diff --git a/src/kotatsu.cr b/src/kotatsu.cr
index fec3d8f..e5c8164 100644
--- a/src/kotatsu.cr
+++ b/src/kotatsu.cr
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ module Kotatsu
       Dir.mkdir(dir)
       if Dir.exists?(dir) == false
         STDERR.puts "ERROR! Could not create directory: #{dir}"
+        exit(1)
       end
     end
     File.write(file, VERSION)