diff --git a/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/job/flow/JobFlowExecutor.java b/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/job/flow/JobFlowExecutor.java
index 89ace2f924..593a9bdb7d 100644
--- a/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/job/flow/JobFlowExecutor.java
+++ b/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/job/flow/JobFlowExecutor.java
@@ -82,6 +82,12 @@ public String executeStep(Step step)
 			stepExecution.getExecutionContext().put("batch.restart", true);
 		}
 
+		// Preserve the step's exit description (e.g., the stack trace recorded by
+		// AbstractStep when a step fails) so it survives the flow's final
+		// updateJobExecutionStatus() call, which only carries the FlowExecutionStatus
+		// name and would otherwise discard it.
+		exitStatus = exitStatus.addExitDescription(stepExecution.getExitStatus().getExitDescription());
+
 		return stepExecution.getExitStatus().getExitCode();
 	}
 
diff --git a/spring-batch-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/core/job/flow/FlowJobFailureTests.java b/spring-batch-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/core/job/flow/FlowJobFailureTests.java
index a025c1cb69..81a43067fa 100644
--- a/spring-batch-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/core/job/flow/FlowJobFailureTests.java
+++ b/spring-batch-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/core/job/flow/FlowJobFailureTests.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2010-2023 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2010-2026 the original author or authors.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 package org.springframework.batch.core.job.flow;
 
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;
 
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.List;
@@ -91,6 +92,35 @@ void testStepFailure() throws Exception {
 		assertEquals(BatchStatus.FAILED, execution.getStatus());
 	}
 
+	@Test // gh-3740
+	void testStepFailureExitDescriptionPropagatedToJobExecution() throws Exception {
+		final String failureDescription = "boom: simulated step failure";
+		SimpleFlow flow = new SimpleFlow("job");
+		List<StateTransition> transitions = new ArrayList<>();
+		StepState step = new StepState(new StepSupport("step") {
+			@Override
+			public void execute(StepExecution stepExecution)
+					throws JobInterruptedException, UnexpectedJobExecutionException {
+				stepExecution.setExitStatus(ExitStatus.FAILED.addExitDescription(failureDescription));
+				stepExecution.setStatus(BatchStatus.FAILED);
+			}
+		});
+		transitions.add(StateTransition.createStateTransition(step, ExitStatus.FAILED.getExitCode(), "end0"));
+		transitions.add(StateTransition.createStateTransition(step, ExitStatus.COMPLETED.getExitCode(), "end1"));
+		transitions.add(StateTransition.createEndStateTransition(new EndState(FlowExecutionStatus.FAILED, "end0")));
+		transitions.add(StateTransition.createEndStateTransition(new EndState(FlowExecutionStatus.COMPLETED, "end1")));
+		flow.setStateTransitions(transitions);
+		job.setFlow(flow);
+		job.afterPropertiesSet();
+		job.execute(execution);
+
+		assertEquals(BatchStatus.FAILED, execution.getStatus());
+		assertEquals(ExitStatus.FAILED.getExitCode(), execution.getExitStatus().getExitCode());
+		assertTrue(execution.getExitStatus().getExitDescription().contains(failureDescription),
+				"Expected JobExecution exit description to contain step failure description but was: '"
+						+ execution.getExitStatus().getExitDescription() + "'");
+	}
+
 	@Test
 	void testStepStatusUnknown() throws Exception {
 		SimpleFlow flow = new SimpleFlow("job");
diff --git a/spring-batch-integration/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/integration/step/StepGatewayIntegrationTests.java b/spring-batch-integration/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/integration/step/StepGatewayIntegrationTests.java
index 2f9b8e76c1..2c5adddaa6 100644
--- a/spring-batch-integration/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/integration/step/StepGatewayIntegrationTests.java
+++ b/spring-batch-integration/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/integration/step/StepGatewayIntegrationTests.java
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ void testLaunchFailedJob() throws Exception {
 		JobExecution jobExecution = jobOperator.start(job,
 				new JobParametersBuilder().addLong("run.id", 2L).toJobParameters());
 		assertEquals(BatchStatus.FAILED, jobExecution.getStatus());
-		assertEquals(ExitStatus.FAILED, jobExecution.getExitStatus());
+		assertEquals(ExitStatus.FAILED.getExitCode(), jobExecution.getExitStatus().getExitCode());
 	}
 
 }