diff --git a/gradle.properties b/gradle.properties
index 21b0e8f7..1d8892d2 100644
--- a/gradle.properties
+++ b/gradle.properties
@@ -28,6 +28,8 @@ pebbleVersion               = 3.1.5
 slf4jVersion                = 1.7.30
 snakeYamlVersion            = 1.28
 thymeleafVersion            = 3.0.12.RELEASE
+picocli                     = 4.6.1
+
 
 # testing dependencies
 junit4Version               = 4.13.2
diff --git a/jbake-core/build.gradle b/jbake-core/build.gradle
index 253ccd03..d4780c06 100644
--- a/jbake-core/build.gradle
+++ b/jbake-core/build.gradle
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ dependencies {
 
     // cli specific dependencies
     implementation "org.eclipse.jetty:jetty-server:$jettyServerVersion", optional
-    implementation "args4j:args4j:$args4jVersion", optional
+    implementation "info.picocli:picocli:$picocli", optional
 }
 
 processResources {
diff --git a/jbake-core/src/main/java/org/jbake/app/ContentStore.java b/jbake-core/src/main/java/org/jbake/app/ContentStore.java
index 5627ce6e..a5bb89fb 100644
--- a/jbake-core/src/main/java/org/jbake/app/ContentStore.java
+++ b/jbake-core/src/main/java/org/jbake/app/ContentStore.java
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
 import com.orientechnologies.orient.core.sql.OCommandSQL;
 import com.orientechnologies.orient.core.sql.executor.OResultSet;
 import com.orientechnologies.orient.core.sql.query.OSQLSynchQuery;
+import org.jbake.launcher.SystemExit;
 import org.jbake.model.DocumentAttributes;
 import org.jbake.model.DocumentTypes;
 import org.slf4j.Logger;
@@ -212,7 +213,7 @@ public ODocument mergeDocument(Map<String, ? extends Object> incomingDocMap) {
         activateOnCurrentThread();
         List<ODocument> results = db.command(new OSQLSynchQuery<ODocument>(sql)).execute(sourceUri);
         if (results.isEmpty()) {
-            throw new JBakeException("No document with sourceUri '" + sourceUri + "'.");
+            throw new JBakeException(SystemExit.ERROR, "No document with sourceUri '" + sourceUri + "'.");
         }
 
         // Update it from the given map.
diff --git a/jbake-core/src/main/java/org/jbake/app/JBakeException.java b/jbake-core/src/main/java/org/jbake/app/JBakeException.java
index a3af314e..f3e858a4 100644
--- a/jbake-core/src/main/java/org/jbake/app/JBakeException.java
+++ b/jbake-core/src/main/java/org/jbake/app/JBakeException.java
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 package org.jbake.app;
 
+import org.jbake.launcher.SystemExit;
+
 /**
  * This runtime exception is thrown by JBake API to indicate an processing
  * error.
@@ -9,18 +11,26 @@
 public class JBakeException extends RuntimeException {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
+    final private SystemExit exit;
+
     /**
+     *
      * @param message
      *            The error message.
      * @param cause
      *            The causing exception or <code>null</code> if no cause
      *            available.
      */
-    public JBakeException(final String message, final Throwable cause) {
+    public JBakeException(final SystemExit exit, final String message, final Throwable cause) {
         super(message, cause);
+        this.exit = exit;
+    }
+
+    public JBakeException(final SystemExit exit, final String message) {
+        this(exit, message, null);
     }
 
