diff --git a/circle.yml b/circle.yml
index b927d8d74..0d517e067 100644
--- a/circle.yml
+++ b/circle.yml
@@ -10,3 +10,4 @@ dependencies:
     - go generate -v ./...
     - go build -v
     - ./linter-tests.sh
+    - ./flag-tests.sh
diff --git a/core/procs.go b/core/procs.go
index c1a54c95d..45c99c056 100644
--- a/core/procs.go
+++ b/core/procs.go
@@ -1400,12 +1400,21 @@ func processData(data []byte) {
 	GLOBAL_ENV.ns.Value = currentNamespace
 }
 
-func findConfigFile(filename string) string {
+func findConfigFile(filename string, workingDir string) string {
 	filename, err := filepath.Abs(filename)
 	if err != nil {
 		fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, "Error reading config file "+filename+": ", err)
 		return ""
 	}
+
+	if workingDir != "" {
+		workingDir, err = filepath.Abs(workingDir)
+		if err != nil {
+			fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, "Error resolving working directory"+workingDir+": ", err)
+			return ""
+		}
+		filename = filepath.Join(workingDir, ".joker")
+	}
 	for {
 		oldFilename := filename
 		filename = filepath.Dir(filename)
@@ -1455,10 +1464,10 @@ func knownMacrosToMap(km Object) (Map, error) {
 	return res, nil
 }
 
-func ReadConfig(filename string) {
+func ReadConfig(filename string, workingDir string) {
 	LINTER_CONFIG = GLOBAL_ENV.CoreNamespace.Intern(MakeSymbol("*linter-config*"))
 	LINTER_CONFIG.Value = EmptyArrayMap()
-	configFileName := findConfigFile(filename)
+	configFileName := findConfigFile(filename, workingDir)
 	if configFileName == "" {
 		return
 	}
diff --git a/flag-tests.sh b/flag-tests.sh
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..0c3666fa9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/flag-tests.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+./joker tests/run-flag-tests.joke
diff --git a/main.go b/main.go
index f57f3e0a2..8c28a0448 100644
--- a/main.go
+++ b/main.go
@@ -183,12 +183,12 @@ func detectDialect(filename string) Dialect {
 	return CLJ
 }
 
-func lintFile(filename string, dialect Dialect) {
+func lintFile(filename string, dialect Dialect, workingDir string) {
 	phase := PARSE
 	if dialect == EDN {
 		phase = READ
 	}
-	ReadConfig(filename)
+	ReadConfig(filename, workingDir)
 	configureLinterMode(dialect)
 	if processFile(filename, phase) == nil {
 		WarnOnUnusedNamespaces()
@@ -202,6 +202,7 @@ var parseFlag = pflag.Bool("parse", false, "parse the file")
 var lintFlag = pflag.Bool("lint", false, "lint the file")
 
 var lintDialect = pflag.String("dialect", "", "dialect to lint as. Valid options are clj, cljs, joker and edn")
+var lintWorkingDir = pflag.String("working-dir", "", "override the working directory for the linter")
 
