diff --git a/.changeset/hot-badgers-run.md b/.changeset/hot-badgers-run.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..53c9fbf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/hot-badgers-run.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"@stainless-code/persist": patch
+---
+
+`createStorage` now shape-checks the resolved backend and treats one missing `getItem`/`setItem`/`removeItem` as unavailable. Fixes the Node 22+ SSR crash where `localStorage` exists as an object (so the availability lookup doesn't throw) but its methods are `undefined` without a valid `--localstorage-file` path — previously this passed availability and threw `storage.getItem is not a function` inside `hydrate`; now `persistSource`/`persistStore`/`persistAtom` collapse to the no-op `PersistApi`.
diff --git a/src/persist-core.test.ts b/src/persist-core.test.ts
index 207b0b8..00e5a8d 100644
--- a/src/persist-core.test.ts
+++ b/src/persist-core.test.ts
@@ -148,6 +148,37 @@ describe("createJSONStorage codec seam", () => {
     ).toBeUndefined();
   });
 
+  it("createStorage returns undefined for a defined-but-broken backend (Node 22+ localStorage without --localstorage-file)", () => {
+    // Node 22+ exposes `localStorage` as an object whose methods are undefined
+    // when no valid --localstorage-file path is configured. The lookup doesn't
+    // throw, so the shape check — not the try/catch — must catch it.
+    const brokenBackend = {
+      getItem: undefined,
+      setItem: undefined,
+      removeItem: undefined,
+    } as unknown as StateStorage;
+    expect(
+      createStorage<{ count: number }>(
+        () => brokenBackend,
+        jsonCodec<{ count: number }>(),
+      ),
+    ).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+
+  it("createStorage returns undefined when the backend is missing one method", () => {
+    const partialBackend = {
+      getItem: () => null,
+      setItem: () => {},
+      // removeItem missing
+    } as unknown as StateStorage;
+    expect(
+      createStorage<{ count: number }>(
+        () => partialBackend,
+        jsonCodec<{ count: number }>(),
+      ),
+    ).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+
   it("generic wire type: identityCodec over an object-valued backend round-trips with no serialization", async () => {
     // Pins the StateStorage<TRaw> seam (pre-freeze seam decision 1): a
     // structured-clone-style backend stores the envelope object natively.
@@ -478,6 +509,43 @@ describe("persistSource", () => {
     }
   });
 
+  it("defined-but-broken localStorage (Node 22+ without --localstorage-file) collapses to the no-op path, not a hydrate crash", () => {
+    // Reproduces the SSR crash: `typeof localStorage === "undefined"` is
+    // false for Node 22+'s half-built global, so without the `createStorage`
+    // shape check the default JSON storage passes availability and `hydrate`
+    // throws `storage.getItem is not a function`. Assert the no-op path.
+    const errors: Array<{ phase: string; message: string }> = [];
+    const savedLocalStorage = globalThis.localStorage;
+    // Object present, methods absent; cast through `unknown` — the shape
+    // check guards this at runtime.
+    globalThis.localStorage = {
+      getItem: undefined,
+      setItem: undefined,
+      removeItem: undefined,
+    } as unknown as typeof globalThis.localStorage;
+    try {
+      const source = createMockSource({ count: 0 });
+      const persist = persistSource(source, {
+        name: "broken-backend",
+        onError: (error, context) =>
+          errors.push({
+            phase: context.phase,
+            message: (error as Error).message,
+          }),
+      });
+      expect(persist.hasHydrated()).toBe(true);
+      expect(errors.length).toBe(1);
+      expect(errors[0].message).toContain("storage unavailable");
+    } finally {
+      if (savedLocalStorage === undefined) {
+        // @ts-expect-error restore the undefined global
+        delete globalThis.localStorage;
+      } else {
+        globalThis.localStorage = savedLocalStorage;
+      }
+    }
+  });
+
   it("a throwing onFinishHydration listener is contained — reported once, no double-settle, no unhandled rejection", async () => {
     const memoryStorage = new MemoryStorage();
     const jsonStorage = createJSONStorage<{ count: number }>(
@@ -1458,7 +1526,7 @@ describe("persistSource throttleMs", () => {
       throttleMs: 60_000,
       retryWrite: () => {
         retryCalls++;
-        return undefined;
+        return;
       },
       onError: (error, context) =>
         errors.push({
diff --git a/src/persist-core.ts b/src/persist-core.ts
index 0570ab5..37b77dd 100644
--- a/src/persist-core.ts
+++ b/src/persist-core.ts
@@ -294,7 +294,7 @@ export interface PersistOptions<TState, TPersistedState = TState> {
    * retryWrite: ({ state, errorCount }) => {
    *   if (errorCount === 1) return { ...state, history: state.history.slice(-20) };
    *   if (errorCount === 2) return { ...state, history: [] };
-   *   return undefined; // give up — last error goes to onError
+   *   return; // give up — last error goes to onError
    * },
    * ```
    * @default undefined (no retry — first write error is reported)
@@ -450,7 +450,19 @@ export function createStorage<S, TRaw = string>(
   try {
     storage = getStorage();
   } catch {
-    return undefined;
+    return;
+  }
+
+  // Node 22+ exposes a `localStorage` global whose methods are `undefined`
+  // without a valid `--localstorage-file` path. The lookup doesn't throw — the
+  // global exists as an object — so without this shape check the broken
+  // backend passes availability and crashes in `hydrate` at `storage.getItem`.
+  if (
+    typeof storage?.getItem !== "function" ||
+    typeof storage?.setItem !== "function" ||
+    typeof storage?.removeItem !== "function"
+  ) {
+    return;
   }
 
   const parseStored = (
@@ -559,7 +571,7 @@ function resolveDefaultStorage<TState, TPersistedState>(
   options: PersistOptions<TState, TPersistedState>,
 ): PersistStorage<TPersistedState> | undefined {
   if (options.storage) return options.storage;
-  if (typeof localStorage === "undefined") return undefined;
+  if (typeof localStorage === "undefined") return;
   // JSON default keeps the core zero-dep — a seroval default would drag a
   // runtime dependency into every consumer. `Set`/`Map`/`Date` users opt in
   // by passing `createSerovalStorage` from `./persist-seroval` explicitly.