diff --git a/bin/pgenv b/bin/pgenv
index d98ded9..0913690 100755
--- a/bin/pgenv
+++ b/bin/pgenv
@@ -692,7 +692,7 @@ pgenv_configuration_write() {
     # avoid overwriting configuration if the environment variable is set
     if [ ! -z "${PGENV_CONFIGURATION_FILE}" ]; then
 	pgenv_debug "Cannot write configuration file while PGENV_CONFIGURATION_FILE set!"
-	exit 1
+	return
     fi
 
     # check the configuration directory exists