diff --git a/CHANGES b/CHANGES
index cf43b420f..b75bf8528 100644
--- a/CHANGES
+++ b/CHANGES
@@ -18,6 +18,9 @@ Bugs fixed
 * #1499: With non-callable `setup` in a conf.py, now sphinx-build emits
   user-friendly error message.
 * #1502: In autodoc, fix display of parameter defaults containing backslashes.
+* #1226: autodoc, autosummary: importing setup.py by automodule will invoke
+  setup process and execute `sys.exit()`. Now sphinx avoids SystemExit
+  exception and emits warnings without unexpected termination.
 
 Release 1.2.2 (released Mar 2, 2014)
 ====================================
diff --git a/sphinx/ext/autodoc.py b/sphinx/ext/autodoc.py
index b6343171e..423f921a2 100644
--- a/sphinx/ext/autodoc.py
+++ b/sphinx/ext/autodoc.py
@@ -347,15 +347,19 @@ class Documenter(object):
             return True
         # this used to only catch SyntaxError, ImportError and AttributeError,
         # but importing modules with side effects can raise all kinds of errors
-        except Exception:
+        except (Exception, SystemExit) as e:
             if self.objpath:
                 errmsg = 'autodoc: failed to import %s %r from module %r' % \
                          (self.objtype, '.'.join(self.objpath), self.modname)
             else:
                 errmsg = 'autodoc: failed to import %s %r' % \
                          (self.objtype, self.fullname)
-            errmsg += '; the following exception was raised:\n%s' % \
-                      traceback.format_exc()
+            if isinstance(e, SystemExit):
+                errmsg += ('; the module executes module level statement ' +
+                           'and it might call sys.exit().')
+            else:
+                errmsg += '; the following exception was raised:\n%s' % \
+                          traceback.format_exc()
             dbg(errmsg)
             self.directive.warn(errmsg)
             self.env.note_reread()
diff --git a/sphinx/ext/autosummary/generate.py b/sphinx/ext/autosummary/generate.py
index 20e7fc916..47ef9868a 100644
--- a/sphinx/ext/autosummary/generate.py
+++ b/sphinx/ext/autosummary/generate.py
@@ -242,6 +242,9 @@ def find_autosummary_in_docstring(name, module=None, filename=None):
         pass
     except ImportError, e:
         print "Failed to import '%s': %s" % (name, e)
+    except SystemExit, e:
+        print("Failed to import '%s'; the module executes module level "
+              "statement and it might call sys.exit()." % name)
     return []
 
 def find_autosummary_in_lines(lines, module=None, filename=None):