diff --git a/daemon/libvirtd.c b/daemon/libvirtd.c
index de6fc273ce..281a46a31e 100644
--- a/daemon/libvirtd.c
+++ b/daemon/libvirtd.c
@@ -3036,7 +3036,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
         default:
             fprintf (stderr, "libvirtd: internal error: unknown flag: %c\n",
                      c);
-            exit (1);
+            exit (EXIT_FAILURE);
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/proxy/libvirt_proxy.c b/proxy/libvirt_proxy.c
index e5298fd4be..375966c1c4 100644
--- a/proxy/libvirt_proxy.c
+++ b/proxy/libvirt_proxy.c
@@ -816,14 +816,14 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
              persist = 1;
          } else {
              usage(argv[0]);
-             exit(1);
+             exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
          }
     }
 
 
     if (geteuid() != 0) {
         fprintf(stderr, "%s must be run as root or suid\n", argv[0]);
-        /* exit(1); */
+        /* exit(EXIT_FAILURE); */
     }
 
     /*
@@ -838,19 +838,19 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
      * failure.
      */
     if (proxyListenUnixSocket(PROXY_SOCKET_PATH) < 0)
-        exit(0);
+        exit(EXIT_SUCCESS);
     if (proxyInitXen() == 0)
         proxyMainLoop();
     sleep(1);
     proxyCloseUnixSocket();
-    exit(0);
+    exit(EXIT_SUCCESS);
 }
 
 #else /* WITHOUT_XEN */
 
 int main(void) {
     fprintf(stderr, "libvirt was compiled without Xen support\n");
-    exit(1);
+    exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
 }
 
 #endif /* WITH_XEN */
diff --git a/tests/conftest.c b/tests/conftest.c
index d265de225a..a7977bb81a 100644
--- a/tests/conftest.c
+++ b/tests/conftest.c
@@ -15,23 +15,23 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
 
     if (argc != 2) {
         fprintf(stderr, "Usage: %s conf_file\n", argv[0]);
-        exit(1);
+        exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
     }
 
     conf = virConfReadFile(argv[1], 0);
     if (conf == NULL) {
         fprintf(stderr, "Failed to process %s\n", argv[1]);
-        exit(2);
+        exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
     }
     ret = virConfWriteMem(&buffer[0], &len, conf);
     if (ret < 0) {
         fprintf(stderr, "Failed to serialize %s back\n", argv[1]);
-        exit(3);
+        exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
     }
     virConfFree(conf);
     if (fwrite(buffer, 1, len, stdout) != len) {
         fprintf(stderr, "Write failed: %s\n", strerror (errno));
-        exit(1);
+        exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
     }
-    exit(0);
+    exit(EXIT_SUCCESS);
 }
diff --git a/tests/nodeinfotest.c b/tests/nodeinfotest.c
index 608a056dde..4cb248acfb 100644
--- a/tests/nodeinfotest.c
+++ b/tests/nodeinfotest.c
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
 static int
 mymain(int argc ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED, char **argv ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED)
 {
-    exit (77); /* means 'test skipped' for automake */
+    exit (EXIT_AM_SKIP);
 }
 
 #else
diff --git a/tests/qemuargv2xmltest.c b/tests/qemuargv2xmltest.c
index 5602df0414..7f62baccc0 100644
--- a/tests/qemuargv2xmltest.c
+++ b/tests/qemuargv2xmltest.c
@@ -232,6 +232,6 @@ VIRT_TEST_MAIN(mymain)
 
 #else
 
-int main (void) { return (77); /* means 'test skipped' for automake */ }
+int main (void) { return (EXIT_AM_SKIP); }
 
 #endif /* WITH_QEMU */
diff --git a/tests/qemuxml2xmltest.c b/tests/qemuxml2xmltest.c
index 793900c8e3..e5900a2c74 100644
--- a/tests/qemuxml2xmltest.c
+++ b/tests/qemuxml2xmltest.c
@@ -146,6 +146,6 @@ VIRT_TEST_MAIN(mymain)
 
 #else
 
-int main (void) { exit (77); /* means 'test skipped' to automake */ }
+int main (void) { exit (EXIT_AM_SKIP); }
 
 #endif /* WITH_QEMU */
diff --git a/tests/reconnect.c b/tests/reconnect.c
index 33af2cc8d9..63877fc6b6 100644
--- a/tests/reconnect.c
+++ b/tests/reconnect.c
@@ -24,12 +24,12 @@ int main(void) {
     }
     if (conn == NULL) {
         fprintf(stderr, "First virConnectOpen() failed\n");
-        exit(1);
+        exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
     }
     dom = virDomainLookupByID(conn, id);
     if (dom == NULL) {
         fprintf(stderr, "First lookup for domain %d failed\n", id);
-        exit(1);
+        exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
     }
     virDomainFree(dom);
     virConnectClose(conn);
@@ -39,16 +39,16 @@ int main(void) {
         conn = virConnectOpen(NULL);
     if (conn == NULL) {
         fprintf(stderr, "Second virConnectOpen() failed\n");
-        exit(1);
+        exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
     }
     dom = virDomainLookupByID(conn, id);
     if (dom == NULL) {
         fprintf(stderr, "Second lookup for domain %d failed\n", id);
-        exit(1);
+        exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
     }
     virDomainFree(dom);
     virConnectClose(conn);
     printf("OK\n");
-    exit(0);
+    exit(EXIT_SUCCESS);
 
 }
diff --git a/tests/testutils.h b/tests/testutils.h
index aef11795e8..e5d57504e3 100644
--- a/tests/testutils.h
+++ b/tests/testutils.h
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 /*
  * utils.c: test utils
  *
- * Copyright (C) 2005, 2008 Red Hat, Inc.
+ * Copyright (C) 2005, 2008-2009 Red Hat, Inc.
  *
  * See COPYING.LIB for the License of this software
  *
@@ -13,6 +13,8 @@
 
 #include <stdio.h>
 
+#define EXIT_AM_SKIP 77 /* tell Automake we're skipping a test */
+
 double virtTestCountAverage(double *items,
                             int nitems);
 
diff --git a/tests/virshtest.c b/tests/virshtest.c
index ef760e2e12..ad3e2fc79f 100644
--- a/tests/virshtest.c
+++ b/tests/virshtest.c
@@ -231,7 +231,7 @@ mymain(int argc, char **argv)
         abs_srcdir = getcwd(cwd, sizeof(cwd));
 
 #ifdef WIN32
-    exit (77); /* means 'test skipped' for automake */
+    exit (EXIT_AM_SKIP);
 #endif
 
     snprintf(buffer, PATH_MAX-1, "test://%s/../examples/xml/test/testnode.xml", abs_srcdir);