diff --git a/actions/setup/sh/start_mcp_gateway.sh b/actions/setup/sh/start_mcp_gateway.sh
index d65159e5850..a68b48bbd3c 100755
--- a/actions/setup/sh/start_mcp_gateway.sh
+++ b/actions/setup/sh/start_mcp_gateway.sh
@@ -292,6 +292,8 @@ if [ -f /opt/gh-aw/actions/check_mcp_servers.sh ]; then
   echo "Running MCP server checks..."
   # Store check diagnostic logs in /tmp/gh-aw/mcp-logs/start-gateway.log for artifact upload
   # Use tee to output to both stdout and the log file
+  # Enable pipefail so the exit code comes from check_mcp_servers.sh, not tee
+  set -o pipefail
   if ! bash /opt/gh-aw/actions/check_mcp_servers.sh \
     /tmp/gh-aw/mcp-config/gateway-output.json \
     "http://localhost:${MCP_GATEWAY_PORT}" \
@@ -301,6 +303,7 @@ if [ -f /opt/gh-aw/actions/check_mcp_servers.sh ]; then
     kill $GATEWAY_PID 2>/dev/null || true
     exit 1
   fi
+  set +o pipefail
 else
   echo "WARNING: MCP server check script not found at /opt/gh-aw/actions/check_mcp_servers.sh"
   echo "Skipping MCP server functionality checks"