+		"transaction_test.go:[0-9]+", panicMsg)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected error %v", err)
+	}
+	if !match {
+		t.Fatalf("no match in result:\n%s", panicMsg)
+	}
+	fmt.Println("I'd be done...")
+}
+
 func TestFailure_001(t *testing.T) {
 	tx := Transaction{}
 	_, err := tx.GetEnvList()