---
title: "Exit codes | PROCTOR docs"
description: "What each PROCTOR exit code means: 0 for pass, 1 for one or more failures and 2 for a tool error."
url: https://proctor.apps.wayne.edu/docs/reference/exit-codes.html
llms: https://proctor.apps.wayne.edu/llms.txt
generator: Squire agent-ready
---

# Exit codes[#](https://proctor.apps.wayne.edu/docs/reference/exit-codes.html#exit-codes)

This page lists the three exit codes `proctor check` ends with and exactly when each one happens, so a pipeline can branch on the right one. The proctor hands back the mark sheet and leaves the hall; the code is the only word it says out loud. For what feeds the verdict, see [Rule ids](https://proctor.apps.wayne.edu/docs/reference/rule-ids.html) and the [checks overview](https://proctor.apps.wayne.edu/docs/guides/checks-overview.html).

## Codes[#](https://proctor.apps.wayne.edu/docs/reference/exit-codes.html#codes)

| Exit code | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| `0` | pass (warnings allowed) |
| `1` | one or more failures |
| `2` | tool error (bad options, unreadable policy, a present but malformed or unreadable composer.json, or an overrides file that is malformed, unreadable, or names a check that is not registered or the overrides check itself) |

A missing composer.json is not a tool error: the app gets a verdict, with php-floor failing.

## How a run ends[#](https://proctor.apps.wayne.edu/docs/reference/exit-codes.html#how-a-run-ends)

```mermaid
%%{init: {'theme':'base','themeVariables':{'fontFamily':'Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif','primaryColor':'#F4F1EA','primaryTextColor':'#1f2a33','primaryBorderColor':'#0C5449','lineColor':'#8A9A94'}}}%%
flowchart LR
  run["proctor check"] --> ok{"options and policy readable?"}
  ok -- no --> two["exit 2: the proctor tripped"]
  ok -- yes --> fails{"any FAIL?"}
  fails -- yes --> one["exit 1: resit"]
  fails -- no --> zero["exit 0: pass, warnings allowed"]
  classDef pass fill:#0C5449,stroke:#0C5449,color:#F4F1EA
  classDef fail fill:#9B1C2E,stroke:#9B1C2E,color:#F4F1EA
  classDef trip fill:#F4F1EA,stroke:#9B1C2E,color:#9B1C2E,stroke-dasharray:4 3
  class zero pass
  class one fail
  class two trip
```

## Watch it mark a paper[#](https://proctor.apps.wayne.edu/docs/reference/exit-codes.html#watch-it-mark-a-paper)

The answer sheet from the front page, handed over finished:

![The front page's answer sheet: five steps from 'pencils up' to 'resit, pencils down', nine bubbles filled, question 3 circled in red pen with the fix in the margin, the fail struck through and a PASS stamp.](https://proctor.apps.wayne.edu/docs/readme/marking.jpg)

## Related[#](https://proctor.apps.wayne.edu/docs/reference/exit-codes.html#related)

- [Commands](https://proctor.apps.wayne.edu/docs/reference/commands.html)
- [Rule ids](https://proctor.apps.wayne.edu/docs/reference/rule-ids.html)
- [Formats](https://proctor.apps.wayne.edu/docs/guides/formats.html)
- [Troubleshooting](https://proctor.apps.wayne.edu/docs/troubleshooting.html)