diff --git a/CHANGELOG.adoc b/CHANGELOG.adoc
index 56f677d70c2f5c7aa02a0cc3e13a21c5971f5b0b..c8db70f5c36f2427a70c80c80dcdfded414a2c7d 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.adoc
+++ b/CHANGELOG.adoc
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ For a detailed view of what's changed, refer to the {url-repo}/commits[commit hi
 === Added
 
 * add an optional `clean` configuration key on each collector entry to specify a directory to clean (i.e., remove) (#10)
+* add `on_failure` key to run entry to allow failed command to be logged or ignored instead of thrown (#5)
 
 === Changed
 
diff --git a/docs/modules/ROOT/pages/configuration-keys.adoc b/docs/modules/ROOT/pages/configuration-keys.adoc
index a07579955e528f83f127a7053542a03fae9f83e8..4a180f1b645ca34757d79311ddbf2b71e0283df2 100644
--- a/docs/modules/ROOT/pages/configuration-keys.adoc
+++ b/docs/modules/ROOT/pages/configuration-keys.adoc
@@ -124,6 +124,13 @@ This setting effectively disables looking for a global command on the current us
 
 If the command ends with `.js`, the Node.js binary used to run Antora is also used to run the command.
 
+The `on_failure` key can be used to control what happens when the command fails.
+A failed command is one that exits with a non-zero exit value.
+If the value is `ignore`, the failure is silently ignored.
+If the value is `log`, the failure is logged at the error level.
+The level can be tuned by appending it as a property on the log keyword (e.g., `log.warn`).
+If the value is `throw` (the default), the error bubbles, which causes the executio of Antora to immediately stop, just like any other fatal error.
+
 [#scan-key]
 == scan key
 
@@ -218,6 +225,11 @@ This key can be set implicitly by prepending the command with `./`.
 |Not set (false)
 |Boolean
 
+|`run.on_failure`
+|Controls the behavior when the command fails (exits with a non-zero exit value).
+|throw
+|throw, ignore, log (same as log.error), log.<level>
+
 |`scan.dir`
 |Defines the location from where the extension collects the generated files after the previous command is complete.
 The extension then imports the collected files into the bucket in the content aggregate.
diff --git a/packages/collector-extension/lib/index.js b/packages/collector-extension/lib/index.js
index 1ad3acb48a4f8440c4437bcfb48ff71a23ffb123..3751847c55b5e525830d612643529e1c2b71f54d 100644
--- a/packages/collector-extension/lib/index.js
+++ b/packages/collector-extension/lib/index.js
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ const PACKAGE_NAME = require('../package.json').name
 
