diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index 6f47e8c..5698b3d 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
         "@playwright/test": "^1.59.1",
         "@types/node": "^25.5.0",
         "playwright": "^1.59.1",
+        "sarvamai": "^1.1.8",
         "typescript": "^5.5.0",
         "vitest": "^3.2.6"
       },
@@ -2994,10 +2995,10 @@
       "optional": true
     },
     "node_modules/sarvamai": {
-      "version": "1.1.6",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/sarvamai/-/sarvamai-1.1.6.tgz",
-      "integrity": "sha512-kfrKQIk8xlUwvWeuhMF4ljwjuMWPelzuBe+4BlUD3qeoEisCfKLTq/MX2FfkcJ6spnMrwPDix96ngmhyLj2Q9w==",
-      "optional": true,
+      "version": "1.1.8",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/sarvamai/-/sarvamai-1.1.8.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-u5qhfTfTy2IIpyXwsH6cJPJcM0a8PUdo5ZRObxRKZflU8lpGTi+VKXMq3hHzO07/9bSqWD2Rrt07ElX3YurjjQ==",
+      "dev": true,
       "dependencies": {
         "ws": "^8.16.0"
       },
@@ -3474,8 +3475,8 @@
       "version": "8.21.0",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/ws/-/ws-8.21.0.tgz",
       "integrity": "sha512-Vsp28b7DRcimFQvrqu2Wek3z1iYxDCWqHYB8Qsnk/S4RfaCQzPGPyBNuVjJV3cd6UiKtUtp6sNM77gWvzcCH+g==",
+      "devOptional": true,
       "license": "MIT",
-      "optional": true,
       "engines": {
         "node": ">=10.0.0"
       },
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 049d2dd..4240055 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -64,6 +64,7 @@
     "@playwright/test": "^1.59.1",
     "@types/node": "^25.5.0",
     "playwright": "^1.59.1",
+    "sarvamai": "^1.1.8",
     "typescript": "^5.5.0",
     "vitest": "^3.2.6"
   }
diff --git a/src/tts/engines/sarvam.ts b/src/tts/engines/sarvam.ts
index 0e8f1d1..1fd8219 100644
--- a/src/tts/engines/sarvam.ts
+++ b/src/tts/engines/sarvam.ts
@@ -33,17 +33,30 @@ export class SarvamEngine implements TTSEngine {
   async generate(text: string, options: TTSEngineOptions): Promise<Buffer> {
     if (!text?.trim()) throw new Error('TTS text must not be empty');
 
-    let SarvamAI: any;
+    // `SarvamAIClient` is the client class. The package has no default export
+    // and its `SarvamAI` export is a namespace object, so destructuring either
+    // yields undefined and fails at `new` with an unrelated-looking TypeError.
+    let SarvamAIClient: any;
     try {
       // @ts-ignore — sarvamai is an optional dependency
-      ({ default: SarvamAI } = await import('sarvamai'));
+      ({ SarvamAIClient } = await import('sarvamai'));
     } catch {
       throw new Error(
         "Sarvam TTS engine requires the 'sarvamai' package. Install it with: npm i sarvamai"
       );
     }
 
-    const client = new SarvamAI({ apiSubscriptionKey: this.resolveApiKey() });
+    // The package resolved but does not expose the client — a version skew or
+    // a rename in a future major. Say so, rather than letting `new undefined()`
+    // surface as a TypeError that looks unrelated to the SDK.
+    if (typeof SarvamAIClient !== 'function') {
+      throw new Error(
+        "The installed 'sarvamai' package does not export SarvamAIClient. " +
+        'Argo expects sarvamai >= 1.1. Upgrade with: npm i sarvamai@latest'
+      );
+    }
+
+    const client = new SarvamAIClient({ apiSubscriptionKey: this.resolveApiKey() });
     const response = await client.textToSpeech.convert({
       inputs: [text],
       target_language_code: options.lang ?? 'hi-IN',
diff --git a/tests/tts/sarvam.test.ts b/tests/tts/sarvam.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4ea984f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/tts/sarvam.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+import { describe, it, expect, vi, beforeEach } from 'vitest';
+import { SarvamEngine } from '../../src/tts/engines/sarvam.js';
+
+/**
+ * Regression coverage for #40: the engine destructured the `default` export of
+ * `sarvamai`, which does not exist. `SarvamAI` is a namespace object and the
+ * client class is `SarvamAIClient`, so `new SarvamAI(...)` threw
+ * `SarvamAI is not a constructor` for every user who had the package installed
+ * correctly — the engine had never worked.