 // these flags are here to support the preexisting `--lint<dialect>` flags:
 var lintCljFlag = pflag.Bool("lintclj", false, "lint as clojure")
@@ -231,7 +232,7 @@ func init() {
 	case *lintJokerFlag:
 		*lintFlag = true
 		*lintDialect = "joker"
-	case *lintJokerFlag:
+	case *lintEDNFlag:
 		*lintFlag = true
 		*lintDialect = "edn"
 	}
@@ -242,8 +243,6 @@ func main() {
 	switch {
 	case *versionFlag:
 		println(VERSION)
-	case len(pflag.Args()) == 0:
-		repl(EVAL)
 	case *readFlag:
 		processFile(pflag.Arg(0), READ)
 	case *parseFlag:
@@ -262,8 +261,14 @@ func main() {
 		default:
 			dialect = detectDialect(pflag.Arg(0))
 		}
-		lintFile(pflag.Arg(0), dialect)
-	default:
+		filename := pflag.Arg(0)
+		if filename == "" {
+			filename = "--"
+		}
+		lintFile(filename, dialect, *lintWorkingDir)
+	case len(pflag.Args()) > 0:
 		processFile(pflag.Arg(0), EVAL)
+	default:
+		repl(EVAL)
 	}
 }
diff --git a/tests/flags/config/.joker b/tests/flags/config/.joker
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b71946342
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/flags/config/.joker
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+{:known-macros [foobar.macros/defthing]}
diff --git a/tests/flags/input-warning.clj b/tests/flags/input-warning.clj
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e327b8976
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/flags/input-warning.clj
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+(let [a 1] "foo")
diff --git a/tests/flags/input.clj b/tests/flags/input.clj
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..849217d96
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/flags/input.clj
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+(clojure.string/split "foobar")
diff --git a/tests/flags/input.cljs b/tests/flags/input.cljs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7f62761ab
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/flags/input.cljs
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+(.log js/console)
diff --git a/tests/flags/input.edn b/tests/flags/input.edn
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..34c1de47c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/flags/input.edn
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+{:foobar #foo/bar "something something"}
diff --git a/tests/flags/input.joke b/tests/flags/input.joke
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5a245b3b1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/flags/input.joke
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+(joker.string/split "ha-ha-ha-ha" #"-")
diff --git a/tests/flags/macro.clj b/tests/flags/macro.clj
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4e8e8b595
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/flags/macro.clj
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+(ns test.foo
+  (:require [foobar.macros :refer [defthing]]))
+
+(defthing something
+  "pewpew")
+
diff --git a/tests/run-flag-tests.joke b/tests/run-flag-tests.joke
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5f0d79b35
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/run-flag-tests.joke
@@ -0,0 +1,111 @@
+(def exit-code 0)
+
+(defn clean
+  [output]
+    (let [output (if (nil? output) "" output)]
+    (->> output
+        (joker.string/split-lines)
+        (remove #(joker.string/starts-with? % "  "))
+        (remove #(= % ""))
+        (joker.string/join "\n"))))
+
+(defn test-flags
+  [description flags expected]
+  (let [pwd (get (joker.os/env) "PWD")
+        flag-parts (joker.string/split flags #" ")
+        stdin? (some #(= "<" %) flag-parts)
+        cmd (str pwd "/joker")
+        output (if stdin?
+                 (:err (joker.os/sh "sh" "-c" (str cmd " " flags)))
+                 (:err (apply (partial joker.os/sh cmd) flag-parts)))
+        output (clean output)]
+    (when-not (= output expected)
+      (println "FAILED: testing" description "(" flags ")")
+      (println "EXPECTED")
+      (println expected)
+      (println "ACTUAL")
+      (println output)
+      (println "")
+      (var-set #'exit-code 1))))
+
+(defn testing
+  [description & tests]
+  (let [tests (partition 2 tests)]
+    (doall (map (fn [[flags expected]] 
+                  (test-flags description flags expected)) tests))))
+
+(testing "auto detect dialect from filename"
+  "--lint tests/flags/input.clj"
+  ""
+  "--lint tests/flags/input-warning.clj"
+  "tests/flags/input-warning.clj:1:7: Parse warning: unused binding: a")
+
+(testing "specify joker dialect"
+  "--lintjoker tests/flags/input.joke"
+  ""
+
+  "--lint --dialect joker tests/flags/input.joke"
+  ""
+
+  "--lintjoker tests/flags/input.clj"
+  "tests/flags/input.clj:1:2: Parse error: Unable to resolve symbol: clojure.string/split"
+
+  "--lint --dialect joker tests/flags/input.cljs"
+  "tests/flags/input.cljs:1:7: Parse error: Unable to resolve symbol: js/console")
+
+(testing "specify clj dialect"
+  "--lintclj tests/flags/input.clj"
+  ""
+
+  "--lint --dialect clj tests/flags/input.clj"
+  ""
+
+  "--lintclj tests/flags/input.edn"
+  "tests/flags/input.edn:1:17: Read warning: No reader function for tag foo/bar"
+
+  "--lint --dialect clj tests/flags/input.cljs"
+  "tests/flags/input.cljs:1:7: Parse error: Unable to resolve symbol: js/console")
+
+(testing "specify cljs dialect"
+  "--lintcljs tests/flags/input.cljs"
+  ""
+
+  "--lint --dialect cljs tests/flags/input.cljs"
+  ""
+
+  "--lintcljs tests/flags/input.edn"
+  "tests/flags/input.edn:1:17: Read warning: No reader function for tag foo/bar"
+
+  "--lintcljs tests/flags/input.clj"
+  "tests/flags/input.clj:1:2: Parse error: Unable to resolve symbol: clojure.string/split")
+
+(testing "reading from stdin"
+  "--lint --dialect edn < tests/flags/input.edn"
+  ""
+
+  "--lint --dialect clj < tests/flags/input.edn"
+  "<stdin>:1:17: Read warning: No reader function for tag foo/bar"
+
+  "--lint --dialect clj < tests/flags/input.clj"
+  ""
+
+  "--lint --dialect cljs < tests/flags/input.clj"
+  "<stdin>:1:2: Parse error: Unable to resolve symbol: clojure.string/split"
+
+  "--lint --dialect cljs < tests/flags/input.cljs"
+  ""
+
+  "--lint --dialect joker < tests/flags/input.cljs"
+  "<stdin>:1:7: Parse error: Unable to resolve symbol: js/console"
+
+  "--lint --dialect joker < tests/flags/input.joke"
+  "")
+
+(testing "working direction override"
+  "--lint --dialect clj < tests/flags/macro.clj"
+  "<stdin>:4:11: Parse error: Unable to resolve symbol: something"
+
+  "--lint --dialect clj --working-dir tests/flags/config < tests/flags/macro.clj"
+  "")
+
+(joker.os/exit exit-code)