diff --git a/digest.go b/digest.go
index 88ac4bd..276da03 100644
--- a/digest.go
+++ b/digest.go
@@ -83,7 +83,12 @@ func (da *DigestAuth) purgeLocked(count int) {
 	}
 	cache := digestCache(entries)
 	sort.Sort(cache)
-	for _, client := range cache[:count] {
+
+	purgeCount := count
+	if count > len(cache) {
+		purgeCount = len(cache)
+	}
+	for _, client := range cache[:purgeCount] {
 		delete(da.clients, client.nonce)
 	}
 }
diff --git a/digest_test.go b/digest_test.go
index e31086e..2342fe9 100644
--- a/digest_test.go
+++ b/digest_test.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package auth
 
 import (
+	"fmt"
 	"context"
 	"net/http"
 	"net/url"
@@ -79,6 +80,31 @@ func TestDigestAuthParams(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// TestDigestPurge tests that when we purge clients from the authenticator we do not purge
+// more cache entries than the number of clients we have received.
+// This is to avoid regressing and hitting a "slice bounds out of range" panic.
+func TestDigestPurge(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+	// Creating dummy clients for the digest authenticator.
+	nClients := 10
+	clients := make(map[string]*digestClient, nClients)
+	for i := 0; i < nClients; i++ {
+		clients[fmt.Sprintf("%d", i)] = &digestClient{}
+	}
+
+	secrets := HtdigestFileProvider("test.htdigest")
+	da := &DigestAuth{
+		Opaque:  "U7H+ier3Ae8Skd/g",
+		Realm:   "example.com",
+		Secrets: secrets,
+		clients: clients,
+	}
+
+	// Purging more than the number of clients we have stored in the
+	// digest authenticator.
+	da.Purge(nClients * 2)
+}
+
 func TestNewContextNoDeadlock(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()
 	const (