diff --git a/arroyo/healthcheck.py b/arroyo/healthcheck.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a2cb56e2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/arroyo/healthcheck.py
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+import argparse
+import os
+import sys
+from typing import Optional
+
+
+def healthcheck(path: str) -> None:
+    """
+    Remove the file the Healthcheck strategy touches, so the next check fails
+    unless the consumer touches it again. Runs as the consumer's liveness probe.
+    """
+    try:
+        os.remove(path)
+    except FileNotFoundError:
+        sys.exit(
+            f"{path} is missing: the consumer has not touched it since the last probe"
+        )
+
+
+def main(argv: Optional[list[str]] = None) -> None:
+    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(
+        prog="python3 -m arroyo.healthcheck",
+        description="Remove the consumer health file, or exit 1 if it is missing.",
+    )
+    parser.add_argument("path", help="the file the Healthcheck strategy touches")
+    args = parser.parse_args(argv)
+    healthcheck(args.path)
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    main()
diff --git a/tests/test_healthcheck.py b/tests/test_healthcheck.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..402a0d4f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_healthcheck.py
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+from pathlib import Path
+from unittest import mock
+
+import pytest
+
+from arroyo.healthcheck import main
+from arroyo.processing.strategies.healthcheck import Healthcheck
+
+
+def test_fails_when_consumer_has_not_touched_file_since_last_check(
+    tmp_path: Path,
+) -> None:
+    path = tmp_path / "health.txt"
+    Healthcheck(str(path), mock.Mock()).poll()
+
+    main([str(path)])
+    assert not path.exists()
+
+    with pytest.raises(SystemExit) as exc:
+        main([str(path)])
+    assert exc.value.code == (
+        f"{path} is missing: the consumer has not touched it since the last probe"
+    )