diff --git a/scripts/docker-e2e.mjs b/scripts/docker-e2e.mjs
index 9e3b8d18f520..2ce290c2a5c1 100644
--- a/scripts/docker-e2e.mjs
+++ b/scripts/docker-e2e.mjs
@@ -108,21 +108,35 @@ function failedRerunCommands(summary) {
     .map((lane) => lane.rerunCommand);
 }
 
-const [command, file, ...args] = process.argv.slice(2);
-if (!command || !file) {
-  throw new Error(usage());
-}
-
-if (command === "github-outputs") {
-  process.stdout.write(`${githubOutputs(readJson(file)).join("\n")}\n`);
-} else if (command === "summary") {
-  const title = args.join(" ").trim();
-  if (!title) {
+function main(argv = process.argv.slice(2)) {
+  const [command, file, ...args] = argv;
+  if (command === "--help" || command === "-h") {
+    process.stdout.write(`${usage()}\n`);
+    return 0;
+  }
+  if (!command || !file) {
     throw new Error(usage());
   }
-  process.stdout.write(`${summaryMarkdown(readJson(file), title)}\n`);
-} else if (command === "failed-reruns") {
-  process.stdout.write(`${failedRerunCommands(readJson(file)).join("\n")}\n`);
-} else {
-  throw new Error(`unknown command: ${command}\n${usage()}`);
+
+  if (command === "github-outputs") {
+    process.stdout.write(`${githubOutputs(readJson(file)).join("\n")}\n`);
+  } else if (command === "summary") {
+    const title = args.join(" ").trim();
+    if (!title) {
+      throw new Error(usage());
+    }
+    process.stdout.write(`${summaryMarkdown(readJson(file), title)}\n`);
+  } else if (command === "failed-reruns") {
+    process.stdout.write(`${failedRerunCommands(readJson(file)).join("\n")}\n`);
+  } else {
+    throw new Error(`unknown command: ${command}\n${usage()}`);
+  }
+  return 0;
+}
+
+try {
+  process.exitCode = main();
+} catch (error) {
+  console.error(error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error));
+  process.exitCode = 1;
 }
diff --git a/scripts/kova-ci-summary.mjs b/scripts/kova-ci-summary.mjs
index 317713128b2e..9ee62191b9e9 100644
--- a/scripts/kova-ci-summary.mjs
+++ b/scripts/kova-ci-summary.mjs
@@ -2,7 +2,12 @@
 import { readFile, writeFile } from "node:fs/promises";
 import path from "node:path";
 
-const args = parseArgs(process.argv.slice(2));
+const rawArgs = process.argv.slice(2);
+if (rawArgs.includes("--help") || rawArgs.includes("-h")) {
+  usage("", 0);
+}
+
+const args = parseArgs(rawArgs);
 if (!args.report) {
   usage("missing --report");
 }
@@ -205,12 +210,16 @@ function parseArgs(argv) {
   };
 }
 
-function usage(message) {
+function usage(message, status = 2) {
+  const text =
+    "usage: node scripts/kova-ci-summary.mjs --report <report.json> [--output <summary.md>] [--lane <name>]\n";
   if (message) {
     console.error(`error: ${message}`);
   }
-  console.error(
-    "usage: node scripts/kova-ci-summary.mjs --report <report.json> [--output <summary.md>] [--lane <name>]",
-  );
-  process.exit(2);
+  if (status === 0 && !message) {
+    process.stdout.write(text);
+  } else {
+    process.stderr.write(text);
+  }
+  process.exit(status);
 }
diff --git a/scripts/test-live-shard.mjs b/scripts/test-live-shard.mjs
index 6297b1f31977..98274b9df97c 100644
--- a/scripts/test-live-shard.mjs
+++ b/scripts/test-live-shard.mjs
@@ -283,8 +283,10 @@ export function selectLiveShardFiles(shard, files = collectAllLiveTestFiles()) {
   }
 }
 
-function usage() {
-  console.error(`Usage: node scripts/test-live-shard.mjs <${LIVE_TEST_SHARDS.join("|")}> [--list]`);
+function usage(stream = process.stderr) {
+  stream.write(
+    `Usage: node scripts/test-live-shard.mjs <${LIVE_TEST_SHARDS.join("|")}> [--list]\n`,
+  );
 }
 
 export function parseLiveShardArgs(args) {
@@ -310,9 +312,17 @@ export function parseLiveShardArgs(args) {
 }
 
