diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index be81e81..ef02581 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ It will:
 3. **Rename the skeleton** — `Shop → Clinic`, `Shopkeeper → Vet`, etc. — consistently across Ruby migrations, Swift models, Kotlin data classes, policies, tests, and localized copy.
 4. **Adapt or replace the domain module** — keep `ItemTag` for walk-in queue variants; strip and insert a new resource for non-queue SaaS.
 5. **Drive the build green** — `bin/rails test`, `xcodebuild test`, `./gradlew test` must all pass before the agent exits.
-6. **Validate the output** across three layers (structural, runtime, semantic). Details in [`docs/SPEC.md`](./docs/SPEC.md) section 6.
+6. **Validate the output** across three layers (structural, runtime, semantic) and write a self-contained HTML + JSON [validation report](#validation-report). Details in [`docs/SPEC.md`](./docs/SPEC.md) section 6.
 
 ## Demo
 
@@ -107,9 +107,11 @@ npx nativeapptemplate-agent "a personal task tracker with due dates"
 
 # Generated output appears under ./out/<slug>/
 tree ./out/clinic-queue/
-# ├── rails/      ← Rails 8.1 API, git-initialized, buildable
-# ├── ios/        ← SwiftUI iOS project, buildable
-# └── android/    ← Jetpack Compose Android project, buildable
+# ├── rails/                   ← Rails 8.1 API, git-initialized, buildable
+# ├── ios/                     ← SwiftUI iOS project, buildable
+# ├── android/                 ← Jetpack Compose Android project, buildable
+# ├── report.json              ← machine-readable validation result
+# └── validation-report.html   ← self-contained visual report (open in a browser)
 ```
 
 The agent will also be available as a Claude Code plugin.
@@ -154,6 +156,29 @@ The agent doesn't just generate code and exit — it validates the output.
 
 See [`docs/SPEC.md`](./docs/SPEC.md) for the full design.
 
+## Validation report
+
+Every run writes a report of the validation results to the output directory:
+
+- **`out/<slug>/validation-report.html`** — a self-contained HTML report (screenshots base64-embedded, no external assets, no JavaScript) you can open in a browser, attach to a PR, or drop into a demo. It shows the overall verdict, a platform×layer matrix, Layer 1 leftover-token findings, Layer 2 build commands + `stderr`, Layer 3 home-screen screenshots with the vision judge's per-criterion rationales (plus the Stage 2 filmstrip when `NATIVEAPPTEMPLATE_VISUAL=2`), the reviewer's contract diff, and the domain rename plan.
+- **`out/<slug>/report.json`** — the same data, machine-readable, for CI gating or programmatic use. The full schema lives in [`docs/validation-report.md`](./docs/validation-report.md).
+
+The CLI **exits non-zero when validation fails**, so a shell `&&` chain or CI step catches it:
+
+```bash
+npx nativeapptemplate-agent "a walk-in clinic queue" && echo "validation passed"
+```
+
+Report flags:
+
+| Flag | Default | Effect |
+|---|---|---|
+| `--no-report` | — | Skip writing the report |
+| `--report-format=html\|json\|both` | `both` | Which artifact(s) to write |
+| `--report-embed=true\|false` | `true` | Embed screenshots as `data:` URIs (single portable file) vs. copy to `report-assets/` |
+| `--report-open` | — | Open the HTML in your browser when the run finishes (macOS) |
+| `--exit-zero` | — | Always exit 0, even on validation failure (e.g. when you only want the report) |
+
 ## Security
 
 `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` is the only sensitive secret the agent needs.
diff --git a/src/index.ts b/src/index.ts
index 71c2cc2..abe97d4 100644
--- a/src/index.ts
+++ b/src/index.ts
@@ -7,15 +7,17 @@ import { loadDotenvIfPresent } from "./env.js";
 
 loadDotenvIfPresent();
 
