diff --git a/TODO b/TODO
index b384016c..62f2b02c 100644
--- a/TODO
+++ b/TODO
@@ -1,7 +1,5 @@
 Working TODO list:
 
- - Add an (exit) primitive in the compiler and interpreter
-
  - Issues with detecting cycles:
    - (equal?) loops forever when comparing two different circular lists
    - printing *global-environment* in the repl still loops forever
diff --git a/cgen.scm b/cgen.scm
index f1c31104..8f4db262 100644
--- a/cgen.scm
+++ b/cgen.scm
@@ -433,6 +433,7 @@
      ((eq? p '<=)                    "__num_lte")
      ((eq? p 'apply)                 "apply")
      ((eq? p '%halt)                 "__halt")
+     ((eq? p 'exit)                  "__halt")
      ((eq? p 'error)                 "Cyc_error")
      ((eq? p 'current-input-port)    "Cyc_io_current_input_port")
      ((eq? p 'open-input-file)       "Cyc_io_open_input_file")
diff --git a/eval.scm b/eval.scm
index 2e92833c..919c14ab 100644
--- a/eval.scm
+++ b/eval.scm
@@ -199,6 +199,7 @@
       (list '<= <=)
       (list 'apply apply)
       (list '%halt %halt)
+      (list 'exit exit)
       (list 'error error)
       (list 'cons cons)
       (list 'cell-get cell-get)
diff --git a/runtime.h b/runtime.h
index d8a527eb..a8272bd8 100644
--- a/runtime.h
+++ b/runtime.h
@@ -1171,6 +1171,10 @@ static void _Cyc_91get_91cvar(object cont, object args) {
     printf("not implemented\n"); exit(1); }
 static void _Cyc_91set_91cvar_67(object cont, object args) {  
     printf("not implemented\n"); exit(1); }
+/* Note we cannot use _exit (per convention) because it is reserved by C */
+static void _cyc_exit(object cont, object args) {  
+    __halt(car(args));
+}
 static void __75halt(object cont, object args) {  
     printf("not implemented\n"); exit(1); }
 static void _cell_91get(object cont, object args) {  
@@ -1263,6 +1267,7 @@ defprimitive(_125_123, >=, &__125_123); /* >= */
 defprimitive(_121_123, <=, &__121_123); /* <= */
 defprimitive(apply, apply, &_apply); /* apply */
 defprimitive(_75halt, %halt, &__75halt); /* %halt */
+defprimitive(exit, exit, &_cyc_exit); /* exit */
 defprimitive(error, error, &_error); /* error */
 defprimitive(cons, cons, &_cons); /* cons */
 defprimitive(cell_91get, cell-get, &_cell_91get); /* cell-get */
diff --git a/trans.scm b/trans.scm
index 524a145a..ae794446 100644
--- a/trans.scm
+++ b/trans.scm
@@ -517,6 +517,7 @@
      apply
      %halt
      error
+     exit
      cons
      cell-get
      set-global!