fix(core): respect exit code when render output is suppressed

1 files changed, 5 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index de97204..60b8f2c 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -76,6 +76,11 @@
 
 7. **\[macros:dispatch_tree\]** Fixed the static name generation for dispatch tree nodes to use `snake_case` conversion instead of simple `.` → `_` replacement, and fixed the `__comp` completion dispatcher static name from `__internal_dispatcher___comp` (triple underscore) to `__internal_dispatcher_comp` (double underscore), resolving a mismatch between the name generated by `register_dispatcher!` and the name used in `program_comp_gen`.
 
+8. **\[core\]** Changed the `exec_without_render` and `exec` methods' behavior: when `stdout_setting.render_output` is `false` or the result is empty, the exit code from the result is now returned instead of hardcoded `0`. This ensures that programs which set a non-zero exit code without producing renderable output (e.g., via `ExitCodeSetup` or `ProgramControlUnit::OverrideExitCode`) will exit with the correct code. Specific changes in `once_exec.rs`:
+
+   - `exec()` (async) and `exec_without_render_and_print()` (sync): The `exit_code` is now read from the result before the render check, and returned as the fallback value instead of `0` when output is not printed.
+   - This means `ExitCode` / `ProgramControls` overrides are now respected regardless of whether any output is rendered.
+
 #### Optimizations:
 
 1. **\[core:flag\]** Refactored the `special_argument!` and `special_arguments!` macros to replace index‑based `while` loops with iterator `position` and `drain`, improving both performance and readability.