diff --git a/Messages.hs b/Messages.hs
index c6d6022bc5..c8395ff4c7 100644
--- a/Messages.hs
+++ b/Messages.hs
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
  - Licensed under the GNU AGPL version 3 or higher.
  -}
 
-{-# LANGUAGE OverloadedStrings #-}
+{-# LANGUAGE OverloadedStrings, ScopedTypeVariables #-}
 
 module Messages (
 	showStartMessage,
@@ -56,6 +56,7 @@ import Control.Monad.IO.Class
 import qualified Data.ByteString as S
 import qualified Data.ByteString.Char8 as S8
 import System.Exit
+import qualified Control.Monad.Catch as M
 
 import Common
 import Types
@@ -326,11 +327,14 @@ mkPrompter = getConcurrency >>= \case
 				(\v -> putMVar l v >> cleanup)
 				(const $ run a)
 
-{- Catch all (non-async) exceptions and display, santizing any control
- - characters in the exceptions. Exits nonzero on exception, so should only
- - be used at topmost level. -}
+{- Catch all (non-async and not ExitCode) exceptions and display, 
+ - santizing any control characters in the exceptions.
+ -
+ - Exits nonzero on exception, so should only be used at topmost level.
+ -}
 sanitizeTopLevelExceptionMessages :: IO a -> IO a
-sanitizeTopLevelExceptionMessages a = catchNonAsync a go
+sanitizeTopLevelExceptionMessages a = a `catches`
+	((M.Handler (\ (e :: ExitCode) -> throwM e)) : nonAsyncHandler go)
   where
 	go e = do
 		warningIO (show e)
diff --git a/Utility/Exception.hs b/Utility/Exception.hs
index 3d1a69912a..cf55c5fefc 100644
--- a/Utility/Exception.hs
+++ b/Utility/Exception.hs
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {- Simple IO exception handling (and some more)
  -
- - Copyright 2011-2016 Joey Hess <id@joeyh.name>
+ - Copyright 2011-2023 Joey Hess <id@joeyh.name>
  -
  - License: BSD-2-clause
  -}
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ module Utility.Exception (
 	bracketIO,
 	catchNonAsync,
 	tryNonAsync,
+	nonAsyncHandler,
 	tryWhenExists,
 	catchIOErrorType,
 	IOErrorType(..),
@@ -28,8 +29,7 @@ module Utility.Exception (
 
 import Control.Monad.Catch as X hiding (Handler)
 import qualified Control.Monad.Catch as M
-import Control.Exception (IOException, AsyncException)
-import Control.Exception (SomeAsyncException)
+import Control.Exception (IOException, AsyncException, SomeAsyncException)
 import Control.Monad
 import Control.Monad.IO.Class (liftIO, MonadIO)
 import System.IO.Error (isDoesNotExistError, ioeGetErrorType)
@@ -85,11 +85,7 @@ bracketIO setup cleanup = bracket (liftIO setup) (liftIO . cleanup)
  - ThreadKilled and UserInterrupt get through.
  -}
 catchNonAsync :: MonadCatch m => m a -> (SomeException -> m a) -> m a
-catchNonAsync a onerr = a `catches`
-	[ M.Handler (\ (e :: AsyncException) -> throwM e)
-	, M.Handler (\ (e :: SomeAsyncException) -> throwM e)
-	, M.Handler (\ (e :: SomeException) -> onerr e)
-	]
+catchNonAsync a onerr = a `catches` (nonAsyncHandler onerr)
 
 tryNonAsync :: MonadCatch m => m a -> m (Either SomeException a)
 tryNonAsync a = go `catchNonAsync` (return . Left)
@@ -98,6 +94,13 @@ tryNonAsync a = go `catchNonAsync` (return . Left)
 		v <- a
 		return (Right v)
 
+nonAsyncHandler :: MonadCatch m => (SomeException -> m a) -> [M.Handler m a]
+nonAsyncHandler onerr = 
+	[ M.Handler (\ (e :: AsyncException) -> throwM e)
+	, M.Handler (\ (e :: SomeAsyncException) -> throwM e)
+	, M.Handler (\ (e :: SomeException) -> onerr e)
+	]
+
 {- Catches only DoesNotExist exceptions, and lets all others through. -}
 tryWhenExists :: MonadCatch m => m a -> m (Maybe a)
 tryWhenExists a = do