diff --git a/modules/openstack_project/files/nodepool/scripts/prepare_node.sh b/modules/openstack_project/files/nodepool/scripts/prepare_node.sh
index 13f35f80ac..28348a0db2 100755
--- a/modules/openstack_project/files/nodepool/scripts/prepare_node.sh
+++ b/modules/openstack_project/files/nodepool/scripts/prepare_node.sh
@@ -50,13 +50,23 @@ sudo bash -xe install_puppet.sh
 sudo git clone --depth=1 $GIT_BASE/openstack-infra/config.git \
     /root/config
 sudo /bin/bash /root/config/install_modules.sh
+
+set +e
 if [ -z "$NODEPOOL_SSH_KEY" ] ; then
-    sudo puppet apply --modulepath=/root/config/modules:/etc/puppet/modules \
-	-e "class {'openstack_project::single_use_slave': sudo => $SUDO, thin => $THIN, python3 => $PYTHON3, include_pypy => $PYPY, all_mysql_privs => $ALL_MYSQL_PRIVS, }"
+    sudo puppet apply --detailed-exitcodes --modulepath=/root/config/modules:/etc/puppet/modules \
+        -e "class {'openstack_project::single_use_slave': sudo => $SUDO, thin => $THIN, python3 => $PYTHON3, include_pypy => $PYPY, all_mysql_privs => $ALL_MYSQL_PRIVS, }"
+    PUPPET_RET_CODE=$?
 else
-    sudo puppet apply --modulepath=/root/config/modules:/etc/puppet/modules \
-	-e "class {'openstack_project::single_use_slave': install_users => false, sudo => $SUDO, thin => $THIN, python3 => $PYTHON3, include_pypy => $PYPY, all_mysql_privs => $ALL_MYSQL_PRIVS, ssh_key => '$NODEPOOL_SSH_KEY', }"
+    sudo puppet apply --detailed-exitcodes --modulepath=/root/config/modules:/etc/puppet/modules \
+        -e "class {'openstack_project::single_use_slave': install_users => false, sudo => $SUDO, thin => $THIN, python3 => $PYTHON3, include_pypy => $PYPY, all_mysql_privs => $ALL_MYSQL_PRIVS, ssh_key => '$NODEPOOL_SSH_KEY', }"
+    PUPPET_RET_CODE=$?
 fi
+# Puppet doesn't properly return exit codes. Check here the values that
+# indicate failure of some sort happened. 0 and 2 indicate success.
+if [ "$PUPPET_RET_CODE" -eq "4" ] || [ "$PUPPET_RET_CODE" -eq "6" ] ; then
+    exit $PUPPET_RET_CODE
+fi
+set -e
 
 # The puppet modules should install unbound.  Take the nameservers
 # that we ended up with at boot and configure unbound to forward to