 module.exports.register = function () {
   this.once('contentAggregated', async ({ playbook, contentAggregate }) => {
+    let logger
     const quiet = playbook.runtime?.quiet
     const cacheDir = ospath.join(getBaseCacheDir(playbook), 'collector')
     //await fsp.rm(cacheDir, { force: true, recursive: true, force: true }) // Q: should we try to reuse existing cache?
@@ -68,7 +69,7 @@ module.exports.register = function () {
           for (const clean of cleans) {
             await fsp.rm(clean.dir, { recursive: true, force: true })
           }
-          for (const { dir: cwd, command, local } of runs) {
+          for (const { dir: cwd, command, local, onFailure = 'throw' } of runs) {
             if (command) {
               let cmd = command
               const opts = { cwd, output: true, quiet }
@@ -84,10 +85,15 @@ module.exports.register = function () {
                 await runCommand(cmd, [], opts)
               } catch (err) {
                 const loc = worktree || url
-                const flag = worktree ? ' <worktree>' : remote && worktree === false ? ` <remotes/${remote}>` : ''
+                const qualifier = worktree ? ' <worktree>' : remote && worktree === false ? ` <remotes/${remote}>` : ''
                 const pathInfo = startPath ? ` | start path: ${startPath}` : ''
-                const ctx = ` in ${loc} (${reftype}: ${refname}${flag}${pathInfo})`
-                throw Object.assign(err, { message: `(${PACKAGE_NAME}): ${err.message.replace(/$/m, ctx)}` })
+                err.message = err.message.replace(/$/m, ` in ${loc} (${reftype}: ${refname}${qualifier}${pathInfo})`)
+                if (onFailure === 'throw') {
+                  throw Object.assign(err, { message: `(${PACKAGE_NAME}): ${err.message}` })
+                } else if (onFailure === 'log' || onFailure?.startsWith('log.')) {
+                  const logLevel = onFailure.split('log.')[1] || 'error'
+                  if ((logger ??= this.getLogger(PACKAGE_NAME)).isLevelEnabled(logLevel)) logger[logLevel](err)
+                }
               }
             }
           }
diff --git a/packages/collector-extension/lib/util/run-command.js b/packages/collector-extension/lib/util/run-command.js
index 7c5717a319b1ac849f6d5456b89253ac612605db..7db1aacab5ef1e8a9247ef0a7411efdc8e79036e 100644
--- a/packages/collector-extension/lib/util/run-command.js
+++ b/packages/collector-extension/lib/util/run-command.js
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ async function runCommand (cmd, argv = [], opts = {}) {
           resolve(Buffer.from(stdout.join('')))
         }
       } else {
-        let msg = `Command failed: ${ps.spawnargs.join(' ')}`
+        let msg = `Command failed with exit code ${code}: ${ps.spawnargs.join(' ')}`
         if (stderr.length) msg += '\n' + stderr.join('')
         reject(new Error(msg))
       }
diff --git a/packages/collector-extension/test/collector-extension-test.js b/packages/collector-extension/test/collector-extension-test.js
index 6facd4057140c0133a826d8ed63102f6f795c898..0f1ccca8d73afa8adfedce285823aea27fba961e 100644
--- a/packages/collector-extension/test/collector-extension-test.js
+++ b/packages/collector-extension/test/collector-extension-test.js
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ const REPOS_DIR = ospath.join(WORK_DIR, 'repos')
 describe('collector extension', () => {
   let gitServer
   let gitServerPort
+  let messages
 
   const cleanWorkDir = async (opts = {}) => {
     await fsp.rm(WORK_DIR, { recursive: true, force: true })
@@ -60,6 +61,10 @@ describe('collector extension', () => {
     await fsp.rm(WORK_DIR, { recursive: true, force: true })
   })
 
+  beforeEach(async () => {
+    messages = []
+  })
+
   afterEach(async () => {
     await cleanWorkDir()
   })
@@ -80,6 +85,22 @@ describe('collector extension', () => {
       once (eventName, fn) {
         this[eventName] = fn
       },
+      getLogger: (name) =>
+        new Proxy(
+          {},
+          {
+            get (target, property) {
+              if (property === 'isLevelEnabled') return () => true
+              return (msg, err) => {
+                if (msg instanceof Error) {
+                  err = msg
+                  msg = undefined
+                }
+                messages.push({ name, level: property, msg, err })
+              }
+            },
+          }
+        ),
     })
 
     const createRepository = async ({ repoName, fixture = repoName, branches, tags, startPath, collectorConfig }) => {
@@ -1139,7 +1160,7 @@ describe('collector extension', () => {
     it('should throw error if command is not found', async () => {
       const collectorConfig = { run: { command: 'no-such-command' } }
       const expectedMessage = windows
-        ? 'Command failed: '
+        ? 'Command failed'
         : '(@antora/collector-extension): Command not found: no-such-command in ' +
           `http://localhost:${gitServerPort}/test-at-root/.git (branch: main)`
       expect(await trapAsyncError(() => runScenario({ repoName: 'test-at-root', collectorConfig }))).to.throw(
@@ -1151,7 +1172,7 @@ describe('collector extension', () => {
     it('should throw error if command is not found for origin with start path', async () => {
       const collectorConfig = { run: { command: 'no-such-command' } }
       const expectedMessage = windows
-        ? 'Command failed: '
+        ? 'Command failed'
         : '(@antora/collector-extension): Command not found: no-such-command in ' +
           `http://localhost:${gitServerPort}/test-at-start-path/.git (branch: main | start path: docs)`
       expect(
@@ -1162,7 +1183,7 @@ describe('collector extension', () => {
     it('should throw error if command is not found when using local worktree', async () => {
       const collectorConfig = { run: { command: 'no-such-command' } }
       const expectedMessage = windows
-        ? 'Command failed: '
+        ? 'Command failed'
         : '(@antora/collector-extension): Command not found: no-such-command in ' +
           `${ospath.join(REPOS_DIR, 'test-at-root')} (branch: main <worktree>)`
       expect(
@@ -1170,6 +1191,51 @@ describe('collector extension', () => {
       ).to.throw(Error, expectedMessage)
     })
 
