diff --git a/docs/cli-output-examples.md b/docs/cli-output-examples.md
index b5e62e64..b26597dc 100644
--- a/docs/cli-output-examples.md
+++ b/docs/cli-output-examples.md
@@ -54,7 +54,9 @@ and applies to `insufficient-privileges`, both exit 2. The JSON report schema is
 - [Migrate](#migrate)
   - [Runs as written (`metadata-only`) — exit 0](#runs-as-written-metadata-only--exit-0)
   - [Safer-sequence substitution (`safer-idiom`) — exit 0](#safer-sequence-substitution-safer-idiom--exit-0)
-  - [Real execution](#real-execution)
+  - [Real execution — exit 0](#real-execution--exit-0)
+  - [Accepted blocking refusal (`index-statement`) — exit 3](#accepted-blocking-refusal-index-statement--exit-3)
+  - [Failed mid-sequence (`execution-failed`) — exit 1](#failed-mid-sequence-execution-failed--exit-1)
   - [Refused: no online rewrite exists (`rewrite-required`) — exit 2](#refused-no-online-rewrite-exists-rewrite-required--exit-2)
   - [Routed to copy-and-swap (`type-rewrite`) — exit 0](#routed-to-copy-and-swap-type-rewrite--exit-0)
   - [Refused: the engine does not carry the operation yet (`backend-unavailable`) — exit 2](#refused-the-engine-does-not-carry-the-operation-yet-backend-unavailable--exit-2)
@@ -239,7 +241,7 @@ $ pg-sprite migrate --alter 'ALTER TABLE users ADD CONSTRAINT users_email_key UN
 }
 ```
 
-### Real execution
+### Real execution — exit 0
 
 The same statement without `--dry-run` runs the substituted sequence for
 real. The verdict names what was executed and every step that committed
@@ -259,6 +261,8 @@ $ pg-sprite migrate --alter 'ALTER TABLE users ADD CONSTRAINT users_email_key UN
 }
 ```
 
+### Accepted blocking refusal (`index-statement`) — exit 3
+
 An operator-accepted blocking refusal has a distinct marked outcome and exit
 3; exit 0 remains exclusive to online-safe execution. `--accept-blocking`
 takes the schema-qualified table whose lock the operator accepts, must match
@@ -290,6 +294,53 @@ $ pg-sprite migrate --alter 'DROP INDEX public.users_email_idx' --accept-blockin
 }
 ```
 
+### Failed mid-sequence (`execution-failed`) — exit 1
+
+Exit 1 means execution started and PostgreSQL refused a step, or the command
+stopped before anything ran. Here the safer sequence for a `CHECK` constraint
+adds it `NOT VALID`, which commits, and then fails to validate it because a
+row has an upper-case email. The verdict on stdout names the failed step and
+the committed prefix that remains (`executed_sql`); the PostgreSQL error,
+with its SQLSTATE, goes to stderr. The constraint now exists `NOT VALID`, so
+fix the rows and then run the failed step (`failed_step_sql`) to finish. Do
+not rerun the original `ADD CONSTRAINT`: the constraint already exists, so it
+fails with `duplicate_object` (see the
+[retry paths](execution-model.md#the-committed-prefix)):
+
+```console
+$ pg-sprite migrate --alter 'ALTER TABLE users ADD CONSTRAINT users_email_lower CHECK (email = lower(email))' --json
+{
+  "outcome": "failed",
+  "code": "execution-failed",
+  "failed_step": 2,
+  "failed_step_sql": "ALTER TABLE \"public\".\"users\" VALIDATE CONSTRAINT \"users_email_lower\"",
+  "statement": "ALTER TABLE public.users ADD CONSTRAINT users_email_lower CHECK (email = lower(email))",
+  "table": "public.users",
+  "detail": "sequence step 2 of 2 failed; the 1 committed steps' state remains — the planner sequence's partial-failure contract says how a retry resumes",
+  "executed_sql": [
+    "ALTER TABLE public.users ADD CONSTRAINT users_email_lower CHECK (email = lower(email)) NOT VALID"
+  ]
+}
+```
+
+```text
+pg-sprite: error: run schema change on public.users: sequence step 2 of 2 (validate-constraint) failed; steps before it committed and their state remains: optimistic attempt: ERROR: check constraint "users_email_lower" of relation "users" is violated by some row (SQLSTATE 23514)
+```
+
+When `code` is `commit-outcome-unknown`, the failed step's `COMMIT` may have
+landed; inspect the catalog before retrying.
