diff --git a/packages/cspell/bin.js b/packages/cspell/bin.js
index f06e4e65543..7625ebe49f5 100755
--- a/packages/cspell/bin.js
+++ b/packages/cspell/bin.js
@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@ const program = require('commander');
 app.run(program, process.argv).catch((e) => {
     if (!(e instanceof program.CommanderError) && !(e instanceof app.CheckFailed)) {
         console.log(e);
+        // It is possible an explicit exit code was set, use it if it was.
+        process.exitCode = process.exitCode || 1;
     }
     if (e instanceof app.CheckFailed) {
         process.exitCode = e.exitCode;
diff --git a/packages/cspell/src/app.ts b/packages/cspell/src/app.ts
index 1f77e9c2d24..2dd3237c242 100644
--- a/packages/cspell/src/app.ts
+++ b/packages/cspell/src/app.ts
@@ -17,6 +17,9 @@ import { tableToLines } from './util/table';
 import { Emitters, isProgressFileComplete, MessageType, ProgressItem, Issue } from './emitters';
 import { isSpellingDictionaryLoadError, SpellingDictionaryLoadError, ImportError } from 'cspell-lib';
 import { emitTraceResults } from './traceEmitter';
+import { CheckFailed } from './util/errors';
+
+export { CheckFailed } from './util/errors';
 
 interface Options extends CSpellApplicationOptions {
     legacy?: boolean;
@@ -409,9 +412,3 @@ class TS extends Array<string> {
 function template(s: string): TemplateStringsArray {
     return new TS(s);
 }
-
-export class CheckFailed extends Error {
-    constructor(message: string, readonly exitCode: number = 1) {
-        super(message);
-    }
-}
diff --git a/packages/cspell/src/util/errors.test.ts b/packages/cspell/src/util/errors.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..c58ca545426
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/cspell/src/util/errors.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+import { CheckFailed } from './errors';
+
+describe('errors', () => {
+    test.each`
+        ErrorClass     | params
+        ${CheckFailed} | ${['no matches']}
+    `('new', ({ ErrorClass, params }) => {
+        const e = new ErrorClass(...params);
+        expect(e instanceof Error).toBe(true);
+    });
+});
diff --git a/packages/cspell/src/util/errors.ts b/packages/cspell/src/util/errors.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..997b23ff6f3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/cspell/src/util/errors.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+export class CheckFailed extends Error {
+    constructor(message: string, readonly exitCode: number = 1) {
+        super(message);
+    }
+}