diff --git a/main.go b/main.go
index 8be7ea2e..99580354 100644
--- a/main.go
+++ b/main.go
@@ -74,6 +74,36 @@ func xmain(args []string) {
 	} else {
 		_, err := py.RunFile(ctx, args[0], py.CompileOpts{}, nil)
 		if err != nil {
+			if py.IsException(py.SystemExit, err) {
+				args := err.(py.ExceptionInfo).Value.(*py.Exception).Args.(py.Tuple)
+				if len(args) == 0 {
+					os.Exit(0)
+				} else if len(args) == 1 {
+					if code, ok := args[0].(py.Int); ok {
+						c, err := code.GoInt()
+						if err != nil {
+							fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, err)
+							os.Exit(1)
+						}
+						os.Exit(c)
+					}
+					msg, err := py.ReprAsString(args[0])
+					if err != nil {
+						fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, err)
+					} else {
+						fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, msg)
+					}
+					os.Exit(1)
+				} else {
+					msg, err := py.ReprAsString(args)
+					if err != nil {
+						fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, err)
+					} else {
+						fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, msg)
+					}
+					os.Exit(1)
+				}
+			}
 			py.TracebackDump(err)
 			os.Exit(1)
 		}
diff --git a/repl/repl.go b/repl/repl.go
index f6639b25..faf9859d 100644
--- a/repl/repl.go
+++ b/repl/repl.go
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ package repl
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
+	"os"
 	"sort"
 	"strings"
 
@@ -109,6 +110,36 @@ func (r *REPL) Run(line string) {
 	}
 	_, err = r.Context.RunCode(code, r.Module.Globals, r.Module.Globals, nil)
 	if err != nil {
+		if py.IsException(py.SystemExit, err) {
+			args := err.(py.ExceptionInfo).Value.(*py.Exception).Args.(py.Tuple)
+			if len(args) == 0 {
+				os.Exit(0)
+			} else if len(args) == 1 {
+				if code, ok := args[0].(py.Int); ok {
+					c, err := code.GoInt()
+					if err != nil {
+						fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, err)
+						os.Exit(1)
+					}
+					os.Exit(c)
+				}
+				msg, err := py.ReprAsString(args[0])
+				if err != nil {
+					fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, err)
+				} else {
+					fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, msg)
+				}
+				os.Exit(1)
+			} else {
+				msg, err := py.ReprAsString(args)
+				if err != nil {
+					fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, err)
+				} else {
+					fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, msg)
+				}
+				os.Exit(1)
+			}
+		}
 		py.TracebackDump(err)
 	}
 }
diff --git a/stdlib/sys/sys.go b/stdlib/sys/sys.go
index 3a2318eb..fc6efc5a 100644
--- a/stdlib/sys/sys.go
+++ b/stdlib/sys/sys.go
@@ -133,7 +133,11 @@ func sys_exit(self py.Object, args py.Tuple) (py.Object, error) {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 	// Raise SystemExit so callers may catch it or clean up.
-	return py.ExceptionNew(py.SystemExit, args, nil)
+	exc, err := py.ExceptionNew(py.SystemExit, args, nil)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	return nil, exc.(*py.Exception)
 }
 
 const getdefaultencoding_doc = `getdefaultencoding() -> string