diff --git a/src/juliac.jl b/src/juliac.jl
index e02ab3c..5e0141f 100644
--- a/src/juliac.jl
+++ b/src/juliac.jl
@@ -1,48 +1,61 @@
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
 
-# juliac-compatible replacement for `read(stdin)`
-function read_juliac()
+# Minimal juliac-compatible IO implementation for stdin/stdout/stderr
+struct RawIO <: Base.IO
+    fd::RawFD
+end
+
+function Base.unsafe_write(io::RawIO, buf::Ptr{UInt8}, count::UInt)
+    n = @ccall write(io.fd::Cint, buf::Ptr{Cvoid}, count::Csize_t)::Cssize_t
+    return n % Int
+end
+
+function Base.write(io::RawIO, byte::UInt8)
+    n = @ccall write(io.fd::Cint, Ref(byte)::Ptr{Cvoid}, 1::Csize_t)::Cssize_t
+    return n % Int
+end
+
+# TODO: This could potentially hook into `Base.readbytes!` instead to make this more
+# generally useful but for the usecase here we just need to read all the bytes until EOF.
+function Base.read(io::RawIO)
+    @assert io === stdin
     bytes = UInt8[]
-    size = 1
-    nmemb = 1024
-    buf = zeros(UInt8, nmemb)
-    file = Libc.FILE(RawFD(0), "r") # FILE constructor calls `fdopen`
-    local fread, feof, ferror # Silence of the Langs(erver)
+    bufsize = 1024
+    buf = Vector{UInt8}(undef, bufsize)
     while true
-        nread = @ccall fread(buf::Ptr{UInt8}, size::Csize_t, nmemb::Cint, file::Ptr{Libc.FILE})::Csize_t
+        nread = @ccall read(io.fd::Cint, buf::Ptr{Cvoid}, bufsize::Csize_t)::Cssize_t
+        nread == -1 && systemerror("read")
+        nread == 0 && break # eof
         append!(bytes, @view(buf[1:nread]))
-        if nread < nmemb
-            if (@ccall feof(file::Ptr{Libc.FILE})::Cint) != 0
-                close(file)
-                break
-            else
-                @assert (@ccall ferror(file::Ptr{Libc.FILE})::Cint) != 0
-                close(file)
-                error("ferror: fread failed")
-            end
-        end
     end
     return bytes
 end
 
-# juliac-compatible `Base.printstyled` that simply forces color
-# TODO: detect color support (and maybe support `--color=(yes|no)`?), right now color is
-# forced. For juliac we can detect whether stdout/stderr is a tty with
-# `(@ccall isatty(RawFD(1)::Cint)::Cint) == 1`.
-function printstyled_juliac(io::IO, str::String; bold = false, color::Symbol = :normal)
-    @assert io === Core.stdout || io === Core.stderr
+# juliac-compatible `Base.printstyled`
+function printstyled_juliac(io::RawIO, str::String; bold = false, color::Symbol = :normal)
+    # TODO: Base.printstyled splits on \n and prints each line separately
     @assert !occursin('\n', str)
-    color === :red && write(io, "\e[31m")
-    color === :green && write(io, "\e[32m")
-    color === :blue && write(io, "\e[34m")
-    color === :normal && write(io, "\e[0m")
-    bold && write(io, "\e[1m")
+    use_color = isatty(io)
+    if use_color
+        color === :red && write(io, "\e[31m")
+        color === :green && write(io, "\e[32m")
+        color === :blue && write(io, "\e[34m")
+        color === :normal && write(io, "\e[0m")
+        bold && write(io, "\e[1m")
+    end
     print(io, str)
-    bold && write(io, "\e[22m")
-    color in (:red, :green, :blue) && write(io, "\e[39m")
+    if use_color
+        bold && write(io, "\e[22m")
+        color in (:red, :green, :blue) && write(io, "\e[39m")
+    end
     return
 end
 
+function isatty(io::RawIO)
+    return (@ccall isatty(io.fd::Cint)::Cint) == 1
+end
+supports_color(io::RawIO) = isatty(io)
+
 # juliac-compatible `Base.showerror`
 function sprint_showerror_juliac(err::Exception)
     if err isa SystemError
@@ -121,10 +134,10 @@ end
 function run_juliac(cmd::Base.CmdRedirect)
     # Unpack the redirection layers
     @assert cmd.stream_no == 2
-    @assert cmd.handle::Core.CoreSTDERR === Core.stderr
+    @assert cmd.handle::RawIO === stderr
     cmd′ = cmd.cmd::Base.CmdRedirect
     @assert cmd′.stream_no == 1
-    @assert cmd′.handle::Core.CoreSTDERR === Core.stderr
+    @assert cmd′.handle::RawIO === stderr
     cmd′′ = cmd′.cmd::Cmd
     @assert cmd′′.ignorestatus
     argv = cmd′′.exec
diff --git a/src/main.jl b/src/main.jl
index 16440b8..f68c314 100644
--- a/src/main.jl
+++ b/src/main.jl
@@ -11,24 +11,26 @@ using Preferences: @load_preference
 const juliac = @load_preference("juliac", false)
 
