diff --git a/shell-completion/Makefile b/shell-completion/Makefile
index a84e9a28b..eac81005b 100644
--- a/shell-completion/Makefile
+++ b/shell-completion/Makefile
@@ -27,6 +27,11 @@ EXTENSIONS := ui web
 INSTALLED_EXTENSIONS := $(foreach EXT,$(EXTENSIONS),$(shell type hledger-$(EXT) >/dev/null 2>&1 && echo $(EXT)))
 
 COMMANDS := $(sort $(shell $(PARSE_COMMANDS)) $(INSTALLED_EXTENSIONS))
+
+ifneq ($(.SHELLSTATUS),0)
+$(error Error running $(PARSE_COMMANDS))
+endif
+
 CMDOPTFILES := $(foreach CMD,$(COMMANDS),options-$(CMD).txt)
 
 all: hledger-completion.bash
diff --git a/shell-completion/parse-commands.sh b/shell-completion/parse-commands.sh
index 9274747ea..19b5571d9 100755
--- a/shell-completion/parse-commands.sh
+++ b/shell-completion/parse-commands.sh
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 set -uo pipefail
 
 declare commands_help
-commands_help=$(hledger)
+commands_help=$(hledger) || exit
 {
     sed -rn 's/^\s+([a-z][-a-z]+)\s+.*/\1/p' <<< "$commands_help"
     sed -rn 's/^\s+[a-z][-a-z]+\s+\(([a-z][ ,a-z]+)\).*/\1/p' <<< "$commands_help" |