diff --git a/fail2ban/client/fail2bancmdline.py b/fail2ban/client/fail2bancmdline.py
index 9110a2b8..19f596a2 100644
--- a/fail2ban/client/fail2bancmdline.py
+++ b/fail2ban/client/fail2bancmdline.py
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ PRODUCTION = True
 
 MAX_WAITTIME = 30
 
+
 class Fail2banCmdLine():
 
 	def __init__(self):
@@ -256,14 +257,23 @@ class Fail2banCmdLine():
 			output(c)
 		return True
 
+	#
+	# _exit is made to ease mocking out of the behaviour in tests,
+	# since method is also exposed in API via globally bound variable
 	@staticmethod
-	def exit(code=0): # pragma: no cover - can't test
-		logSys.debug("Exit with code %s", code)
+	def _exit(code=0):
 		if hasattr(os, '_exit') and os._exit:
 			os._exit(code)
 		else:
 			sys.exit(code)
 
+	@staticmethod
+	def exit(code=0):
+		logSys.debug("Exit with code %s", code)
+		# import pdb; pdb.set_trace()
+		Fail2banCmdLine._exit(code)
+
+
 # global exit handler:
 exit = Fail2banCmdLine.exit
 
diff --git a/fail2ban/tests/fail2banclienttestcase.py b/fail2ban/tests/fail2banclienttestcase.py
index e69d31e1..fa8a210c 100644
--- a/fail2ban/tests/fail2banclienttestcase.py
+++ b/fail2ban/tests/fail2banclienttestcase.py
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ from functools import wraps
 from threading import Thread
 
 from ..client import fail2banclient, fail2banserver, fail2bancmdline
+from ..client.fail2bancmdline import Fail2banCmdLine
 from ..client.fail2banclient import exec_command_line as _exec_client, VisualWait
 from ..client.fail2banserver import Fail2banServer, exec_command_line as _exec_server
 from .. import protocol
@@ -92,17 +93,6 @@ class FailExitException(fail2bancmdline.ExitException):
 	pass
 
 
-def _test_exit(code=0):
-	logSys.debug("Exit with code %s", code)
-	if code == 0:
-		raise ExitException()
-	else:
-		raise FailExitException()
-
-fail2bancmdline.exit = \
-fail2banclient.exit = \
-fail2banserver.exit = _test_exit
-
 INTERACT = []
 
 
@@ -256,11 +246,22 @@ class Fail2banClientServerBase(LogCaptureTestCase):
 	def setUp(self):
 		"""Call before every test case."""
 		LogCaptureTestCase.setUp(self)
+		Fail2banCmdLine._exit = staticmethod(self._test_exit)
 
 	def tearDown(self):
 		"""Call after every test case."""
+		Fail2banCmdLine._exit = self._orig_exit
 		LogCaptureTestCase.tearDown(self)
 
+	_orig_exit = Fail2banCmdLine._exit
+
+	@staticmethod
+	def _test_exit(code=0):
+		if code == 0:
+			raise ExitException()
+		else:
+			raise FailExitException()
+
 	def _wait_for_srv(self, tmp, ready=True, startparams=None):
 		try:
 			sock = pjoin(tmp, "f2b.sock")