-    public JBakeException(final String message) {
-        this(message, null);
+    public int getExit() {
+        return exit.getStatus();
     }
 }
diff --git a/jbake-core/src/main/java/org/jbake/app/configuration/ConfigUtil.java b/jbake-core/src/main/java/org/jbake/app/configuration/ConfigUtil.java
index 08bcf029..c55befaf 100644
--- a/jbake-core/src/main/java/org/jbake/app/configuration/ConfigUtil.java
+++ b/jbake-core/src/main/java/org/jbake/app/configuration/ConfigUtil.java
@@ -5,14 +5,12 @@
 import org.apache.commons.configuration.PropertiesConfiguration;
 import org.apache.commons.configuration.SystemConfiguration;
 import org.jbake.app.JBakeException;
+import org.jbake.launcher.SystemExit;
 import org.slf4j.Logger;
 import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
 
 import java.io.File;
 import java.net.URL;
-import java.nio.file.Path;
-import java.nio.file.Paths;
-import java.nio.charset.Charset;
 
 /**
  * Provides Configuration related functions.
@@ -29,10 +27,10 @@ public class ConfigUtil {
     private CompositeConfiguration load(File source) throws ConfigurationException {
 
         if (!source.exists()) {
-            throw new JBakeException("The given source folder '" + source.getAbsolutePath() + "' does not exist.");
+            throw new JBakeException(SystemExit.CONFIGURATION_ERROR, "The given source folder '" + source.getAbsolutePath() + "' does not exist.");
         }
         if (!source.isDirectory()) {
-            throw new JBakeException("The given source folder is not a directory.");
+            throw new JBakeException(SystemExit.CONFIGURATION_ERROR,"The given source folder is not a directory.");
         }
         CompositeConfiguration config = new CompositeConfiguration();
         config.setListDelimiter(',');
diff --git a/jbake-core/src/main/java/org/jbake/app/configuration/JBakeConfigurationInspector.java b/jbake-core/src/main/java/org/jbake/app/configuration/JBakeConfigurationInspector.java
index 2fb214d9..11f24c8d 100644
--- a/jbake-core/src/main/java/org/jbake/app/configuration/JBakeConfigurationInspector.java
+++ b/jbake-core/src/main/java/org/jbake/app/configuration/JBakeConfigurationInspector.java
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 
 import org.jbake.app.FileUtil;
 import org.jbake.app.JBakeException;
+import org.jbake.launcher.SystemExit;
 import org.slf4j.Logger;
 import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
 
@@ -28,10 +29,10 @@ public void inspect() throws JBakeException {
     private void ensureSource() throws JBakeException {
         File source = configuration.getSourceFolder();
         if (!FileUtil.isExistingFolder(source)) {
-            throw new JBakeException("Error: Source folder must exist: " + source.getAbsolutePath());
+            throw new JBakeException(SystemExit.CONFIGURATION_ERROR, "Error: Source folder must exist: " + source.getAbsolutePath());
         }
         if (!configuration.getSourceFolder().canRead()) {
-            throw new JBakeException("Error: Source folder is not readable: " + source.getAbsolutePath());
+            throw new JBakeException(SystemExit.CONFIGURATION_ERROR, "Error: Source folder is not readable: " + source.getAbsolutePath());
         }
     }
 
@@ -51,7 +52,7 @@ private void ensureDestination() {
             destination.mkdirs();
         }
         if (!destination.canWrite()) {
-            throw new JBakeException("Error: Destination folder is not writable: " + destination.getAbsolutePath());
+            throw new JBakeException(SystemExit.CONFIGURATION_ERROR, "Error: Destination folder is not writable: " + destination.getAbsolutePath());
         }
     }
 
