diff --git a/tools/sapi_voice.vbs b/tools/sapi_voice.vbs
index 371c5c5a23..5bfc820dfa 100644
--- a/tools/sapi_voice.vbs
+++ b/tools/sapi_voice.vbs
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@ Dim oVoice ' for traversing the list of voices
 Dim nLangID, sSelectString
 
 Dim aLine, aData    ' used in command reading
+Dim nError, sError  ' error returned to the controlling process
 
 On Error Resume Next
 
@@ -146,10 +147,27 @@ Do
             aData = Split(aLine(1), vbTab, 2)
             If bVerbose Then WScript.StdErr.WriteLine "Saying " & aData(1) _
                                                       & " in " & aData(0)
+            Err.Clear
             oSpFS.Open aData(0), SSFMCreateForWrite, false
-            Set oSpVoice.AudioOutputStream = oSpFS
-            oSpVoice.Speak aData(1)
-            oSpFS.Close
+            nError = Err.Number
+            sError = Err.Description
+            If nError = 0 Then
+                Set oSpVoice.AudioOutputStream = oSpFS
+                oSpVoice.Speak aData(1)
+                nError = Err.Number
+                sError = Err.Description
+                oSpFS.Close
+                If nError = 0 And Err.Number <> 0 Then
+                    nError = Err.Number
+                    sError = Err.Description
+                End If
+            End If
+            If nError <> 0 Then
+                oStdOut.WriteLine "ERROR" & vbTab & nError & ": " & sError
+                Err.Clear
+            ElseIf Not oFSO.FileExists(aData(0)) Then
+                oStdOut.WriteLine "ERROR" & vbTab & "SAPI reported success but created no wave file"
+            End If
         Case "EXEC"
             If bVerbose Then WScript.StdErr.WriteLine "> " & aLine(1)
             oShell.Run aLine(1), 0, true
diff --git a/utils/rbutilqt/base/ttssapi.cpp b/utils/rbutilqt/base/ttssapi.cpp
index 14c0cae70e..1ef12cb628 100644
--- a/utils/rbutilqt/base/ttssapi.cpp
+++ b/utils/rbutilqt/base/ttssapi.cpp
@@ -38,6 +38,8 @@ TTSSapi::TTSSapi(QObject* parent) : TTSBase(parent)
 
     m_TTSType = "sapi";
     defaultLanguage = "english";
+    voicescript = nullptr;
+    voicestream = nullptr;
     m_started = false;
 }
 
@@ -158,15 +160,24 @@ bool TTSSapi::start(QString *errStr)
 QString TTSSapi::voiceVendor(void)
 {
     bool keeprunning = m_started;
-    QString vendor;
+    QString vendor = "(unknown)";
     if(!m_started) {
         QString error;
-        start(&error);
+        if(!start(&error)) {
+            LOG_ERROR() << "could not start SAPI while querying vendor:" << error;
+            return vendor;
+        }
     }
     *voicestream << "QUERY\tVENDOR\r\n";
     voicestream->flush();
-    while((vendor = voicestream->readLine()).isEmpty())
-            QCoreApplication::processEvents();
+    if(voicescript->waitForReadyRead(5000)) {
+        QString response = voicestream->readLine();
+        if(!response.isEmpty())
+            vendor = response;
+    }
+    else {
+        LOG_ERROR() << "SAPI timed out while querying the voice vendor";
+    }
 
     LOG_INFO() << "TTS vendor:" << vendor;
     if(!keeprunning) {
@@ -231,31 +242,93 @@ QStringList TTSSapi::getVoiceList(QString language)
 
 TTSStatus TTSSapi::voice(const QString& text, const QString& wavfile, QString *errStr)
 {
-    (void) errStr;
     QString query = "SPEAK\t"+wavfile+"\t"+text;
     LOG_INFO() << "voicing" << query;
     // append newline to query. Done now to keep debug output more readable.
     query.append("\r\n");
-    *voicestream << query;
-    *voicestream << "SYNC\tbla\r\n";
-    voicestream->flush();
-    // do NOT poll the output with readLine(), this causes sync issues!
-    voicescript->waitForReadyRead();
 
-    if(!QFileInfo(wavfile).isFile()) {
-        LOG_ERROR() << "output file does not exist:" << wavfile;
-        return FatalError;
+    // Some third-party SAPI voices occasionally stop responding after many
+    // consecutive requests. Restart the private cscript process and retry the
+    // current string instead of discarding the entire voice-file operation.
+    constexpr int maxAttempts = 3;
+    constexpr int responseTimeout = 20000;
+    for(int attempt = 1; attempt <= maxAttempts; ++attempt) {
+        QFile::remove(wavfile);
+        *voicestream << query;
+        *voicestream << "SYNC\tbla\r\n";
+        voicestream->flush();
+
+        // Wait for the explicit SYNC reply. QProcess::waitForReadyRead() alone
+        // is insufficient: the script can also write warnings, and older code
+        // mistook those for completion before the wave file existed.
+        QElapsedTimer timer;
+        timer.start();
+        bool synced = false;
+        while(timer.elapsed() < responseTimeout) {
+            int remaining = responseTimeout - static_cast<int>(timer.elapsed());
+            if(!voicescript->waitForReadyRead(remaining))
+                break;
+
+            QString response = voicestream->readLine();
+            if(response == "bla") {
+                synced = true;
+                break;
+            }
+            if(response.startsWith("ERROR\t")) {
+                *errStr = response.mid(6);
+                LOG_ERROR() << "SAPI error:" << *errStr;
+                return FatalError;
+            }
+        }
+
+        if(synced && QFileInfo(wavfile).isFile())
+            return NoError;
+
+        if(synced) {
+            *errStr = tr("SAPI did not create the output wave file");
+            LOG_ERROR() << "output file does not exist:" << wavfile;
+            return FatalError;
+        }
+
+        LOG_WARNING() << "SAPI timed out on attempt" << attempt
+                      << "of" << maxAttempts << "for" << text;
+        if(attempt < maxAttempts) {
+            stop();
+            QString startError;
+            if(!start(&startError)) {
+                *errStr = tr("Could not restart SAPI after a timeout: %1")
+                              .arg(startError);
+                LOG_ERROR() << *errStr;
+                return FatalError;
+            }
+        }
     }
-    return NoError;
+
+    *errStr = tr("SAPI timed out repeatedly while generating speech");
+    LOG_ERROR() << *errStr;
+    return FatalError;
 }
 
 bool TTSSapi::stop()
 {
+    if(!m_started || voicescript == nullptr)
+        return true;
+
     *voicestream << "QUIT\r\n";
     voicestream->flush();
-    voicescript->waitForFinished();
+    if(!voicescript->waitForFinished(5000)) {
+        LOG_WARNING() << "SAPI process did not quit, terminating it";
+        voicescript->terminate();
+        if(!voicescript->waitForFinished(2000)) {
+            LOG_WARNING() << "SAPI process did not terminate, killing it";
+            voicescript->kill();
+            voicescript->waitForFinished(2000);
+        }
+    }
     delete voicestream;
     delete voicescript;
+    voicestream = nullptr;
+    voicescript = nullptr;
     QFile::setPermissions(QDir::tempPath() +"/sapi_voice.vbs",
               QFile::ReadOwner | QFile::WriteOwner | QFile::ExeOwner
             | QFile::ReadUser  | QFile::WriteUser  | QFile::ExeUser