diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index 618e2e9..2707998 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/prometheus/client_golang v1.23.2
 	github.com/slok/go-http-metrics v0.13.0
 	github.com/spf13/cobra v1.10.2
+	go.uber.org/dig v1.19.0
 	go.uber.org/fx v1.24.0
 	golang.org/x/crypto v0.41.0
 	golang.org/x/sync v0.19.0
@@ -126,7 +127,6 @@ require (
 	go.opentelemetry.io/otel v1.36.0 // indirect
 	go.opentelemetry.io/otel/metric v1.36.0 // indirect
 	go.opentelemetry.io/otel/trace v1.36.0 // indirect
-	go.uber.org/dig v1.19.0 // indirect
 	go.uber.org/multierr v1.11.0 // indirect
 	go.uber.org/zap v1.27.0 // indirect
 	go.yaml.in/yaml/v2 v2.4.2 // indirect
diff --git a/internal/app/app.go b/internal/app/app.go
index 0d9daf9..1481ef7 100644
--- a/internal/app/app.go
+++ b/internal/app/app.go
@@ -2,13 +2,16 @@
 package app
 
 import (
+	"context"
 	"fmt"
+	"io"
 	"os"
 	"os/signal"
 	"syscall"
 
 	"github.com/prometheus/client_golang/prometheus"
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
+	"go.uber.org/dig"
 	"go.uber.org/fx"
 	"sneak.berlin/go/pixa/internal/config"
 	"sneak.berlin/go/pixa/internal/database"
@@ -53,7 +56,10 @@ func run(_ *cobra.Command, _ []string) {
 	// A write to a closed stdout or stderr must not end the process.
 	signal.Ignore(syscall.SIGPIPE)
 
-	fx.New(
+	app := fx.New(
+		// pixad logs with slog only; runApp prints a startup or shutdown
+		// error itself.
+		fx.NopLogger,
 		fx.Provide(
 			config.New,
 			database.New,
@@ -71,5 +77,40 @@ func run(_ *cobra.Command, _ []string) {
 			func(log *logger.Logger) { log.Identify() },
 			func(*server.Server) {},
 		),
-	).Run()
+	)
+
+	exitCode := runApp(app, os.Stderr)
+	if exitCode != 0 {
+		os.Exit(exitCode)
+	}
+}
+
+// runApp starts app, waits for a signal or a shutdown request, stops app,
+// and returns the status pixad exits with, as fx.App.Run does. It prints
+// a start or stop error to stderr, once, as the error that caused it:
+// dig.RootCause drops the frames fx and dig wrap around it.
+func runApp(app *fx.App, stderr io.Writer) int {
+	startCtx, cancelStart := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), app.StartTimeout())
+	defer cancelStart()
+
+	err := app.Start(startCtx)
+	if err != nil {
+		_, _ = fmt.Fprintln(stderr, dig.RootCause(err))
+
+		return 1
+	}
+
+	shutdown := <-app.Wait()
+
+	stopCtx, cancelStop := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), app.StopTimeout())
+	defer cancelStop()
+
+	err = app.Stop(stopCtx)
+	if err != nil {
+		_, _ = fmt.Fprintln(stderr, dig.RootCause(err))
+
+		return 1
+	}
+
+	return shutdown.ExitCode
 }
diff --git a/internal/app/app_internal_test.go b/internal/app/app_internal_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d59b25d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/app/app_internal_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+package app
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"context"
+	"errors"
+	"io"
+	"testing"
+
+	"go.uber.org/fx"
+)
+
+var errTestStopFailed = errors.New("test stop hook failed")
+
+// TestRunAppPrintsStopErrorOnce checks that when a stop hook fails, runApp
+// prints the hook's error once and returns exit status 1.
+func TestRunAppPrintsStopErrorOnce(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	app := fx.New(
+		fx.NopLogger,
+		fx.Invoke(func(lifecycle fx.Lifecycle, shutdowner fx.Shutdowner) {
+			lifecycle.Append(fx.Hook{
+				// Ask to shut down as soon as the app has started, so
+				// that runApp goes on to stop it.
+				OnStart: func(context.Context) error { return shutdowner.Shutdown() },
+				OnStop:  func(context.Context) error { return errTestStopFailed },
+			})
+		}),
+	)
+
+	var stderr bytes.Buffer
+
+	exitCode := runApp(app, &stderr)
+	if exitCode != 1 {
+		t.Errorf("runApp() = %d, want 1", exitCode)
+	}
+
+	want := errTestStopFailed.Error() + "\n"
+	if stderr.String() != want {
+		t.Errorf("stderr = %q, want %q", stderr.String(), want)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestRunAppReturnsShutdownExitCode checks that runApp returns the exit
+// code a shutdown request names.
+func TestRunAppReturnsShutdownExitCode(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	app := fx.New(
+		fx.NopLogger,
+		fx.Invoke(func(lifecycle fx.Lifecycle, shutdowner fx.Shutdowner) {
+			lifecycle.Append(fx.Hook{
+				OnStart: func(context.Context) error {
+					return shutdowner.Shutdown(fx.ExitCode(3))
+				},
+			})
+		}),
+	)
+
+	exitCode := runApp(app, io.Discard)
+	if exitCode != 3 {
+		t.Errorf("runApp() = %d, want 3", exitCode)
+	}
+}