diff --git a/server/voice-proxy.js b/server/voice-proxy.js
index 93d003d7..e1ae5e36 100644
--- a/server/voice-proxy.js
+++ b/server/voice-proxy.js
@@ -39,7 +39,12 @@ function resolveConfig(req) {
 const router = express.Router();
 
 // Generous by default — local TTS can synthesize long messages at ~real-time on CPU.
-const VOICE_TIMEOUT_MS = Number(process.env.VOICE_TIMEOUT_MS || 300000);
+// Guard against a non-numeric/zero override that would make setTimeout fire immediately.
+const DEFAULT_VOICE_TIMEOUT_MS = 300000;
+const _parsedTimeout = Number(process.env.VOICE_TIMEOUT_MS);
+const VOICE_TIMEOUT_MS = Number.isFinite(_parsedTimeout) && _parsedTimeout > 0
+  ? _parsedTimeout
+  : DEFAULT_VOICE_TIMEOUT_MS;
 
 /**
  * fetch() with an AbortController timeout so a stalled backend can't hold the
@@ -183,7 +188,7 @@ router.post('/tts', async (req, res) => {
   if (!cfg.baseUrl) return res.status(503).json({ error: 'No voice backend configured' });
   if (!isAllowedBackendUrl(cfg.baseUrl)) return res.status(400).json({ error: 'Invalid voice backend URL.' });
   const text = req.body?.text;
-  if (!text || !text.trim()) return res.status(400).json({ error: 'text required' });
+  if (typeof text !== 'string' || !text.trim()) return res.status(400).json({ error: 'text required' });
   try {
     const r = await fetchWithTimeout(`${cfg.baseUrl}/audio/speech`, {
       method: 'POST',
diff --git a/src/lib/voicePlayer.ts b/src/lib/voicePlayer.ts
index 7a16a194..a51700d3 100644
--- a/src/lib/voicePlayer.ts
+++ b/src/lib/voicePlayer.ts
@@ -30,7 +30,8 @@ class VoicePlayer {
   private state: VoicePlayState = 'idle';
   private errorId: string | null = null;
   private errorMsg: string | null = null;
-  private token = 0; // bumps to cancel in-flight fetches
+  private token = 0; // bumps to ignore stale in-flight results
+  private activeController: AbortController | null = null; // aborts the in-flight TTS fetch
   private errorTimer: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | null = null;
   private listeners = new Set<() => void>();
 
@@ -89,13 +90,21 @@ class VoicePlayer {
   }
 
   stop() {
-    this.token++; // cancel any in-flight fetch
+    this.token++; // ignore any stale in-flight result
+    this.abortActive(); // and actually cancel the network request
     if (this.audio) this.audio.pause();
     this.state = 'idle';
     this.currentId = null;
     this.emit();
   }
 
+  private abortActive() {
+    if (this.activeController) {
+      this.activeController.abort();
+      this.activeController = null;
+    }
+  }
+
   private onEnded() {
     this.state = 'idle';
     this.currentId = null;
@@ -130,18 +139,23 @@ class VoicePlayer {
     this.emit();
 
     const myToken = ++this.token;
+    this.abortActive(); // cancel any request this play supersedes
 
     try {
       let url = this.cache.get(id);
       if (!url) {
         const controller = new AbortController();
+        this.activeController = controller;
         const timer = setTimeout(() => controller.abort(), CLIENT_TIMEOUT_MS);
         const res = await authenticatedFetch('/api/voice/tts', {
           method: 'POST',
           body: JSON.stringify({ text: content }),
           headers: voiceConfigHeaders(),
           signal: controller.signal,
-        }).finally(() => clearTimeout(timer));
+        }).finally(() => {
+          clearTimeout(timer);
+          if (this.activeController === controller) this.activeController = null;
+        });
         if (myToken !== this.token) return; // superseded by another play/stop
         if (!res.ok) {
           let msg = `Read-aloud failed (${res.status})`;