diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 60dd5131..74f7a997 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 ## Unreleased
 
 ### Added
+- `bashunit::mock <cmd> <code>`: a lone all-digits argument is an exit code, matching `bashunit::spy`; no throwaway `return 1` helper needed (#898)
 - `assert_have_been_called_with_any <spy> <expected>`: passes when *any* recorded call matches, instead of only the last one (#897)
 - A failed call assertion now prints the calls recorded for that spy, capped at 10 with an explicit `… and N more` (#896)
 - `assert_have_been_called_with_args <spy> <arg>...`: compares the recorded arguments one by one, so `cmd "a b"` no longer matches `cmd a b` (#894)
diff --git a/docs/public/bashunit-skill.md b/docs/public/bashunit-skill.md
index 742c8f3e..92da8e67 100644
--- a/docs/public/bashunit-skill.md
+++ b/docs/public/bashunit-skill.md
@@ -198,6 +198,7 @@ diff and decided the new output is correct.
 ```bash
 bashunit::mock date echo "2024-05-01"   # replace behaviour
 bashunit::mock uname <<< "Linux"        # heredoc form ignores the call's arguments
+bashunit::mock curl 1                   # all-digits arg = exit code, no output (as for spy)
 bashunit::spy send_email                # record calls, keep behaviour
 
 assert_have_been_called send_email
diff --git a/docs/test-doubles.md b/docs/test-doubles.md
index 0473c094..e985ccaf 100644
--- a/docs/test-doubles.md
+++ b/docs/test-doubles.md
@@ -63,6 +63,23 @@ EOF
 ```
 
 :::
+A lone all-digits argument is an exit code, not an implementation — the same convention `bashunit::spy` uses. The mock then produces no output and returns that code, which is all an error-path test usually needs:
+
+::: code-group
+```bash [Example]
+function test_example() {
+  bashunit::mock curl 1
+
+  local code=0
+  curl https://example.com || code=$?
+
+  assert_same "1" "$code"
+}
+```
+:::
+
+To produce output *and* a non-zero exit code, pass a function: `bashunit::mock curl my_failing_curl`.
+
 Mocked functions are also available inside subshells:
 
 ::: code-group
diff --git a/src/test_doubles.sh b/src/test_doubles.sh
index 7f9161ab..82e6c8c4 100644
--- a/src/test_doubles.sh
+++ b/src/test_doubles.sh
@@ -173,11 +173,24 @@ function bashunit::unmock() {
   done
 }
 
+# True when $1 is an exit code rather than a replacement implementation, i.e. a
+# non-empty all-digits string. Shared by both doubles so they read the same
+# convention, and so the value interpolated into `return $1` is provably
+# numeric — that is what keeps the generated body free of shell syntax.
+function bashunit::doubles::is_exit_code() {
+  case "$1" in
+  '' | *[!0-9]*) return 1 ;;
+  esac
+  return 0
+}
+
 function bashunit::mock() {
   local command=$1
   shift
 
-  if [ $# -gt 0 ]; then
+  if [ $# -eq 1 ] && bashunit::doubles::is_exit_code "$1"; then
+    eval "function $command() { return $1; }"
+  elif [ $# -gt 0 ]; then
     eval "function $command() { $* \"\$@\"; }"
   else
     eval "function $command() { builtin echo \"$($CAT)\" ; }"
@@ -204,17 +217,9 @@ function bashunit::spy() {
   export "_BASHUNIT_SPY_${variable}_PARAMS_FILE"="$params_file"
 
   # An all-digits second argument is an exit code; anything else non-empty is a
-  # replacement implementation. The `case` glob is the Bash 3.0 form of the old
-  # `[[ =~ ^[0-9]+$ ]]` (identical domain: a value is all-digits iff it is
-  # non-empty and contains no non-digit) and it keeps the interpolation below
-  # provably numeric, so `return $exit_code_or_impl` cannot inject shell syntax.
+  # replacement implementation.
   local body_suffix=""
-  local _is_exit_code=false
-  case "$exit_code_or_impl" in
-  '' | *[!0-9]*) ;;
-  *) _is_exit_code=true ;;
-  esac
-  if [ "$_is_exit_code" = true ]; then
+  if bashunit::doubles::is_exit_code "$exit_code_or_impl"; then
     body_suffix="return $exit_code_or_impl"
   elif [ -n "$exit_code_or_impl" ]; then
     body_suffix="$exit_code_or_impl \"\$@\""
diff --git a/tests/functional/doubles_test.sh b/tests/functional/doubles_test.sh
index b6f61f38..ee374354 100644
--- a/tests/functional/doubles_test.sh
+++ b/tests/functional/doubles_test.sh
@@ -255,6 +255,45 @@ function test_passing_call_assertions_print_nothing() {
   assert_empty "$(assert_have_been_called_with spy_with_a_passing_assertion "first")"
 }
 
+function test_mock_with_an_exit_code_returns_it_without_output() {
+  bashunit::mock mock_failing_command 1
+
+  local code=0
+  local output
+  output="$(mock_failing_command 2>&1)" || code=$?
+
+  assert_same "1" "$code"
+  assert_empty "$output"
+}
+
+function test_mock_with_the_exit_code_zero_returns_zero() {
+  bashunit::mock mock_succeeding_command 0
+
+  local code=1
+  mock_succeeding_command && code=0
+
+  assert_same "0" "$code"
+}
+
+function test_mock_keeps_the_replacement_implementation_form() {
+  bashunit::mock mock_with_impl echo hello
+
+  assert_same "hello" "$(mock_with_impl)"
+}
+
+function test_mock_reads_only_a_lone_all_digits_argument_as_an_exit_code() {
+  # `echo 1` is an implementation whose first word happens to be a command, so
+  # the digits must stay an argument to it rather than becoming `return 1`.
+  bashunit::mock mock_with_numeric_argument echo 1
+
+  local code=1
+  local output
+  output="$(mock_with_numeric_argument)" && code=0
+
+  assert_same "1" "$output"
+  assert_same "0" "$code"
+}
+
 function test_spy_on_echo_does_not_hang() {
   source ./tests/functional/fixtures/echo_function.sh
   bashunit::spy echo