diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index c93125e..5b0c75e 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -60,6 +60,41 @@ $ commitlint lint "Add gateway"
 
 The same in `--mode warn` prints the finding but exits 0.
 
+## JSON output
+
+`--json` emits the same run as a structured document, for CI annotations,
+dashboards, or `jq`. Exit codes are unchanged.
+
+```
+$ commitlint lint --json "Add gateway"
+{
+  "conforms": false,
+  "checked": 1,
+  "failed": 1,
+  "blocking": true,
+  "results": [
+    {
+      "label": "message",
+      "subject": "Add gateway",
+      "problems": [
+        {
+          "rule": "format",
+          "message": "subject must be `type(scope)?: description`, got \"Add gateway\""
+        }
+      ]
+    }
+  ]
+}
+```
+
+`blocking` is what drove the exit code: it is `false` in `--mode warn` even when
+`failed` is non-zero, so a consumer can distinguish "found problems" from
+"failed the run". `problems` is always an array, never `null`.
+
+```sh
+commitlint lint --json --range origin/main..HEAD | jq -r '.results[].problems[].rule'
+```
+
 ## Modes
 
 - `--mode block` (default): violations fail the run (exit 1).
diff --git a/main.go b/main.go
index ec59900..f8b599e 100644
--- a/main.go
+++ b/main.go
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 //	--max-subject-length / COMMITLINT_MAX_SUBJECT_LENGTH / "max_subject_length"
 //	--allow-revert-prefix / COMMITLINT_ALLOW_REVERT_PREFIX / "allow_revert_prefix"
 //	--no-strict / COMMITLINT_NO_STRICT / "no_strict"           keep git '#' comments
+//	--json: emit results as JSON instead of text; exit codes are unchanged
 //	--mode / COMMITLINT_MODE: block (exit 1 on problems) or warn (always exit 0)
 //	--config: JSON config path (default: .commitlint.json if present)
 package main
@@ -70,6 +71,7 @@ flags:
   --max-subject-length N  max subject line length (default 72)
   --allow-revert-prefix   accept git's default 'Revert "..."' subjects
   --no-strict             keep git's '#' comment lines instead of stripping them
+  --json                  emit results as JSON (exit codes are unchanged)
   --config PATH           JSON config file (default: .commitlint.json if present)`)
 }
 
@@ -87,6 +89,7 @@ func runLint(args []string) int {
 	fs.Var(&noStrict, "no-strict", "")
 	maxLen := fs.String("max-subject-length", "", "")
 	configPath := fs.String("config", "", "")
+	jsonOut := fs.Bool("json", false, "")
 	fs.Usage = usage
 	fs.Parse(args)
 
@@ -109,29 +112,77 @@ func runLint(args []string) int {
 		return 2
 	}
 
-	failed := 0
+	report := Report{Results: make([]Result, 0, len(messages))}
 	for i, msg := range messages {
 		problems := lint.Message(msg, cfg)
-		if len(problems) == 0 {
-			continue
+		if problems == nil {
+			problems = []lint.Problem{} // marshal as [], not null
+		}
+		report.Results = append(report.Results, Result{
+			Label:    labels[i],
+			Subject:  strings.SplitN(msg, "\n", 2)[0],
+			Problems: problems,
+		})
+		if len(problems) > 0 {
+			report.Failed++
 		}
-		failed++
-		subject := strings.SplitN(msg, "\n", 2)[0]
-		fmt.Printf("✗ %s: %q\n", labels[i], subject)
-		for _, p := range problems {
-			fmt.Printf("    %s\n", p)
+	}
+	report.Checked = len(messages)
+	report.Conforms = report.Failed == 0
+	// warn mode reports what it found but never fails the run.
+	report.Blocking = blockMode && !report.Conforms
+
+	if *jsonOut {
+		enc := json.NewEncoder(os.Stdout)
+		enc.SetIndent("", "  ")
+		if err := enc.Encode(report); err != nil {
+			fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, "commitlint:", err)
+			return 2
 		}
+	} else {
+		report.writeText(os.Stdout)
 	}
-	if failed == 0 {
-		fmt.Printf("✓ %d message(s) conform to Conventional Commits\n", len(messages))
-		return 0
+	if report.Blocking {
+		return 1
+	}
+	return 0
+}
+
+// Report is the full outcome of one lint run. It is the --json payload, so
+// field names and shapes are part of the CLI's contract.
+type Report struct {
+	Conforms bool     `json:"conforms"`
+	Checked  int      `json:"checked"`
+	Failed   int      `json:"failed"`
+	Blocking bool     `json:"blocking"` // false in warn mode even when failed > 0
+	Results  []Result `json:"results"`
+}
+
+// Result is one linted message and everything found wrong with it.
+type Result struct {
+	Label    string         `json:"label"` // where the message came from
+	Subject  string         `json:"subject"`
+	Problems []lint.Problem `json:"problems"`
+}
+
+func (r Report) writeText(w io.Writer) {
+	for _, res := range r.Results {
+		if len(res.Problems) == 0 {
+			continue
+		}
+		fmt.Fprintf(w, "✗ %s: %q\n", res.Label, res.Subject)
+		for _, p := range res.Problems {
+			fmt.Fprintf(w, "    %s\n", p)
+		}
 	}
-	if !blockMode {
-		fmt.Printf("⚠ %d of %d message(s) do not conform (warn mode; not failing)\n", failed, len(messages))
-		return 0
+	switch {
+	case r.Conforms:
+		fmt.Fprintf(w, "✓ %d message(s) conform to Conventional Commits\n", r.Checked)
+	case !r.Blocking:
+		fmt.Fprintf(w, "⚠ %d of %d message(s) do not conform (warn mode; not failing)\n", r.Failed, r.Checked)
+	default:
+		fmt.Fprintf(w, "✗ %d of %d message(s) do not conform\n", r.Failed, r.Checked)
 	}
-	fmt.Printf("✗ %d of %d message(s) do not conform\n", failed, len(messages))
-	return 1
 }
 
