diff --git a/src/run.ts b/src/run.ts
index d9d6bea..7ade731 100755
--- a/src/run.ts
+++ b/src/run.ts
@@ -125,6 +125,11 @@ runner.on('test:stdout', (data: any) => {
 });
 
 runner.on('test:fail', (data: any) => {
+	// node:test semantics: a failing `todo` or `skip` test doesn't fail the run. The marker is `true`
+	// or the reason string, which can be empty (`{ todo: '' }`).
+	if (data.todo || data.todo === '' || data.skip || data.skip === '') {
+		return;
+	}
 	process.exitCode = 1;
 	if (data.file) {
 		failedFiles.add(resolve(data.file));
diff --git a/test/fixtures/run/empty-reason-todo-fail.ts b/test/fixtures/run/empty-reason-todo-fail.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ca60716
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/run/empty-reason-todo-fail.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+import { test } from 'node:test';
+import assert from 'node:assert';
+
+test('a todo test with an empty reason that fails', { todo: '' }, () => {
+	assert.strictEqual(1, 2);
+});
diff --git a/test/fixtures/run/real-fail.ts b/test/fixtures/run/real-fail.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..be2a719
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/run/real-fail.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+import { test } from 'node:test';
+import assert from 'node:assert';
+
+test('a real failure', () => {
+	assert.strictEqual(1, 2);
+});
diff --git a/test/fixtures/run/skip-fail.ts b/test/fixtures/run/skip-fail.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a9a8a19
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/run/skip-fail.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+import { test } from 'node:test';
+import assert from 'node:assert';
+
+// `t.skip()` from inside the body, not `{ skip: true }`: the option skips the body entirely, so the
+// test never fails and never reaches the runner's `data.skip` branch.
+test('a skipped test that fails', (t) => {
+	t.skip('skipped for testing');
+	assert.strictEqual(1, 2);
+});
diff --git a/test/fixtures/run/todo-fail.ts b/test/fixtures/run/todo-fail.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0ce32c5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/run/todo-fail.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+import { test } from 'node:test';
+import assert from 'node:assert';
+
+test('a todo test that fails', { todo: true }, () => {
+	assert.strictEqual(1, 2);
+});
diff --git a/test/run.test.ts b/test/run.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ee18f2b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/run.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+import { test } from 'node:test';
+import { strictEqual, ok } from 'node:assert';
+import { spawn } from 'node:child_process';
+import { once } from 'node:events';
+import { fileURLToPath } from 'node:url';
+
+const RUN_SCRIPT = fileURLToPath(new URL('../src/run.ts', import.meta.url));
+
+function fixture(name: string): string {
+	return fileURLToPath(new URL(`./fixtures/run/${name}`, import.meta.url));
+}
+
+const cleanEnv = Object.fromEntries(Object.entries(process.env).filter(([key]) => !key.startsWith('HARPER_INTEGRATION_TEST_')));
+
+async function runCli(globPattern: string, signal: AbortSignal): Promise<number> {
+	const child = spawn(process.execPath, [RUN_SCRIPT, '--isolation=none', globPattern], {
+		stdio: 'ignore',
+		env: cleanEnv,
+		signal,
+	});
+	const [code, exitSignal] = await once(child, 'exit');
+	ok(exitSignal === null, `run.ts was killed by signal ${exitSignal}`);
+	return code;
+}
+
+test('a suite whose only failure is a todo test exits 0', { timeout: 15_000 }, async (t) => {
+	strictEqual(await runCli(fixture('todo-fail.ts'), t.signal), 0);
+});
+
+test('a suite whose only failure is a skipped test exits 0', { timeout: 15_000 }, async (t) => {
+	strictEqual(await runCli(fixture('skip-fail.ts'), t.signal), 0);
+});
+
+test('a suite whose only failure is a todo test with an empty reason exits 0', { timeout: 15_000 }, async (t) => {
+	strictEqual(await runCli(fixture('empty-reason-todo-fail.ts'), t.signal), 0);
+});
+
+test('a suite with a real failure exits 1 (control)', { timeout: 15_000 }, async (t) => {
+	strictEqual(await runCli(fixture('real-fail.ts'), t.signal), 1);
+});