diff --git a/src/cat.js b/src/cat.js
index 27889b7..14954cd 100644
--- a/src/cat.js
+++ b/src/cat.js
@@ -31,6 +31,6 @@ function _cat(options, files) {
     cat += fs.readFileSync(file, 'utf8');
   });
 
-  return new common.ShellString(cat, common.state.error);
+  return new common.ShellString(cat, common.state.error, common.state.errorCode);
 }
 module.exports = _cat;
diff --git a/src/common.js b/src/common.js
index 9270181..19fb63a 100644
--- a/src/common.js
+++ b/src/common.js
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@ var shell = require('..');
 var _to = require('./to');
 var _toEnd = require('./toEnd');
 
+var DEFAULT_ERROR_CODE = 1;
+
 // Module globals
 var config = {
   silent: false,
@@ -20,6 +22,7 @@ exports.config = config;
 
 var state = {
   error: null,
+  errorCode: 0,
   currentCmd: 'shell.js',
   tempDir: null
 };
@@ -36,8 +39,18 @@ function log() {
 }
 exports.log = log;
 
-// Shows error message. Throws unless _continue or config.fatal are true
-function error(msg, _continue) {
+// Shows error message. Throws if config.fatal is true
+function error(msg, _code, _continue) {
+  if (typeof _code === 'boolean') {
+    _continue = _code;
+    _code = DEFAULT_ERROR_CODE;
+  }
+  if (typeof _code !== 'number')
+    _code = DEFAULT_ERROR_CODE;
+
+  if (state.errorCode === 0)
+    state.errorCode = _code;
+
   if (state.error === null)
     state.error = '';
   var log_entry = state.currentCmd + ': ' + msg;
@@ -46,9 +59,17 @@ function error(msg, _continue) {
   else
     state.error += '\n' + log_entry;
 
-  if(!_continue || config.fatal)
+  if(config.fatal)
     throw new Error(log_entry);
 
+  if(!_continue) {
+    // throw new Error(log_entry);
+    throw {
+      msg: 'earlyExit',
+      retValue: (new ShellString('', state.error, state.errorCode))
+    };
+  }
+
   if (msg.length > 0)
     log(log_entry);
 }
@@ -65,7 +86,7 @@ exports.error = error;
 //@
 //@ Turns a regular string into a string-like object similar to what each
 //@ command returns. This has special methods, like `.to()` and `.toEnd()`
-var ShellString = function (stdout, stderr) {
+var ShellString = function (stdout, stderr, code) {
   var that;
   if (stdout instanceof Array) {
     that = stdout;
@@ -75,6 +96,7 @@ var ShellString = function (stdout, stderr) {
     that.stdout = stdout;
   }
   that.stderr = stderr;
+  that.code = code;
   that.to    = function() {wrap('to', _to, {idx: 1}).apply(that.stdout, arguments); return that;};
   that.toEnd = function() {wrap('toEnd', _toEnd, {idx: 1}).apply(that.stdout, arguments); return that;};
   ['cat', 'sed', 'grep', 'exec'].forEach(function (cmd) {
@@ -230,6 +252,7 @@ function wrap(cmd, fn, options) {
 
     state.currentCmd = cmd;
     state.error = null;
+    state.errorCode = 0;
 
     try {
       var args = [].slice.call(arguments, 0);
@@ -274,7 +297,13 @@ function wrap(cmd, fn, options) {
         });
         if (!config.noglob && options && typeof options.idx === 'number')
           args = args.slice(0, options.idx).concat(expand(args.slice(options.idx)));
-        retValue = fn.apply(this, args);
+        try {
+          retValue = fn.apply(this, args);
+        } catch (e) {
+          if (e.msg === 'earlyExit')
+            retValue = e.retValue;
+          else throw e;
+        }
       }
     } catch (e) {
       if (!state.error) {
diff --git a/src/echo.js b/src/echo.js
index 7b8f85a..db3b5e1 100644
--- a/src/echo.js
+++ b/src/echo.js
@@ -16,6 +16,6 @@ function _echo(opts, messages) {
   // allow strings starting with '-', see issue #20
   messages = [].slice.call(arguments, opts ? 0 : 1);
   console.log.apply(console, messages);
-  return new common.ShellString(messages.join(' '));
+  return new common.ShellString(messages.join(' '), '', 0);
 }
 module.exports = _echo;
diff --git a/src/exec.js b/src/exec.js
index 4791625..b8b18f3 100644
--- a/src/exec.js
+++ b/src/exec.js
@@ -151,10 +151,7 @@ function execSync(cmd, opts, pipe) {
   if (code !== 0)  {
     common.error('', true);
   }
-  var obj = common.ShellString(stdout, stderr);
-  // obj.stdout = stdout;
-  // obj.stderr = stderr;
-  obj.code = code;
+  var obj = common.ShellString(stdout, stderr, code);
   return obj;
 } // execSync()
 
diff --git a/src/grep.js b/src/grep.js
index 3c0106a..ef28e3b 100644
--- a/src/grep.js
+++ b/src/grep.js
@@ -56,6 +56,6 @@ function _grep(options, regex, files) {
     }
   });
 
-  return new common.ShellString(grep.join('\n')+'\n', common.state.error);
+  return new common.ShellString(grep.join('\n')+'\n', common.state.error, common.state.errorCode);
 }
 module.exports = _grep;
diff --git a/src/ls.js b/src/ls.js
index 8088df7..42fcc59 100644
--- a/src/ls.js
+++ b/src/ls.js
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ function _ls(options, paths) {
   });
 
   // Add methods, to make this more compatible with ShellStrings
-  return new common.ShellString(list, common.state.error);
+  return new common.ShellString(list, common.state.error, common.state.errorCode);
 }
 
 function addLsAttributes(path, stats) {
diff --git a/src/pwd.js b/src/pwd.js
index 9353b76..3bc310d 100644
--- a/src/pwd.js
+++ b/src/pwd.js
@@ -6,6 +6,6 @@ var common = require('./common');
 //@ Returns the current directory.
 function _pwd() {
   var pwd = path.resolve(process.cwd());
-  return new common.ShellString(pwd);
+  return new common.ShellString(pwd, '', common.state.errorCode);
 }
 module.exports = _pwd;
diff --git a/src/sed.js b/src/sed.js
index a9c675a..b302ff6 100644
--- a/src/sed.js
+++ b/src/sed.js
@@ -63,6 +63,6 @@ function _sed(options, regex, replacement, files) {
       fs.writeFileSync(file, result, 'utf8');
   });
 
-  return new common.ShellString(sed.join('\n'), common.state.error);
+  return new common.ShellString(sed.join('\n'), common.state.error, common.state.errorCode);
 }
 module.exports = _sed;
diff --git a/src/which.js b/src/which.js
index 2523886..86952d3 100644
--- a/src/which.js
+++ b/src/which.js
@@ -93,6 +93,6 @@ function _which(options, cmd) {
 
   where = where || path.resolve(cmd);
 
-  return new common.ShellString(where);
+  return new common.ShellString(where, '', common.state.errorCode);
 }
 module.exports = _which;