diff --git a/ROADMAP.md b/ROADMAP.md
index 29c0409f..5757babd 100644
--- a/ROADMAP.md
+++ b/ROADMAP.md
@@ -159,6 +159,8 @@ Status: ✅ done · 🟡 in progress · ⬜ not started. Estimates are remaining
 
 ## Log
 
+- **2026-10-08 (#285):** `filmcraft-cli` no longer panics with "Broken pipe" when its stdout is closed early (`filmcraft-cli commands | head`): later output is dropped, the rest of the work (script lines, `--save`, `--save-as`) still runs, and the exit status still reports failures. Other stdout write errors are reported and make the exit status 1. No change to the checklist or estimates.
+
 - **2026-10-06:** 21 community PRs landed (#19, #28, #38, #39, #41–#60). Highlights: hardware decoding is now actually on in the desktop app (#41: `register()` sat inside a `log::info!` that never ran, so #33's VideoToolbox path only worked in the CLI and benchmarks); decode memory on long timelines cut sharply (frame pool, shared GOP-cache budget, positional file reads); exports are byte-identical across machines (#19); crash fix for odd track names over MCP (#44); ripple trim, ripple delete and speed changes move split-edit clips once (#56–#58); Japanese interface using an installed system font (#38; no fonts bundled); MCP annotations, resources, export progress and cancellation (#28).
 
 - **2026-10-05:** honest assessment added (checklist ~87% vs ready for real work ~50–60%). Hardware acceleration started (#30): blend modes on the GPU (#32); VideoToolbox decode + `platform` crate, the one crate allowed `unsafe` (#33). Community fixes landed: AIFF import, export start/end ranges, transitions following ripple trims, Slide moving linked audio (#5–#8).
diff --git a/apps/filmcraft-cli/src/main.rs b/apps/filmcraft-cli/src/main.rs
index 13bebb85..8cfa2909 100644
--- a/apps/filmcraft-cli/src/main.rs
+++ b/apps/filmcraft-cli/src/main.rs
@@ -4,6 +4,32 @@
 
 #![cfg_attr(not(test), deny(clippy::unwrap_used, clippy::expect_used, clippy::panic, clippy::unimplemented, clippy::todo, clippy::unreachable))]
 
+/// `println!` that doesn't panic when stdout is closed (`filmcraft-cli commands | head`) with
+/// "failed printing to stdout: Broken pipe (os error 32)". Once stdout has failed, later output is
+/// dropped and the work goes on: see `stdout_failed`.
+macro_rules! outln {
+    ($($arg:tt)*) => {{
+        use std::io::Write as _;
+        if !$crate::stdout_gone() {
+            if let Err(e) = writeln!(std::io::stdout(), $($arg)*) {
+                $crate::stdout_failed(e);
+            }
+        }
+    }};
+}
+
+/// `print!` counterpart of `outln!`.
+macro_rules! out {
+    ($($arg:tt)*) => {{
+        use std::io::Write as _;
+        if !$crate::stdout_gone() {
+            if let Err(e) = write!(std::io::stdout(), $($arg)*) {
+                $crate::stdout_failed(e);
+            }
+        }
+    }};
+}
+
 mod args;
 mod probe;
 
@@ -11,6 +37,28 @@ use args::{Args, parse_value};
 use filmcraft_automation::BridgeClient;
 use filmcraft_engine::Session;
 use serde_json::{Value, json};
+use std::sync::atomic::{AtomicBool, Ordering};
+
+/// Set once a write to stdout has failed; later output is dropped.
+static STDOUT_GONE: AtomicBool = AtomicBool::new(false);
+/// Set when stdout failed for a reason other than a closed reader: the exit status becomes 1.
+static STDOUT_ERROR: AtomicBool = AtomicBool::new(false);
+
+fn stdout_gone() -> bool {
+    STDOUT_GONE.load(Ordering::Relaxed)
+}
+
+/// stdout went away. The program doesn't stop there: the rest of `exec`/`run`/`import` (later
+/// script lines, `--save`, `--save-as`) still runs and the exit status still tells how it went, so
+/// `exec … --save | head -1` keeps the edit. A reader that stopped early (a closed pipe) is not an
+/// error, as in ripgrep; any other write error is reported and makes the exit status 1.
+fn stdout_failed(e: std::io::Error) {
+    if STDOUT_GONE.swap(true, Ordering::Relaxed) || e.kind() == std::io::ErrorKind::BrokenPipe {
+        return;
+    }
+    eprintln!("filmcraft-cli: can't write to stdout: {e}");
+    STDOUT_ERROR.store(true, Ordering::Relaxed);
+}
 
 const HELP: &str = "\
 filmcraft-cli: drive FilmCraft from the shell (headless engine, or the live app with --bridge)
@@ -134,7 +182,7 @@ impl Backend {
 
 fn print(a: &Args, v: &Value) {
     let s = if a.flag("--compact") { serde_json::to_string(v) } else { serde_json::to_string_pretty(v) };
-    println!("{}", s.unwrap_or_default());
+    outln!("{}", s.unwrap_or_default());
 }
 
