diff --git a/src/cli/__tests__/exit-codes.test.ts b/src/cli/__tests__/exit-codes.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..21a4af5a2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/cli/__tests__/exit-codes.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,224 @@
+import { ExitCode, getExitCode } from '../exit-codes.js';
+import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
+
+describe('exit-codes', () => {
+  describe('ExitCode', () => {
+    it('has correct values for all exit codes', () => {
+      expect(ExitCode.SUCCESS).toBe(0);
+      expect(ExitCode.GENERAL_ERROR).toBe(1);
+      expect(ExitCode.INVALID_ARGS).toBe(2);
+      expect(ExitCode.AUTH_EXPIRED).toBe(3);
+      expect(ExitCode.ACCESS_DENIED).toBe(4);
+      expect(ExitCode.AGENT_NOT_FOUND).toBe(5);
+      expect(ExitCode.DEPLOY_FAILED).toBe(6);
+    });
+
+    it('has all expected keys', () => {
+      const keys = Object.keys(ExitCode);
+      expect(keys).toContain('SUCCESS');
+      expect(keys).toContain('GENERAL_ERROR');
+      expect(keys).toContain('INVALID_ARGS');
+      expect(keys).toContain('AUTH_EXPIRED');
+      expect(keys).toContain('ACCESS_DENIED');
+      expect(keys).toContain('AGENT_NOT_FOUND');
+      expect(keys).toContain('DEPLOY_FAILED');
+      expect(keys).toHaveLength(7);
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('getExitCode', () => {
+    describe('access denied errors → EXIT_ACCESS_DENIED (4)', () => {
+      it('returns 4 for AccessDeniedException', () => {
+        expect(getExitCode({ name: 'AccessDeniedException' })).toBe(ExitCode.ACCESS_DENIED);
+      });
+
+      it('returns 4 for AccessDenied', () => {
+        expect(getExitCode({ name: 'AccessDenied' })).toBe(ExitCode.ACCESS_DENIED);
+      });
+    });
+
+    describe('expired token errors → EXIT_AUTH_EXPIRED (3)', () => {
+      const expiredTokenNames = [
+        'ExpiredToken',
+        'ExpiredTokenException',
+        'TokenRefreshRequired',
+        'CredentialsExpired',
+        'InvalidIdentityToken',
+        'UnauthorizedAccess',
+        'InvalidClientTokenId',
+        'SignatureDoesNotMatch',
+        'RequestExpired',
+      ];
+
+      it('returns 3 for all expired token error names', () => {
+        for (const name of expiredTokenNames) {
+          expect(getExitCode({ name }), `Should return 3 for error.name: ${name}`).toBe(ExitCode.AUTH_EXPIRED);
+        }
+      });
+
+      it('returns 3 for expired token error Code properties', () => {
+        for (const Code of expiredTokenNames) {
+          expect(getExitCode({ Code }), `Should return 3 for error.Code: ${Code}`).toBe(ExitCode.AUTH_EXPIRED);
+        }
+      });
+
+      it('returns 3 for expired token message patterns', () => {
+        const patterns = [
+          'expired token',
+          'token has expired',
+          'credentials have expired',
+          'security token included in the request is expired',
+          'the security token included in the request is invalid',
+        ];
+        for (const pattern of patterns) {
+          expect(getExitCode(new Error(pattern)), `Should return 3 for message: ${pattern}`).toBe(
