diff --git a/server/src/__tests__/workspace-runtime.test.ts b/server/src/__tests__/workspace-runtime.test.ts
index 021523b997..acf53d2f89 100644
--- a/server/src/__tests__/workspace-runtime.test.ts
+++ b/server/src/__tests__/workspace-runtime.test.ts
@@ -50,6 +50,7 @@ import {
   resolveRuntimeProvisionCommand,
   resolveWorkspaceRuntimeReadinessTimeoutSec,
   resolveShell,
+  runWorkspaceJobForControl,
   sanitizeRuntimeServiceBaseEnv,
   setWorkspaceRuntimeExposureDepsForTests,
   startRuntimeServicesForWorkspaceControl,
@@ -80,6 +81,7 @@ import {
 import { resolvePaperclipConfigPath } from "../paths.ts";
 import type { WorkspaceOperation } from "@paperclipai/shared";
 import type { WorkspaceOperationRecorder } from "../services/workspace-operations.ts";
+import { HttpError } from "../errors.ts";
 import { deriveWorktreeInstanceId } from "../services/workspace-instance-cleanup.ts";
 import {
   getEmbeddedPostgresTestSupport,
@@ -10194,3 +10196,55 @@ describe("realizeExecutionWorkspace with an exact existing branch", () => {
     });
   });
 });
+
+describe("runWorkspaceJobForControl", () => {
+  const actor = { id: null, name: "Board", companyId: "company-1" };
+
+  it("reports a failing operator job as an unprocessable job result, not a server error", async () => {
+    const workspaceRoot = await fs.mkdtemp(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "paperclip-workspace-job-failure-"));
+    const { recorder, operations } = createWorkspaceOperationRecorderDouble();
+    const jobScript = "console.error('Restored patch differs from exact source'); process.exit(3);";
+
+    try {
+      const failure = await runWorkspaceJobForControl({
+        actor,
+        issue: null,
+        workspace: buildWorkspace(workspaceRoot),
+        command: {
+          name: "Recover retained files",
+          command: `${JSON.stringify(process.execPath)} -e ${JSON.stringify(jobScript)}`,
+        },
+        recorder,
+      }).then(() => null, (error: unknown) => error);
+
+      expect(failure).toBeInstanceOf(HttpError);
+      expect(failure).toMatchObject({
+        status: 422,
+        message: 'Workspace job "Recover retained files" failed: Restored patch differs from exact source',
+        details: { code: "workspace_job_failed", exitCode: 3 },
+      });
+      expect(operations).toHaveLength(1);
+      expect(operations[0]?.result).toMatchObject({ status: "failed", exitCode: 3 });
+    } finally {
+      await fs.rm(workspaceRoot, { recursive: true, force: true });
+    }
+  });
+
+  it("rejects a job without a command as unprocessable", async () => {
+    const workspaceRoot = await fs.mkdtemp(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "paperclip-workspace-job-missing-"));
+    const { recorder, operations } = createWorkspaceOperationRecorderDouble();
+
+    try {
+      await expect(runWorkspaceJobForControl({
+        actor,
+        issue: null,
+        workspace: buildWorkspace(workspaceRoot),
+        command: { name: "Empty job" },
+        recorder,
+      })).rejects.toMatchObject({ status: 422, message: 'Workspace job "Empty job" is missing command' });
+      expect(operations).toHaveLength(0);
+    } finally {
+      await fs.rm(workspaceRoot, { recursive: true, force: true });
+    }
+  });
+});
diff --git a/server/src/services/workspace-runtime.ts b/server/src/services/workspace-runtime.ts
index 5c16153669..74182c1705 100644
--- a/server/src/services/workspace-runtime.ts
+++ b/server/src/services/workspace-runtime.ts
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ import {
 } from "@paperclipai/shared";
 import { and, desc, eq, gte, inArray, isNull, lte, ne, or } from "drizzle-orm";
 import { asNumber, asString, parseObject, renderTemplate } from "../adapters/utils.js";
-import { conflict } from "../errors.js";
+import { conflict, unprocessable } from "../errors.js";
 import { resolveHomeAwarePath } from "../home-paths.js";
 import { hasVerifiedWorktreeSeedManifest, isVerifiedWorktreeSeedManifest } from "../worktree-seed-manifest.js";
 import {
@@ -3055,6 +3055,19 @@ function resolveRepoManagedWorkspaceCommand(command: string, repoRoot: string) {
   return command;
 }
 
+/**
+ * A configured workspace command ran to completion but exited non-zero. The message carries the
+ * command's own output. The default `Error` name is kept so existing reports keep their grouping.
+ */
+export class WorkspaceCommandExitError extends Error {
+  readonly exitCode: number | null;
+
+  constructor(message: string, exitCode: number | null) {
+    super(message);
+    this.exitCode = exitCode;
+  }
+}
+
 async function runWorkspaceCommand(input: {
   command: string;
   resolvedCommand?: string;
@@ -3075,10 +3088,11 @@ async function runWorkspaceCommand(input: {
   if (proc.code === 0) return;
 
   const details = [proc.stderr.trim(), proc.stdout.trim()].filter(Boolean).join("\n");
-  throw new Error(
+  throw new WorkspaceCommandExitError(
     details.length > 0
       ? `${input.label} failed: ${details}`
       : `${input.label} failed with exit code ${proc.code ?? -1}`,
+    proc.code,
   );
 }
 
@@ -3211,10 +3225,11 @@ async function recordWorkspaceCommandOperation(
   if (code === 0) return operation;
 
   const details = [stderr.trim(), stdout.trim()].filter(Boolean).join("\n");
-  throw new Error(
+  throw new WorkspaceCommandExitError(
     details.length > 0
       ? `${input.label} failed: ${details}`
       : `${input.label} failed with exit code ${code ?? -1}`,
+    code,
   );
 }
 
@@ -5139,23 +5154,32 @@ export async function runWorkspaceJobForControl(input: {
     adapterEnv: input.adapterEnv ?? {},
   });
   if (!resolved.command) {
-    throw new Error(`Workspace job "${resolved.name}" is missing command`);
+    throw unprocessable(`Workspace job "${resolved.name}" is missing command`);
   }
 
   await ensureServerWorkspaceLinksCurrent(resolved.cwd);
-  return await recordWorkspaceCommandOperation(input.recorder, {
-    phase: "workspace_provision",
-    command: resolved.command,
-    cwd: resolved.cwd,
-    env: resolved.env,
-    label: `Workspace job "${resolved.name}"`,
-    metadata: {
-      workspaceCommandKind: "job",
-      workspaceCommandName: resolved.name,
-      ...(input.metadata ?? {}),
-    },
-    successMessage: `Completed workspace job "${resolved.name}"\n`,
-  });
+  try {
+    return await recordWorkspaceCommandOperation(input.recorder, {
+      phase: "workspace_provision",
+      command: resolved.command,
+      cwd: resolved.cwd,
+      env: resolved.env,
+      label: `Workspace job "${resolved.name}"`,
+      metadata: {
+        workspaceCommandKind: "job",
+        workspaceCommandName: resolved.name,
+        ...(input.metadata ?? {}),
+      },
+      successMessage: `Completed workspace job "${resolved.name}"\n`,
+    });
+  } catch (error) {
+    // A job is an operator-authored command: a non-zero exit is its result, already recorded on
+    // the operation, not a server fault.
+    if (error instanceof WorkspaceCommandExitError) {
+      throw unprocessable(error.message, { code: "workspace_job_failed", exitCode: error.exitCode });
+    }
+    throw error;
+  }
 }
 
 function resolveServiceScopeId(input: {