@@ -62,9 +63,9 @@ private void checkAssetFolder() {
         }
     }
 
-    private void checkRequiredFolderExists(String property, File path) {
+    private void checkRequiredFolderExists(String folderName, File path) {
         if (!FileUtil.isExistingFolder(path)) {
-            throw new JBakeException("Error: Required folder cannot be found! Expected to find [" + property + "] at: " + path.getAbsolutePath());
+            throw new JBakeException(SystemExit.CONFIGURATION_ERROR, "Error: Required folder cannot be found! Expected to find [" + folderName + "] at: " + path.getAbsolutePath());
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/jbake-core/src/main/java/org/jbake/launcher/Baker.java b/jbake-core/src/main/java/org/jbake/launcher/Baker.java
index a1dcb373..17d17f8f 100644
--- a/jbake-core/src/main/java/org/jbake/launcher/Baker.java
+++ b/jbake-core/src/main/java/org/jbake/launcher/Baker.java
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ public void bake(final JBakeConfiguration config) {
                 msg.append(MessageFormat.format("{0}. {1}\n", errNr, error.getMessage()));
                 ++errNr;
             }
-            throw new JBakeException(msg.toString(), errors.get(0));
+            throw new JBakeException(SystemExit.ERROR ,msg.toString(), errors.get(0));
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/jbake-core/src/main/java/org/jbake/launcher/JettyServer.java b/jbake-core/src/main/java/org/jbake/launcher/JettyServer.java
index 79504568..cff10593 100644
--- a/jbake-core/src/main/java/org/jbake/launcher/JettyServer.java
+++ b/jbake-core/src/main/java/org/jbake/launcher/JettyServer.java
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 import org.eclipse.jetty.server.handler.DefaultHandler;
 import org.eclipse.jetty.server.handler.HandlerList;
 import org.eclipse.jetty.server.handler.ResourceHandler;
+import org.jbake.app.JBakeException;
 import org.jbake.app.configuration.JBakeConfiguration;
 import org.slf4j.Logger;
 import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
@@ -34,41 +35,42 @@ public void run(String resourceBase, String port) {
     public void run(String resourceBase, JBakeConfiguration configuration) {
         run(resourceBase, configuration.getServerContextPath(), configuration.getServerHostname(), configuration.getServerPort());
     }
+
     /**
      * Run Jetty web server serving out supplied path on supplied port
      *
      * @param resourceBase Base directory for resources to be served
-     * @param port Required server port
+     * @param port         Required server port
      */
     private void run(String resourceBase, String contextPath, String hostname, int port) {
-        server = new Server();
-        ServerConnector connector = new ServerConnector(server);
-        connector.setHost(hostname);
-        connector.setPort(port);
-        server.addConnector(connector);
+        try {
+            server = new Server();
+            ServerConnector connector = new ServerConnector(server);
+            connector.setHost(hostname);
+            connector.setPort(port);
+            server.addConnector(connector);
 
-        ResourceHandler resource_handler = new ResourceHandler();
-        resource_handler.setDirectoriesListed(true);
-        resource_handler.setWelcomeFiles(new String[]{"index", "index.html"});
-        resource_handler.setResourceBase(resourceBase);
+            ResourceHandler resource_handler = new ResourceHandler();
+            resource_handler.setDirectoriesListed(true);
+            resource_handler.setWelcomeFiles(new String[]{"index", "index.html"});
+            resource_handler.setResourceBase(resourceBase);
 
-        ContextHandler contextHandler = new ContextHandler();
-        contextHandler.setContextPath(contextPath);
-        contextHandler.setHandler(resource_handler);
+            ContextHandler contextHandler = new ContextHandler();
+            contextHandler.setContextPath(contextPath);
+            contextHandler.setHandler(resource_handler);
 
-        HandlerList handlers = new HandlerList();
+            HandlerList handlers = new HandlerList();
 
-        handlers.setHandlers(new Handler[]{contextHandler, new DefaultHandler()});
-        server.setHandler(handlers);
+            handlers.setHandlers(new Handler[]{contextHandler, new DefaultHandler()});
+            server.setHandler(handlers);
 
-        LOGGER.info("Serving out contents of: [{}] on http://{}:{}{}", resourceBase, hostname, port, contextHandler.getContextPath());
-        LOGGER.info("(To stop server hit CTRL-C)");
+            LOGGER.info("Serving out contents of: [{}] on http://{}:{}{}", resourceBase, hostname, port, contextHandler.getContextPath());
+            LOGGER.info("(To stop server hit CTRL-C)");
 
