diff --git a/bisect.c b/bisect.c
index f6582dd..382e0b4 100644
--- a/bisect.c
+++ b/bisect.c
@@ -811,13 +811,18 @@ static void handle_skipped_merge_base(const struct object_id *mb)
  * "check_merge_bases" checks that merge bases are not "bad" (or "new").
  *
  * - If one is "bad" (or "new"), it means the user assumed something wrong
- * and we must exit with a non 0 error code.
+ * and we must return error with a non 0 error code.
  * - If one is "good" (or "old"), that's good, we have nothing to do.
  * - If one is "skipped", we can't know but we should warn.
  * - If we don't know, we should check it out and ask the user to test.
+ * - If a merge base must be tested, on success return
+ * BISECT_INTERNAL_SUCCESS_MERGE_BASE (-11) a special condition
+ * for early success, this will be converted back to 0 in
+ * check_good_are_ancestors_of_bad().
  */
-static void check_merge_bases(int rev_nr, struct commit **rev, int no_checkout)
+static enum bisect_error check_merge_bases(int rev_nr, struct commit **rev, int no_checkout)
 {
+	enum bisect_error res = BISECT_OK;
 	struct commit_list *result;
 
 	result = get_merge_bases_many(rev[0], rev_nr - 1, rev + 1);
@@ -832,11 +837,16 @@ static void check_merge_bases(int rev_nr, struct commit **rev, int no_checkout)
 			handle_skipped_merge_base(mb);
 		} else {
 			printf(_("Bisecting: a merge base must be tested\n"));
-			exit(bisect_checkout(mb, no_checkout));
+			res = bisect_checkout(mb, no_checkout);
+			if (!res)
+				/* indicate early success */
+				res = BISECT_INTERNAL_SUCCESS_MERGE_BASE;
+			break;
 		}
 	}
 
 	free_commit_list(result);
+	return res;
 }
 
 static int check_ancestors(struct repository *r, int rev_nr,
@@ -871,6 +881,7 @@ static void check_good_are_ancestors_of_bad(struct repository *r,
 	char *filename = git_pathdup("BISECT_ANCESTORS_OK");
 	struct stat st;
 	int fd, rev_nr;
+	enum bisect_error res = BISECT_OK;
 	struct commit **rev;
 
 	if (!current_bad_oid)
@@ -885,10 +896,13 @@ static void check_good_are_ancestors_of_bad(struct repository *r,
 		goto done;
 
 	/* Check if all good revs are ancestor of the bad rev. */
+
 	rev = get_bad_and_good_commits(r, &rev_nr);
 	if (check_ancestors(r, rev_nr, rev, prefix))
-		check_merge_bases(rev_nr, rev, no_checkout);
+		res = check_merge_bases(rev_nr, rev, no_checkout);
 	free(rev);
+	if (res)
+		exit(res == BISECT_INTERNAL_SUCCESS_MERGE_BASE ? BISECT_OK : -res);
 
 	/* Create file BISECT_ANCESTORS_OK. */
 	fd = open(filename, O_CREAT | O_TRUNC | O_WRONLY, 0600);