diff --git a/mes.c b/mes.c
index e3a4075a..90915ed9 100644
--- a/mes.c
+++ b/mes.c
@@ -1543,6 +1543,8 @@ read_file (scm *e, scm *a)
 int
 main (int argc, char *argv[])
 {
+  if (argc > 1 && !strcmp (argv[1], "--help")) return puts ("Usage: mes < FILE\n");
+  if (argc > 1 && !strcmp (argv[1], "--version")) return puts ("Mes 0.0\n");
   scm *a = mes_environment ();
 #if STATIC_PRIMITIVES
   mes_primitives ();
diff --git a/scripts/elf.mes b/scripts/elf.mes
index 1abf5975..ee3f043a 100755
--- a/scripts/elf.mes
+++ b/scripts/elf.mes
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 #! /bin/sh
 # -*-scheme-*-
-cat $($(dirname $0)/include.mes $0) $0 /dev/stdin | $(dirname $0)/mes > a.out
+cat $($(dirname $0)/include.mes $0) $0 /dev/stdin | $(dirname $0)/mes "$@" > a.out
 chmod +x a.out
 exit $?
 !#
diff --git a/scripts/include.mes b/scripts/include.mes
index 473f50b6..c13e2e35 100755
--- a/scripts/include.mes
+++ b/scripts/include.mes
@@ -1,5 +1,9 @@
 #! /bin/sh
 
+if [ "$1" == "--help" ]; then
+    echo "Usage: include.mes FILE"
+    exit 0
+fi
 for prefix in $(dirname $(dirname $0))/share/mes . $(dirname $(dirname $0)); do
     if [ -d ${prefix}/module ]; then
         break;
diff --git a/scripts/mescc.mes b/scripts/mescc.mes
index 254348f0..dd21d5d0 100755
--- a/scripts/mescc.mes
+++ b/scripts/mescc.mes
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 #! /bin/sh
 # -*-scheme-*-
-cat ${1-$(dirname $(dirname $0))/share/doc/mes/examples/main.c} | cat $($(dirname $0)/include.mes $0) $0 /dev/stdin | $(dirname $0)/mes > a.out
+cat ${1-$(dirname $(dirname $0))/share/doc/mes/examples/main.c} | cat $($(dirname $0)/include.mes $0) $0 /dev/stdin | $(dirname $0)/mes "$@" > a.out
 chmod +x a.out
 exit $?
 !#
diff --git a/scripts/paren.mes b/scripts/paren.mes
index 79510ae1..4e430a82 100755
--- a/scripts/paren.mes
+++ b/scripts/paren.mes
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 #! /bin/sh
 # -*-scheme-*-
-echo -e 'EOF\n___P((()))' | cat $($(dirname $0)/include.mes $0) $0 /dev/stdin | $(dirname $0)/mes
+echo -e 'EOF\n___P((()))' | cat $($(dirname $0)/include.mes $0) $0 /dev/stdin | $(dirname $0)/mes "$@"
 chmod +x a.out
 exit $?
 !#
diff --git a/scripts/repl.mes b/scripts/repl.mes
index 6e6d893e..f1bdd670 100755
--- a/scripts/repl.mes
+++ b/scripts/repl.mes
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 #! /bin/sh
 # -*-scheme-*-
-cat $($(dirname $0)/include.mes $0) $0 /dev/stdin | $(dirname $0)/mes
+cat $($(dirname $0)/include.mes $0) $0 /dev/stdin | $(dirname $0)/mes "$@"
 exit $?
 !#