 @static if juliac
-    stderr() = Core.stderr
-    stdout() = Core.stdout
     include("juliac.jl")
+    const stdin = RawIO(RawFD(0))
+    const stdout = RawIO(RawFD(1))
+    const stderr = RawIO(RawFD(2))
     const run_cmd = run_juliac
-    read_stdin(::Type{String}) = String(read_juliac())
     const printstyled = printstyled_juliac
     const mktempdir = mktempdir_juliac
     const sprint_showerror = sprint_showerror_juliac
 else
-    stderr() = Base.stderr
-    stdout() = Base.stdout
+    # const stdin = Base.stdin
+    # const stdout = Base.stdout
+    # const stderr = Base.stderr
     const run_cmd = Base.run
-    read_stdin(::Type{String}) = read(stdin, String)
     const printstyled = Base.printstyled
     const mktempdir = Base.mktempdir
     sprint_showerror(err::Exception) = sprint(showerror, err)
 end
 
+supports_color(io) = get(io, :color, false)
+
 # juliac-compatible `Base.walkdir` but since we are collecting the files eagerly anyway we
 # might as well use the same method even when not compiling with juliac.
 function tryf(f::F, arg, default) where {F}
@@ -67,39 +69,38 @@ function panic(
         msg::String, err::Union{Exception, Nothing} = nothing,
         bt::Union{Vector{Base.StackFrame}, Nothing} = nothing
     )
-    io = stderr()
-    printstyled(io, "ERROR: "; color = :red, bold = true)
-    print(io, msg)
+    printstyled(stderr, "ERROR: "; color = :red, bold = true)
+    print(stderr, msg)
     if err !== nothing
-        print(io, sprint_showerror(err))
+        print(stderr, sprint_showerror(err))
     end
     @static if juliac
         @assert bt === nothing
     else
         if bt !== nothing
-            Base.show_backtrace(io, bt)
+            Base.show_backtrace(stderr, bt)
         end
     end
-    println(io)
+    println(stderr)
     global errno = 1
     return errno
 end
 
 function okln()
-    printstyled(stderr(), "✔"; color = :green, bold = true)
-    println(stderr())
+    printstyled(stderr, "✔"; color = :green, bold = true)
+    println(stderr)
     return
 end
 function errln()
-    printstyled(stderr(), "✖"; color = :red, bold = true)
-    println(stderr())
+    printstyled(stderr, "✖"; color = :red, bold = true)
+    println(stderr)
     return
 end
 
 
 # Print a typical cli program help message
 function print_help()
-    io = stdout()
+    io = stdout
     printstyled(io, "NAME", bold = true)
     println(io)
     println(io, "       Runic.main - format Julia source code")
@@ -278,7 +279,7 @@ function main(argv)
         if input_is_stdin
             @assert length(inputfiles) == 1
             sourcetext = try
-                read_stdin(String)
+                read(stdin, String)
             catch err
                 return panic("could not read input from stdin: ", err)
             end
@@ -300,18 +301,18 @@ function main(argv)
             @assert outputfile == ""
             @assert isfile(inputfile)
             @assert !input_is_stdin
-            output = Output(:file, inputfile, stdout(), true, true)
+            output = Output(:file, inputfile, stdout, true, true)
         elseif check
             @assert outputfile == ""
-            output = Output(:devnull, "", stdout(), false, false)
+            output = Output(:devnull, "", stdout, false, false)
         else
             @assert length(inputfiles) == 1
             if outputfile == "" || outputfile == "-"
-                output = Output(:stdout, "", stdout(), false, false)
+                output = Output(:stdout, "", stdout, false, false)
             elseif isfile(outputfile) && !input_is_stdin && samefile(outputfile, inputfile)
                 return panic("can not use same file for input and output, use `-i` to modify a file in place")
             else
-                output = Output(:file, outputfile, stdout(), true, false)
+                output = Output(:file, outputfile, stdout, true, false)
             end
         end
 
@@ -326,13 +327,13 @@ function main(argv)
                 str = "Checking `$(input_pretty)` "
                 ndots = 80 - textwidth(str) - 1 - 1
                 dots = ndots > 0 ? "."^ndots : ""
-                printstyled(stderr(), str * dots * " "; color = :blue)
+                printstyled(stderr, str * dots * " "; color = :blue)
             else
                 to = output.output_is_samefile ? " " : " -> `$(relpath(output.file))` "
                 str = "Formatting `$(inputfile)`$(to)"
                 ndots = 80 - textwidth(str) - 1 - 1
                 dots = ndots > 0 ? "."^ndots : ""
-                printstyled(stderr(), str * dots * " "; color = :blue)
+                printstyled(stderr, str * dots * " "; color = :blue)
             end
         end
 
@@ -411,19 +412,20 @@ function main(argv)
                         close(io)
                     end
                 end
+                color = supports_color(stderr) ? "always" : "never"
                 # juliac: Cmd string parsing uses dynamic dispatch
                 # cmd = ```
-                # $(git) --no-pager diff --color=always --no-index --no-prefix
+                # $(git) --no-pager diff --color=$(color) --no-index --no-prefix
                 #     $(relpath(A, dir)) $(relpath(B, dir))
                 # ```
                 git_argv = String[
-                    Sys.which("git"), "--no-pager", "diff", "--color=always", "--no-index", "--no-prefix",
+                    Sys.which("git"), "--no-pager", "diff", "--color=$(color)", "--no-index", "--no-prefix",
                     relpath(A, dir), relpath(B, dir),
                 ]
                 cmd = Cmd(git_argv)
                 # `ignorestatus` because --no-index implies --exit-code
                 cmd = setenv(ignorestatus(cmd); dir = dir)
-                cmd = pipeline(cmd, stdout = stderr(), stderr = stderr())
+                cmd = pipeline(cmd, stdout = stderr, stderr = stderr)
                 run_cmd(cmd)
             end
         end