diff --git a/RunCommand.Test/RunCommandTests.cs b/RunCommand.Test/RunCommandTests.cs
index e3e265c..91f1721 100644
--- a/RunCommand.Test/RunCommandTests.cs
+++ b/RunCommand.Test/RunCommandTests.cs
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// Copyright (c) 2023-2026 ktsu-dev contributors
+// Copyright (c) 2023-2026 ktsu-dev contributors
 
 namespace ktsu.RunCommand.Test;
 
@@ -391,4 +391,26 @@ public async Task ExecuteAsyncShouldTerminateProcessWhenCancelledWhileRunning()
 		// rather than merely abandoned.
 		await Assert.ThrowsAsync<OperationCanceledException>(() => execution).ConfigureAwait(false);
 	}
+
+	[TestMethod]
+	public async Task ExecuteAsyncShouldThrowRatherThanReturnAnExitCodeWhenCancellationWinsTheRace()
+	{
+		(string fileName, string[] arguments) = GetSleepCommand();
+
+		// Cancelling this close to the start puts two paths in a near dead heat: the registration
+		// kills the process, and the kill makes it exit fast enough that the wait can observe a
+		// normal exit before it observes the token. Losing that race returns the killed process's
+		// exit code instead of throwing, so a caller cannot tell cancellation from real failure.
+		// A single attempt still throws most of the time, which is why this repeats: 50 attempts
+		// make a false pass vanishingly unlikely.
+		for (int attempt = 0; attempt < 50; attempt++)
+		{
+			using CancellationTokenSource cancellationTokenSource = new();
+			cancellationTokenSource.CancelAfter(TimeSpan.FromMilliseconds(1));
+
+			await Assert.ThrowsAsync<OperationCanceledException>(
+				() => RunCommand.ExecuteAsync(fileName, arguments, new OutputHandler(), cancellationTokenSource.Token),
+				$"Attempt {attempt} returned an exit code instead of throwing.").ConfigureAwait(false);
+		}
+	}
 }
diff --git a/RunCommand/RunCommand.cs b/RunCommand/RunCommand.cs
index 18d7bb5..1947383 100644
--- a/RunCommand/RunCommand.cs
+++ b/RunCommand/RunCommand.cs
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// Copyright (c) 2023-2026 ktsu-dev contributors
+// Copyright (c) 2023-2026 ktsu-dev contributors
 
 namespace ktsu.RunCommand;
 
@@ -358,6 +358,13 @@ private static async Task<int> RunAsync(ProcessStartInfo startInfo, OutputHandle
 			await Task.WhenAll(outputReader.Start(), process.WaitForExitAsync(cancellationToken)).ConfigureAwait(false);
 		}
 
+		// Cancellation reaches the wait two ways at once: the registration above kills the process,
+		// and the wait separately observes the token. The kill makes the process exit fast enough
+		// that the normal-exit path can win, which would return the killed process's exit code and
+		// throw nothing. Re-checking here makes both paths end the same way, so a cancelled call is
+		// never mistaken for a command that genuinely failed.
+		cancellationToken.ThrowIfCancellationRequested();
+
 		return process.ExitCode;
 	}