diff --git a/src/google/protobuf/compiler/command_line_interface.cc b/src/google/protobuf/compiler/command_line_interface.cc
index 5da9176a..6b68a745 100644
--- a/src/google/protobuf/compiler/command_line_interface.cc
+++ b/src/google/protobuf/compiler/command_line_interface.cc
@@ -951,6 +951,28 @@ int CommandLineInterface::Run(int argc, const char* const argv[]) {
   }
 
   if (mode_ == MODE_ENCODE || mode_ == MODE_DECODE) {
+    bool success = false;
+    int in_fd = STDIN_FILENO;
+    int out_fd = STDOUT_FILENO;
+
+    if (!protobuf_in_path_.empty()) {
+      in_fd = open(protobuf_in_path_.c_str(), O_RDONLY);
+      if (in_fd == -1) {
+        std::cerr << protobuf_in_path_ << ": error: failed to open file." << std::endl;
+        return 1;
+      }
+    }
+    if (!protobuf_out_path_.empty()) {
+      out_fd = open(protobuf_out_path_.c_str(),
+                    O_WRONLY | O_CREAT | O_TRUNC,
+                    0644);
+      if (out_fd == -1) {
+        std::cerr << protobuf_out_path_ << ": error: failed to open file." << std::endl;
+        close(in_fd);
+        return 1;
+      }
+    }
+
     if (codec_type_.empty()) {
       // HACK:  Define an EmptyMessage type to use for decoding.
       DescriptorPool pool;
@@ -959,13 +981,20 @@ int CommandLineInterface::Run(int argc, const char* const argv[]) {
       file.add_message_type()->set_name("EmptyMessage");
       GOOGLE_CHECK(pool.BuildFile(file) != NULL);
       codec_type_ = "EmptyMessage";
-      if (!EncodeOrDecode(&pool)) {
-        return 1;
-      }
+      success = EncodeOrDecode(&pool, in_fd, out_fd);
     } else {
-      if (!EncodeOrDecode(descriptor_pool.get())) {
-        return 1;
-      }
+      success = EncodeOrDecode(descriptor_pool.get(), in_fd, out_fd);
+    }
+
+    if (in_fd != STDIN_FILENO) {
+      close(in_fd);
+    }
+    if (out_fd != STDOUT_FILENO) {
+      close(out_fd);
+    }
+
+    if (!success) {
+      return 1;
     }
   }
 
@@ -1003,6 +1032,11 @@ bool CommandLineInterface::InitializeDiskSourceTree(
   for (int i = 0; i < proto_path_.size(); i++) {
     source_tree->MapPath(proto_path_[i].first, proto_path_[i].second);
   }
+  if (mode_ == MODE_COMPILE &&
+      (!protobuf_in_path_.empty() || !protobuf_out_path_.empty())) {
+    std::cerr << "--protobuf_in and --protobuf_out are only valid with "
+         << "decode operations. Ignoring.";
+  }
 
   // Map input files to virtual paths if possible.
   if (!MakeInputsBeProtoPathRelative(source_tree, fallback_database)) {
@@ -1622,6 +1656,12 @@ CommandLineInterface::InterpretArgument(const string& name,
 
     codec_type_ = value;
 
+  } else if (name == "--protobuf_in") {
+    protobuf_in_path_ = value;
+
+  } else if (name == "--protobuf_out") {
+    protobuf_out_path_ = value;
+
   } else if (name == "--error_format") {
     if (value == "gcc") {
       error_format_ = ERROR_FORMAT_GCC;
@@ -1749,18 +1789,29 @@ void CommandLineInterface::PrintHelpText() {
 "  --version                   Show version info and exit.\n"
 "  -h, --help                  Show this text and exit.\n"
 "  --encode=MESSAGE_TYPE       Read a text-format message of the given type\n"
-"                              from standard input and write it in binary\n"
-"                              to standard output.  The message type must\n"
-"                              be defined in PROTO_FILES or their imports.\n"
-"  --decode=MESSAGE_TYPE       Read a binary message of the given type from\n"
-"                              standard input and write it in text format\n"
-"                              to standard output.  The message type must\n"
+"                              an write it in binary.  The message type must\n"
 "                              be defined in PROTO_FILES or their imports.\n"
-"  --decode_raw                Read an arbitrary protocol message from\n"
-"                              standard input and write the raw tag/value\n"
-"                              pairs in text format to standard output.  No\n"
+"                              The input/output protobuf files are specified\n"
+"                              using the --protobuf_in and --protobuf_out\n"
+"                              command line flags.\n"
+"  --decode=MESSAGE_TYPE       Read a binary message of the given type and\n"
+"                              write it in text format.  The message type\n"
+"                              must be defined in PROTO_FILES or their\n"
+"                              imports. The input/output protobuf files are\n"
+"                              specified using the --protobuf_in and \n"
+"                              --protobuf_out command line flags.\n"
+"  --decode_raw                Read an arbitrary protocol message and write\n"
+"                              the raw tag/value pairs in text format.  No\n"
 "                              PROTO_FILES should be given when using this\n"
-"                              flag.\n"
+"                              flag. The input/output protobuf files are\n"
+"                              specified using the --protobuf_in and \n"
+"                              --protobuf_out command line flags.\n"
+"  --protobuf_in               Absolute path to the protobuf file to read to\n"
+"                              encode/decode.  If omitted, file will be read\n"
+"                              from STDIN.\n"
+"  --protobuf_out              Absolute path to the protobuf file to write to\n"
+"                              after encode/decode operation.  If omitted,\n"
+"                              output is written to STDOUT.\n"
 "  --descriptor_set_in=FILES   Specifies a delimited list of FILES\n"
 "                              each containing a FileDescriptorSet (a\n"
 "                              protocol buffer defined in descriptor.proto).\n"
@@ -2039,7 +2090,9 @@ bool CommandLineInterface::GeneratePluginOutput(
   return true;
 }
 
