diff --git a/cmd/headscale/cli/utils.go b/cmd/headscale/cli/utils.go
index 768a9713..992d1254 100644
--- a/cmd/headscale/cli/utils.go
+++ b/cmd/headscale/cli/utils.go
@@ -408,7 +408,7 @@ func getHeadscaleApp() (*headscale.Headscale, error) {
 		aclPath := absPath(viper.GetString("acl_policy_path"))
 		err = app.LoadACLPolicy(aclPath)
 		if err != nil {
-			log.Error().
+			log.Fatal().
 				Str("path", aclPath).
 				Err(err).
 				Msg("Could not load the ACL policy")