diff --git a/src/firejail/join.c b/src/firejail/join.c
index 394bbb52891..99fbfdd0a5a 100644
--- a/src/firejail/join.c
+++ b/src/firejail/join.c
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ static unsigned display = 0;
 static void signal_handler(int sig){
 	flush_stdin();
 
-	exit(sig);
+	exit(128 + sig);
 }
 
 static void install_handler(void) {
@@ -536,7 +536,6 @@ void join(pid_t pid, int argc, char **argv, int index) {
 		prctl(PR_SET_PDEATHSIG, SIGKILL, 0, 0, 0);
 
 #ifdef HAVE_APPARMOR
-		// add apparmor confinement after the execve
 		set_apparmor();
 #endif
 
@@ -596,15 +595,17 @@ void join(pid_t pid, int argc, char **argv, int index) {
 
 	// end of signal-safe code
 	//*****************************
-	flush_stdin();
 
 	if (WIFEXITED(status)) {
+		// if we had a proper exit, return that exit status
 		status = WEXITSTATUS(status);
 	} else if (WIFSIGNALED(status)) {
-		status = WTERMSIG(status);
+		// distinguish fatal signals by adding 128
+		status = 128 + WTERMSIG(status);
 	} else {
-		status = 0;
+		status = -1;
 	}
 
+	flush_stdin();
 	exit(status);
 }
diff --git a/src/firejail/main.c b/src/firejail/main.c
index 3c781b9c386..81d148257af 100644
--- a/src/firejail/main.c
+++ b/src/firejail/main.c
@@ -189,13 +189,15 @@ static void my_handler(int s) {
 	logsignal(s);
 
 	if (waitpid(child, NULL, WNOHANG) == 0) {
-		if (has_handler(child, s)) // signals are not delivered if there is no handler yet
+		// child is pid 1 of a pid namespace:
+		// signals are not delivered if there is no handler yet
+		if (has_handler(child, s))
 			kill(child, s);
 		else
 			kill(child, SIGKILL);
 		waitpid(child, NULL, 0);
 	}
-	myexit(s);
+	myexit(128 + s);
 }
 
 static void install_handler(void) {
@@ -3216,10 +3218,11 @@ printf("link #%s#\n", prf->link);
 	if (WIFEXITED(status)){
 		myexit(WEXITSTATUS(status));
 	} else if (WIFSIGNALED(status)) {
-		myexit(WTERMSIG(status));
+		// distinguish fatal signals by adding 128
+		myexit(128 + WTERMSIG(status));
 	} else {
-		myexit(0);
+		myexit(1);
 	}
 
-	return 0;
+	return 1;
 }
diff --git a/src/firejail/sandbox.c b/src/firejail/sandbox.c
index 59ddfb85585..995827fb78b 100644
--- a/src/firejail/sandbox.c
+++ b/src/firejail/sandbox.c
@@ -87,9 +87,9 @@ static void sandbox_handler(int sig){
 
 	// broadcast a SIGKILL
 	kill(-1, SIGKILL);
-	flush_stdin();
 
-	exit(sig);
+	flush_stdin();
+	exit(128 + sig);
 }
 
 static void install_handler(void) {
@@ -1243,7 +1243,6 @@ int sandbox(void* sandbox_arg) {
 
 	if (app_pid == 0) {
 #ifdef HAVE_APPARMOR
-		// add apparmor confinement after the execve
 		set_apparmor();
 #endif
 
@@ -1258,13 +1257,17 @@ int sandbox(void* sandbox_arg) {
 	munmap(set_sandbox_status, 1);
 
 	int status = monitor_application(app_pid);	// monitor application
-	flush_stdin();
 
 	if (WIFEXITED(status)) {
 		// if we had a proper exit, return that exit status
-		return WEXITSTATUS(status);
+		status = WEXITSTATUS(status);
+	} else if (WIFSIGNALED(status)) {
+		// distinguish fatal signals by adding 128
+		status = 128 + WTERMSIG(status);
 	} else {
-		// something else went wrong!
-		return -1;
+		status = -1;
 	}
+
+	flush_stdin();
+	return status;
 }