diff --git a/hermes_cli/setup.py b/hermes_cli/setup.py
index a79844def..70bad2ef4 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/setup.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/setup.py
@@ -1633,6 +1633,7 @@ def _check_espeak_ng() -> bool:
 
 def _install_neutts_deps() -> bool:
     """Install NeuTTS dependencies with user approval. Returns True on success."""
+    import subprocess
     import sys
 
     # Check espeak-ng