diff --git a/src/apps/deskflow-core/deskflow-core.cpp b/src/apps/deskflow-core/deskflow-core.cpp
index 993dd7eb7..3ea5a8919 100644
--- a/src/apps/deskflow-core/deskflow-core.cpp
+++ b/src/apps/deskflow-core/deskflow-core.cpp
@@ -111,9 +111,13 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
   QObject::connect(&coreThread, &QThread::finished, &app, &QApplication::quit);
   coreApp->run(coreThread);
 
-  const auto exitCode = QApplication::exec();
+  int exitCode = QApplication::exec();
   coreThread.wait();
 
+  if (exitCode == s_exitSuccess) {
+    exitCode = coreApp->getExitCode();
+  }
+
   LOG_DEBUG("core exited, code: %d", exitCode);
   return exitCode;
 }
diff --git a/src/lib/deskflow/App.cpp b/src/lib/deskflow/App.cpp
index 36a00b6f7..6ae41e161 100644
--- a/src/lib/deskflow/App.cpp
+++ b/src/lib/deskflow/App.cpp
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ void App::run(QThread &coreThread)
     if (result == s_exitSuccess) {
       LOG_INFO("core stopped successfully");
     } else {
-      // TODO: surface error code to main thread somehow
+      updateExitCode(result);
       LOG_ERR("core stopped with error code: %d", result);
     }
 
diff --git a/src/lib/deskflow/App.h b/src/lib/deskflow/App.h
index c3846d8fe..dc8c6e811 100644
--- a/src/lib/deskflow/App.h
+++ b/src/lib/deskflow/App.h
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 
 #include "base/EventQueue.h"
 #include "base/Log.h"
+#include "common/ExitCodes.h"
 #include "deskflow/IApp.h"
 #include "net/SocketMultiplexer.h"
 
@@ -107,6 +108,16 @@ public:
 
   void handleScreenError() const;
 
+  void updateExitCode(int errorCode)
+  {
+    m_exitCode = errorCode;
+  }
+
+  int getExitCode() const
+  {
+    return m_exitCode;
+  }
+
 protected:
   void runEventsLoop(const void *);
 
@@ -118,6 +129,7 @@ private:
   ARCH_APP_UTIL m_appUtil;
   std::unique_ptr<SocketMultiplexer> m_socketMultiplexer;
   QString m_pname;
+  int m_exitCode = s_exitSuccess;
 };
 
 #if !defined(WINAPI_LIBEI) && WINAPI_XWINDOWS