diff --git a/anvil_consortium_manager/management/commands/run_anvil_audit.py b/anvil_consortium_manager/management/commands/run_anvil_audit.py
index 261d0e11..1832abaf 100644
--- a/anvil_consortium_manager/management/commands/run_anvil_audit.py
+++ b/anvil_consortium_manager/management/commands/run_anvil_audit.py
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 import django_tables2 as tables
 from django.contrib.sites.models import Site
 from django.core.mail import send_mail
-from django.core.management.base import BaseCommand
+from django.core.management.base import BaseCommand, CommandError
 from django.template.loader import render_to_string
 
 from ...anvil_api import AnVILAPIError
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ def _run_audit(self, audit_results, **options):
             # Assume the method is called anvil_audit.
             audit_results.run_audit()
         except AnVILAPIError:
-            self.stdout.write(self.style.ERROR("API error."))
+            raise CommandError("API error.")
         else:
             if not audit_results.ok():
                 self.stdout.write(self.style.ERROR("problems found."))
diff --git a/anvil_consortium_manager/tests/test_commands.py b/anvil_consortium_manager/tests/test_commands.py
index e1fc11b0..8ce9a3ca 100644
--- a/anvil_consortium_manager/tests/test_commands.py
+++ b/anvil_consortium_manager/tests/test_commands.py
@@ -254,8 +254,8 @@ def test_command_run_audit_api_error(self):
         api_url = self.get_api_url_billing_project(billing_project.name)
         self.anvil_response_mock.add(responses.GET, api_url, status=500, json={"message": "error"})
         out = StringIO()
-        call_command("run_anvil_audit", "--no-color", models=["BillingProject"], stdout=out)
-        self.assertIn("BillingProjectAudit... API error.", out.getvalue())
+        with self.assertRaises(CommandError):
+            call_command("run_anvil_audit", "--no-color", models=["BillingProject"], stdout=out)
 
     # This test is complicated so skipping for now.
     # When trying to change the settings, the test attempts to repopulate the