diff --git a/plugin/exec/assertions.go b/plugin/exec/assertions.go
index defebb0..84fb1f9 100644
--- a/plugin/exec/assertions.go
+++ b/plugin/exec/assertions.go
@@ -166,9 +166,13 @@ func newAssertions(
 	outPipe *bytes.Buffer,
 	errPipe *bytes.Buffer,
 ) api.Assertions {
+	expExitCode := 0
+	if e != nil {
+		expExitCode = e.ExitCode
+	}
 	a := &assertions{
 		failures:    []error{},
-		expExitCode: exitCode,
+		expExitCode: expExitCode,
 		exitCode:    exitCode,
 	}
 	if e != nil {
diff --git a/plugin/exec/eval_test.go b/plugin/exec/eval_test.go
index 60f40e8..67f339d 100644
--- a/plugin/exec/eval_test.go
+++ b/plugin/exec/eval_test.go
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import (
 	"bytes"
 	"context"
 	"flag"
+	"fmt"
 	"os"
 	"os/exec"
 	"path/filepath"
@@ -71,6 +72,52 @@ func TestExitCode(t *testing.T) {
 	require.Nil(err)
 }
 
+func TestFailExecExitCodeNotSpecified(t *testing.T) {
+	if !*failFlag {
+		t.Skip("skipping without -fail flag")
+	}
+	require := require.New(t)
+
+	fp := filepath.Join("testdata", "ls-fail-no-exit-code.yaml")
+	f, err := os.Open(fp)
+	require.Nil(err)
+
+	s, err := scenario.FromReader(
+		f,
+		scenario.WithPath(fp),
+	)
+	require.Nil(err)
+	require.NotNil(s)
+
+	ctx := gdtcontext.New(gdtcontext.WithDebug())
+	err = s.Run(ctx, t)
+	require.Nil(err)
+}
+
+func TestExecFailExitCodeNotSpecified(t *testing.T) {
+	require := require.New(t)
+	target := os.Args[0]
+	failArgs := []string{
+		"-test.v",
+		"-test.run=FailExecExitCodeNotSpecified",
+		"-fail",
+	}
+	outerr, err := exec.Command(target, failArgs...).CombinedOutput()
+
+	// The test should have failed...
+	require.NotNil(err)
+	debugout := string(outerr)
+	ec := 2
+	// Yay, different exit codes for the same not found error...
+	if runtime.GOOS == "darwin" {
+		ec = 1
+	}
+	msg := fmt.Sprintf(
+		"assertion failed: not equal: expected 0 but got %d", ec,
+	)
+	require.Contains(debugout, msg)
+}
+
 func TestShellList(t *testing.T) {
 	require := require.New(t)
 
diff --git a/plugin/exec/testdata/ls-fail-no-exit-code.yaml b/plugin/exec/testdata/ls-fail-no-exit-code.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..35f16af
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugin/exec/testdata/ls-fail-no-exit-code.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+name: ls-fail-no-exit-code
+description: a scenario that runs the `ls` command with a non-0 exit code and no assertion on exit code
+tests:
+  - exec: ls /this/dir/does/not/exist