-        try {
             server.start();
             server.join();
         } catch (Exception e) {
-            LOGGER.error("unable to start server", e);
+            throw new JBakeException(SystemExit.SERVER_ERROR, "unable to start the server", e);
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/jbake-core/src/main/java/org/jbake/launcher/LaunchOptions.java b/jbake-core/src/main/java/org/jbake/launcher/LaunchOptions.java
index d30bd586..5f3b1914 100644
--- a/jbake-core/src/main/java/org/jbake/launcher/LaunchOptions.java
+++ b/jbake-core/src/main/java/org/jbake/launcher/LaunchOptions.java
@@ -1,41 +1,50 @@
 package org.jbake.launcher;
 
-import org.kohsuke.args4j.Argument;
-import org.kohsuke.args4j.Option;
+import picocli.CommandLine.ArgGroup;
+import picocli.CommandLine.Command;
+import picocli.CommandLine.Option;
+import picocli.CommandLine.Parameters;
 
 import java.io.File;
 
+@Command(
+        description = "JBake is a Java based, open source, static site/blog generator for developers & designers",
+        name = "jbake",
+        usageHelpAutoWidth = true
+)
 public class LaunchOptions {
-    @Argument(index = 0, usage = "source folder of site content (with templates and assets), if not supplied will default to current directory", metaVar = "<source>")
+    @Parameters(index = "0", description = "source folder of site content (with templates and assets), if not supplied will default to current directory", arity = "0..1")
     private String source;
 
-    @Argument(index = 1, usage = "destination folder for output, if not supplied will default to a folder called \"output\" in the current directory", metaVar = "<destination>")
+    @Parameters(index = "1", description = "destination folder for output, if not supplied will default to a folder called \"output\" in the current directory", arity = "0..1")
     private String destination;
 
-    @Option(name = "-b", aliases = {"--bake"}, usage = "performs a bake")
+    @Option(names = {"-b", "--bake"}, description = "performs a bake")
     private boolean bake;
 
-    @Option(name = "-i", aliases = {"--init"}, usage = "initialises required folder structure with default templates (defaults to current directory if <value> is not supplied)")
-    private boolean init;
+    @ArgGroup(exclusive = false, heading = "%n%nJBake initialization%n%n")
+    private InitOptions initGroup;
 
-    @Option(name = "-t", aliases = {"--template"}, usage = "use specified template engine for default templates (uses Freemarker if <value> is not supplied) ", depends = ("-i"))
-    private String template;
+    static class InitOptions {
 
-    @Option(name = "-s", aliases = {"--server"}, usage = "runs HTTP server to serve out baked site, if no <value> is supplied will default to a folder called \"output\" in the current directory")
+        @Option(names = {"-i", "--init"}, paramLabel = "<target>", description = "initialises required folder structure with default templates (defaults to current directory if <source> is not supplied)", required = true)
+        private boolean init;
+
+        @Option(names = {"-t", "--template"}, defaultValue = "freemarker", fallbackValue = "freemarker", description = "use specified template engine for default templates (uses Freemarker if <template> is not supplied) ", arity = "0..1")
+        private String template;
+    }
+
+    @Option(names = {"-s", "--server"}, description = "runs HTTP server to serve out baked site, if no <value> is supplied will default to a folder called \"output\" in the current directory")
     private boolean runServer;
 
-    @Option(name = "-h", aliases = {"--help"}, usage = "prints this message")
-    private boolean helpNeeded;
+    @Option(names = {"-h", "--help"}, description = "prints this message", usageHelp = true)
+    private boolean helpRequested;
 
