diff --git a/tools/common.h b/tools/common.h
index 2c690423b..d20f3e903 100644
--- a/tools/common.h
+++ b/tools/common.h
@@ -59,6 +59,9 @@ void *xrealloc(void *m, size_t size) {
 }
 
 FILE *xfopen(const char *filename, char rw) {
+	if (!strcmp(filename, "-")) {
+		return rw == 'r' ? stdin : stdout;
+	}
 	char mode[3] = {rw, 'b', '\0'};
 	errno = 0;
 	FILE *f = fopen(filename, mode);
@@ -68,10 +71,16 @@ FILE *xfopen(const char *filename, char rw) {
 	return f;
 }
 
+void xfclose(FILE *f) {
+	if (f != stdin && f != stdout) {
+		fclose(f);
+	}
+}
+
 void xfread(uint8_t *data, size_t size, const char *filename, FILE *f) {
 	errno = 0;
 	if (fread(data, 1, size, f) != size) {
-		fclose(f);
+		xfclose(f);
 		error_exit("Could not read from file \"%s\": %s\n", filename, strerror(errno));
 	}
 }
@@ -79,7 +88,7 @@ void xfread(uint8_t *data, size_t size, const char *filename, FILE *f) {
 void xfwrite(const uint8_t *data, size_t size, const char *filename, FILE *f) {
 	errno = 0;
 	if (fwrite(data, 1, size, f) != size) {
-		fclose(f);
+		xfclose(f);
 		error_exit("Could not write to file \"%s\": %s\n", filename, strerror(errno));
 	}
 }
@@ -99,19 +108,41 @@ long xfsize(const char *filename, FILE *f) {
 	return size;
 }
 
+uint8_t *read_stdin(long *size) {
+	uint8_t buffer[0x1000] = {0};
+	*size = 0;
+	uint8_t *data = malloc(0);
+	for (;;) {
+		size_t n = fread(buffer, 1, sizeof(buffer), stdin);
+		if (n == 0) {
+			if (ferror(stdin)) {
+				error_exit("Could not read from stdin: %s\n", strerror(errno));
+			}
+			break;
+		}
+		data = xrealloc(data, *size + n);
+		memcpy(data + *size, buffer, n);
+		*size += n;
+	}
+	return data;
+}
+
 uint8_t *read_u8(const char *filename, long *size) {
 	FILE *f = xfopen(filename, 'r');
+	if (f == stdin) {
+		return read_stdin(size);
+	}
 	*size = xfsize(filename, f);
 	uint8_t *data = xmalloc(*size);
 	xfread(data, *size, filename, f);
-	fclose(f);
+	xfclose(f);
 	return data;
 }
 
 void write_u8(const char *filename, uint8_t *data, size_t size) {
 	FILE *f = xfopen(filename, 'w');
 	xfwrite(data, size, filename, f);
-	fclose(f);
+	xfclose(f);
 }
 
 uint32_t read_png_width(const char *filename) {
@@ -124,12 +155,12 @@ uint32_t read_png_width(const char *filename) {
 		'I', 'H', 'D', 'R',                          // IHDR chunk type
 	};
 	if (memcmp(header, expected_header, sizeof(header))) {
-		fclose(f);
+		xfclose(f);
 		error_exit("Not a valid PNG file: \"%s\"\n", filename);
 	}
 	uint8_t bytes[4] = {0};
 	xfread(bytes, sizeof(bytes), filename, f);
-	fclose(f);
+	xfclose(f);
 	return (bytes[0] << 24) | (bytes[1] << 16) | (bytes[2] << 8) | bytes[3];
 }
 
diff --git a/tools/make_patch.c b/tools/make_patch.c
index 34c99b18f..e4e15d7fd 100644
--- a/tools/make_patch.c
+++ b/tools/make_patch.c
@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@ struct Symbol *parse_symbols(const char *filename) {
 		}
 	}
 
-	fclose(file);
+	xfclose(file);
 	buffer_free(buffer);
 	return symbols;
 }
@@ -431,8 +431,8 @@ struct Buffer *process_template(
 	rewind(orig_rom);
 	rewind(new_rom);
 
-	fclose(input);
-	fclose(output);
+	xfclose(input);
+	xfclose(output);
 	buffer_free(buffer);
 	return patches;
 }
@@ -514,6 +514,9 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
 
 	FILE *new_rom = xfopen(argv[1], 'r');
 	FILE *orig_rom = xfopen(argv[2], 'r');
+	if (new_rom == stdin || orig_rom == stdin) {
+		error_exit("Error: Cannot read ROM file from stdin (not rewindable)");
+	}
 	struct Buffer *patches = process_template(argv[3], argv[4], new_rom, orig_rom, symbols, ignore_addr, ignore_size);
 
 	if (!verify_completeness(orig_rom, new_rom, patches)) {
@@ -521,8 +524,8 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
 	}
 
 	symbol_free(symbols);
-	fclose(new_rom);
-	fclose(orig_rom);
+	xfclose(new_rom);
+	xfclose(orig_rom);
 	buffer_free(patches);
 	return 0;
 }
diff --git a/tools/scan_includes.c b/tools/scan_includes.c
index 9ec5f3c5d..538d9d779 100644
--- a/tools/scan_includes.c
+++ b/tools/scan_includes.c
@@ -25,22 +25,30 @@ void parse_args(int argc, char *argv[], bool *strict) {
 	}
 }
 
-void scan_file(const char *filename, bool strict) {
-	errno = 0;
-	FILE *f = fopen(filename, "rb");
-	if (!f) {
-		if (strict) {
-			error_exit("Could not open file \"%s\": %s\n", filename, strerror(errno));
-		} else {
-			return;
+void scan_file(const char *filename, bool strict, bool top_level) {
+	long size = 0;
+	char *contents = NULL;
+	if (top_level && !strcmp(filename, "-")) {
+		contents = (char *)read_stdin(&size);
+		contents = xrealloc(contents, size + 1);
+		contents[size] = '\0';
+	} else {
+		errno = 0;
+		FILE *f = fopen(filename, "rb");
+		if (!f) {
+			if (strict) {
+				error_exit("Could not open file \"%s\": %s\n", filename, strerror(errno));
+			} else {
+				return;
+			}
 		}
-	}
 
-	long size = xfsize(filename, f);
-	char *contents = xmalloc(size + 1);
-	xfread((uint8_t *)contents, size, filename, f);
-	fclose(f);
-	contents[size] = '\0';
+		size = xfsize(filename, f);
+		contents = xmalloc(size + 1);
+		xfread((uint8_t *)contents, size, filename, f);
+		xfclose(f);
+		contents[size] = '\0';
+	}
 
 	for (char *ptr = contents; ptr && ptr < contents + size; ptr++) {
 		ptr = strpbrk(ptr, ";\"Ii");
@@ -90,7 +98,7 @@ void scan_file(const char *filename, bool strict) {
 					include_path[length] = '\0';
 					printf("%s ", include_path);
 					if (is_include) {
-						scan_file(include_path, strict);
+						scan_file(include_path, strict, false);
 					}
 				} else {
 					fprintf(stderr, "%s: no file path after INC%s\n", filename, is_include ? "LUDE" : "BIN");
@@ -117,6 +125,6 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
 		usage_exit(1);
 	}
 
-	scan_file(argv[0], strict);
+	scan_file(argv[0], strict, true);
 	return 0;
 }