diff --git a/cmd/treerack/check.go b/cmd/treerack/check.go
index a172a1c..6b9c712 100644
--- a/cmd/treerack/check.go
+++ b/cmd/treerack/check.go
@@ -37,6 +37,8 @@ func check(args []string) int {
 		return code
 	}
 
+	defer input.Close()
+
 	_, err := s.Parse(input)
 	if err != nil {
 		stderr(err)
diff --git a/cmd/treerack/check_test.go b/cmd/treerack/check_test.go
index 939389b..220dc29 100644
--- a/cmd/treerack/check_test.go
+++ b/cmd/treerack/check_test.go
@@ -189,6 +189,13 @@ var checkTests = []mainTest{
 		},
 	},
 
+	{
+		title: "input as positional",
+		args: []string{
+			"treerack", "check", "-syntax-string", `foo = "bar"`, "bar_test.txt",
+		},
+	},
+
 	{
 		title: "input as string",
 		args: []string{
diff --git a/cmd/treerack/checksyntax.go b/cmd/treerack/checksyntax.go
index 67386e7..e5faf88 100644
--- a/cmd/treerack/checksyntax.go
+++ b/cmd/treerack/checksyntax.go
@@ -22,6 +22,15 @@ func checkSyntax(args []string) int {
 	}
 
 	o.syntax.positional = o.command.flagSet.Args()
-	_, code := o.syntax.openSyntax()
-	return code
+	s, code := o.syntax.openSyntax()
+	if code != 0 {
+		return code
+	}
+
+	if err := s.Init(); err != nil {
+		stderr(err)
+		return -1
+	}
+
+	return 0
 }
diff --git a/cmd/treerack/checksyntax_test.go b/cmd/treerack/checksyntax_test.go
index 6871972..9ff8402 100644
--- a/cmd/treerack/checksyntax_test.go
+++ b/cmd/treerack/checksyntax_test.go
@@ -111,6 +111,13 @@ var checkSyntaxTests = []mainTest{
 		},
 	},
 
+	{
+		title: "syntax as positional",
+		args: []string{
+			"treerack", "check-syntax", "foo_test.treerack",
+		},
+	},
+
 	{
 		title: "syntax as string",
 		args: []string{
@@ -125,6 +132,17 @@ var checkSyntaxTests = []mainTest{
 		},
 		stdin: "invalid",
 	},
+
+	{
+		title: "invalid syntax semantics",
+		args: []string{
+			"treerack", "check-syntax", "-syntax-string", `foo:alias = "bar"`,
+		},
+		exit: -1,
+		stderr: []string{
+			"root",
+		},
+	},
 }
 
 func TestCheckSyntax(t *testing.T) {
diff --git a/cmd/treerack/generate_test.go b/cmd/treerack/generate_test.go
index ea347fb..c1c21eb 100644
--- a/cmd/treerack/generate_test.go
+++ b/cmd/treerack/generate_test.go
@@ -37,6 +37,17 @@ var generateTests = []mainTest{
 		},
 	},
 
+	{
+		title: "syntax as positional",
+		args: []string{
+			"treerack", "generate", "-export", "-package-name", "foo", "foo_test.treerack",
+		},
+		stdout: []string{
+			"package foo",
+			"func Parse",
+		},
+	},
+
 	{
 		title: "syntax as string",
 		args: []string{
diff --git a/cmd/treerack/open.go b/cmd/treerack/open.go
index 062f6e9..91ad9db 100644
--- a/cmd/treerack/open.go
+++ b/cmd/treerack/open.go
@@ -113,6 +113,8 @@ func (o *fileOptions) openSyntax() (*treerack.Syntax, int) {
 		return nil, code
 	}
 
+	defer input.Close()
+
 	s := &treerack.Syntax{}
 	if err := s.ReadSyntax(input); err != nil {
 		stderr(err)
diff --git a/cmd/treerack/parse.go b/cmd/treerack/parse.go
index 9ee742c..3e3977a 100644
--- a/cmd/treerack/parse.go
+++ b/cmd/treerack/parse.go
@@ -74,6 +74,8 @@ func parse(args []string) int {
 		return code
 	}
 
+	defer input.Close()
+
 	n, err := s.Parse(input)
 	if err != nil {
 		stderr(err)
diff --git a/cmd/treerack/parse_test.go b/cmd/treerack/parse_test.go
index c0bd0ec..14b1a7d 100644
--- a/cmd/treerack/parse_test.go
+++ b/cmd/treerack/parse_test.go
@@ -46,6 +46,16 @@ var parseTests = []mainTest{
 		},
 	},
 
+	{
+		title: "input as positional",
+		args: []string{
+			"treerack", "parse", "-syntax-string", `foo = "bar"`, "bar_test.txt",
+		},
+		stdout: []string{
+			`"name":"foo"`,
+		},
+	},
+
 	{
 		title: "input as string",
 		args: []string{