-    @Option(name = "--reset", usage = "clears the local cache, enforcing rendering from scratch")
+    @Option(names = {"--reset"}, description = "clears the local cache, enforcing rendering from scratch")
     private boolean clearCache;
 
     public String getTemplate() {
-        if (template != null) {
-            return template;
-        } else {
-            return "freemarker";
-        }
+        return initGroup.template;
     }
 
     public File getSource() {
@@ -63,7 +72,7 @@ public String getDestinationValue() {
     }
 
     public boolean isHelpNeeded() {
-        return helpNeeded || !(isBake() || isRunServer() || isInit() || source != null || destination != null);
+        return helpRequested || !(isBake() || isRunServer() || isInit() || source != null || destination != null);
     }
 
     public boolean isRunServer() {
@@ -71,7 +80,7 @@ public boolean isRunServer() {
     }
 
     public boolean isInit() {
-        return init;
+        return (initGroup !=null && initGroup.init);
     }
 
     public boolean isClearCache() {
diff --git a/jbake-core/src/main/java/org/jbake/launcher/Main.java b/jbake-core/src/main/java/org/jbake/launcher/Main.java
index b8653421..c96dd93d 100644
--- a/jbake-core/src/main/java/org/jbake/launcher/Main.java
+++ b/jbake-core/src/main/java/org/jbake/launcher/Main.java
@@ -5,14 +5,13 @@
 import org.jbake.app.JBakeException;
 import org.jbake.app.configuration.JBakeConfiguration;
 import org.jbake.app.configuration.JBakeConfigurationFactory;
-import org.kohsuke.args4j.CmdLineException;
-import org.kohsuke.args4j.CmdLineParser;
 import org.slf4j.Logger;
 import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
 import org.slf4j.bridge.SLF4JBridgeHandler;
+import picocli.CommandLine;
+import picocli.CommandLine.MissingParameterException;
 
 import java.io.File;
-import java.io.StringWriter;
 
 /**
  * Launcher for JBake.
@@ -61,20 +60,20 @@ public static void main(final String[] args) {
         } catch (final JBakeException e) {
             logger.error(e.getMessage());
             logger.trace(e.getMessage(), e);
-            System.exit(1);
-        } catch (final Throwable e) {
-            logger.error("An unexpected error occurred: " + e.getMessage());
-            logger.trace(e.getMessage(), e);
-            System.exit(2);
+            if (e.getCause() instanceof MissingParameterException) {
+                Main.printUsage();
+            }
+            System.exit(e.getExit());
         }
     }
 
-    protected void run(String[] args) {
-        SLF4JBridgeHandler.removeHandlersForRootLogger();
-        SLF4JBridgeHandler.install();
-
-        final JBakeConfiguration config;
+    public void run(String[] args) throws JBakeException {
         try {
+            SLF4JBridgeHandler.removeHandlersForRootLogger();
+            SLF4JBridgeHandler.install();
+
+            final JBakeConfiguration config;
+
             LaunchOptions res = parseArguments(args);
             if (res.isRunServer()) {
                 config = getJBakeConfigurationFactory().createJettyJbakeConfiguration(res.getSource(), res.getDestination(), res.isClearCache());
@@ -83,7 +82,11 @@ protected void run(String[] args) {
             }
             run(res, config);
         } catch (final ConfigurationException e) {
-            throw new JBakeException("Configuration error: " + e.getMessage(), e);
+            throw new JBakeException(SystemExit.CONFIGURATION_ERROR, "Configuration error: " + e.getMessage(), e);
+        } catch (MissingParameterException mex) {
+            throw new JBakeException(SystemExit.CONFIGURATION_ERROR, mex.getMessage(), mex);
+        } catch (final Throwable e) {
+            throw new JBakeException(SystemExit.ERROR, "An unexpected error occurred: " + e.getMessage(), e);
         }
     }
 
@@ -128,29 +131,17 @@ protected void run(LaunchOptions res, JBakeConfiguration config) {
     }
 
     private LaunchOptions parseArguments(String[] args) {
-        LaunchOptions res = new LaunchOptions();
-        CmdLineParser parser = new CmdLineParser(res);
-
-        try {
-            parser.parseArgument(args);
-        } catch (final CmdLineException e) {
-            printUsage(res);
-            throw new JBakeException("Invalid commandline arguments: " + e.getMessage(), e);
-        }
-
-        return res;
+        return CommandLine.populateCommand(new LaunchOptions(), args);
     }
 
