diff --git a/scripts/check_doc_gate.py b/scripts/check_doc_gate.py
index fed729d40..627ef3537 100644
--- a/scripts/check_doc_gate.py
+++ b/scripts/check_doc_gate.py
@@ -37,6 +37,13 @@
 DEFAULT_CONFIG = REPO_ROOT / "docs" / "doc-gate.toml"
 DEFAULT_TRAILER = "Docs-Reviewed:"
 
+# Exit codes: 0 clean, 1 a doc-gate violation, 2 a config/usage error
+# (broken, missing, or unparseable config). Distinct so a misconfigured gate
+# is never mistaken for a real documentation-drift violation.
+EXIT_OK = 0
+EXIT_VIOLATION = 1
+EXIT_CONFIG_ERROR = 2
+
 # A path-like token: one of the four known repo prefixes followed by a run of
 # non-whitespace / non-quoting characters. The negative lookbehind stops us
 # matching a prefix that is actually embedded inside a larger path (e.g. the
@@ -254,10 +261,10 @@ def get_trailer(config: dict) -> str:
 def _report(failures: list[str]) -> int:
     if not failures:
         print("doc-gate: clean")
-        return 0
+        return EXIT_OK
     for failure in failures:
         print(f"DOC-GATE FAIL: {failure}")
-    return 1
+    return EXIT_VIOLATION
 
 
 def main(argv: list[str] | None = None) -> int:
@@ -273,7 +280,11 @@ def main(argv: list[str] | None = None) -> int:
     group.add_argument("--base", help="Compare <base>...HEAD (CI / commit-msg)")
 
     args = parser.parse_args(argv)
-    config = load_config(args.config)
+    try:
+        config = load_config(args.config)
+    except (tomllib.TOMLDecodeError, OSError) as e:
+        print(f"doc-gate: config error: {args.config}: {e}", file=sys.stderr)
+        return EXIT_CONFIG_ERROR
 
     if args.command == "invariants":
         files_to_scan = config.get("invariants", {}).get("referenced_paths_scan", [])
diff --git a/tests/test_doc_gate.py b/tests/test_doc_gate.py
index 1525d16eb..54669aea1 100644
--- a/tests/test_doc_gate.py
+++ b/tests/test_doc_gate.py
@@ -295,3 +295,34 @@ def test_desktop_shell_test_file_does_not_trigger(self):
             ("A", "desktop/src/stores/__tests__/theme-store.test.ts"),
         ]
         assert dg.evaluate_rules(changed, [], CHANGELOG_RULE_CONFIG) == []
+
+
+class TestConfigErrorExitCode:
+    """A broken/unparseable config must exit distinctly from a real violation.
+
+    Regression: previously an unparseable config raised an unhandled traceback
+    that exited 1 -- identical to a genuine doc-gate violation -- so a typo in
+    docs/doc-gate.toml looked just like a missing changelog."""
+
+    def test_unparseable_config_returns_config_error_code(self, tmp_path, capsys):
+        bad = tmp_path / "bad.toml"
+        bad.write_text('key = "unterminated string\n')
+        rc = dg.main(["--config", str(bad), "print-trailer"])
+        captured = capsys.readouterr()
+        assert rc == dg.EXIT_CONFIG_ERROR
+        assert rc != dg.EXIT_VIOLATION
+        assert "config error" in captured.err
+
+    def test_missing_config_file_returns_config_error_code(self, tmp_path):
+        missing = tmp_path / "does_not_exist.toml"
+        rc = dg.main(["--config", str(missing), "print-trailer"])
+        assert rc == dg.EXIT_CONFIG_ERROR
+        assert rc != dg.EXIT_VIOLATION
+
+    def test_real_violation_returns_violation_not_config_error(self):
+        """Exit code 1 (violation) must remain distinct from exit code 2
+        (config error)."""
+        changed = [("A", "tinyagentos/routes/themes.py")]
+        failures = dg.evaluate_rules(changed, [], APPS_RULE_CONFIG)
+        assert dg._report(failures) == dg.EXIT_VIOLATION
+