 if (process.argv[1] && path.resolve(process.argv[1]) === fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)) {
+  const rawArgs = process.argv.slice(2);
+  const separatorIndex = rawArgs.indexOf("--");
+  const optionArgs = separatorIndex >= 0 ? rawArgs.slice(0, separatorIndex) : rawArgs;
+  if (optionArgs.includes("--help") || optionArgs.includes("-h")) {
+    usage(process.stdout);
+    process.exit(0);
+  }
+
   let parsedArgs;
   try {
-    parsedArgs = parseLiveShardArgs(process.argv.slice(2));
+    parsedArgs = parseLiveShardArgs(rawArgs);
   } catch (error) {
     console.error(error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error));
     usage();
diff --git a/scripts/test-projects.test-support.mjs b/scripts/test-projects.test-support.mjs
index a60ca4aaf138..39dc05c4909a 100644
--- a/scripts/test-projects.test-support.mjs
+++ b/scripts/test-projects.test-support.mjs
@@ -387,8 +387,10 @@ const TOOLING_SOURCE_TEST_TARGETS = new Map([
   ["scripts/run-oxlint.mjs", ["test/scripts/run-oxlint.test.ts"]],
   ["scripts/run-node.mjs", ["src/infra/run-node.test.ts"]],
   ["scripts/ci-run-timings.mjs", ["test/scripts/ci-run-timings.test.ts"]],
+  ["scripts/docker-e2e.mjs", ["test/scripts/docker-e2e-helper-cli.test.ts"]],
   ["scripts/docker-e2e-rerun.mjs", ["test/scripts/docker-e2e-helper-cli.test.ts"]],
   ["scripts/docker-e2e-timings.mjs", ["test/scripts/docker-e2e-helper-cli.test.ts"]],
+  ["scripts/kova-ci-summary.mjs", ["test/scripts/kova-ci-summary.test.ts"]],
   ["scripts/test-extension-batch.mjs", ["test/scripts/test-extension.test.ts"]],
   ["scripts/lib/extension-test-plan.mjs", ["test/scripts/test-extension.test.ts"]],
   ["scripts/lib/vitest-batch-runner.mjs", ["test/scripts/test-extension.test.ts"]],
@@ -428,6 +430,7 @@ const TOOLING_TEST_TARGETS = new Map([
   ["test/scripts/ci-docker-pull-retry.test.ts", ["test/scripts/ci-docker-pull-retry.test.ts"]],
   ["test/scripts/docker-build-helper.test.ts", ["test/scripts/docker-build-helper.test.ts"]],
   ["test/scripts/docker-e2e-helper-cli.test.ts", ["test/scripts/docker-e2e-helper-cli.test.ts"]],
+  ["test/scripts/kova-ci-summary.test.ts", ["test/scripts/kova-ci-summary.test.ts"]],
   ["test/scripts/live-docker-stage.test.ts", ["test/scripts/live-docker-stage.test.ts"]],
   ["test/scripts/openclaw-test-state.test.ts", ["test/scripts/openclaw-test-state.test.ts"]],
   [
diff --git a/test/scripts/docker-e2e-helper-cli.test.ts b/test/scripts/docker-e2e-helper-cli.test.ts
index cc67d854b221..0c44cfdc0a58 100644
--- a/test/scripts/docker-e2e-helper-cli.test.ts
+++ b/test/scripts/docker-e2e-helper-cli.test.ts
@@ -14,6 +14,24 @@ function runHelper(script: string, ...args: string[]) {
 }
 
 describe("Docker E2E helper CLIs", () => {
+  it("prints scheduler helper help without throwing a stack trace", () => {
+    const result = runHelper("scripts/docker-e2e.mjs", "--help");
+
+    expect(result.status).toBe(0);
+    expect(result.stderr).toBe("");
+    expect(result.stdout).toContain("node scripts/docker-e2e.mjs github-outputs <plan.json>");
+  });
+
+  it("prints scheduler helper usage errors without a Node stack trace", () => {
+    const result = runHelper("scripts/docker-e2e.mjs");
+
+    expect(result.status).toBe(1);
+    expect(result.stdout).toBe("");
+    expect(result.stderr).toContain("node scripts/docker-e2e.mjs github-outputs <plan.json>");
+    expect(result.stderr).not.toContain("Error:");
+    expect(result.stderr).not.toContain("at file:");
+  });
+
   it("prints timings help without treating --help as an artifact path", () => {
     const result = runHelper("scripts/docker-e2e-timings.mjs", "--help");
 
diff --git a/test/scripts/kova-ci-summary.test.ts b/test/scripts/kova-ci-summary.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..b0ab248806f4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/scripts/kova-ci-summary.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+import { spawnSync } from "node:child_process";
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+
+describe("scripts/kova-ci-summary", () => {
+  it("prints help without treating --help as a valued option", () => {
+    const result = spawnSync(process.execPath, ["scripts/kova-ci-summary.mjs", "--help"], {
+      cwd: process.cwd(),
+      encoding: "utf8",
+    });
+
+    expect(result.status).toBe(0);
+    expect(result.stderr).toBe("");
+    expect(result.stdout).toContain("usage: node scripts/kova-ci-summary.mjs --report");
+  });
+});
diff --git a/test/scripts/test-live-shard.test.ts b/test/scripts/test-live-shard.test.ts
index b92f19373430..4f77ed4afbfc 100644
--- a/test/scripts/test-live-shard.test.ts
+++ b/test/scripts/test-live-shard.test.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import { spawnSync } from "node:child_process";
 import fs, { readFileSync } from "node:fs";
 import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 import {
@@ -134,6 +135,17 @@ describe("scripts/test-live-shard", () => {
     );
   });
 
+  it("prints CLI help before validating shard options", () => {
+    const result = spawnSync(process.execPath, ["scripts/test-live-shard.mjs", "--help"], {
+      cwd: process.cwd(),
+      encoding: "utf8",
+    });
+
+    expect(result.status).toBe(0);
+    expect(result.stderr).toBe("");
+    expect(result.stdout).toContain("Usage: node scripts/test-live-shard.mjs");
+  });
+
   it("preserves Vitest passthrough args after the live shard separator", () => {
     expect(parseLiveShardArgs(["native-live-test", "--", "-t", "smoke"])).toEqual({
       shard: "native-live-test",