diff --git a/apps/pdfcraft-cli/src/options.rs b/apps/pdfcraft-cli/src/options.rs
--- a/apps/pdfcraft-cli/src/options.rs
+++ b/apps/pdfcraft-cli/src/options.rs
@@ -54,12 +54,11 @@ pub(crate) fn validate_options(command: &str, args: &[String], specs: &[OptionSp
             let Some(spec) = specs.iter().find(|spec| spec.name == arg) else {
                 return Err(format!("{command}: unknown option --{name}").into());
             };
-            // A file's name is not another option, which also closes the gap the walk left for
-            // those: an unknown option in that value position was skipped along with it. Other
-            // values, missing or malformed, are left to the command, which reports them in its
-            // own terms (`text` and `extract` explain what a page value must be).
             i += if spec.takes_value {
                 let value = args.get(i + 1).map(String::as_str);
+                if value.is_none() {
+                    return Err(needs_value(command, spec.name, value).into());
+                }
                 if !can_be_path_value(spec.name, value) {
                     return Err(needs_value(command, spec.name, value).into());
                 }
diff --git a/apps/pdfcraft-cli/tests/it/options.rs b/apps/pdfcraft-cli/tests/it/options.rs
--- a/apps/pdfcraft-cli/tests/it/options.rs
+++ b/apps/pdfcraft-cli/tests/it/options.rs
@@ -113,3 +113,63 @@ fn an_argument_that_is_not_utf8_is_an_error_not_a_panic() {
         assert!(!stderr.contains("panicked"), "{stderr}");
     }
 }
+
+fn assert_missing_value(args: &[&str], command: &str, option: &str) {
+    use std::sync::atomic::{AtomicUsize, Ordering};
+    static NEXT: AtomicUsize = AtomicUsize::new(0);
+    let dir = std::env::temp_dir().join(format!(
+        "pdfcraft-cli-missing-{}-{}-{}",
+        std::process::id(),
+        std::time::SystemTime::now().duration_since(std::time::UNIX_EPOCH).unwrap().as_nanos(),
+        NEXT.fetch_add(1, Ordering::Relaxed)
+    ));
+    std::fs::create_dir(&dir).unwrap();
+    let out = Command::new(BIN).current_dir(&dir).args(args).output().unwrap();
+    let stderr = String::from_utf8_lossy(&out.stderr);
+    assert_eq!(out.status.code(), Some(1), "{args:?}: {stderr}");
+    assert!(stderr.contains(&format!("{command}: {option} needs a value")), "{args:?}: {stderr}");
+    assert!(!stderr.contains("missing.pdf"), "{args:?}: {stderr}");
+    assert_eq!(std::fs::read_dir(&dir).unwrap().count(), 0, "{args:?}: wrote files");
+    std::fs::remove_dir(&dir).unwrap();
+}
+
+macro_rules! missing_value_test {
+    ($name:ident, $command:literal, $option:literal, [$($arg:literal),+ $(,)?]) => {
+        #[test]
+        fn $name() {
+            assert_missing_value(&[$($arg),+], $command, $option);
+        }
+    };
+}
+
+missing_value_test!(missing_render_dpi, "render", "--dpi", ["render", "missing.pdf", "--out", "unused.png", "--dpi"]);
+missing_value_test!(missing_render_page, "render", "--page", ["render", "missing.pdf", "--out", "unused.png", "--page"]);
+missing_value_test!(missing_info_password, "info", "--password", ["info", "missing.pdf", "--password"]);
+missing_value_test!(missing_check_timeout, "check", "--timeout", ["check", "missing.pdf", "--timeout"]);
+missing_value_test!(missing_split_out_dir, "split", "--out-dir", ["split", "missing.pdf", "--every", "1", "--out-dir"]);
+missing_value_test!(missing_split_every, "split", "--every", ["split", "missing.pdf", "--every"]);
+missing_value_test!(missing_split_before, "split", "--before", ["split", "missing.pdf", "--before"]);
+missing_value_test!(missing_extract_pages, "extract", "--pages", ["extract", "missing.pdf", "--pages"]);
+missing_value_test!(missing_repeated_render_dpi, "render", "--dpi", ["render", "missing.pdf", "--out", "unused.png", "--dpi", "36", "--dpi"]);
+missing_value_test!(missing_audit_password, "audit", "--password", ["audit", "missing.pdf", "--password"]);
+missing_value_test!(missing_text_page, "text", "--page", ["text", "missing.pdf", "--page"]);
+missing_value_test!(missing_text_password, "text", "--password", ["text", "missing.pdf", "--password"]);
+missing_value_test!(missing_combine_out, "combine", "--out", ["combine", "missing.pdf", "--out"]);
+missing_value_test!(missing_extract_out, "extract", "--out", ["extract", "missing.pdf", "--out"]);
+missing_value_test!(missing_extract_password, "extract", "--password", ["extract", "missing.pdf", "--password"]);
+missing_value_test!(missing_split_password, "split", "--password", ["split", "missing.pdf", "--every", "1", "--password"]);
+missing_value_test!(missing_render_out, "render", "--out", ["render", "missing.pdf", "--out"]);
+missing_value_test!(missing_render_password, "render", "--password", ["render", "missing.pdf", "--out", "unused.png", "--password"]);
+missing_value_test!(missing_check_one_dpi, "check-one", "--dpi", ["check-one", "missing.pdf", "--dpi"]);
+missing_value_test!(missing_check_dpi, "check", "--dpi", ["check", "missing.pdf", "--dpi"]);