 /// Export format from the output file's extension.
@@ -162,16 +210,23 @@ fn register_hardware_decoders() -> filmcraft_platform::Availability {
 
 #[tokio::main]
 async fn main() {
+    cli().await;
+    if STDOUT_ERROR.load(Ordering::Relaxed) {
+        std::process::exit(1);
+    }
+}
+
+async fn cli() {
     if matches!(std::env::args().nth(1).as_deref(), Some("--version" | "-V")) {
-        println!("filmcraft-cli {}", env!("CARGO_PKG_VERSION"));
+        outln!("filmcraft-cli {}", env!("CARGO_PKG_VERSION"));
         return;
     }
     register_hardware_decoders();
     let a = Args::parse(std::env::args().skip(1));
     let Some(cmd) = a.pos(0) else { usage("missing subcommand") };
     match cmd {
-        "help" | "--help" | "-h" => print!("{HELP}"),
-        "version" => println!("filmcraft-cli {}", env!("CARGO_PKG_VERSION")),
+        "help" | "--help" | "-h" => out!("{HELP}"),
+        "version" => outln!("filmcraft-cli {}", env!("CARGO_PKG_VERSION")),
         "probe" => {
             let path = a.pos(1).unwrap_or_else(|| usage("probe <media> [--image-sequence]"));
             match probe::probe(path, a.flag("--image-sequence")) {
@@ -189,11 +244,11 @@ async fn main() {
                 src.video_frame(filmcraft_media::FrameRequest::full(rate.tick_of(f))).unwrap_or_else(|e| fail(e));
             }
             let dt = t0.elapsed().as_secs_f64();
-            println!("{n} frames in {dt:.2}s → {:.1} fps (sequential, via Mp4Source)", n as f64 / dt);
+            outln!("{n} frames in {dt:.2}s → {:.1} fps (sequential, via Mp4Source)", n as f64 / dt);
             let t1 = std::time::Instant::now();
             let f = src.video_frame(filmcraft_media::FrameRequest::full(rate.tick_of(n / 2))).unwrap_or_else(|e| fail(e));
             let (w, h, _) = f.to_linear_f32_decimated(2);
-            println!("½-res linear conversion {w}x{h}: {:.1} ms", t1.elapsed().as_secs_f64() * 1000.0);
+            outln!("½-res linear conversion {w}x{h}: {:.1} ms", t1.elapsed().as_secs_f64() * 1000.0);
         }
         "commands" | "describe" => {
             let mut b = Backend::open(&a);
@@ -219,7 +274,7 @@ async fn main() {
             } else {
                 for c in &list {
                     let s = |k: &str| c[k].as_str().unwrap_or("").to_string();
-                    println!("{:<32} {:<34} {:<14} {}", s("id"), s("label"), s("shortcut"), s("params"));
+                    outln!("{:<32} {:<34} {:<14} {}", s("id"), s("label"), s("shortcut"), s("params"));
                 }
             }
         }
@@ -246,9 +301,9 @@ async fn main() {
                 let v: Value = serde_json::from_str(line).unwrap_or_else(|e| usage(format!("line {}: {e}", n + 1)));
                 let id = v["id"].as_str().unwrap_or_else(|| usage(format!("line {}: missing \"id\"", n + 1)));
                 match b.exec(id, v.get("params").cloned().unwrap_or(json!({}))).await {
-                    Ok(r) => println!("{}", json!({"line": n + 1, "id": id, "ok": true, "result": r})),
+                    Ok(r) => outln!("{}", json!({"line": n + 1, "id": id, "ok": true, "result": r})),
                     Err(e) => {
-                        println!("{}", json!({"line": n + 1, "id": id, "ok": false, "error": e}));
+                        outln!("{}", json!({"line": n + 1, "id": id, "ok": false, "error": e}));
                         failed += 1;
                         if !a.flag("--keep-going") {
                             std::process::exit(1);
diff --git a/apps/filmcraft-cli/tests/cli.rs b/apps/filmcraft-cli/tests/cli.rs
index b7fedfc2..bbdc3e87 100644
--- a/apps/filmcraft-cli/tests/cli.rs
+++ b/apps/filmcraft-cli/tests/cli.rs
