diff --git a/src/winapp-CLI/WinApp.Cli.Tests/ProgramTests.cs b/src/winapp-CLI/WinApp.Cli.Tests/ProgramTests.cs
index 68af6dae7..a6a4d9ebd 100644
--- a/src/winapp-CLI/WinApp.Cli.Tests/ProgramTests.cs
+++ b/src/winapp-CLI/WinApp.Cli.Tests/ProgramTests.cs
@@ -208,6 +208,20 @@ public async Task Main_UnknownCommand_FallsThroughToInvocation_WithoutTypoSugges
         Assert.IsFalse(stderr.Contains("Did you mean", StringComparison.Ordinal),
             $"A non-dash unknown command must not trigger the single-dash typo hint. Got stderr: {stderr}");
     }
+
+    [TestMethod]
+    [DataRow(new[] { "cert", "bogus" })]
+    [DataRow(new[] { "init", "a", "b", "c" })]
+    [DataRow(new[] { "--verbose", "bogus" })]
+    public async Task Main_ParseError_ExitsOne(string[] args)
+    {
+        // Issue #1015: parse errors that print help must exit 1, not 0, so scripts
+        // and agents don't treat a rejected command line as success.
+        var (_, _, exitCode) = await ProgramMainTestHarness.InvokeProgramAsync(args);
+
+        Assert.AreEqual(1, exitCode,
+            $"Parse error for '{string.Join(" ", args)}' must exit with code 1.");
+    }
 }
 
 [TestClass]
diff --git a/src/winapp-CLI/WinApp.Cli/Program.cs b/src/winapp-CLI/WinApp.Cli/Program.cs
index 12fdd5afa..2316738fd 100644
--- a/src/winapp-CLI/WinApp.Cli/Program.cs
+++ b/src/winapp-CLI/WinApp.Cli/Program.cs
@@ -340,13 +340,17 @@ private static async Task<int> RunCoreAsync(string[] args, bool framedStdout, Ac
             }
         }
 
+<<<<<<< HEAD
+        return await RunWithTelemetryAsync(parsedArgs, isCompleteMode, async () =>
+=======
         return await RunWithTelemetryAsync(parsedArgs, isCompleteMode || framedStdout, () =>
+>>>>>>> upstream/main
         {
             // --help and --cli-schema describe the command; they never execute it, so they run here
             // regardless of --on rather than validating or preparing a target just to print text.
             if (IsDescriptiveAction(parsedArgs))
             {
-                return parsedArgs.InvokeAsync();
+                return await parsedArgs.InvokeAsync();
             }
 
             // Target selection is settled before anything else, and settled for every command.
@@ -355,12 +359,17 @@ private static async Task<int> RunCoreAsync(string[] args, bool framedStdout, Ac
             // exists to prevent.
             if (ExecutionTargetSelection.Validate(parsedArgs) is { } selectionError)
             {
+<<<<<<< HEAD
+                return TargetOutput.RejectSelection(
+                    serviceProvider.GetRequiredService<IAnsiConsole>(), effectiveJson, selectionError);
+=======
                 if (effectiveJson && TryEmitCommandJsonError(parsedArgs, selectionError.Message))
                 {
                     return Task.FromResult(TargetOutput.InvalidCommandLineExitCode);
                 }
                 return Task.FromResult(TargetOutput.RejectSelection(
                     serviceProvider.GetRequiredService<IAnsiConsole>(), effectiveJson, selectionError));
+>>>>>>> upstream/main
             }
 
             // System.CommandLine binds an unrecognised option to a nearby optional positional rather
@@ -371,7 +380,7 @@ private static async Task<int> RunCoreAsync(string[] args, bool framedStdout, Ac
             if (parsedArgs.CommandResult.Command is not RunCommand &&
                 WindowsCommandLine.FindOptionLikePositionals(parsedArgs) is { Count: > 0 } stray)
             {
-                return Task.FromResult(RejectOptionLikePositionals(parsedArgs, stray, effectiveJson));
+                return RejectOptionLikePositionals(parsedArgs, stray, effectiveJson);
             }
 
