diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index ed8711565..fa869e720 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -35,6 +35,8 @@ before_install:
  - sudo apt-get install -qq python-pygments qt5-default qt5-qmake qtbase5-dev qtcreator libxml2-utils libpcre3 gdb unzip
 
 script:
+# fail the entire job as soon as one of the subcommands exist not-zero to save time and resources
+  - set -e
 # download clang git, compile cppcheck, run cppcheck on clang code to look for crashes in cppcheck. if this is done, terminate build
   - if [[ "$CHECK_CLANG" == "yes" ]] && [[ "$CC" == "clang" ]]; then wget "https://github.com/llvm-mirror/clang/archive/bcaf7f2abe47b0dab055f1a0ec011ed9c2a3d3ea.zip" & make -j 4 & wait; unzip bcaf7f2abe47b0dab055f1a0ec011ed9c2a3d3ea.zip > /dev/null; touch /tmp/clang.cppcheck; cd ./clang-bcaf7f2abe47b0dab055f1a0ec011ed9c2a3d3ea ; ../cppcheck . --max-configs=1 --enable=all --inconclusive --exception-handling --template="{callstack} ({severity}) {message} [{id}]" -iINPUTS -itest/Driver/Inputs/gen-response.c -itest/Index/index-many-logical-ops.c -itest/Sema/many-logical-ops.c -j 2 |& tee /tmp/clang.cppcheck; cd ../ ; echo "CLANG" ; ! grep "process crashed with signal\|Internal error\. compiled" /tmp/clang.cppcheck; exit; fi
 # check llvm as well