diff --git a/Sources/removemacai/SelfTest.swift b/Sources/removemacai/SelfTest.swift
index e260482..6db65ec 100644
--- a/Sources/removemacai/SelfTest.swift
+++ b/Sources/removemacai/SelfTest.swift
@@ -217,6 +217,12 @@ func selfTest() -> Bool {
     program: "/Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/dev.orbstack.OrbStack.privhelper", system: true)
   check(script.owner == "sync.sh" && helper.owner == "OrbStack", "background items are named after what they run")
 
+  let ranAll = Shell.run("/bin/sh", ["-c", Shell.adminScript(["false", "echo second"])])
+  check(!ranAll.ok && ranAll.output.contains("second"), "one failed administrator step doesn't skip the rest")
+  let exited = Shell.run("/bin/sh", ["-c", Shell.adminScript(["exit 3", "echo after-exit"])])
+  check(!exited.ok && exited.output.contains("after-exit"), "a step that exits doesn't stop the rest")
+  check(Shell.run("/bin/sh", ["-c", Shell.adminScript(["true", "true"])]).ok, "administrator steps succeed together")
+
   print(failed == 0 ? Term.green("all checks passed") : Term.red("\(failed) failed"))
   return failed == 0
 }
diff --git a/Sources/removemacai/Shell.swift b/Sources/removemacai/Shell.swift
index 7f243d7..0f2895a 100644
--- a/Sources/removemacai/Shell.swift
+++ b/Sources/removemacai/Shell.swift
@@ -26,10 +26,11 @@ enum Shell {
   static func quote(_ s: String) -> String { "'" + s.replacingOccurrences(of: "'", with: "'\\''") + "'" }
 
   /// Runs shell commands as root after one macOS password prompt. From a
-  /// terminal, sudo asks instead.
+  /// terminal, sudo asks instead. Every command runs even when an earlier one
+  /// fails; the result fails if any of them did.
   static func admin(_ commands: [String], prompt: String) -> Result {
     guard !commands.isEmpty else { return Result(status: 0, output: "") }
-    let script = commands.joined(separator: " && ")
+    let script = adminScript(commands)
     if getuid() == 0 { return run("/bin/sh", ["-c", script]) }
     if isatty(STDIN_FILENO) == 1 && !Shell.inApp {
       return run("/usr/bin/sudo", ["/bin/sh", "-c", script])
@@ -41,6 +42,10 @@ enum Shell {
     ])
   }
 
+  static func adminScript(_ commands: [String]) -> String {
+    (["rc=0"] + commands.map { "( \($0) ) || rc=1" } + ["exit $rc"]).joined(separator: "; ")
+  }
+
   /// A readable reason for a failed administrator step. osascript prefixes
   /// "0:390: execution error:" and appends the error number.
   static func adminError(_ result: Result) -> String {