diff --git a/crates/automation/tests/it/action_failures.rs b/crates/automation/tests/it/action_failures.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b487103a21
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/automation/tests/it/action_failures.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+//! A step that fails fails its file: the file is reported with an error and nothing is written
+//! for it. A step that finds nothing to do is still not a failure.
+
+use std::sync::Arc;
+
+use pdfcraft_automation::{Automation, Content};
+use pdfcraft_engine::Session;
+use pdfcraft_engine::actions::{Action, Step, run_on};
+use serde_json::json;
+
+fn pdf() -> Vec<u8> {
+    Session::new().create_from_text("Original", "Original text").unwrap().as_ref().clone()
+}
+
+fn one_step(step: Step) -> Action {
+    Action { name: "Custom".into(), description: String::new(), steps: vec![step], builtin: false }
+}
+
+/// The standard fonts can't draw the character, so the watermark step fails and no file is produced.
+#[test]
+fn failing_watermark_step_fails_the_file_and_publishes_nothing() {
+    let r = run_on(&one_step(Step::AddWatermark("中".into())), "one.pdf", Arc::new(pdf()), |_, _| {});
+    assert!(r.is_err(), "a failed step must fail its file: {r:?}");
+}
+
+/// A comment step on a document with no comments has nothing to do, which is not a failure.
+#[test]
+fn nothing_to_do_step_still_succeeds() {
+    let r = run_on(&one_step(Step::FlattenComments), "one.pdf", Arc::new(pdf()), |_, _| {});
+    assert!(r.is_ok(), "a step with nothing to do is not a failure: {r:?}");
+}
+
+/// Through the tool: the failing file gets an error entry and no output, and the folder stays empty.
+#[test]
+fn action_run_marks_the_failing_file_as_error_without_output() {
+    let dir = tempfile::tempdir().unwrap();
+    let input = dir.path().join("in");
+    std::fs::create_dir_all(&input).unwrap();
+    let in_file = input.join("one.pdf");
+    std::fs::write(&in_file, pdf()).unwrap();
+    let out = dir.path().join("out");
+    let mut auto = Automation::new().with_root(dir.path()).unwrap();
+    let reply = auto.call(
+        "action_run",
+        &json!({
+            "paths": [in_file.to_string_lossy()],
+            "folder": out.to_string_lossy(),
+            "steps": [{ "step": "add_watermark", "arg": "中" }],
+        }),
+    );
+    let report = match reply.unwrap().remove(0) {
+        Content::Json(value) => value,
+        other => panic!("expected a report: {other:?}"),
+    };
+    let entry = &report["files"][0];
+    assert!(entry["error"].is_string(), "{report}");
+    assert!(entry.get("output").is_none(), "{report}");
+    assert_eq!(std::fs::read_dir(&out).unwrap().count(), 0, "nothing is published for a failed file");
+}
+
+/// A removal step with nothing to remove keeps its existing note and succeeds.
+#[test]
+fn removal_step_with_nothing_to_remove_still_succeeds() {
+    let r = run_on(&one_step(Step::RemoveHiddenInformation), "one.pdf", Arc::new(pdf()), |_, _| {});
+    assert!(r.is_ok(), "nothing to remove is not a failure: {r:?}");
+}
diff --git a/crates/automation/tests/it/main.rs b/crates/automation/tests/it/main.rs
index 39f2b8a30d..a3cd55623c 100644
--- a/crates/automation/tests/it/main.rs
+++ b/crates/automation/tests/it/main.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 //! The crate's integration tests, linked into one test binary.
 
+mod action_failures;
 mod attachment_key;
 mod automation;
 mod automation_roots;
diff --git a/crates/engine/src/actions.rs b/crates/engine/src/actions.rs
index 3e942f6a2f..249279e09d 100644
--- a/crates/engine/src/actions.rs
+++ b/crates/engine/src/actions.rs
@@ -197,14 +197,14 @@ fn apply_step(s: &mut Session, id: DocId, step: &Step, log: &mut Vec<String>) ->
             return Ok(None);
         }
     };
-    // Steps that find nothing to do (no comments to flatten, …) aren't failures. A removal step
-    // that didn't remove is: the file would be passed on as cleaned with the data still in it.
+    // A step that finds nothing to do is not a failure. Any other error fails the file, so nothing is
+    // published for it: the file would otherwise be passed on without the step it was asked to apply.
     let removes = matches!(step, Step::RemoveHiddenInformation | Step::Sanitize);
     match s.apply(id, edit) {
         Ok(()) => log.push(step.label().to_string()),
         Err(EditError::Redact(pdfcraft_redact::RedactError::NothingToApply)) if removes => log.push(format!("{}: nothing to remove", step.label())),
-        Err(e) if removes => return Err(e),
-        Err(e) => log.push(format!("{}: {e}", step.label())),
+        Err(EditError::Redact(pdfcraft_redact::RedactError::NothingToApply)) => log.push(format!("{}: nothing to do", step.label())),
+        Err(e) => return Err(e),
     }
     Ok(None)
 }