diff -r 9e0d4452e649 -r 454a486d9c19 core/src/luan/modules/BasicLuan.java
--- a/core/src/luan/modules/BasicLuan.java	Wed Oct 29 03:50:59 2014 +0000
+++ b/core/src/luan/modules/BasicLuan.java	Wed Oct 29 16:26:42 2014 +0000
@@ -74,11 +74,12 @@
 	}
 
 	public static LuanFunction load_file(LuanState luan,String fileName) throws LuanException {
-		LuanTable t = fileName==null ? IoLuan.stdin.table() : IoLuan.get(luan,fileName,false);
-		if( t == null )
+		if( fileName == null )
+			fileName = "stdin:";
+		LuanFunction fn = PackageLuan.loader(luan,fileName,false);
+		if( fn == null )
 			throw luan.exception( "file '"+fileName+"' not found" );
-		LuanFunction loader = (LuanFunction)t.get("loader");
-		return (LuanFunction)Luan.first(luan.call(loader,new Object[]{fileName}));
+		return fn;
 	}
 
 	public static Object do_file(LuanState luan,String fileName) throws LuanException {

diff -r 9e0d4452e649 -r 454a486d9c19 core/src/luan/modules/IoLuan.java
--- a/core/src/luan/modules/IoLuan.java	Wed Oct 29 03:50:59 2014 +0000
+++ b/core/src/luan/modules/IoLuan.java	Wed Oct 29 16:26:42 2014 +0000
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 import java.io.DataInputStream;
 import java.io.DataOutputStream;
 import java.io.IOException;
+import java.io.FileNotFoundException;
 import java.net.URL;
 import java.net.Socket;
 import java.net.ServerSocket;
@@ -210,11 +211,22 @@
 			try {
 				String src = read_text();
 				return BasicLuan.load(luan,src,name,null,false);
+			} catch(FileNotFoundException e) {
+				return null;
 			} catch(IOException e) {
 				throw luan.exception(e);
 			}
 		}
 
+		public boolean exists() throws IOException {
+			try {
+				inputStream().close();
+				return true;
+			} catch(FileNotFoundException e) {
+				return false;
+			}
+		}
+
 		LuanTable table() {
 			LuanTable tbl = Luan.newTable();
 			try {
@@ -236,6 +248,9 @@
 				tbl.put( "loader", new LuanJavaFunction(
 					LuanIn.class.getMethod( "loader", LuanState.class, String.class ), this
 				) );
+				tbl.put( "exists", new LuanJavaFunction(
+					LuanIn.class.getMethod( "exists" ), this
+				) );
 			} catch(NoSuchMethodException e) {
 				throw new RuntimeException(e);
 			}
@@ -260,6 +275,10 @@
 		@Override public byte[] read_binary() throws IOException {
 			return Utils.readAll(System.in);
 		}
+
+		@Override public boolean exists() {
+			return true;
+		}
 	};
 
 	public static abstract class LuanIO extends LuanIn {
@@ -365,7 +384,7 @@
 			return list;
 		}
 
-		public boolean exists() {
+		@Override public boolean exists() {
 			return file.exists();
 		}
 
@@ -375,9 +394,6 @@
 				tbl.put( "name", new LuanJavaFunction(
 					File.class.getMethod( "getName" ), file
 				) );
-				tbl.put( "exists", new LuanJavaFunction(
-					LuanFile.class.getMethod( "exists" ), this
-				) );
 				tbl.put( "is_directory", new LuanJavaFunction(
 					File.class.getMethod( "isDirectory" ), file
 				) );
@@ -413,8 +429,6 @@
 		if( Boolean.TRUE.equals(loading) )
 			name += ".luan";
 		File file = new File(name);
-		if( !file.exists() )
-			return null;
 		return new LuanFile(file).table();
 	}
 
@@ -504,6 +518,11 @@
 		return classpath( luan, "luan/modules/" + path, loading );
 	}
 
+	public static LuanTable stdin(LuanState luan) throws LuanException {
+		LuanTable io = (LuanTable)PackageLuan.loaded(luan).get("luan:Io");
+		return (LuanTable)io.get("stdin");
+	}
+
 	private static LuanTable newProtocols() {
 		LuanTable protocols = Luan.newTable();
 		try {
@@ -516,6 +535,7 @@
 				IoLuan.class.getMethod( "_class", LuanState.class, String.class, Boolean.class ), null
 			) );
 			add( protocols, "luan", LuanState.class, String.class, Boolean.class );
+			add( protocols, "stdin", LuanState.class );
 		} catch(NoSuchMethodException e) {
 			throw new RuntimeException(e);
 		}

diff -r 9e0d4452e649 -r 454a486d9c19 core/src/luan/modules/PackageLuan.java
--- a/core/src/luan/modules/PackageLuan.java	Wed Oct 29 03:50:59 2014 +0000
+++ b/core/src/luan/modules/PackageLuan.java	Wed Oct 29 16:26:42 2014 +0000
@@ -87,13 +87,19 @@
 		return mod;
 	}
 
-	public static Object[] search(LuanState luan,String modName) throws LuanException {
-		LuanTable t = IoLuan.get(luan,modName,true);
+	static LuanFunction loader(LuanState luan,String name,boolean loading) throws LuanException {
+		LuanTable t = IoLuan.get(luan,name,loading);
 		if( t == null )
 			return null;
 		LuanFunction loader = (LuanFunction)t.get("loader");
-		LuanFunction fn = (LuanFunction)Luan.first(luan.call(loader,new Object[]{modName}));
-		return new Object[]{fn,modName};
+		if( loader == null )
+			return null;
+		return (LuanFunction)Luan.first(luan.call(loader,new Object[]{name}));
+	}
+
+	public static Object[] search(LuanState luan,String modName) throws LuanException {
+		LuanFunction fn = loader(luan,modName,true);
+		return fn==null ? null : new Object[]{fn,modName};
 	}