diff --git a/hack/verify-e2e-images.sh b/hack/verify-e2e-images.sh
index 024c1e347f8..faa28880e9b 100755
--- a/hack/verify-e2e-images.sh
+++ b/hack/verify-e2e-images.sh
@@ -49,5 +49,5 @@ else
   >&2 echo "See: test/images/agnhost/README.md"
   >&2 echo ""
   >&2 echo "You can reach out to https://git.k8s.io/community/sig-testing for help."
-  exit 1
 fi
+exit $ret
diff --git a/hack/verify-golangci-lint.sh b/hack/verify-golangci-lint.sh
index 8ae58eb8c00..9d71174d3a4 100755
--- a/hack/verify-golangci-lint.sh
+++ b/hack/verify-golangci-lint.sh
@@ -238,7 +238,6 @@ else
     fi
     echo
   } >&2
-  exit 1
 fi
 
 # preserve the result
diff --git a/hack/verify-shellcheck.sh b/hack/verify-shellcheck.sh
index 874fe4d74cd..430cffb28c2 100755
--- a/hack/verify-shellcheck.sh
+++ b/hack/verify-shellcheck.sh
@@ -133,7 +133,6 @@ else
     echo 'See: https://github.com/koalaman/shellcheck/wiki/Ignore#ignoring-one-specific-instance-in-a-file'
     echo
   } >&2
-  exit 1
 fi
 
 # preserve the result
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiextensions-apiserver/examples/client-go/hack/verify-codegen.sh b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiextensions-apiserver/examples/client-go/hack/verify-codegen.sh
index 4f48eab003e..a51a33dd527 100755
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiextensions-apiserver/examples/client-go/hack/verify-codegen.sh
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiextensions-apiserver/examples/client-go/hack/verify-codegen.sh
@@ -40,5 +40,5 @@ if [[ $ret -eq 0 ]]; then
   echo "${DIFFROOT} up to date."
 else
   echo "${DIFFROOT} is out of date. Please run hack/update-codegen.sh"
-  exit 1
 fi
+exit $ret
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiextensions-apiserver/hack/verify-codegen.sh b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiextensions-apiserver/hack/verify-codegen.sh
index 4f48eab003e..a51a33dd527 100755
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiextensions-apiserver/hack/verify-codegen.sh
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiextensions-apiserver/hack/verify-codegen.sh
@@ -40,5 +40,5 @@ if [[ $ret -eq 0 ]]; then
   echo "${DIFFROOT} up to date."
 else
   echo "${DIFFROOT} is out of date. Please run hack/update-codegen.sh"
-  exit 1
 fi
+exit $ret
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/code-generator/examples/hack/verify-codegen.sh b/staging/src/k8s.io/code-generator/examples/hack/verify-codegen.sh
index 7dd5e657671..21c7eb18c91 100755
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/code-generator/examples/hack/verify-codegen.sh
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/code-generator/examples/hack/verify-codegen.sh
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ if [[ $ret -eq 0 ]]; then
   echo "${DIFFROOT} up to date."
 else
   echo "${DIFFROOT} is out of date. Please run hack/update-codegen.sh"
-  exit 1
+  exit $ret
 fi
 
 # smoke test
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/kube-aggregator/hack/verify-codegen.sh b/staging/src/k8s.io/kube-aggregator/hack/verify-codegen.sh
index 28f0690cfce..e462569bac0 100755
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/kube-aggregator/hack/verify-codegen.sh
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/kube-aggregator/hack/verify-codegen.sh
@@ -40,5 +40,5 @@ if [[ $ret -eq 0 ]]; then
   echo "${DIFFROOT} up to date."
 else
   echo "${DIFFROOT} is out of date. Please run hack/update-codegen.sh"
-  exit 1
 fi
+exit $ret
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/metrics/hack/verify-codegen.sh b/staging/src/k8s.io/metrics/hack/verify-codegen.sh
index 4f48eab003e..a51a33dd527 100755
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/metrics/hack/verify-codegen.sh
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/metrics/hack/verify-codegen.sh
@@ -40,5 +40,5 @@ if [[ $ret -eq 0 ]]; then
   echo "${DIFFROOT} up to date."
 else
   echo "${DIFFROOT} is out of date. Please run hack/update-codegen.sh"
-  exit 1
 fi
+exit $ret
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/sample-apiserver/hack/verify-codegen.sh b/staging/src/k8s.io/sample-apiserver/hack/verify-codegen.sh
index 4f48eab003e..a51a33dd527 100755
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/sample-apiserver/hack/verify-codegen.sh
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/sample-apiserver/hack/verify-codegen.sh
@@ -40,5 +40,5 @@ if [[ $ret -eq 0 ]]; then
   echo "${DIFFROOT} up to date."
 else
   echo "${DIFFROOT} is out of date. Please run hack/update-codegen.sh"
-  exit 1
 fi
+exit $ret
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/sample-controller/hack/verify-codegen.sh b/staging/src/k8s.io/sample-controller/hack/verify-codegen.sh
index 4f48eab003e..a51a33dd527 100755
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/sample-controller/hack/verify-codegen.sh
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/sample-controller/hack/verify-codegen.sh
@@ -40,5 +40,5 @@ if [[ $ret -eq 0 ]]; then
   echo "${DIFFROOT} up to date."
 else
   echo "${DIFFROOT} is out of date. Please run hack/update-codegen.sh"
-  exit 1
 fi
+exit $ret