-bool CommandLineInterface::EncodeOrDecode(const DescriptorPool* pool) {
+bool CommandLineInterface::EncodeOrDecode(const DescriptorPool* pool,
+                                          int in_fd,
+                                          int out_fd) {
   // Look up the type.
   const Descriptor* type = pool->FindMessageTypeByName(codec_type_);
   if (type == NULL) {
@@ -2051,15 +2104,15 @@ bool CommandLineInterface::EncodeOrDecode(const DescriptorPool* pool) {
   std::unique_ptr<Message> message(dynamic_factory.GetPrototype(type)->New());
 
   if (mode_ == MODE_ENCODE) {
-    SetFdToTextMode(STDIN_FILENO);
-    SetFdToBinaryMode(STDOUT_FILENO);
+    SetFdToTextMode(in_fd);
+    SetFdToBinaryMode(out_fd);
   } else {
-    SetFdToBinaryMode(STDIN_FILENO);
-    SetFdToTextMode(STDOUT_FILENO);
+    SetFdToBinaryMode(in_fd);
+    SetFdToTextMode(out_fd);
   }
 
-  io::FileInputStream in(STDIN_FILENO);
-  io::FileOutputStream out(STDOUT_FILENO);
+  io::FileInputStream in(in_fd);
+  io::FileOutputStream out(out_fd);
 
   if (mode_ == MODE_ENCODE) {
     // Input is text.
diff --git a/src/google/protobuf/compiler/command_line_interface.h b/src/google/protobuf/compiler/command_line_interface.h
index 48455e6f..b03c36d7 100644
--- a/src/google/protobuf/compiler/command_line_interface.h
+++ b/src/google/protobuf/compiler/command_line_interface.h
@@ -285,7 +285,9 @@ class PROTOC_EXPORT CommandLineInterface {
       GeneratorContext* generator_context, std::string* error);
 
   // Implements --encode and --decode.
-  bool EncodeOrDecode(const DescriptorPool* pool);
+  bool EncodeOrDecode(const DescriptorPool* pool,
+                      int in_fd,
+                      int out_fd);
 
   // Implements the --descriptor_set_out option.
   bool WriteDescriptorSet(
@@ -418,6 +420,13 @@ class PROTOC_EXPORT CommandLineInterface {
   // parsed FileDescriptorSets to be used for loading protos.  Otherwise, empty.
   std::vector<std::string> descriptor_set_in_names_;
 
+  // When using --encode / --decode / --decode_raw absolute path to the output
+  // file. (Empty string indicates write to STDOUT).
+  string protobuf_out_path_;
+  // When using --encode / --decode / --decode_raw, absolute path to the input
+  // file. (Empty string indicates read from STDIN).
+  string protobuf_in_path_;
+
   // If --descriptor_set_out was given, this is the filename to which the
   // FileDescriptorSet should be written.  Otherwise, empty.
   std::string descriptor_set_out_name_;
diff --git a/src/google/protobuf/compiler/command_line_interface_unittest.cc b/src/google/protobuf/compiler/command_line_interface_unittest.cc
index 4dc4725e..6a3fc322 100644
--- a/src/google/protobuf/compiler/command_line_interface_unittest.cc
+++ b/src/google/protobuf/compiler/command_line_interface_unittest.cc
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ class CommandLineInterfaceTest : public testing::Test {
   virtual void SetUp();
   virtual void TearDown();
 
-  // Runs the CommandLineInterface with the given command line.  The
+  // Run the CommandLineInterface with the given command line.  The
   // command is automatically split on spaces, and the string "$tmpdir"
   // is replaced with TestTempDir().
   void Run(const string& command);
@@ -2367,6 +2367,17 @@ class EncodeDecodeTest : public testing::TestWithParam<EncodeDecodeTestMode> {
     EXPECT_EQ(StripCR(expected_text), StripCR(captured_stderr_));
   }
 
+  void ExpectBinaryFilesMatch(const string &expected_file,
+                              const string &actual_file) {
+    string expected_output, actual_output;
+    ASSERT_TRUE(File::ReadFileToString(expected_file, &expected_output));
+    ASSERT_TRUE(File::ReadFileToString(actual_file, &actual_output));
+
+    // Don't use EXPECT_EQ because we don't want to print raw binary data to
+    // stdout on failure.
+    EXPECT_TRUE(expected_output == actual_output);
+  }
+
  private:
   void WriteUnittestProtoDescriptorSet() {
     unittest_proto_descriptor_set_filename_ =
@@ -2463,6 +2474,18 @@ TEST_P(EncodeDecodeTest, ProtoParseError) {
       "net/proto2/internal/no_such_file.proto: No such file or directory\n");
 }
 
+TEST_P(EncodeDecodeTest, RedirectInputOutput) {
+  string out_file = TestTempDir() + "/golden_message_out.pbf";
+  string cmd = "";
+  cmd += "google/protobuf/unittest.proto ";
+  cmd += "--encode=protobuf_unittest.TestAllTypes ";
+  cmd += "--protobuf_in=" + TestSourceDir() +
+         "/google/protobuf/testdata/text_format_unittest_data_oneof_implemented.txt ";
+  cmd += "--protobuf_out=" + out_file;
+  EXPECT_TRUE(Run(cmd));
+  ExpectBinaryFilesMatch(out_file, TestSourceDir() + "/google/protobuf/testdata/golden_message_oneof_implemented");
+}
+
 INSTANTIATE_TEST_CASE_P(FileDescriptorSetSource,
                         EncodeDecodeTest,
                         testing::Values(PROTO_PATH, DESCRIPTOR_SET_IN));