diff --git a/plugins/common/functions b/plugins/common/functions
index c270576b2..a5b5a3711 100755
--- a/plugins/common/functions
+++ b/plugins/common/functions
@@ -256,7 +256,7 @@ verify_app_name() {
     dokku_log_fail "App name must begin with lowercase alphanumeric character, and cannot include uppercase characters, colons, or underscores"
   fi
 
-  [[ ! -d "$DOKKU_ROOT/$APP" ]] && dokku_log_fail "App $APP does not exist"
+  [[ ! -d "$DOKKU_ROOT/$APP" ]] && DOKKU_FAIL_EXIT_CODE=20 dokku_log_fail "App $APP does not exist"
 
   return 0
 }