     private void printUsage(Object options) {
-        CmdLineParser parser = new CmdLineParser(options);
-        StringWriter sw = new StringWriter();
-        sw.append(USAGE_PREFIX + "\n");
-        sw.append(ALT_USAGE_PREFIX + " <source> <destination>\n");
-        sw.append(ALT_USAGE_PREFIX + " [OPTION]... [<value>...]\n\n");
-        sw.append("Options:");
-        System.out.println(sw.toString());
-        parser.getProperties().withUsageWidth(80);
-        parser.printUsage(System.out);
+        CommandLine cli = new CommandLine(options);
+        cli.setUsageHelpLongOptionsMaxWidth(28);
+        cli.usage(System.out);
+    }
+
+    public static void printUsage() {
+        CommandLine.usage(new LaunchOptions(), System.out);
     }
 
     private void runServer(File path, JBakeConfiguration configuration) {
@@ -171,7 +162,7 @@ private void initStructure(String type, JBakeConfiguration config) {
             System.out.println("Base folder structure successfully created.");
         } catch (final Exception e) {
             final String msg = "Failed to initialise structure: " + e.getMessage();
-            throw new JBakeException(msg, e);
+            throw new JBakeException(SystemExit.INIT_ERROR, msg, e);
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/jbake-core/src/main/java/org/jbake/launcher/SystemExit.java b/jbake-core/src/main/java/org/jbake/launcher/SystemExit.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0e7b3002
--- /dev/null
+++ b/jbake-core/src/main/java/org/jbake/launcher/SystemExit.java
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+package org.jbake.launcher;
+
+public enum SystemExit {
+    SUCCESS,
+    ERROR,
+    CONFIGURATION_ERROR,
+    INIT_ERROR,
+    SERVER_ERROR;
+
+    public int getStatus() {
+        return this.ordinal();
+    }
+}
diff --git a/jbake-core/src/test/java/org/jbake/launcher/LaunchOptionsTest.java b/jbake-core/src/test/java/org/jbake/launcher/LaunchOptionsTest.java
index 78d8060f..f080214f 100644
--- a/jbake-core/src/test/java/org/jbake/launcher/LaunchOptionsTest.java
+++ b/jbake-core/src/test/java/org/jbake/launcher/LaunchOptionsTest.java
@@ -1,84 +1,71 @@
 package org.jbake.launcher;
 
 import org.junit.Test;
-import org.kohsuke.args4j.CmdLineParser;
+import picocli.CommandLine;
+import picocli.CommandLine.MissingParameterException;
 
 import java.io.File;
 
 import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThat;
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThatExceptionOfType;
 
 public class LaunchOptionsTest {
 
     @Test
-    public void showHelp() throws Exception {
+    public void showHelp() {
         String[] args = {"-h"};
-        LaunchOptions res = new LaunchOptions();
-        CmdLineParser parser = new CmdLineParser(res);
-        parser.parseArgument(args);
-
+        LaunchOptions res = parseArgs(args);
         assertThat(res.isHelpNeeded()).isTrue();
     }
 
     @Test
-    public void runServer() throws Exception {
+    public void runServer() {
         String[] args = {"-s"};
-        LaunchOptions res = new LaunchOptions();
-        CmdLineParser parser = new CmdLineParser(res);
-        parser.parseArgument(args);
+        LaunchOptions res = parseArgs(args);
 
         assertThat(res.isRunServer()).isTrue();
     }
 
     @Test
-    public void runServerWithFolder() throws Exception {
+    public void runServerWithFolder() {
         String[] args = {"-s", "/tmp"};
-        LaunchOptions res = new LaunchOptions();
-        CmdLineParser parser = new CmdLineParser(res);
-        parser.parseArgument(args);
+        LaunchOptions res = parseArgs(args);
 
         assertThat(res.isRunServer()).isTrue();
         assertThat(res.getSource()).isEqualTo(new File("/tmp"));
     }
 
