diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 69c1411..0fe89ca 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -27,15 +27,23 @@ Certificates are **grouped by subject**, so an expired cert with a newer valid r
 |----------------|----------|---------|---------------------------------------------------------|
 | `certificates` | ✅       | —       | JSON array of certificate file paths to validate        |
 | `warning_days` | ❌       | `30`    | Days before expiry to emit a warning instead of passing |
+| `fail_on_warn` | ❌       | `false` | Fail the job (exit 1) when any certificate is nearing expiry |
 
 ---
 
 ## Outputs
 
-- Per-certificate validation details printed to the job log
-- A Markdown summary table written to the **GitHub Step Summary** panel
+| Output       | Description                                                            |
+|--------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
+| `result`     | Overall validation result: `pass`, `warn`, or `fail`                   |
+| `fail_count` | Number of certificates that failed validation with no valid replacement |
+| `warn_count` | Number of certificates nearing expiry with no newer replacement        |
+
+The action also writes:
+- Per-certificate validation details to the job log
+- A Markdown summary table to the **GitHub Step Summary** panel
 - Exits **1** if any certificate is expired, not yet valid, or cannot be parsed and has no valid replacement
-- Exits **0** (with warnings) if all certs are valid but some are nearing expiry
+- Exits **0** (with warnings) if all certs are valid but some are nearing expiry (unless `fail_on_warn: true`)
 
 ---
 
@@ -121,6 +129,48 @@ jobs:
           warning_days: '45'
 ```
 
+### Using outputs for conditional workflows
+
+```yaml
+jobs:
+  validate-certs:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6
+
+      - name: Validate certificates
+        id: cert-check
+        uses: AbsaOSS/validate-certificates@v1
+        with:
+          certificates: '["./certs/server.crt", "./certs/client.pem"]'
+          warning_days: '30'
+
+      - name: Send Slack alert on warnings or failures
+        if: steps.cert-check.outputs.result != 'pass'
+        run: |
+          echo "Certificate validation result: ${{ steps.cert-check.outputs.result }}"
+          echo "Failures: ${{ steps.cert-check.outputs.fail_count }}"
+          echo "Warnings: ${{ steps.cert-check.outputs.warn_count }}"
+          # Add your Slack webhook or notification logic here
+
+      - name: Open ticket on failures only
+        if: steps.cert-check.outputs.fail_count > 0
+        run: |
+          echo "Creating incident ticket for ${{ steps.cert-check.outputs.fail_count }} failed certificate(s)"
+          # Add your ticketing system integration here
+```
+
+### Enforcing strict certificate hygiene
+
+```yaml
+- name: Validate certificates with strict policy
+  uses: AbsaOSS/validate-certificates@v1
+  with:
+    certificates: '["./certs/production.crt"]'
+    warning_days: '60'
+    fail_on_warn: 'true'  # Fail the job if cert expires within 60 days
+```
+
 See the [`examples/`](examples/) directory for ready-to-use workflow files.
 
 ---
diff --git a/action.yml b/action.yml
index cd9a368..022b021 100644
--- a/action.yml
+++ b/action.yml
@@ -25,6 +25,21 @@ inputs:
     description: 'Number of days before expiration to show warning'
     required: false
     default: '30'
+  fail_on_warn:
+    description: 'Whether to fail the action if any certificate(s) is nearing expiry (true/false)'
+    required: false
+    default: 'false'
+
+outputs:
+  result:
+    description: 'Overall validation result: pass, warn, or fail'
+    value: ${{ steps.validate.outputs.result }}
+  fail_count:
+    description: 'Number of certificates that failed validation with no valid replacement'
+    value: ${{ steps.validate.outputs.fail_count }}
+  warn_count:
+    description: 'Number of certificates nearing expiry with no newer replacement'
+    value: ${{ steps.validate.outputs.warn_count }}
 
 branding:
   icon: 'shield'
@@ -34,13 +49,21 @@ runs:
   using: "composite"
   steps:
     - name: Validate certificates
+      id: validate
       env:
         INPUT_CERTIFICATES: ${{ inputs.certificates }}
         INPUT_WARNING_DAYS: ${{ inputs.warning_days }}
+        INPUT_FAIL_ON_WARN: ${{ inputs.fail_on_warn }}
       shell: bash
       run: |
         set -uo pipefail
         
+        FAIL_ON_WARN="${INPUT_FAIL_ON_WARN,,}"
+        if [[ "$FAIL_ON_WARN" != "true" && "$FAIL_ON_WARN" != "false" ]]; then
+          echo "::error::INPUT_FAIL_ON_WARN must be 'true' or 'false', got: '$INPUT_FAIL_ON_WARN'"
+          exit 1
+        fi
+        
         if [[ ! "$INPUT_WARNING_DAYS" =~ ^[0-9]+$ ]]; then
           echo "::error::INPUT_WARNING_DAYS must be a non-negative integer, got: '$INPUT_WARNING_DAYS'"
           exit 1
@@ -288,8 +311,36 @@ runs:
           else
             echo "> ✅ **All certificate(s) are valid (or have valid replacements).**"
           fi
+          echo ""
+          echo "| Metric | Count |"
+          echo "|--------|-------|"
+          echo "| Failed | $FAIL_COUNT |"
+          echo "| Warnings | $WARN_COUNT |"
         } >> "$GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY"
 
+        # -------------------------------------------------------
+        # Emit outputs for programmatic use
+        # -------------------------------------------------------
+        if [[ $FAIL_COUNT -gt 0 || ( "$FAIL_ON_WARN" == "true" && $WARN_COUNT -gt 0 ) ]]; then
+          RESULT="fail"
+        elif [[ $WARN_COUNT -gt 0 ]]; then
+          RESULT="warn"
+        else
+          RESULT="pass"
+        fi
+
+        echo "result=$RESULT" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+        echo "fail_count=$FAIL_COUNT" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+        echo "warn_count=$WARN_COUNT" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+
+        # -------------------------------------------------------
+        # Enforce fail_on_warn if requested
+        # -------------------------------------------------------
+        if [[ "$FAIL_ON_WARN" == "true" && $WARN_COUNT -gt 0 ]]; then
+          echo "❌ fail_on_warn=true: $WARN_COUNT certificate(s) are nearing expiry. Failing the job."
+          exit 1
+        fi
+
         # -------------------------------------------------------
         # Final exit code
         # -------------------------------------------------------