diff --git a/conformance/chaos/actor.go b/conformance/chaos/actor.go
index ed7a230c7..f162b2c8f 100644
--- a/conformance/chaos/actor.go
+++ b/conformance/chaos/actor.go
@@ -62,6 +62,9 @@ const (
 	// MethodMutateState is the identifier for the method that attempts to mutate
 	// a state value in the actor.
 	MethodMutateState
+	// MethodAbort is the identifier for the method that panics optionally with
+	// a passed exit code.
+	MethodAbort
 )
 
 // Exports defines the methods this actor exposes publicly.
@@ -74,6 +77,7 @@ func (a Actor) Exports() []interface{} {
 		MethodDeleteActor:         a.DeleteActor,
 		MethodSend:                a.Send,
 		MethodMutateState:         a.MutateState,
+		MethodAbort:               a.Abort,
 	}
 }
 
@@ -230,3 +234,21 @@ func (a Actor) MutateState(rt runtime.Runtime, args *MutateStateArgs) *adt.Empty
 	}
 	return nil
 }
+
+// AbortArgs are the arguments to the abort method, specifying the exit code to
+// (optionally) abort with and the message.
+type AbortArgs struct {
+	Code    exitcode.ExitCode
+	NoCode  bool
+	Message string
+}
+
+// Abort simply causes a panic or abort with the passed exit code.
+func (a Actor) Abort(rt runtime.Runtime, args *AbortArgs) *adt.EmptyValue {
+	if args.NoCode { // no code, just plain old panic
+		panic(args.Message)
+	} else {
+		rt.Abortf(args.Code, args.Message)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/conformance/chaos/cbor_gen.go b/conformance/chaos/cbor_gen.go
index 9f01ccce7..00825c8f3 100644
--- a/conformance/chaos/cbor_gen.go
+++ b/conformance/chaos/cbor_gen.go
@@ -614,3 +614,119 @@ func (t *MutateStateArgs) UnmarshalCBOR(r io.Reader) error {
 	}
 	return nil
 }
+
+var lengthBufAbortArgs = []byte{131}
+
+func (t *AbortArgs) MarshalCBOR(w io.Writer) error {
+	if t == nil {
+		_, err := w.Write(cbg.CborNull)
+		return err
+	}
+	if _, err := w.Write(lengthBufAbortArgs); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	scratch := make([]byte, 9)
+
+	// t.Code (exitcode.ExitCode) (int64)
+	if t.Code >= 0 {
+		if err := cbg.WriteMajorTypeHeaderBuf(scratch, w, cbg.MajUnsignedInt, uint64(t.Code)); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+	} else {
+		if err := cbg.WriteMajorTypeHeaderBuf(scratch, w, cbg.MajNegativeInt, uint64(-t.Code-1)); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+	}
+
+	// t.NoCode (bool) (bool)
+	if err := cbg.WriteBool(w, t.NoCode); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	// t.Message (string) (string)
+	if len(t.Message) > cbg.MaxLength {
+		return xerrors.Errorf("Value in field t.Message was too long")
+	}
+
+	if err := cbg.WriteMajorTypeHeaderBuf(scratch, w, cbg.MajTextString, uint64(len(t.Message))); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	if _, err := io.WriteString(w, string(t.Message)); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (t *AbortArgs) UnmarshalCBOR(r io.Reader) error {
+	*t = AbortArgs{}
+
+	br := cbg.GetPeeker(r)
+	scratch := make([]byte, 8)
+
+	maj, extra, err := cbg.CborReadHeaderBuf(br, scratch)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	if maj != cbg.MajArray {
+		return fmt.Errorf("cbor input should be of type array")
+	}
+
+	if extra != 3 {
+		return fmt.Errorf("cbor input had wrong number of fields")
+	}
+
+	// t.Code (exitcode.ExitCode) (int64)
+	{
+		maj, extra, err := cbg.CborReadHeaderBuf(br, scratch)
+		var extraI int64
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		switch maj {
+		case cbg.MajUnsignedInt:
+			extraI = int64(extra)
+			if extraI < 0 {
+				return fmt.Errorf("int64 positive overflow")
+			}
+		case cbg.MajNegativeInt:
+			extraI = int64(extra)
+			if extraI < 0 {
+				return fmt.Errorf("int64 negative oveflow")
+			}
+			extraI = -1 - extraI
+		default:
+			return fmt.Errorf("wrong type for int64 field: %d", maj)
+		}
+
+		t.Code = exitcode.ExitCode(extraI)
+	}
+	// t.NoCode (bool) (bool)
+
+	maj, extra, err = cbg.CborReadHeaderBuf(br, scratch)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	if maj != cbg.MajOther {
+		return fmt.Errorf("booleans must be major type 7")
+	}
+	switch extra {
+	case 20:
+		t.NoCode = false
+	case 21:
+		t.NoCode = true
+	default:
+		return fmt.Errorf("booleans are either major type 7, value 20 or 21 (got %d)", extra)
+	}
+	// t.Message (string) (string)
+
+	{
+		sval, err := cbg.ReadStringBuf(br, scratch)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+
+		t.Message = string(sval)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/conformance/chaos/gen/gen.go b/conformance/chaos/gen/gen.go
index 308fed11e..dbf8463d4 100644
--- a/conformance/chaos/gen/gen.go
+++ b/conformance/chaos/gen/gen.go
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ func main() {
 		chaos.SendArgs{},
 		chaos.SendReturn{},
 		chaos.MutateStateArgs{},
+		chaos.AbortArgs{},
 	); err != nil {
 		panic(err)
 	}