     @Test
-    public void init() throws Exception {
+    public void init() {
         String[] args = {"-i"};
-        LaunchOptions res = new LaunchOptions();
-        CmdLineParser parser = new CmdLineParser(res);
-        parser.parseArgument(args);
+        LaunchOptions res = parseArgs(args);
 
         assertThat(res.isInit()).isTrue();
         assertThat(res.getTemplate()).isEqualTo("freemarker");
     }
 
     @Test
-    public void initWithTemplate() throws Exception {
+    public void initWithTemplate() {
         String[] args = {"-i", "-t", "foo"};
-        LaunchOptions res = new LaunchOptions();
-        CmdLineParser parser = new CmdLineParser(res);
-        parser.parseArgument(args);
+        LaunchOptions res = parseArgs(args);
 
         assertThat(res.isInit()).isTrue();
         assertThat(res.getTemplate()).isEqualTo("foo");
     }
 
     @Test
-    public void initWithSourceDirectory() throws Exception {
+    public void initWithSourceDirectory() {
         String[] args = {"-i", "/tmp"};
-        LaunchOptions res = new LaunchOptions();
-        CmdLineParser parser = new CmdLineParser(res);
-        parser.parseArgument(args);
+        LaunchOptions res = parseArgs(args);
 
         assertThat(res.isInit()).isTrue();
         assertThat(res.getSourceValue()).isEqualTo("/tmp");
     }
 
     @Test
-    public void initWithTemplateAndSourceDirectory() throws Exception {
+    public void initWithTemplateAndSourceDirectory() {
         String[] args = {"-i", "-t", "foo", "/tmp"};
-        LaunchOptions res = new LaunchOptions();
-        CmdLineParser parser = new CmdLineParser(res);
-        parser.parseArgument(args);
+        LaunchOptions res = parseArgs(args);
 
         assertThat(res.isInit()).isTrue();
         assertThat(res.getTemplate()).isEqualTo("foo");
@@ -86,21 +73,26 @@ public void initWithTemplateAndSourceDirectory() throws Exception {
     }
 
     @Test
-    public void bake() throws Exception {
+    public void shouldThrowAnExceptionCallingTemplateWithoutInitOption() {
+        String[] args = {"-t", "groovy-mte"};
+
+        assertThatExceptionOfType(MissingParameterException.class).isThrownBy(()-> {
+            LaunchOptions res = parseArgs(args);
+        }).withMessage("Error: Missing required argument(s): --init");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void bake() {
         String[] args = {"-b"};
-        LaunchOptions res = new LaunchOptions();
-        CmdLineParser parser = new CmdLineParser(res);
-        parser.parseArgument(args);
+        LaunchOptions res = parseArgs(args);
 
         assertThat(res.isBake()).isTrue();
     }
 
     @Test
-    public void bakeNoArgs() throws Exception {
+    public void bakeNoArgs() {
         String[] args = {};
-        LaunchOptions res = new LaunchOptions();
-        CmdLineParser parser = new CmdLineParser(res);
-        parser.parseArgument(args);
+        LaunchOptions res = parseArgs(args);
 
         assertThat(res.isHelpNeeded()).isTrue();
         assertThat(res.isRunServer()).isFalse();
@@ -111,11 +103,9 @@ public void bakeNoArgs() throws Exception {
     }
 
     @Test
-    public void bakeWithArgs() throws Exception {
+    public void bakeWithArgs() {
         String[] args = {"/tmp/source", "/tmp/destination"};
-        LaunchOptions res = new LaunchOptions();
-        CmdLineParser parser = new CmdLineParser(res);
-        parser.parseArgument(args);
+        LaunchOptions res = parseArgs(args);
 