+
+The other exit 1 is an error before anything runs — bad flags, an unreachable
+database, or an acknowledgement that names the wrong table. It prints no
+verdict, even with `--json`; stdout is empty and the error is on stderr:
+
+```console
+$ pg-sprite migrate --alter 'ALTER TABLE users DROP COLUMN email' --allow-destructive public.orders
+pg-sprite: error: the destructive acknowledgement must name the resolved target table "public.users", got "public.orders"; nothing was executed
+$ echo $?
+1
+```
+
 ### Refused: no online rewrite exists (`rewrite-required`) — exit 2
 
 The column and its constraint arrive in one statement, so no online
diff --git a/internal/cli/docs_test.go b/internal/cli/docs_test.go
index 6e9578ee..d9961cfb 100644
--- a/internal/cli/docs_test.go
+++ b/internal/cli/docs_test.go
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 
+	"github.com/block/pg-sprite/pkg/executor"
 	"github.com/block/pg-sprite/pkg/lint"
 	"github.com/block/pg-sprite/pkg/migrate"
 	"github.com/block/pg-sprite/pkg/plan"
@@ -76,7 +77,7 @@ func TestCLIOutputExamplesMatchPipelineOutput(t *testing.T) {
 	raw, err := os.ReadFile(cliOutputExamplesDoc)
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 	blocks := regexp.MustCompile("(?s)```console\n\\$ pg-sprite [^\n]*--json\n(.*?)```").FindAllStringSubmatch(string(raw), -1)
-	require.Len(t, blocks, 13, "the doc publishes thirteen captured --json outputs")
+	require.Len(t, blocks, 14, "the doc publishes fourteen captured --json outputs")
 
 	metadataOnly := alterReport(t, "ALTER TABLE users ADD COLUMN note text",
 		"public", "users", usersFacts())
@@ -104,6 +105,22 @@ func TestCLIOutputExamplesMatchPipelineOutput(t *testing.T) {
 		"public", "users", usersFacts())
 	copyAndSwapRouted := alterReport(t, "ALTER TABLE users ALTER COLUMN id TYPE text",
 		"public", "users", usersFacts())
+	// The failed verdict is captured from a run: a CHECK whose NOT VALID
+	// step commits and whose VALIDATE step then meets a violating row. Its
+	// detail is the migrate package's rendering of a mid-sequence failure.
+	failedSequence := verdict.Verdict{
+		Outcome:       verdict.OutcomeFailed,
+		Code:          string(executor.CodeExecutionFailed),
+		FailedStep:    2,
+		FailedStepSQL: `ALTER TABLE "public"."users" VALIDATE CONSTRAINT "users_email_lower"`,
+		Statement:     "ALTER TABLE public.users ADD CONSTRAINT users_email_lower CHECK (email = lower(email))",
+		Table:         "public.users",
+		Detail: "sequence step 2 of 2 failed; the 1 committed steps' state remains — " +
+			"the planner sequence's partial-failure contract says how a retry resumes",
+		ExecutedSQL: []string{
+			"ALTER TABLE public.users ADD CONSTRAINT users_email_lower CHECK (email = lower(email)) NOT VALID",
+		},
+	}
 	// The executed verdict is captured from a run; its detail is the
 	// verdict's own rendering of the verification pass and the retained
 	// source's fate, which the migrate package's tests pin.
@@ -168,7 +185,7 @@ func TestCLIOutputExamplesMatchPipelineOutput(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 	diff.Fingerprint = plan.Fingerprint(diff.Statements)
 
-	want := []any{metadataOnly, saferIdiom, executed, acceptedBlocking, rewriteRequired,
+	want := []any{metadataOnly, saferIdiom, executed, acceptedBlocking, failedSequence, rewriteRequired,
 		copyAndSwapRouted, executedViaCopyAndSwap, backendUnavailable, partitioned, destructiveRefused, destructive,
 		lintReport, diff}
 	for i, w := range want {