+    // also verifies that node command is replaced with process.execPath
+    it('should throw error if command fails to complete successfully', async () => {
+      const collectorConfig = { run: { command: 'node .gen-failure.js' } }
+      const expectedMessage =
+        '(@antora/collector-extension): Command failed with exit code 1: ' +
+        (windows ? '' : `${process.execPath} .gen-failure.js in `)
+      expect(await trapAsyncError(() => runScenario({ repoName: 'test-at-root', collectorConfig }))).to.throw(
+        Error,
+        expectedMessage
+      )
+    })
+
+    it('should ignore error if command fails when on_failure is ignore', async () => {
+      const collectorConfig = { run: { command: 'no-such-command', on_failure: 'ignore' } }
+      expect(await trapAsyncError(() => runScenario({ repoName: 'test-at-root', collectorConfig }))).to.not.throw()
+    })
+
+    it('should log error if command fails when on_failure is log', async () => {
+      const collectorConfig = { run: { command: 'no-such-command', on_failure: 'log' } }
+      const expectedMessage = windows
+        ? 'Command failed'
+        : `Command not found: no-such-command in http://localhost:${gitServerPort}/test-at-root/.git (branch: main)`
+      expect(await trapAsyncError(() => runScenario({ repoName: 'test-at-root', collectorConfig }))).to.not.throw()
+      expect(messages).to.have.lengthOf(1)
+      const message = messages[0]
+      expect(message).to.contain({ name: '@antora/collector-extension', level: 'error', msg: undefined })
+      const err = message.err
+      expect(err).to.be.instanceOf(Error)
+      expect(err.message).to.include(expectedMessage)
+    })
+
+    it('should log at specified level if command fails when on_failure is log.warn', async () => {
+      const collectorConfig = { run: { command: 'no-such-command', on_failure: 'log.warn' } }
+      const expectedMessage = windows
+        ? 'Command failed'
+        : `Command not found: no-such-command in http://localhost:${gitServerPort}/test-at-root/.git (branch: main)`
+      expect(await trapAsyncError(() => runScenario({ repoName: 'test-at-root', collectorConfig }))).to.not.throw()
+      expect(messages).to.have.lengthOf(1)
+      const message = messages[0]
+      expect(message).to.contain({ name: '@antora/collector-extension', level: 'warn', msg: undefined })
+      const err = message.err
+      expect(err).to.be.instanceOf(Error)
+      expect(err.message).to.include(expectedMessage)
+    })
+
     it('should not run collector if no origins are found on content aggregate', async () => {
       await runScenario({
         repoName: 'test-at-root',
diff --git a/packages/collector-extension/test/fixtures/test-at-root/.gen-failure.js b/packages/collector-extension/test/fixtures/test-at-root/.gen-failure.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..797ce86ec399700c1906ac5867dd6ac12233d086
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/collector-extension/test/fixtures/test-at-root/.gen-failure.js
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+'use strict'
+
+const fsp = require('node:fs/promises')
+
+;(async () => {
+  await fsp.writeFile('path/does/not/exist/file.adoc', 'content', 'utf8')
+})()