diff --git a/cmd/archive.go b/cmd/archive.go
index c3bb61e3503d..814d3c95779c 100644
--- a/cmd/archive.go
+++ b/cmd/archive.go
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ An archive is a fully self-contained test run, and can be executed identically e
 				return err
 			}
 
-			_, err = deriveAndValidateConfig(conf, r.IsExecutable, logger)
+			_, err = deriveAndValidateConfig(conf, registry, r.IsExecutable, logger)
 			if err != nil {
 				return err
 			}
diff --git a/cmd/cloud.go b/cmd/cloud.go
index fac936ce0765..ad394dd502fa 100644
--- a/cmd/cloud.go
+++ b/cmd/cloud.go
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ This will execute the test on the k6 cloud service. Use "k6 login cloud" to auth
 				return err
 			}
 
-			derivedConf, err := deriveAndValidateConfig(conf, r.IsExecutable, logger)
+			derivedConf, err := deriveAndValidateConfig(conf, registry, r.IsExecutable, logger)
 			if err != nil {
 				return err
 			}
diff --git a/cmd/config_test.go b/cmd/config_test.go
index 1061b8d5d082..432a68288357 100644
--- a/cmd/config_test.go
+++ b/cmd/config_test.go
@@ -31,7 +31,6 @@ import (
 	"go.k6.io/k6/lib"
 	"go.k6.io/k6/lib/executor"
 	"go.k6.io/k6/lib/metrics"
-	"go.k6.io/k6/lib/testutils"
 	"go.k6.io/k6/lib/types"
 	"go.k6.io/k6/stats"
 	"gopkg.in/guregu/null.v3"
diff --git a/cmd/inspect.go b/cmd/inspect.go
index 76d411fde16f..c3c300d8d653 100644
--- a/cmd/inspect.go
+++ b/cmd/inspect.go
@@ -129,7 +129,7 @@ func addExecRequirements(b *js.Bundle,
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	conf, err = deriveAndValidateConfig(conf, runner.IsExecutable, logger)
+	conf, err = deriveAndValidateConfig(conf, registry, runner.IsExecutable, logger)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
diff --git a/cmd/run.go b/cmd/run.go
index 958857248097..46addcda97ae 100644
--- a/cmd/run.go
+++ b/cmd/run.go
@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@ import (
 	"go.k6.io/k6/lib/consts"
 	"go.k6.io/k6/lib/metrics"
 	"go.k6.io/k6/loader"
+	"go.k6.io/k6/stats"
 	"go.k6.io/k6/ui/pb"
 )
 
@@ -110,6 +111,10 @@ a commandline interface for interacting with it.`,
 			builtinMetrics := metrics.RegisterBuiltinMetrics(registry)
 			initRunner, err := newRunner(logger, src, globalFlags.runType, filesystems, runtimeOptions, builtinMetrics, registry)
 			if err != nil {
+				if errors.Is(err, stats.ErrThresholdParsing) {
+					return errext.WithExitCodeIfNone(err, exitcodes.InvalidConfig)
+				}
+
 				return common.UnwrapGojaInterruptedError(err)
 			}
 
@@ -125,7 +130,7 @@ a commandline interface for interacting with it.`,
 				return err
 			}
 
-			conf, err = deriveAndValidateConfig(conf, initRunner.IsExecutable, logger)
+			conf, err = deriveAndValidateConfig(conf, registry, initRunner.IsExecutable, logger)
 			if err != nil {
 				return err
 			}
diff --git a/cmd/testdata/thresholds/malformed_expression.js b/cmd/testdata/thresholds/malformed_expression.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..59a3a452f5f2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/testdata/thresholds/malformed_expression.js
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+export const options = {
+	thresholds: {
+		http_reqs: ["foo>0"], // Counter
+	},
+};
+
+export default function () {
+	console.log(
+		"asserting that a malformed threshold fails with exit code 104 (Invalid config)"
+	);
+}
diff --git a/cmd/testdata/thresholds/non_existing_metric.js b/cmd/testdata/thresholds/non_existing_metric.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..e4cdc4cfd7b1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/testdata/thresholds/non_existing_metric.js
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+export const options = {
+	thresholds: {
+		// non existing is neither registered, nor a builtin metric.
+		// k6 should catch that.
+		"non existing": ["rate>0"],
+	},
+};
+
+export default function () {
+	console.log(
+		"asserting that a threshold over a non-existing metric fails with exit code 104 (Invalid config)"
+	);
+}
diff --git a/cmd/testdata/thresholds/unsupported_aggregation_method.js b/cmd/testdata/thresholds/unsupported_aggregation_method.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..4c2038edfd54
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/testdata/thresholds/unsupported_aggregation_method.js
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+export const options = {
+	thresholds: {
+		// http_reqs is a Counter metric. As such, it supports
+		// only the 'count' and 'rate' operations. Thus, 'value'
+		// being a Gauge's metric aggregation method, the threshold
+		// configuration evaluation should fail.
+		http_reqs: ["value>0"],
+	},
+};
+
+export default function () {
+	console.log(
+		"asserting that a threshold applying a method over a metric not supporting it fails with exit code 104 (Invalid config)"
+	);
+}