@@ -213,14 +213,14 @@ jobs:
           test -s "$RUNNER_TEMP/out/out.glb" || { echo "::error::glTF output missing/empty"; exit 1; }
           head -c4 "$RUNNER_TEMP/out/out.glb" | grep -q "glTF" || { echo "::error::not a glTF binary"; exit 1; }
 
-      - name: Headless template no-mesh path returns exit 2
+      - name: Headless template no-mesh path returns exit 5
         run: |
           set +e
           xvfb-run -a "$BLENDER" --background "$RUNNER_TEMP/out/empty.blend" \
             --python-exit-code 1 --python templates/headless-batch-script-template/script.py -- --output "$RUNNER_TEMP/out/none.glb"
           code=$?
           set -e
-          [ "$code" -eq 2 ] || { echo "::error::expected exit 2 for no-mesh input, got $code"; exit 1; }
+          [ "$code" -eq 5 ] || { echo "::error::expected exit 5 for no-mesh input, got $code"; exit 1; }
           echo "no-mesh exit code = $code (correct)"
 
       - name: Headless template applies the new modifier after the existing stack (#468)
@@ -261,7 +261,7 @@ jobs:
           test -s "$RUNNER_TEMP/out/pipeline/collider.glb" || { echo "::error::collider missing/empty"; exit 1; }
           head -c4 "$RUNNER_TEMP/out/pipeline/lod0.glb" | grep -q "glTF" || { echo "::error::lod0 not a glTF binary"; exit 1; }
 
-      - name: Headless pipeline template missing input returns exit 2
+      - name: Headless pipeline template missing input returns exit 13
         run: |
           set +e
           xvfb-run -a "$BLENDER" --background --python-exit-code 1 --python templates/ai-asset-pipeline-template/pipeline.py -- \
@@ -270,7 +270,7 @@ jobs:
             --preset unity
           code=$?
           set -e
-          [ "$code" -eq 2 ] || { echo "::error::expected exit 2 for missing input, got $code"; exit 1; }
+          [ "$code" -eq 13 ] || { echo "::error::expected exit 13 for missing input, got $code"; exit 1; }
           echo "missing-input exit code = $code (correct)"
 
       - name: Pipeline template keeps every part of a shared-mesh, parented GLB (#462, #467)
 
@@ -235,10 +235,11 @@ code; there is no rule against it.
 **Per-script exits** (examples and headless templates). `0` success. `2`
 argument or usage error, matching argparse. `3` and above for that script's
 own sequential check failures, in the order the checks run. These codes are
-file-local and are not portable. `no-mesh` is `2` in
-`templates/headless-batch-script-template/` and `5` in
-`templates/ai-asset-pipeline-template/`; both are correct. Copy a template's
-own table from that template, not from this paragraph.
+file-local and are not portable, except that `2` is argparse's usage exit
+everywhere: no template or example spends it on a check, so a CI caller can
+tell a bad invocation from bad input (#490; `tests/check_exit_code_readme.py`
+enforces it). `no-mesh` is `5` in both templates. Copy a template's own table
+from that template, not from this paragraph.
 
 **Reserved in examples/.** Three codes mean one thing in every example. `2`
 is argparse's usage exit only, never a check. `10` is the gallery framing
 
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ as `export-preset-axis` number their own checks independently.
 | Code | Meaning |
 | --- | --- |
 | 0 | Success |
-| 2 | Input file missing, or argparse rejected the flags (including an unsupported `--preset`) |
+| 2 | argparse rejected the flags, including an unsupported `--preset` (usage error only) |
 | 3 | Input is not a readable GLB (bad magic or import failure) |
 | 4 | `--lod-budgets` missing, non-positive, or not strictly decreasing |
 | 5 | Import produced no mesh |
@@ -89,6 +89,7 @@ as `export-preset-axis` number their own checks independently.
 | 8 | The joined asset's largest extent is outside 0.01 m to 100 m (wrong source units) |
 | 9 | An LOD's evaluated triangle count is over its `--lod-budgets` entry |
 | 12 | `transform_apply` or `object.join` raised `RuntimeError` (for example multi-user data that was not isolated) |
+| 13 | `--input` file does not exist |
 
 10 and 11 are skipped on purpose. The repo's shared render gates use them
 (framing and asset quality), so a template never reuses them.
 
@@ -361,7 +361,7 @@ def main():
 
     if not os.path.isfile(args.input):
         print(f"ERROR: input file missing: {args.input}", file=sys.stderr)
-        return 2
+        return 13  # not 2: that is argparse's usage exit
 
     if not glb_magic_ok(args.input):
         print(f"ERROR: input is not a readable GLB: {args.input}", file=sys.stderr)
 
@@ -48,17 +48,18 @@ is legal; argparse usage is `2`). Not a repo-wide table.
 | Code | Meaning |
 | --- | --- |
 | 0 | Success |
-| 2 | argparse rejected the flags, or no mesh objects in the input `.blend` |
+| 2 | argparse rejected the flags (usage error only) |
 | 3 | Modifier apply raised `RuntimeError` |
 | 4 | glTF export raised `RuntimeError` |
+| 5 | No mesh objects in the input `.blend` (same code as the pipeline template's no-mesh) |
 
 ## Expected environment
 
 - Blender on the system `PATH` (or invoked by absolute path).
 - Write access to the output directory. The script does not create
   parent directories; create them in your shell wrapper if needed.
 - Input `.blend` exists and contains at least one mesh object. With no
-  meshes the script returns exit code 2.
+  meshes the script returns exit code 5.
 
 ## Common gotchas
 
 
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ def main():
     mesh_objects = [obj for obj in bpy.data.objects if obj.type == "MESH"]
     if not mesh_objects:
         print("ERROR: no mesh objects in the input .blend", file=sys.stderr)
-        return 2
+        return 5  # not 2: that is argparse's usage exit
 
     print(f"Found {len(mesh_objects)} mesh object(s): {[o.name for o in mesh_objects]}")
 
 
@@ -371,9 +371,11 @@ def readme_table_rows(text):
     return rows
 
 
-def reserved_row_errors(rows, readme_rel):
+def reserved_row_errors(rows, readme_rel, codes=None):
     errors = []
     for code, (pattern, meaning) in RESERVED.items():
+        if codes is not None and code not in codes:
+            continue
         text = rows.get(code)
         if text is None:
             continue
@@ -469,6 +471,20 @@ def check_file(path):
         if os.path.isfile(readme):
             rows = readme_table_rows(open(readme, encoding="utf-8").read())
             errors.extend(reserved_row_errors(rows, relpath(readme)))
+    elif rel.startswith("templates/"):
+        # Templates are copied into CI pipelines, where exit 2 must mean a bad
+        # invocation and nothing else (#490). 10 and 11 are example-gallery
+        # gates, so only 2 is reserved here.
+        for lineno, code in literal_reserved_sites(tree, passthrough_helpers(tree)):
+            if code == 2:
+                errors.append(
+                    f"{rel}:{lineno}: literal exit 2 is argparse's usage exit; "
+                    "give this check its own code"
+                )
+        readme = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(path), "README.md")
+        if os.path.isfile(readme):
+            rows = readme_table_rows(open(readme, encoding="utf-8").read())
+            errors.extend(reserved_row_errors(rows, relpath(readme), codes={2}))
 
     nonzero = {}
     for code, lineno in visitor.literals: