diff --git a/src/lib.rs b/src/lib.rs
index d5ba8f8..dd55662 100644
--- a/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src/lib.rs
@@ -15,5 +15,6 @@ pub use crate::config::Config;
 pub use crate::core::Pacdef;
 pub use crate::grouping::Group;
 pub(crate) use crate::grouping::Package;
+pub use crate::search::NO_PACKAGES_FOUND;
 
 extern crate pacdef_macro;
diff --git a/src/main.rs b/src/main.rs
index 89624df..92b6808 100644
--- a/src/main.rs
+++ b/src/main.rs
@@ -1,11 +1,34 @@
+use std::process::{ExitCode, Termination};
+
 use anyhow::{Context, Result};
 
 use pacdef::{args, Config, Group, Pacdef};
 
-fn main() -> Result<()> {
+fn main() -> ExitCode {
+    handle_final_result(main_inner())
+}
+
+/// Skip printing the error chain when searching packages yields no results, otherwise report error
+/// chain.
+fn handle_final_result(result: Result<()>) -> ExitCode {
+    match result {
+        Ok(_) => ExitCode::SUCCESS,
+        Err(ref e) => {
+            let msg = e.root_cause().to_string();
+
+            if msg == pacdef::NO_PACKAGES_FOUND {
+                ExitCode::FAILURE
+            } else {
+                result.report()
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+fn main_inner() -> Result<()> {
     let args = args::get();
     let config = Config::load().context("loading config file")?;
-    let groups = Group::load(&config).context("loading groups")?;
+    let groups = Group::load(&config).context("loading groups").unwrap();
     let pacdef = Pacdef::new(args, config, groups);
     pacdef.run_action_from_arg().context("running action")
 }
diff --git a/src/search.rs b/src/search.rs
index 88efa5c..960d4c3 100644
--- a/src/search.rs
+++ b/src/search.rs
@@ -8,7 +8,8 @@ use regex::Regex;
 
 use crate::grouping::{Group, Package, Section};
 
-// TODO don't show an error message when search yields no results
+pub const NO_PACKAGES_FOUND: &str = "no packages matching query";
+
 pub(crate) fn search_packages(args: &ArgMatches, groups: &HashSet<Group>) -> Result<()> {
     let search_string = args
         .get_one::<String>("string")
@@ -29,7 +30,7 @@ pub(crate) fn search_packages(args: &ArgMatches, groups: &HashSet<Group>) -> Res
     }
 
     if vec.is_empty() {
-        bail!("no packages matching query")
+        bail!(NO_PACKAGES_FOUND)
     }
 
     print_triples(vec);