             // One pre-dispatch interception, before any local UI service runs. A command the user
@@ -398,7 +407,7 @@ private static async Task<int> RunCoreAsync(string[] args, bool framedStdout, Ac
             if (parsedArgs.Errors.Count == 0 && ExecutionTargetUiRouter.ShouldRoute(parsedArgs))
             {
                 var router = serviceProvider.GetRequiredService<ExecutionTargetUiRouter>();
-                return router.RouteAsync(
+                return await router.RouteAsync(
                     args,
                     TargetUiRequirements.For(parsedArgs),
                     effectiveJson,
@@ -413,9 +422,23 @@ private static async Task<int> RunCoreAsync(string[] args, bool framedStdout, Ac
                 // error, so point at --help instead. A bare "winapp ui" keeps its help: that is
                 // how people discover the commands.
                 parseError.ShowHelp = false;
-                return InvokeWithHelpPointerAsync(parsedArgs);
+                return await InvokeWithHelpPointerAsync(parsedArgs);
             }
 
+<<<<<<< HEAD
+            // Parse errors must exit non-zero (issue #1015). InvokeAsync displays
+            // the error and help text, but return 1 explicitly so scripts and
+            // agents don't treat a rejected command line as success.
+            // Exception: a help / CLI-schema request succeeds by displaying text,
+            // even when the parser also recorded errors for other tokens
+            // (e.g. `run --help --args guest-agent` must still exit 0).
+            var invokeExitCode = await parsedArgs.InvokeAsync();
+            if (parsedArgs.Errors.Count > 0 && invokeExitCode == 0 && !RequestedDescriptiveAction(parsedArgs))
+            {
+                return 1;
+            }
+            return invokeExitCode;
+=======
             return InvokeCommandAsync();
 
             async Task<int> InvokeCommandAsync()
@@ -434,6 +457,7 @@ async Task<int> InvokeCommandAsync()
                 return serviceProvider.GetRequiredService<ExecutionTargets.GuestAgent.GuestCommentContext>()
                     .ClassifyWriterResult(result);
             }
+>>>>>>> upstream/main
         });
     }
 
@@ -442,9 +466,44 @@ internal static bool IsDescriptiveAction(System.CommandLine.ParseResult parsedAr
         parsedArgs.Action is { Terminating: true } action &&
         action != parsedArgs.CommandResult.Command.Action;
 
+    /// <summary>
+    /// True when the user asked for a describe-the-command action (help / CLI schema) on any
+    /// command in this parse, even when the parser also recorded errors for other tokens.
+    /// Unlike <see cref="IsDescriptiveAction"/>, this does not require a clean parse: the
+    /// request itself is what matters, because a help/schema request succeeds by displaying
+    /// text. Detected from the matched options rather than the selected action, so it holds
+    /// whether the parser selected the help action or a parse-error action for the request.
+    /// </summary>
+    private static bool RequestedDescriptiveAction(System.CommandLine.ParseResult parsedArgs)
+    {
+        for (System.CommandLine.Parsing.CommandResult? command = parsedArgs.CommandResult;
+            command is not null;
+            command = command.Parent as System.CommandLine.Parsing.CommandResult)
+        {
+            foreach (var option in command.Children.OfType<System.CommandLine.Parsing.OptionResult>())
+            {
+                if (option.Implicit)
+                {
+                    continue;
+                }
+                if (option.Option is System.CommandLine.Help.HelpOption ||
+                    option.Option == WinAppRootCommand.CliSchemaOption)
+                {
+                    return true;
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        return false;
+    }
+
     private static async Task<int> InvokeWithHelpPointerAsync(System.CommandLine.ParseResult parsedArgs)
     {
         var exitCode = await parsedArgs.InvokeAsync();
+        // Parse errors must exit non-zero (issue #1015).
+        if (parsedArgs.Errors.Count > 0 && exitCode == 0)
+        {
+            return 1;
+        }
         var path = string.Join(" ", parsedArgs.CommandResult.Command.Parents
             .OfType<System.CommandLine.Command>()
             .Where(c => c is not System.CommandLine.RootCommand)