diff --git a/src/BizHawk.Client.Common/ArgParser.cs b/src/BizHawk.Client.Common/ArgParser.cs
index a3345b21c3..72d4bf7634 100644
--- a/src/BizHawk.Client.Common/ArgParser.cs
+++ b/src/BizHawk.Client.Common/ArgParser.cs
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ using System.CommandLine.Parsing;
 using System.Linq;
 using System.Net.Sockets;
 
+using BizHawk.Common;
 using BizHawk.Common.CollectionExtensions;
 using BizHawk.Common.StringExtensions;
 
@@ -147,13 +148,13 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.Common
 		public static int? ParseArguments(out ParsedCLIFlags parsed, string[] args)
 		{
 			parsed = default;
-			if (args.Length is not 0) Console.WriteLine($"parsing command-line flags: {string.Join(" ", args)}");
+			if (args.Length is not 0) Console.Error.WriteLine($"parsing command-line flags: {string.Join(" ", args)}");
 			var result = Parser.Parse(args);
 			if (result.Errors.Count is not 0)
 			{
 				// write all to stdout and show first in modal dialog (done in `catch` block in `Program`)
-				Console.WriteLine("failed to parse command-line arguments:");
-				foreach (var error in result.Errors) Console.WriteLine(error.Message);
+				Console.Error.WriteLine("failed to parse command-line arguments:");
+				foreach (var error in result.Errors) Console.Error.WriteLine(error.Message);
 				throw new ArgParserException($"failed to parse command-line arguments: {result.Errors[0].Message}");
 			}
 			var triggeredGeneratedOption = GeneratedOptions.FirstOrDefault(o => result.FindResultFor(o) is not null);
@@ -168,6 +169,12 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.Common
 					return exitCode;
 				}
 			}
+			if (result.GetValueForOption(OptionQueryAppVersion))
+			{
+				// means e.g. `./EmuHawkMono.sh --version` was passed, so print that and exit immediately
+				Console.WriteLine(VersionInfo.GetEmuVersion());
+				return 0;
+			}
 
 			var autoDumpLength = result.GetValueForOption(OptionAVDumpEndAtFrame);
 			HashSet<int>? currAviWriterFrameList = null;
@@ -218,7 +225,6 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.Common
 				cmdDumpType: result.GetValueForOption(OptionAVDumpType),
 				currAviWriterFrameList: currAviWriterFrameList,
 				autoDumpLength: autoDumpLength ?? 0,
-				printVersion: result.GetValueForOption(OptionQueryAppVersion),
 				cmdDumpName: result.GetValueForOption(OptionAVDumpName),
 				autoCloseOnDump: result.GetValueForOption(OptionAVDumpQuitWhenDone),
 				chromeless: result.GetValueForOption(OptionLaunchChromeless),
diff --git a/src/BizHawk.Client.Common/ParsedCLIFlags.cs b/src/BizHawk.Client.Common/ParsedCLIFlags.cs
index bf98c55771..81dd4aa8b9 100644
--- a/src/BizHawk.Client.Common/ParsedCLIFlags.cs
+++ b/src/BizHawk.Client.Common/ParsedCLIFlags.cs
@@ -21,8 +21,6 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.Common
 
 		public readonly int _autoDumpLength;
 
-		public readonly bool printVersion;
-
 		public readonly string? cmdDumpName;
 
 		public readonly bool _autoCloseOnDump;
@@ -61,7 +59,6 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.Common
 			string? cmdDumpType,
 			HashSet<int>? currAviWriterFrameList,
 			int autoDumpLength,
-			bool printVersion,
 			string? cmdDumpName,
 			bool autoCloseOnDump,
 			bool chromeless,
@@ -85,7 +82,6 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.Common
 			this.cmdDumpType = cmdDumpType;
 			_currAviWriterFrameList = currAviWriterFrameList;
 			_autoDumpLength = autoDumpLength;
-			this.printVersion = printVersion;
 			this.cmdDumpName = cmdDumpName;
 			_autoCloseOnDump = autoCloseOnDump;
 			_chromeless = chromeless;
diff --git a/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/MainForm.cs b/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/MainForm.cs
index 3f023ffc81..998f524eb2 100644
--- a/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/MainForm.cs
+++ b/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/MainForm.cs
@@ -896,15 +896,6 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 				ToggleFullscreen();
 			}
 
-			// Simply exit the program if the version is asked for
-			if (_argParser.printVersion)
-			{
-				// Print the version
-				Console.WriteLine(VersionInfo.GetEmuVersion());
-				// Return and leave
-				return _exitCode;
-			}
-
 			CaptureMouse(Config.CaptureMouse);
 
 			// incantation required to get the program reliably on top of the console window