+            ExitCode.AUTH_EXPIRED
+          );
+        }
+      });
+
+      it('returns 3 for nested expired token errors', () => {
+        expect(getExitCode({ cause: { name: 'ExpiredToken' } })).toBe(ExitCode.AUTH_EXPIRED);
+      });
+    });
+
+    describe('no credentials errors → EXIT_AUTH_EXPIRED (3)', () => {
+      it('returns 3 for AwsCredentialsError', () => {
+        expect(getExitCode({ name: 'AwsCredentialsError' })).toBe(ExitCode.AUTH_EXPIRED);
+      });
+
+      it('returns 3 for no credentials message patterns', () => {
+        const patterns = ['no aws credentials found', 'could not load credentials', 'credentials not found'];
+        for (const pattern of patterns) {
+          expect(getExitCode(new Error(pattern)), `Should return 3 for message: ${pattern}`).toBe(
+            ExitCode.AUTH_EXPIRED
+          );
+        }
+      });
+    });
+
+    describe('commander invalid argument errors → EXIT_INVALID_ARGS (2)', () => {
+      it('returns 2 for commander.invalidArgument code', () => {
+        const err = Object.assign(new Error('invalid argument'), { code: 'commander.invalidArgument' });
+        expect(getExitCode(err)).toBe(ExitCode.INVALID_ARGS);
+      });
+
+      it('returns 2 for commander.missingArgument code', () => {
+        const err = Object.assign(new Error('missing argument'), { code: 'commander.missingArgument' });
+        expect(getExitCode(err)).toBe(ExitCode.INVALID_ARGS);
+      });
+
+      it('returns 2 for commander.missingMandatoryOptionValue code', () => {
+        const err = Object.assign(new Error('missing option value'), {
+          code: 'commander.missingMandatoryOptionValue',
+        });
+        expect(getExitCode(err)).toBe(ExitCode.INVALID_ARGS);
+      });
+
+      it('returns 2 for commander.optionMissingArgument code', () => {
+        const err = Object.assign(new Error('option missing argument'), {
+          code: 'commander.optionMissingArgument',
+        });
+        expect(getExitCode(err)).toBe(ExitCode.INVALID_ARGS);
+      });
+    });
+
+    describe('deploy failed errors → EXIT_DEPLOY_FAILED (6)', () => {
+      it('returns 6 for stack in progress errors', () => {
+        const states = ['UPDATE_IN_PROGRESS', 'CREATE_IN_PROGRESS', 'DELETE_IN_PROGRESS', 'ROLLBACK_IN_PROGRESS'];
+        for (const state of states) {
+          expect(getExitCode(new Error(`Stack is in ${state} state`)), `Should return 6 for state: ${state}`).toBe(
+            ExitCode.DEPLOY_FAILED
+          );
+        }
+      });
+
+      it('returns 6 for stack cannot be updated errors', () => {
+        expect(getExitCode(new Error('Stack is in UPDATE_ROLLBACK_IN_PROGRESS state and cannot be updated'))).toBe(
+          ExitCode.DEPLOY_FAILED
+        );
+      });
+
+      it('returns 6 for stack currently being updated', () => {
+        expect(getExitCode(new Error('stack is currently being updated'))).toBe(ExitCode.DEPLOY_FAILED);
+      });
+
+      it('returns 6 for changeset in progress errors', () => {
+        expect(
+          getExitCode(
+            new Error('InvalidChangeSetStatusException: An operation on this ChangeSet is currently in progress.')
