diff --git a/hack/verify-bazel.sh b/hack/verify-bazel.sh
index cb352e5192..4c8547cef8 100755
--- a/hack/verify-bazel.sh
+++ b/hack/verify-bazel.sh
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ gazelle_diff=$("${TOOLS_BIN}/gazelle" fix \
   -exclude=tests/e2e \
   -mode=diff \
   -proto=disable \
-  -repo_root="${KOPS_ROOT}")
+  -repo_root="${KOPS_ROOT}") || _=$?
 
 if [[ -n "${gazelle_diff}" ]]; then
   echo "${gazelle_diff}" >&2