diff --git a/src/errors.ts b/src/errors.ts
index 2dcd57ae..b8afe0fb 100644
--- a/src/errors.ts
+++ b/src/errors.ts
@@ -55,14 +55,14 @@ export default function (o: Rx.Subject<Message>): Rx.Observable<any> {
     return bangify(wrap(msg), bang)
   }
 
-  const handleError = (scope: string) => async (err: NodeJS.ErrnoException) => {
+  const handleError = (scope: string) => async (err: any) => {
     // ignore EPIPE errors
     // these come from using | head and | tail
     // and can be ignored
     try {
       if (err.code === 'EPIPE') return
-      if (err.code === 'EEXIT' && typeof (err as any).status === 'number') {
-        process.exit((err as any).status)
+      if (typeof err.exitCode === 'number') {
+        process.exit(err.exitCode)
       } else {
         const cli = new CLI(scope)
         cli.fatal(err, {exit: false})
diff --git a/src/exit.ts b/src/exit.ts
index 18b33224..97827cdd 100644
--- a/src/exit.ts
+++ b/src/exit.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 export class ExitError extends Error {
-  public status: number
+  public exitCode: number
   public code: 'EEXIT'
   public error?: Error
 
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ export class ExitError extends Error {
     const code = 'EEXIT'
     super(error ? error.message : `${code}: ${status}`)
     this.error = error
-    this.status = status
+    this.exitCode = status
     this.code = code
   }
 }
diff --git a/src/index.ts b/src/index.ts
index 54c11c79..9c7d3556 100644
--- a/src/index.ts
+++ b/src/index.ts
@@ -35,7 +35,10 @@ export class CLI {
     const error = input instanceof Error ? input : new Error(input)
     subject.next({type: 'error', scope: this.scope, severity: options.severity || 'error', error} as ErrorMessage)
     const code = getExitCode(options)
-    if (code !== false) this.exit(code, error)
+    if (code === false) return
+    let exitErr: ExitError = error as any
+    exitErr.exitCode = exitErr.exitCode || code
+    throw exitErr
   }
 
   fatal(input: Error | string, options: IErrorOptions = {}) { this.error(input, {...options, severity: 'fatal'}) }