diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index b4cb678..68fe913 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -10,6 +10,9 @@
 - Add a secondary `textDocument/definition` check for zero-reference
   declarations, so valid uses the reference search misses no longer produce
   false 'unused' reports. ([#26](https://github.com/leancodepl/ciach/pull/26))
+- Add `--[no-]fail-public` (default on): `--no-fail-public` still reports unused
+  public declarations but excludes them from `--set-exit-if-changed`, so CI fails
+  only on unused private ones. ([#23](https://github.com/leancodepl/ciach/pull/23))
 - Document the `--unused-union-members`, `--report-tojson`,
   `--generated-suffix`, and `--help` options in the README, which existed in
   the CLI but were missing from the options table.
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index cf94fcb..429c478 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -47,13 +47,13 @@ Examples below show bare `ciach …`; prefix them with `dart run` for the second
 ## Usage
 
 ```bash
-ciach                                  # scan the current package
-ciach path/to/package                  # scan another package
-ciach --no-public -f json              # private-only (highest confidence), as JSON
-ciach -f github --set-exit-if-changed  # CI: annotations, non-zero if anything is found
-ciach --remove                         # delete the findings, after confirming
+ciach                                  # current package
+ciach path/to/package                  # another package
+ciach --no-public -f json              # private-only, as JSON
+ciach -f github --set-exit-if-changed  # CI: annotations, non-zero on finds
+ciach --remove                         # delete findings, asks first
 ciach --remove --force                 # …without asking
-ciach --verbose                        # explain what's happening
+ciach --verbose                        # explain each step
 ```
 
 ### Options
@@ -71,6 +71,7 @@ ciach --verbose                        # explain what's happening
 | `--[no-]unused-union-members` | off | Also flag a (sealed) supertype member matched only by type patterns, never constructed. Report-only — never touched by `--remove`. |
 | `--[no-]report-tojson` | off | Report an otherwise-unused `toJson()` serialization hook too. Off by default — `jsonEncode` dispatches to it dynamically. |
 | `--set-exit-if-changed` | off | Exit with status `1` when anything is found (for CI). Named after `dart format`. |
+| `--[no-]fail-public` | on | Count unused public declarations toward the exit code (with `--set-exit-if-changed`). `--no-fail-public` reports them but fails only on private findings. |
 | `--remove` | off | Remove unused declarations after reporting them. Prompts for confirmation first. |
 | `--force` | off | Skip the confirmation prompt for `--remove`. Requires `--remove`. |
 | `-e, --exclude <glob>` | — | Skip files matching the glob (repeatable). |
@@ -169,6 +170,14 @@ Each finding becomes a `::warning` annotation inline on the PR diff. Run it from
 the repository root so paths resolve; when scanning a sub-package (`ciach -f
 github app`), the scan path is prepended automatically.
 
+For a library or workspace package whose public API is legitimately "unused"
+from its own perspective, add `--no-fail-public` to still surface those
+findings while gating the job on unused *private* declarations only:
+
+```yaml
+- run: dart run ciach -f github --set-exit-if-changed --no-fail-public
+```
+
 ### Removing declarations
 
 `--remove` deletes every reported declaration — doc comment and annotations
diff --git a/bin/ciach.dart b/bin/ciach.dart
index 50cff50..215ce60 100644
--- a/bin/ciach.dart
+++ b/bin/ciach.dart
@@ -166,8 +166,14 @@ Future<int> _run(List<String> arguments) async {
     log?.write('Leaving the findings in place; --remove was not given.');
   }
 
-  if (result.unused.isNotEmpty && resolved.setExitIfChanged) {
-    return 1;
+  if (resolved.setExitIfChanged) {
+    // Public findings are still reported; --no-fail-public only drops them from the exit code.
+    final failing = resolved.failPublic
+        ? result.unused
+        : result.unused.where((d) => d.isPrivate);
+    if (failing.isNotEmpty) {
+      return 1;
+    }
   }
   return 0;
 }
diff --git a/lib/src/cli/args.dart b/lib/src/cli/args.dart
index 08fd794..ac92756 100644
--- a/lib/src/cli/args.dart
+++ b/lib/src/cli/args.dart
@@ -112,6 +112,17 @@ enum CiachOption<V> implements OptionDefinition<V> {
           'highest-confidence dead code.',
     ),
   ),
+  failPublic(
+    FlagOption(
+      argName: 'fail-public',
+      configKey: '/fail-public',
+      defaultsTo: true,
+      helpText:
+          'Count unused public declarations toward the exit code (with\n'
+          '--set-exit-if-changed). Use --no-fail-public to report them\n'
+          'without failing the build.',
+    ),
+  ),
   generated(
     FlagOption(
       argName: 'generated',
diff --git a/lib/src/cli/options.dart b/lib/src/cli/options.dart
index 9b5fd50..1d7c407 100644
--- a/lib/src/cli/options.dart
+++ b/lib/src/cli/options.dart
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ class ResolvedOptions {
     required this.additionalGeneratedSuffixes,
     required this.kinds,
     required this.includePublic,
+    required this.failPublic,
     required this.includeGenerated,
     required this.overrides,
     required this.operators,
@@ -38,6 +39,7 @@ class ResolvedOptions {
   final List<String> additionalGeneratedSuffixes;
   final Set<SymbolKind> kinds;
   final bool includePublic;
+  final bool failPublic;
   final bool includeGenerated;
 