-type ParsedArgs = { spec: string; report: DispatchReportOptions; open: boolean };
+export type ParsedArgs = { spec: string; report: DispatchReportOptions; open: boolean; exitZero: boolean };
 
-function parseArgs(argv: readonly string[]): ParsedArgs {
+export function parseArgs(argv: readonly string[]): ParsedArgs {
   const specParts: string[] = [];
   const report: DispatchReportOptions = {};
   let open = false;
+  let exitZero = false;
   for (const arg of argv) {
     if (arg === "--no-report") report.enabled = false;
     else if (arg === "--report-open") open = true;
+    else if (arg === "--exit-zero") exitZero = true;
     else if (arg.startsWith("--report-format=")) {
       const value = arg.slice("--report-format=".length);
       if (value === "html" || value === "json" || value === "both") report.format = value;
@@ -25,7 +27,7 @@ function parseArgs(argv: readonly string[]): ParsedArgs {
       specParts.push(arg);
     }
   }
-  return { spec: specParts.join(" ").trim(), report, open };
+  return { spec: specParts.join(" ").trim(), report, open, exitZero };
 }
 
 export async function main(spec?: string): Promise<void> {
@@ -33,7 +35,7 @@ export async function main(spec?: string): Promise<void> {
   const input = (spec ?? parsed.spec).trim();
   if (!input) {
     console.error(
-      'Usage: nativeapptemplate-agent "your spec here" [--no-report] [--report-format=html|json|both] [--report-embed=true|false] [--report-open]',
+      'Usage: nativeapptemplate-agent "your spec here" [--no-report] [--report-format=html|json|both] [--report-embed=true|false] [--report-open] [--exit-zero]',
     );
     process.exitCode = 1;
     return;
@@ -56,6 +58,12 @@ export async function main(spec?: string): Promise<void> {
   } else if (result.reportPaths.jsonPath) {
     console.log(`report: ${result.reportPaths.jsonPath}`);
   }
+
+  // Non-zero exit on validation failure so CI / shell `&&` chains catch
+  // it. --exit-zero opts out (e.g. when you only want the report).
+  if (!result.overallPass && !parsed.exitZero) {
+    process.exitCode = 1;
+  }
 }
 
 // Entry guard: run main() when this file is the program entry point. Resolve
diff --git a/tests/smoke.test.ts b/tests/smoke.test.ts
index fa7193a..756815e 100644
--- a/tests/smoke.test.ts
+++ b/tests/smoke.test.ts
@@ -1296,3 +1296,30 @@ test("writeReport with embed=false externalizes screenshots to report-assets/",
   // The copied asset exists on disk.
   assert.ok(readFileSync(join(dir, "report-assets", "ios-home.png")).length > 0);
 });
+
+test("parseArgs splits the spec from report + exit flags", async () => {
+  const { parseArgs } = await import("../src/index.js");
+  const parsed = parseArgs(["a", "walk-in", "queue", "--no-report", "--report-format=json", "--report-embed=false", "--report-open", "--exit-zero"]);
+  assert.equal(parsed.spec, "a walk-in queue");
+  assert.equal(parsed.report.enabled, false);
+  assert.equal(parsed.report.format, "json");
+  assert.equal(parsed.report.embed, false);
+  assert.equal(parsed.open, true);
+  assert.equal(parsed.exitZero, true);
+});
+
+test("parseArgs defaults: a bare spec leaves report options unset", async () => {
+  const { parseArgs } = await import("../src/index.js");
+  const parsed = parseArgs(["just", "a", "spec"]);
+  assert.equal(parsed.spec, "just a spec");
+  assert.deepEqual(parsed.report, {});
+  assert.equal(parsed.open, false);
+  assert.equal(parsed.exitZero, false);
+});
+
+test("parseArgs ignores an invalid --report-format value", async () => {
+  const { parseArgs } = await import("../src/index.js");
+  const parsed = parseArgs(["spec", "--report-format=xml"]);
+  assert.equal(parsed.spec, "spec");
+  assert.equal(parsed.report.format, undefined);
+});