diff --git a/cmake/modules/ConfigureChecks.cmake b/cmake/modules/ConfigureChecks.cmake
index 4caccfbc5f8..62fc96f169a 100644
--- a/cmake/modules/ConfigureChecks.cmake
+++ b/cmake/modules/ConfigureChecks.cmake
@@ -192,15 +192,18 @@ check_symbol_exists (vsnprintf stdio.h  HAVE_VSNPRINTF_)
 if (HAVE_UNISTD_H_)
 	check_symbol_exists (access  unistd.h HAVE_ACCESS)
 	check_symbol_exists (getpid  unistd.h HAVE_GETPID)
+	check_symbol_exists (isatty  unistd.h HAVE_ISATTY)
 else (HAVE_UNISTD_H_)
 	# in MinGW:
 	check_symbol_exists (access  io.h     HAVE_ACCESS)
 	check_symbol_exists (_getpid process.h HAVE__GETPID)
+	check_symbol_exists (isatty  io.h     HAVE_ISATTY)
 endif (HAVE_UNISTD_H_)
 
 if (WIN32)
 	check_symbol_exists (_access   io.h     HAVE__ACCESS)
 	check_symbol_exists (_fileno   stdio.h  HAVE__FILENO)
+	check_symbol_exists (_isatty   io.h     HAVE__ISATTY)
 	check_symbol_exists (_getcwd   direct.h HAVE__GETCWD)
 	check_symbol_exists (_mkdir    direct.h HAVE__MKDIR)
 	check_symbol_exists (_setmode  io.h     HAVE__SETMODE)
diff --git a/src/gmt_api.c b/src/gmt_api.c
index 3fd158db1c7..7161b2dec29 100644
--- a/src/gmt_api.c
+++ b/src/gmt_api.c
@@ -7868,6 +7868,9 @@ GMT_LOCAL int gmtapi_init_import (struct GMTAPI_CTRL *API, enum GMT_enum_family
 	/* Note that n_reg can have changed if we added file args above */
 
 	if ((mode & GMT_ADD_STDIO_ALWAYS) || ((mode & GMT_ADD_STDIO_IF_NONE) && n_reg == 0)) {	/* Wish to register stdin pointer as a source */
+		if (n_reg == 0 && isatty (fileno (API->GMT->session.std[GMT_IN])))
+			GMT_Report (API, GMT_MSG_WARNING, "No input file given - reading table data from standard input (this terminal). "
+				"Type your data and press Ctrl-D when done. To use a file or a pipe instead, press Ctrl-C now and rerun the command with that input.\n");
 		if ((object_ID = GMT_Register_IO (API, family|GMT_VIA_MODULE_INPUT, GMT_IS_STREAM, geometry, GMT_IN, NULL, API->GMT->session.std[GMT_IN])) == GMT_NOTSET)
 			return_value (API, API->error, GMT_NOTSET);	/* Failure to register stdin */
 		n_reg++;		/* Add the single item */
diff --git a/src/gmt_config.h.in b/src/gmt_config.h.in
index 339c6d2d559..030a8f2f58e 100644
--- a/src/gmt_config.h.in
+++ b/src/gmt_config.h.in
@@ -100,6 +100,8 @@
 #cmakedefine HAVE_FCNTL
 #cmakedefine HAVE_FILENO
 #cmakedefine HAVE__FILENO
+#cmakedefine HAVE_ISATTY
+#cmakedefine HAVE__ISATTY
 #cmakedefine HAVE_FSEEKO
 #cmakedefine HAVE_FTELLO
 #cmakedefine HAVE__FSEEKI64
diff --git a/src/gmt_notposix.h b/src/gmt_notposix.h
index 333467fbe0b..168965cf6c3 100644
--- a/src/gmt_notposix.h
+++ b/src/gmt_notposix.h
@@ -495,6 +495,13 @@
 #	define fileno _fileno
 #endif
 
+/* isatty is usually in unistd.h; we use a macro here
+ * since the same function under WIN32 is prefixed with _
+ * and defined in io.h */
+#if defined HAVE__ISATTY && !defined HAVE_ISATTY
+#	define isatty _isatty
+#endif
+
 /* rmdir is usually in unistd.h; we use a macro here
  * since the same function under WIN32 is prefixed with _
  * and defined in direct.h */