diff --git a/install.ps1 b/install.ps1
index 657f4a0a..aaeb64fb 100644
--- a/install.ps1
+++ b/install.ps1
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ $ErrorActionPreference = "Stop"
 $defaultInstallUrl = "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Abdess/retrobios/main/install.py"
 $defaultInstallSha256 = "61ffed8fddf816c02c1b45268dfd9bfdff9daeb1da2adedf2e13d14472f8654d"
 $maximumInstallerBytes = 2MB
+$installerExit = 0
 $installer = if ($PSScriptRoot) { Join-Path $PSScriptRoot "install.py" } else { $null }
 $temporary = $null
 
@@ -43,28 +44,37 @@ try {
         $installer = $temporary
     }
 
+    $launcher = @()
     $python = Get-Command py -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
     if ($python) {
-        & $python.Source -3 -c "import sys; raise SystemExit(sys.version_info < (3, 8))"
-        if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) { throw "Python 3.8 or newer is required." }
-        & $python.Source -3 $installer @InstallerArguments
-        if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) { throw "RetroBIOS installer failed with exit code $LASTEXITCODE." }
-        return
-    }
-    $python = Get-Command python3 -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
-    if (-not $python) {
-        $python = Get-Command python -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+        $launcher = @("-3")
+    } else {
+        $python = Get-Command python3 -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+        if (-not $python) {
+            $python = Get-Command python -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+        }
     }
     if (-not $python) {
         throw "Python 3.8 or newer is required."
     }
-    & $python.Source -c "import sys; raise SystemExit(sys.version_info < (3, 8))"
+    & $python.Source @launcher -c "import sys; raise SystemExit(sys.version_info < (3, 8))"
     if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) { throw "Python 3.8 or newer is required." }
-    & $python.Source $installer @InstallerArguments
-    if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) { throw "RetroBIOS installer failed with exit code $LASTEXITCODE." }
+    & $python.Source @launcher $installer @InstallerArguments
+    # The installer has already said what happened: its status is passed on
+    # as it is (1 for files left to fetch under --check, 2 when nothing was
+    # installed, 130 on Ctrl+C), not turned into a red exception that reads
+    # as a crash and flattens every code to one.
+    $installerExit = $LASTEXITCODE
 }
 finally {
     if ($temporary -and (Test-Path -LiteralPath $temporary)) {
         Remove-Item -LiteralPath $temporary -Force
     }
 }
+
+if ($installerExit) {
+    # Run from a file, the script ends with that status. Piped into iex it
+    # runs in the user's own session, which exit would close.
+    if ($PSScriptRoot) { exit $installerExit }
+    $global:LASTEXITCODE = $installerExit
+}
diff --git a/tests/test_install.py b/tests/test_install.py
index 80a03a7e..283c91b6 100644
--- a/tests/test_install.py
+++ b/tests/test_install.py
@@ -1792,5 +1792,24 @@ class RetroArchWhereItReallyLives(unittest.TestCase):
             found = install.detect_platforms("darwin")
             self.assertIn(("retroarch", support / "system"), found)
 
+
+class ThePowerShellWrapperPassesTheStatusOn(unittest.TestCase):
+    """Every non-zero exit became a red "installer failed" exception and
+    code 1: a --check that found work read as a crash, 2 and 130 were lost."""
+
+    @unittest.skipUnless(shutil.which("pwsh"), "needs PowerShell")
+    def test_the_installer_code_comes_back_unchanged(self):
+        folder = Path(_tempdir(self))
+        shutil.copy(REPO_ROOT / "install.ps1", folder / "install.ps1")
+        for code in (0, 1, 2, 130):
+            with self.subTest(code=code):
+                (folder / "install.py").write_text(f"import sys\nsys.exit({code})\n")
+                proc = subprocess.run(
+                    ["pwsh", "-NoProfile", "-File", str(folder / "install.ps1")],
+                    capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=120,
+                )
+                self.assertEqual(proc.returncode, code, proc.stderr)
+                self.assertNotIn("installer failed", proc.stdout + proc.stderr)
+
 if __name__ == "__main__":
     unittest.main()
diff --git a/wiki/installer.md b/wiki/installer.md
index 95e05fb8..73f69022 100644
--- a/wiki/installer.md
+++ b/wiki/installer.md
@@ -417,9 +417,17 @@ followed.
 
 ## Exit status
 
-`0` on success, `1` on failure: an unusable base URL, an unknown platform or
-target, `--installed-cores` with no core found, a manifest that fails validation, a fetch that never succeeded, or no
-platform to install for in a non-interactive run.
+| Code | Meaning |
+|------|---------|
+| `0` | everything asked for is installed or already up to date |
+| `1` | a failure: an unusable base URL, an unknown platform or target, `--installed-cores` with no core found, a manifest that fails validation, a fetch that never succeeded, no platform to install for in a non-interactive run, some files failed while others installed, or `--check` found files to fetch |
+| `2` | nothing was installed: every file the run tried failed (a BIOS folder that cannot be written, for one) |
+| `130` | stopped with Ctrl+C; run the same command again to carry on |
+| `141` | the output was piped to a reader that closed early (`--list \| head`) |
+
+`install.ps1` passes the installer's code on unchanged: run as a file it exits
+with it, run through `irm \| iex` it sets `$LASTEXITCODE` (an `exit` there
+would close the PowerShell window).
 
 Failures that are per-file, such as a download exhausting its three attempts,
 are counted and reported at the end.