+          )
+        ).toBe(ExitCode.DEPLOY_FAILED);
+      });
+
+      it('returns 6 for changeset currently in progress', () => {
+        expect(getExitCode(new Error('ChangeSet is currently in progress'))).toBe(ExitCode.DEPLOY_FAILED);
+      });
+    });
+
+    describe('agent not found errors → EXIT_AGENT_NOT_FOUND (5)', () => {
+      it('returns 5 for ResourceNotFoundException error name', () => {
+        expect(getExitCode({ name: 'ResourceNotFoundException' })).toBe(ExitCode.AGENT_NOT_FOUND);
+      });
+
+      it('returns 5 for agent not found message', () => {
+        expect(getExitCode(new Error("Agent 'my-agent' not found"))).toBe(ExitCode.AGENT_NOT_FOUND);
+      });
+
+      it('returns 5 for agent not deployed message', () => {
+        expect(getExitCode(new Error("Agent 'my-agent' is not deployed"))).toBe(ExitCode.AGENT_NOT_FOUND);
+      });
+
+      it('returns 5 for no agents defined message', () => {
+        expect(getExitCode(new Error('No agents defined in agentcore.json'))).toBe(ExitCode.AGENT_NOT_FOUND);
+      });
+
+      it('returns 5 for agent not found in deployed state', () => {
+        expect(getExitCode(new Error("Agent 'my-agent' not found in deployed state"))).toBe(ExitCode.AGENT_NOT_FOUND);
+      });
+    });
+
+    describe('default → EXIT_GENERAL_ERROR (1)', () => {
+      it('returns 1 for generic errors', () => {
+        expect(getExitCode(new Error('some random error'))).toBe(ExitCode.GENERAL_ERROR);
+      });
+
+      it('returns 1 for null', () => {
+        expect(getExitCode(null)).toBe(ExitCode.GENERAL_ERROR);
+      });
+
+      it('returns 1 for undefined', () => {
+        expect(getExitCode(undefined)).toBe(ExitCode.GENERAL_ERROR);
+      });
+
+      it('returns 1 for string errors', () => {
+        expect(getExitCode('string error')).toBe(ExitCode.GENERAL_ERROR);
+      });
+
+      it('returns 1 for empty objects', () => {
+        expect(getExitCode({})).toBe(ExitCode.GENERAL_ERROR);
+      });
+
+      it('returns 1 for number errors', () => {
+        expect(getExitCode(123)).toBe(ExitCode.GENERAL_ERROR);
+      });
+    });
+
+    describe('priority ordering', () => {
+      it('access denied takes priority over message-based matching', () => {
+        const err = { name: 'AccessDeniedException', message: 'Agent not found' };
+        expect(getExitCode(err)).toBe(ExitCode.ACCESS_DENIED);
+      });
+
+      it('expired token takes priority over agent not found message matching', () => {
+        const err = { name: 'ExpiredToken', message: 'Agent not found' };
+        expect(getExitCode(err)).toBe(ExitCode.AUTH_EXPIRED);
+      });
+
+      it('access denied takes priority over expired token', () => {
+        expect(getExitCode({ name: 'AccessDeniedException' })).toBe(ExitCode.ACCESS_DENIED);
+        expect(getExitCode({ name: 'AccessDenied' })).toBe(ExitCode.ACCESS_DENIED);
+      });
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/cli/exit-codes.ts b/src/cli/exit-codes.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..51cca04e5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/cli/exit-codes.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,147 @@
+import {
+  getErrorMessage,
+  isAccessDeniedError,
+  isChangesetInProgressError,
+  isExpiredTokenError,
+  isNoCredentialsError,
+  isStackInProgressError,
+} from './errors.js';
+
+/**
+ * Structured exit codes for different CLI failure categories.
+ * These enable programmatic distinction between failure types
+ * in CI/CD pipelines and wrapper scripts.
+ */
+export const ExitCode = {
+  /** Command succeeded */
+  SUCCESS: 0,
+  /** Unknown/unhandled error */
+  GENERAL_ERROR: 1,
+  /** Invalid CLI arguments or missing required flags */
+  INVALID_ARGS: 2,
+  /** AWS credentials expired or invalid */
+  AUTH_EXPIRED: 3,
+  /** IAM permission error */
+  ACCESS_DENIED: 4,
+  /** Requested agent doesn't exist */
+  AGENT_NOT_FOUND: 5,
+  /** Deployment/CloudFormation failure */
+  DEPLOY_FAILED: 6,
+} as const;
+
+/**
+ * Union type of all valid exit code values.
+ */
+export type ExitCodeValue = (typeof ExitCode)[keyof typeof ExitCode];
+
+/**
+ * Determines the appropriate exit code for a given error.