   /// Whether to report `@override` members — inverted for the finder.
@@ -113,6 +115,7 @@ ResolvedOptions resolveOptions(
     // Already validated by the option; this only converts the names.
     kinds: parseKinds(configuration.value(CiachOption.kinds)),
     includePublic: configuration.value(CiachOption.public),
+    failPublic: configuration.value(CiachOption.failPublic),
     includeGenerated: configuration.value(CiachOption.generated),
     overrides: configuration.value(CiachOption.overrides),
     operators: configuration.value(CiachOption.operators),
diff --git a/lib/src/cli/verbose.dart b/lib/src/cli/verbose.dart
index 48f6e36..87f8d97 100644
--- a/lib/src/cli/verbose.dart
+++ b/lib/src/cli/verbose.dart
@@ -68,6 +68,7 @@ String _setting(
 ) => switch (option) {
   .path => resolved.absoluteRootPath,
   .public => '${resolved.includePublic}',
+  .failPublic => '${resolved.failPublic}',
   .generated => '${resolved.includeGenerated}',
   .overrides => '${resolved.overrides}',
   .operators => '${resolved.operators}',
diff --git a/test/cli_exit_code_test.dart b/test/cli_exit_code_test.dart
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3066519
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/cli_exit_code_test.dart
@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+/*
+ * AI-Provenance:
+ *   model: claude-opus-4-8
+ *   harness: Claude Code
+ *   plugins:
+ *     - lean-ai-provenance
+ *   skills:
+ *     - mark-ai-provenance
+ */
+
+@Timeout(Duration(minutes: 5))
+library;
+
+import 'dart:io';
+
+import 'package:path/path.dart' as p;
+import 'package:test/test.dart';
+
+void main() {
+  // Drives the real binary and asserts its exit code.
+  final fixturePath = p.join(Directory.current.path, 'example');
+  final entrypoint = p.join('bin', 'ciach.dart');
+
+  setUpAll(() async {
+    // pub get first: the analyzer needs the fixture's package_config.json.
+    final config = File(
+      p.join(fixturePath, '.dart_tool', 'package_config.json'),
+    );
+    if (!config.existsSync()) {
+      final result = await Process.run(Platform.resolvedExecutable, [
+        'pub',
+        'get',
+      ], workingDirectory: fixturePath);
+      expect(result.exitCode, 0, reason: '${result.stdout}\n${result.stderr}');
+    }
+  });
+
+  Future<ProcessResult> runCli(List<String> args) => Process.run(
+    Platform.resolvedExecutable,
+    ['run', entrypoint, fixturePath, '--no-progress', ...args],
+  );
+
+  // orphans.dart: unused public only; greeting.dart: also an unused private one.
+  const publicOnly = ['--include', 'lib/orphans.dart'];
+  const withPrivate = ['--include', 'lib/greeting.dart'];
+
+  test(
+    '--set-exit-if-changed --no-fail-public: only public unused -> exit 0',
+    () async {
+      final result = await runCli([
+        ...publicOnly,
+        '--set-exit-if-changed',
+        '--no-fail-public',
+      ]);
+      expect(result.exitCode, 0, reason: '${result.stdout}\n${result.stderr}');
+      // Public findings are still reported, just not counted toward the exit.
+      expect(result.stdout, contains('UnusedClass'));
+    },
+  );
+
+  test(
+    '--set-exit-if-changed --no-fail-public: an unused private -> exit 1',
+    () async {
+      final result = await runCli([
+        ...withPrivate,
+        '--set-exit-if-changed',
+        '--no-fail-public',
+      ]);
+      expect(result.exitCode, 1, reason: '${result.stdout}\n${result.stderr}');
+      expect(result.stdout, contains('_danglingPrivate'));
+    },
+  );
+
+  test('--set-exit-if-changed alone: public counts -> exit 1', () async {
+    final result = await runCli([...publicOnly, '--set-exit-if-changed']);
+    expect(result.exitCode, 1, reason: '${result.stdout}\n${result.stderr}');
+  });
+}