@@ -185,3 +185,53 @@ fn export_with_presets() {
     assert!(String::from_utf8_lossy(&bad.stderr).contains("No Such Preset"));
     let _ = std::fs::remove_dir_all(&dir);
 }
+
+/// `filmcraft-cli commands | head -c 10` panicked with "failed printing to stdout: Broken pipe
+/// (os error 32)" and exit status 101 (#285).
+#[test]
+fn closed_stdout_ends_quietly() {
+    use std::io::Read;
+    for args in [&["commands"][..], &["help"], &["--demo", "commands", "--json"]] {
+        let mut child = Command::new(env!("CARGO_BIN_EXE_filmcraft-cli")).args(args).stdout(Stdio::piped()).stderr(Stdio::piped()).spawn().unwrap();
+        let mut first = [0u8; 10];
+        child.stdout.as_mut().unwrap().read_exact(&mut first).unwrap();
+        drop(child.stdout.take());
+        let out = child.wait_with_output().unwrap();
+        let err = String::from_utf8_lossy(&out.stderr);
+        assert!(out.status.success() && err.is_empty(), "{args:?}: {:?}: {err}", out.status);
+    }
+}
+
+/// `run -` with stdout already closed: `run` reads its script to the end before it prints, so its
+/// first write fails for sure. The rest of the script and the save still happen, and the exit status
+/// still reports a failing command.
+fn run_with_closed_stdout(args: &[&str], script: &[u8]) -> Output {
+    let mut child =
+        Command::new(env!("CARGO_BIN_EXE_filmcraft-cli")).args(args).stdin(Stdio::piped()).stdout(Stdio::piped()).stderr(Stdio::piped()).spawn().unwrap();
+    drop(child.stdout.take());
+    child.stdin.take().unwrap().write_all(script).unwrap();
+    child.wait_with_output().unwrap()
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn closed_stdout_still_runs_the_script_and_saves() {
+    let dir = std::env::temp_dir().join(format!("fc-cli-pipe-{}", std::process::id()));
+    std::fs::create_dir_all(&dir).unwrap();
+    let proj = dir.join("p.fcproj");
+    let p = proj.to_str().unwrap();
+    let script = b"{\"id\":\"file.newBin\",\"params\":{\"name\":\"Piped One\"}}\n{\"id\":\"file.newBin\",\"params\":{\"name\":\"Piped Two\"}}\n";
+    let out = run_with_closed_stdout(&["--demo", "--save-as", p, "run", "-"], script);
+    assert!(out.status.success(), "{:?}: {}", out.status, String::from_utf8_lossy(&out.stderr));
+    let tree = json_out(&cli(&["--project", p, "inspect", "project"])).to_string();
+    assert!(tree.contains("Piped One") && tree.contains("Piped Two"), "{tree}");
+
+    // a failing command is still a failure, whether or not anyone reads stdout
+    let out = run_with_closed_stdout(&["--demo", "run", "-"], b"{\"id\":\"no.such.command\"}\n");
+    assert_eq!(out.status.code(), Some(1));
+    let out = run_with_closed_stdout(
+        &["--demo", "--keep-going", "run", "-"],
+        b"{\"id\":\"no.such.command\"}\n{\"id\":\"file.newBin\",\"params\":{\"name\":\"x\"}}\n",
+    );
+    assert_eq!(out.status.code(), Some(1));
+    let _ = std::fs::remove_dir_all(&dir);
+}
diff --git a/docs/agents.md b/docs/agents.md
index 2f02bc91..9ad0b2bc 100644
--- a/docs/agents.md
+++ b/docs/agents.md
@@ -166,6 +166,9 @@ Notes:
 
 Every command is also one shell call away. Options go anywhere; output is JSON; exit status is 0 on
 success, 1 when a command fails and 2 on a usage error. `filmcraft-cli help` prints the reference.
+If the reader of stdout closes the pipe early (`filmcraft-cli commands | head`), the CLI drops the rest
+of its output but still finishes the work, saves included, and the exit status still reports
+failures; any other stdout write error is reported and makes the status 1.
 
 ```sh
 filmcraft-cli commands razor                     # find ids (add --json for machine output)