diff --git a/packages/host/src/server.ts b/packages/host/src/server.ts
index 1fc01afe..b7e426be 100644
--- a/packages/host/src/server.ts
+++ b/packages/host/src/server.ts
@@ -1318,18 +1318,29 @@ export class FactorioServer extends events.EventEmitter<FactorioServerEvents> {
 	}
 
 
-	// Not using events.once here to avoid throwing on error events, which are
-	// not emitted when the process exits while stopping.
+	// Not using events.once here to avoid throwing on error events, as they are
+	// not emitted when the process exits while stopping.  Returns the error
+	// emitted with the exit, if there was one, for the caller to report.
 	async _waitForRconReadyOrExit() {
-		await new Promise<void>(resolve => {
-			const onRconReady = () => {
+		return await new Promise<Error | undefined>(resolve => {
+			let exitError: Error | undefined;
+			const cleanup = () => {
+				this.off("error", onError);
+				this.off("rcon-ready", onRconReady);
 				this.off("exit", onExit);
-				resolve();
+			};
+			const onError = (err: Error) => {
+				exitError = err;
+			};
+			const onRconReady = () => {
+				cleanup();
+				resolve(undefined);
 			};
 			const onExit = () => {
-				this.off("rcon-ready", onRconReady);
-				resolve();
+				cleanup();
+				resolve(exitError);
 			};
+			this.on("error", onError);
 			this.once("rcon-ready", onRconReady);
 			this.once("exit", onExit);
 		});
@@ -1350,7 +1361,11 @@ export class FactorioServer extends events.EventEmitter<FactorioServerEvents> {
 	async sendRcon(message: string, expectEmpty?: boolean) {
 		this._check(["running", "stopping"]);
 		if (!this._rconReady) {
-			await this._waitForRconReadyOrExit();
+			// Prefer the reason the server gave for exiting over the flat message below.
+			const exitError = await this._waitForRconReadyOrExit();
+			if (exitError) {
+				throw exitError;
+			}
 		}
 		if (!this._rconClient) {
 			throw new Error("RCON connection lost");
@@ -1421,6 +1436,7 @@ export class FactorioServer extends events.EventEmitter<FactorioServerEvents> {
 		// If RCON is not yet fully connected that operation needs to
 		// complete before the RCON connection can be used
 		if (!this._rconReady) {
+			// An exit error is not reported here as stopping is done once the process is gone.
 			await this._waitForRconReadyOrExit();
 		}
 
diff --git a/test/host/server_stop.js b/test/host/server_stop.js
index c98aff21..26f52936 100644
--- a/test/host/server_stop.js
+++ b/test/host/server_stop.js
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import assert from "node:assert/strict";
 import events from "node:events";
 import path from "node:path";
 
+import * as lib from "@clusterio/lib";
 import { FactorioServer } from "@clusterio/host/dist/node/src/server.js";
 
 
@@ -19,6 +20,8 @@ function createStartedServer() {
 	server._rconReady = false;
 	server._server = new FakeProcess();
 	server._watchExit();
+	// Instance keeps an error listener on the server for as long as it runs.
+	server.on("error", () => {});
 	return server;
 }
 
@@ -44,6 +47,18 @@ describe("host/src/server", function() {
 			await withTimeout(stopped, "stop() did not resolve");
 			assert.equal(server._state, "init");
 			assert.equal(server.listenerCount("rcon-ready"), 0);
+			assert.equal(server.listenerCount("error"), 1);
+		});
+
+		it("returns if the process fails before RCON is ready", async function() {
+			const server = createStartedServer();
+			const stopped = server.stop();
+			// Failing to spawn emits an error event followed by exit.
+			server._server.emit("error", Object.assign(new Error("spawn failed"), { code: "EACCES" }));
+			await withTimeout(stopped, "stop() did not resolve");
+			assert.equal(server._state, "init");
+			assert.equal(server.listenerCount("rcon-ready"), 0);
+			assert.equal(server.listenerCount("error"), 1);
 		});
 
 		it("stops the server if RCON becomes ready", async function() {
@@ -61,7 +76,7 @@ describe("host/src/server", function() {
 	});
 
 	describe("FactorioServer.sendRcon()", function() {
-		it("throws if the process exits before RCON is ready", async function() {
+		it("throws if the process is killed before RCON is ready", async function() {
 			const server = createStartedServer();
 			const sent = server.sendRcon("/version");
 			// kill() sets the state before killing, which suppresses the error event.
@@ -72,6 +87,21 @@ describe("host/src/server", function() {
 				new Error("RCON connection lost"),
 			);
 			assert.equal(server.listenerCount("rcon-ready"), 0);
+			assert.equal(server.listenerCount("error"), 1);
+		});
+
+		it("throws the exit error if the process exits before RCON is ready", async function() {
+			const server = createStartedServer();
+			const sent = server.sendRcon("/version");
+			// An unexpected exit emits why the server went away before the exit event.
+			server._server.emit("exit", 1, null);
+			await assert.rejects(
+				withTimeout(sent, "sendRcon() did not settle"),
+				new lib.EnvironmentError("Factorio server unexpectedly shut down with code 1"),
+			);
+			assert.equal(server.listenerCount("rcon-ready"), 0);
+			assert.equal(server.listenerCount("exit"), 0);
+			assert.equal(server.listenerCount("error"), 1);
 		});
 	});
 });