---
id: exit-codes
version: "1.3.0"
license: MIT
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: abandoned
---

# exit-codes — Platform-independent exit codes.

License: permissive · Maintenance: abandoned · Downloads: 362.2K/mo

## What it is and what it does

exit_codes is a minimal library that exposes Unix-style exit status codes as Python constants, solving the problem that Python's os module only provides these codes on Unix platforms. It lets you write portable scripts that return meaningful exit codes across Windows, macOS, and Linux without platform-specific conditionals.

The package is straightforward: import ExitCode and use its attributes (OK, IO_ERR, and others) in your main() function or script exit logic. It has no runtime dependencies and installs as a pure Python wheel, making it lightweight. However, the project has not been updated since July 2019 and is marked abandoned, so it will not receive maintenance or adapt to future Python changes.

Use it for:

- CLI tools that need to return standard exit codes consistently across Windows and Unix systems
- Scripts that wrap system utilities and must propagate meaningful exit statuses to calling processes
- Testing frameworks or build tools that rely on exit codes to signal success or specific failure modes
- Cross-platform Python applications where exit code semantics matter to shell scripts or CI/CD pipelines

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Provides platform-independent exit codes for Python programs, making Unix exit status codes available consistently across all platforms.

Yes, if you need cross-platform exit codes and can accept that the package is no longer maintained. The library is simple, has no dependencies, and the exit code constants are unlikely to change. Install it only if you're comfortable with a frozen codebase and confident the constants match your needs; for new projects, consider whether you can define your own exit codes or use a more actively maintained alternative.

## Install

pip install exit-codes
uv add exit-codes
poetry add exit-codes

## Installing exit-codes

Before you install: Installation is frictionless with no runtime dependencies and a pure-Python wheel distribution. However, the package has been abandoned since 2019 with no updates in over six years, so it will not receive bug fixes or maintenance.

License in practice: MIT license is permissive and places no restrictions on use, modification, or distribution in commercial or private projects.

Quickstart:

from exit_codes import ExitCode

if operation_succeeds():
    exit(ExitCode.OK)
else:
    exit(ExitCode.IO_ERR)

Verify before relying:

- Whether the exit code constants match current Unix standards or have diverged since the last 2019 release
- Compatibility with modern Python versions beyond what the unspecified support statement indicates

## Package facts

- License: MIT (permissive)
- Python support: unspecified
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: abandoned
- Downloads: 362.2K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

cross-platform exit codes, exit status constants, platform-independent exit codes, unix exit codes python, standardized exit codes, exit code constants, portable exit codes, exit-codes, cross-platform

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