diff --git a/bb/resources/native-image-tests/run-native-image-tests b/bb/resources/native-image-tests/run-native-image-tests
index 14f67a54..fb0f05ce 100755
--- a/bb/resources/native-image-tests/run-native-image-tests
+++ b/bb/resources/native-image-tests/run-native-image-tests
@@ -57,4 +57,15 @@ fi
 ./dthk query '[:find ?e . :where [?e :name ?n]]' db:$CONFIG --format cbor >> /tmp/test
 ./dthk query '[:find ?i :in $ ?i . :where [?e :name ?n]]' db:$CONFIG cbor:/tmp/test # => 1
 
+# test arbitrary :in[puts] as positional args
+QUERY_OUT=`./dthk query '[:find (pull ?e [*]) . :in $ ?name :where [?e :name ?name]]' db:$CONFIG '"Judea"'`
+if [ "$QUERY_OUT" = '{:db/id 100001, :name "Judea"}' ]
+then
+  echo "Positional input test successful."
+else
+  echo "Exception: Query did not return correct value."
+  exit 1
+fi
+
 ./dthk delete-database $CONFIG
+./dthk delete-database $ATTR_REF_CONFIG
diff --git a/doc/cli.md b/doc/cli.md
index 3b75bfa5..8d5c581e 100644
--- a/doc/cli.md
+++ b/doc/cli.md
@@ -42,8 +42,15 @@ value(s), whereas the `db:<file>` argument to `query` comes after the query
 value, mirroring the Clojure API. As an added benefit, this also allows passing
 multiple db configuration files prefixed with `db:` for joining over arbitrary
 many databases or data files with "edn:" or "json:". Everything non-prefixed is
-read in as `edn` and passed to the query engine as well.
+read in as `edn` and passed to the query engine as well:
 
+```bash
+$ dthk query '[:find ?e . :in $ ?name :where [?e :name ?name]]' db:myconfig.edn '"Linus"'
+123
+```
+
+When passing strings as EDN, make sure to enclose double quotes as part of the
+command-line arg value. Otherwise it will be parsed as a symbol.
 
 Provided the filestore is configured with `{:in-place? true}` you can even write
 to the same database without a dedicated daemon from different shells:
diff --git a/src/datahike/cli.clj b/src/datahike/cli.clj
index 9454eea3..f9270842 100644
--- a/src/datahike/cli.clj
+++ b/src/datahike/cli.clj
@@ -144,8 +144,7 @@
                    nil
                    input->db)]
     res
-    (throw (ex-info "Input format not know." {:type  :input-format-not-known
-                                              :input s}))))
+    (edn/read-string s)))
 
 (defn report [format out]
   (case format