         assertThat(res.isHelpNeeded()).isFalse();
         assertThat(res.isRunServer()).isFalse();
@@ -124,4 +114,8 @@ public void bakeWithArgs() throws Exception {
         assertThat(res.getSource()).isEqualTo(new File("/tmp/source"));
         assertThat(res.getDestination()).isEqualTo(new File("/tmp/destination"));
     }
+
+    private LaunchOptions parseArgs(String[] args) {
+        return CommandLine.populateCommand(new LaunchOptions(), args);
+    }
 }
diff --git a/jbake-core/src/test/java/org/jbake/launcher/MainTest.java b/jbake-core/src/test/java/org/jbake/launcher/MainTest.java
index 504ad9ab..af93fca2 100644
--- a/jbake-core/src/test/java/org/jbake/launcher/MainTest.java
+++ b/jbake-core/src/test/java/org/jbake/launcher/MainTest.java
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 import org.apache.commons.configuration.ConfigurationException;
 import org.itsallcode.junit.sysextensions.ExitGuard;
 import org.jbake.TestUtils;
+import org.jbake.app.JBakeException;
 import org.jbake.app.LoggingTest;
 import org.jbake.app.configuration.ConfigUtil;
 import org.jbake.app.configuration.DefaultJBakeConfiguration;
@@ -14,9 +15,8 @@
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.extension.ExtendWith;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.io.TempDir;
-import org.kohsuke.args4j.CmdLineException;
-import org.kohsuke.args4j.CmdLineParser;
 import org.mockito.Mock;
+import picocli.CommandLine;
 
 import java.io.File;
 import java.io.IOException;
@@ -24,8 +24,11 @@
 
 import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThat;
 import static org.itsallcode.junit.sysextensions.AssertExit.assertExitWithStatus;
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertThrows;
 import static org.mockito.ArgumentMatchers.any;
 import static org.mockito.ArgumentMatchers.anyBoolean;
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.doThrow;
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.spy;
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.times;
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.verify;
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.when;
@@ -81,7 +84,6 @@ public void launchBakeAndJetty(@TempDir Path source) throws Exception {
         verify(mockJetty).run(expectedOutput.getPath(),configuration);
     }
 
-
     @Test
     public void launchBakeAndJettyWithCustomDirForJetty(@TempDir Path source) throws ConfigurationException, IOException {
         File sourceFolder = newFolder(source,"src/jbake");
@@ -163,19 +165,29 @@ public void shouldTellUserThatTemplateOptionRequiresInitOption() throws Exceptio
 
         String[] args = {"-t", "groovy-mte"};
 
-        assertExitWithStatus(1, ()->Main.main(args));
+        assertExitWithStatus(SystemExit.CONFIGURATION_ERROR.getStatus(), ()->Main.main(args));
 
         verify(mockAppender, times(1)).doAppend(captorLoggingEvent.capture());
 
         LoggingEvent loggingEvent = captorLoggingEvent.getValue();
-        assertThat(loggingEvent.getMessage()).isEqualTo("Invalid commandline arguments: option \"-t (--template)\" requires the option(s) [-i]");
+        assertThat(loggingEvent.getMessage()).isEqualTo("Error: Missing required argument(s): --init");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void shouldThrowJBakeExceptionWithSystemExitCodeOnUnexpectedError() {
+
+        Main other = spy(main);
+
+        doThrow(new RuntimeException("something went wrong")).when(other).run(any(LaunchOptions.class), any());
+
+        JBakeException e = assertThrows(JBakeException.class, () -> other.run(new String[]{}));
+
+        assertThat(e.getMessage()).isEqualTo("An unexpected error occurred: something went wrong");
+        assertThat(e.getExit()).isEqualTo(SystemExit.ERROR.getStatus());
     }
 
-    private LaunchOptions stubOptions(String[] args) throws CmdLineException {
-        LaunchOptions res = new LaunchOptions();
-        CmdLineParser parser = new CmdLineParser(res);
-        parser.parseArgument(args);
-        return res;
+    private LaunchOptions stubOptions(String[] args) {
+        return CommandLine.populateCommand(new LaunchOptions(), args);
     }
 
     private DefaultJBakeConfiguration stubConfig() throws ConfigurationException {