 type flagOverrides struct {
diff --git a/main_test.go b/main_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f89a691
--- /dev/null
+++ b/main_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,146 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/DivergentCodes/commitlint/lint"
+)
+
+func report(t *testing.T, results ...Result) Report {
+	t.Helper()
+	r := Report{Results: results, Checked: len(results)}
+	for _, res := range results {
+		if len(res.Problems) > 0 {
+			r.Failed++
+		}
+	}
+	r.Conforms = r.Failed == 0
+	return r
+}
+
+// The --json payload is a CLI contract: field names and shapes must not drift.
+func TestReportJSONShape(t *testing.T) {
+	r := report(t, Result{
+		Label:    "message",
+		Subject:  "Add gateway",
+		Problems: []lint.Problem{{Rule: "format", Message: "bad subject"}},
+	})
+	r.Blocking = true
+
+	data, err := json.Marshal(r)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("marshal: %v", err)
+	}
+	var got map[string]any
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(data, &got); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("unmarshal: %v", err)
+	}
+	for _, key := range []string{"conforms", "checked", "failed", "blocking", "results"} {
+		if _, ok := got[key]; !ok {
+			t.Errorf("missing top-level key %q in %s", key, data)
+		}
+	}
+	if got["conforms"] != false || got["blocking"] != true {
+		t.Errorf("conforms/blocking wrong: %s", data)
+	}
+	res := got["results"].([]any)[0].(map[string]any)
+	for _, key := range []string{"label", "subject", "problems"} {
+		if _, ok := res[key]; !ok {
+			t.Errorf("missing result key %q in %s", key, data)
+		}
+	}
+	p := res["problems"].([]any)[0].(map[string]any)
+	if p["rule"] != "format" || p["message"] != "bad subject" {
+		t.Errorf("problem fields wrong: %s", data)
+	}
+}
+
+// A conforming message must serialize problems as [], not null, so consumers
+// can iterate without a nil check.
+func TestReportEmptyProblemsMarshalAsArray(t *testing.T) {
+	r := report(t, Result{Label: "message", Subject: "feat: ok", Problems: []lint.Problem{}})
+	data, err := json.Marshal(r)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("marshal: %v", err)
+	}
+	if !bytes.Contains(data, []byte(`"problems":[]`)) {
+		t.Errorf("want empty array, got %s", data)
+	}
+	if bytes.Contains(data, []byte("null")) {
+		t.Errorf("payload contains null: %s", data)
+	}
+}
+
+// Text rendering is the default output and must not regress.
+func TestWriteText(t *testing.T) {
+	cases := []struct {
+		name  string
+		build func() Report
+		want  []string
+	}{
+		{
+			"conforming",
+			func() Report {
+				return report(t, Result{Label: "message", Subject: "feat: ok"})
+			},
+			[]string{"✓ 1 message(s) conform"},
+		},
+		{
+			"blocking violation",
+			func() Report {
+				r := report(t, Result{
+					Label:    "message",
+					Subject:  "Add gateway",
+					Problems: []lint.Problem{{Rule: "format", Message: "bad subject"}},
+				})
+				r.Blocking = true
+				return r
+			},
+			[]string{`✗ message: "Add gateway"`, "format: bad subject", "✗ 1 of 1 message(s) do not conform"},
+		},
+		{
+			"warn mode does not claim to fail",
+			func() Report {
+				return report(t, Result{
+					Label:    "message",
+					Subject:  "Add gateway",
+					Problems: []lint.Problem{{Rule: "format", Message: "bad subject"}},
+				})
+			},
+			[]string{"⚠ 1 of 1 message(s) do not conform (warn mode; not failing)"},
+		},
+	}
+	for _, c := range cases {
+		var buf bytes.Buffer
+		c.build().writeText(&buf)
+		for _, want := range c.want {
+			if !strings.Contains(buf.String(), want) {
+				t.Errorf("%s: output missing %q\ngot:\n%s", c.name, want, buf.String())
+			}
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// Conforming messages are summarized, not listed line by line.
+func TestWriteTextSkipsPassingMessages(t *testing.T) {
+	r := report(t,
+		Result{Label: "commit aaa", Subject: "feat: fine"},
+		Result{
+			Label:    "commit bbb",
+			Subject:  "broken",
+			Problems: []lint.Problem{{Rule: "format", Message: "bad"}},
+		},
+	)
+	r.Blocking = true
+	var buf bytes.Buffer
+	r.writeText(&buf)
+	if strings.Contains(buf.String(), "feat: fine") {
+		t.Errorf("passing message should not be printed:\n%s", buf.String())
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(buf.String(), "broken") {
+		t.Errorf("failing message should be printed:\n%s", buf.String())
+	}
+}