+missing_value_test!(missing_check_json, "check", "--json", ["check", "missing.pdf", "--json"]);
+missing_value_test!(missing_run_script, "run", "--script", ["run", "--script"]);
+missing_value_test!(missing_run_out, "run", "--out", ["run", "--out"]);
+missing_value_test!(missing_ui_control, "ui", "--control", ["ui", "--control"]);
+missing_value_test!(missing_ui_out, "ui", "--out", ["ui", "--out"]);
+missing_value_test!(missing_batch_out_dir, "batch", "--out-dir", ["batch", "--out-dir"]);
+missing_value_test!(missing_batch_steps, "batch", "--steps", ["batch", "--steps"]);
+missing_value_test!(missing_batch_ppi, "batch", "--ppi", ["batch", "--ppi"]);
+missing_value_test!(missing_batch_quality, "batch", "--quality", ["batch", "--quality"]);
+missing_value_test!(missing_batch_dpi, "batch", "--dpi", ["batch", "--dpi"]);
+missing_value_test!(missing_batch_language, "batch", "--language", ["batch", "--language"]);
diff --git a/apps/pdfcraft-cli/tests/it/render.rs b/apps/pdfcraft-cli/tests/it/render.rs
--- a/apps/pdfcraft-cli/tests/it/render.rs
+++ b/apps/pdfcraft-cli/tests/it/render.rs
@@ -112,3 +112,31 @@ fn a_page_or_dpi_the_renderer_cannot_use_is_refused_before_reading_the_file() {
         assert!(!out.exists(), "{option} {value}: no output may be written");
     }
 }
+
+#[test]
+fn missing_render_values_do_not_write_output() {
+    let pdf = fixture("missing-values");
+    let original = std::fs::read(&pdf).unwrap();
+    for option in ["--dpi", "--page"] {
+        let out = tmp("missing-values", &format!("{}.png", &option[2..]));
+        let _ = std::fs::remove_file(&out);
+        let result = Command::new(BIN).args(["render", pdf.to_str().unwrap(), "--out", out.to_str().unwrap(), option]).output().unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(result.status.code(), Some(1), "{option}: {}", String::from_utf8_lossy(&result.stderr));
+        assert!(String::from_utf8_lossy(&result.stderr).contains(&format!("render: {option} needs a value")));
+        assert!(!out.exists());
+        assert_eq!(std::fs::read(&pdf).unwrap(), original);
+    }
+    let out = tmp("missing-values", "default.png");
+    let _ = std::fs::remove_file(&out);
+    let result = Command::new(BIN).args(["render", pdf.to_str().unwrap(), "--out", out.to_str().unwrap()]).output().unwrap();
+    assert!(result.status.success(), "{}", String::from_utf8_lossy(&result.stderr));
+    assert!(out.exists());
+    assert_eq!(std::fs::read(&pdf).unwrap(), original);
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn info_accepts_an_empty_password() {
+    let pdf = fixture("empty-password");
+    let result = Command::new(BIN).args(["info", pdf.to_str().unwrap(), "--password", ""]).output().unwrap();
+    assert!(result.status.success(), "{}", String::from_utf8_lossy(&result.stderr));
+}
diff --git a/apps/pdfcraft-cli/tests/it/text.rs b/apps/pdfcraft-cli/tests/it/text.rs
--- a/apps/pdfcraft-cli/tests/it/text.rs
+++ b/apps/pdfcraft-cli/tests/it/text.rs
@@ -167,23 +167,25 @@ mod page_argument_tests {
         let bytes = fixture(3);
         std::fs::write(&path, &bytes).unwrap();
         let missing = dir.0.join("missing.pdf");
+        let bad_page = "pdfcraft-cli: bad --page: expected a positive page number";
+        let missing_page = "pdfcraft-cli: text: --page needs a value";
         let invalid = [
-            vec!["--page", "0"],
-            vec!["--page", ""],
-            vec!["--page", "bad"],
-            vec!["--page", "-1"],
-            vec!["--page", "1.5"],
-            vec!["--page", "18446744073709551616"],
-            vec!["--page"],
-            vec!["--page", "--password", "unused"],
-            vec!["--page", "2", "--page"],
+            (vec!["--page", "0"], bad_page),
+            (vec!["--page", ""], bad_page),
+            (vec!["--page", "bad"], bad_page),
+            (vec!["--page", "-1"], bad_page),
+            (vec!["--page", "1.5"], bad_page),
+            (vec!["--page", "18446744073709551616"], bad_page),
+            (vec!["--page"], missing_page),
+            (vec!["--page", "--password", "unused"], bad_page),
+            (vec!["--page", "2", "--page"], missing_page),
         ];
         for input in [&path, &missing] {
-            for args in &invalid {
+            for (args, expected) in &invalid {
                 let out = Command::new(BIN).arg("text").arg(input).args(args).output().unwrap();
                 assert_eq!(out.status.code(), Some(1), "{args:?}: {out:?}");
                 assert!(out.stdout.is_empty(), "{args:?}: no text may be printed");
-                assert_eq!(String::from_utf8(out.stderr).unwrap().trim(), "pdfcraft-cli: bad --page: expected a positive page number");
+                assert_eq!(String::from_utf8(out.stderr).unwrap().trim(), *expected);
                 assert_eq!(std::fs::read(&path).unwrap(), bytes);
                 assert!(!missing.exists());
             }