+ *
+ * The mock mirrors the real module shape exactly, `default: undefined` and all,
+ * so a regression back to the default import fails here rather than only in
+ * production.
+ */
+// `vi.hoisted` because `vi.mock` is lifted above every const in the file; a
+// plain const here is still in its TDZ when the factory runs, and sarvam.ts's
+// catch would report the resulting ReferenceError as "package not installed".
+const { convertMock, clientCtor, sdk } = vi.hoisted(() => ({
+  convertMock: vi.fn(async () => ({ audios: [Buffer.from('pcm').toString('base64')] })),
+  clientCtor: vi.fn(),
+  // Mutable so one test can simulate an SDK that no longer exports the client.
+  sdk: { client: undefined as unknown },
+}));
+
+vi.mock('sarvamai', () => ({
+  get SarvamAIClient() {
+    return sdk.client;
+  },
+  // The real package exports a namespace under `SarvamAI` and no default.
+  SarvamAI: {},
+}));
+
+vi.mock('node:child_process', async importOriginal => ({
+  ...(await importOriginal<typeof import('node:child_process')>()),
+  execFileSync: vi.fn(() => Buffer.from('fake-wav')),
+}));
+
+describe('SarvamEngine', () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    convertMock.mockClear();
+    clientCtor.mockClear();
+    sdk.client = class SarvamAIClient {
+      textToSpeech = { convert: convertMock };
+      constructor(opts: unknown) {
+        clientCtor(opts);
+      }
+    };
+  });
+
+  // A bare `new undefined()` already mentions SarvamAIClient, so this asserts
+  // the actionable half: which package is wrong and what to do about it.
+  it('explains the SDK is incompatible when the client export is missing', async () => {
+    sdk.client = undefined;
+    const engine = new SarvamEngine({ apiKey: 'test-key' });
+    await expect(engine.generate('hello', {})).rejects.toThrow(
+      /installed 'sarvamai' package does not export SarvamAIClient/,
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('constructs SarvamAIClient rather than a non-existent default export', async () => {
+    const engine = new SarvamEngine({ apiKey: 'test-key' });
+    await engine.generate('नमस्ते', {});
+    expect(clientCtor).toHaveBeenCalledWith({ apiSubscriptionKey: 'test-key' });
+  });
+
+  it('sends the scene text and voice options to the API', async () => {
+    const engine = new SarvamEngine({ apiKey: 'test-key' });
+    await engine.generate('hello', { lang: 'en-IN', voice: 'anushka', speed: 1.2 });
+
+    expect(convertMock).toHaveBeenCalledOnce();
+    const payload = convertMock.mock.calls[0][0] as Record<string, unknown>;
+    expect(payload.inputs).toEqual(['hello']);
+    expect(payload.target_language_code).toBe('en-IN');
+    expect(payload.speaker).toBe('anushka');
+    // Sarvam has native rate control, so speed rides on `pace` and must NOT be
+    // re-applied by convertToWav — that would compound the two.
+    expect(payload.pace).toBe(1.2);
+  });
+
+  it('throws a clear error when the API returns no audio', async () => {
+    convertMock.mockResolvedValueOnce({ audios: [] } as never);
+    const engine = new SarvamEngine({ apiKey: 'test-key' });
+    await expect(engine.generate('hello', {})).rejects.toThrow('returned no audio data');
+  });
+
+  it('still rejects empty text before touching the SDK', async () => {
+    const engine = new SarvamEngine({ apiKey: 'test-key' });
+    await expect(engine.generate('   ', {})).rejects.toThrow('TTS text must not be empty');
+    expect(clientCtor).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+});