+ *
+ * Checks error types in priority order:
+ * 1. Access denied (IAM permission errors)
+ * 2. Expired/invalid credentials
+ * 3. Missing credentials
+ * 4. Commander invalid argument errors
+ * 5. CloudFormation deployment failures
+ * 6. Agent not found
+ * 7. Default: general error
+ *
+ * @param err - The error to classify
+ * @returns The appropriate exit code number
+ */
+export function getExitCode(err: unknown): number {
+  // 1. Access denied errors (IAM permission issues)
+  if (isAccessDeniedError(err)) {
+    return ExitCode.ACCESS_DENIED;
+  }
+
+  // 2. Expired or invalid credentials
+  if (isExpiredTokenError(err)) {
+    return ExitCode.AUTH_EXPIRED;
+  }
+
+  // 3. Missing credentials (also an auth issue)
+  if (isNoCredentialsError(err)) {
+    return ExitCode.AUTH_EXPIRED;
+  }
+
+  // 4. Commander invalid argument errors
+  if (isCommanderInvalidArgError(err)) {
+    return ExitCode.INVALID_ARGS;
+  }
+
+  // 5. CloudFormation deployment failures
+  if (isStackInProgressError(err) || isChangesetInProgressError(err)) {
+    return ExitCode.DEPLOY_FAILED;
+  }
+
+  // 6. Agent not found
+  if (isAgentNotFoundError(err)) {
+    return ExitCode.AGENT_NOT_FOUND;
+  }
+
+  // 7. Default: general error
+  return ExitCode.GENERAL_ERROR;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Checks if an error is a Commander.js invalid argument error.
+ * Commander sets specific `code` and `exitCode` properties on its errors.
+ */
+function isCommanderInvalidArgError(err: unknown): boolean {
+  if (!err || typeof err !== 'object') {
+    return false;
+  }
+
+  const error = err as { code?: string; exitCode?: number };
+
+  // Commander.js sets code property for specific error types
+  if (
+    error.code === 'commander.invalidArgument' ||
+    error.code === 'commander.missingArgument' ||
+    error.code === 'commander.missingMandatoryOptionValue' ||
+    error.code === 'commander.optionMissingArgument'
+  ) {
+    return true;
+  }
+
+  // Commander.js sets exitCode to 2 for argument validation errors
+  // combined with a Commander-specific constructor name
+  if (error.exitCode === 2) {
+    const ctorName = (err as { constructor?: { name?: string } }).constructor?.name;
+    if (ctorName === 'CommanderError' || ctorName === 'InvalidArgumentError') {
+      return true;
+    }
+  }
+
+  return false;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Checks if an error indicates that a requested agent was not found.
+ * Matches AWS ResourceNotFoundException and message-based patterns.
+ */
+function isAgentNotFoundError(err: unknown): boolean {
+  if (err && typeof err === 'object') {
+    const error = err as Record<string, unknown>;
+
+    // Check AWS SDK error name for ResourceNotFoundException
+    if (typeof error.name === 'string' && error.name === 'ResourceNotFoundException') {
+      return true;
+    }
+  }
+
+  const message = getErrorMessage(err).toLowerCase();
+
+  // Match patterns like "Agent 'my-agent' not found"
+  if (message.includes('agent') && (message.includes('not found') || message.includes('not deployed'))) {
+    return true;
+  }
+
+  // Match patterns like "No agents defined in agentcore.json"
+  if (message.includes('no agents defined')) {
+    return true;
+  }
+
+  return false;
+}
diff --git a/src/cli/index.ts b/src/cli/index.ts
index 9006973ee..597a66fbf 100644
--- a/src/cli/index.ts
+++ b/src/cli/index.ts
@@ -1,18 +1,19 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env node
 import { main } from './cli.js';
 import { getErrorMessage } from './errors.js';
+import { getExitCode } from './exit-codes.js';
 
 // Global safety net — prevent raw stack traces from reaching the user
 process.on('uncaughtException', err => {
   console.error(`Error: ${getErrorMessage(err)}`);
-  process.exit(1);
+  process.exit(getExitCode(err));
 });
 process.on('unhandledRejection', reason => {
   console.error(`Error: ${getErrorMessage(reason)}`);
-  process.exit(1);
+  process.exit(getExitCode(reason));
 });
 
 main(process.argv).catch(err => {
   console.error(getErrorMessage(err));
-  process.exit(1);
+  process.exit(getExitCode(err));
 });