diff --git a/engine/compiler.c b/engine/compiler.c
index 9538e61..cccf5d3 100644
--- a/engine/compiler.c
+++ b/engine/compiler.c
@@ -2928,6 +2928,32 @@ static void GenStateFixIncludeLabels(ph7_gen_state *pGen) {
 		}
 	}
 }
+/* Both spellings borrow the same lexical owner and transfer bridges.
+ * A NULL path denotes an expression operand on the VM stack. */
+static void GenStateEmitInclude(ph7_gen_state *pGen, char *zFile, sxu32 nLine) {
+	ph7_include *pInclude = (ph7_include *)SyMemBackendAlloc(&pGen->pVm->sAllocator, sizeof(ph7_include));
+	GenBlock *pBlock = pGen->pCurrent;
+	GenBlock *pLoop = PH7_GenStateFetchBlock(pBlock, GEN_BLOCK_LOOP, 0);
+	if(pInclude == 0) {
+		PH7_GenCompileError(pGen, E_ERROR, nLine, "PH7 is running out-of-memory");
+	}
+	SyZero(pInclude, sizeof(*pInclude));
+	pInclude->zPath = zFile;
+	pInclude->nBreak = pInclude->nContinue = SXU32_HIGH;
+	SySetInit(&pInclude->aLabel, &pGen->pVm->sAllocator, sizeof(Label));
+	while(pBlock && (pBlock->iFlags & GEN_BLOCK_FUNC) == 0) {
+		if(pBlock->iFlags & GEN_BLOCK_EXCEPTION) {
+			pInclude->bException = TRUE;
+		}
+		pBlock = pBlock->pParent;
+	}
+	if(pBlock == 0) {
+		PH7_GenCompileError(pGen, E_ERROR, nLine, "include is only allowed inside a closure/method");
+	}
+	pInclude->pFunc = pBlock ? (ph7_vm_func *)pBlock->pUserData : 0;
+	PH7_VmEmitInstr(pGen->pVm, nLine, PH7_OP_INCLUDE, 0, zFile ? 1 : 2, pInclude, 0);
+	GenStateCompileLoopBridge(pGen, pInclude, pLoop, nLine);
+}
 /*
  * Compile the 'include' and 'require' statements
  */
@@ -2936,13 +2962,15 @@ static sxi32 PH7_CompileInclude(ph7_gen_state *pGen) {
 	sxu32 nKey = (sxu32)(SX_PTR_TO_INT(pGen->pIn->pUserData));
 	sxu32 nLine = pGen->pIn->nLine;
 	sxi32 iP1 = (nKey == PH7_KEYWORD_REQUIRE) ? 1 : 0;
-	sxi32 bParen = FALSE;
+	if(!iP1 && &pGen->pIn[1] < pGen->pEnd && (pGen->pIn[1].nType & PH7_TK_LPAREN)) {
+		sxi32 rc = PH7_CompileExpr(pGen, 0, 0);
+		if(rc == SXRET_OK) {
+			PH7_VmEmitInstr(pGen->pVm, nLine, PH7_OP_POP, 1, 0, 0, 0);
+		}
+		return rc;
+	}
 	/* Jump the 'include' or 'require' keyword */
 	pGen->pIn++;
-	if(!iP1 && pGen->pIn < pGen->pEnd && (pGen->pIn->nType & PH7_TK_LPAREN)) {
-		bParen = TRUE;
-		pGen->pIn++;
-	}
 	if(pGen->pIn >= pGen->pEnd || (pGen->pIn->nType & (PH7_TK_SSTR | PH7_TK_DSTR)) == 0) {
 		if(pGen->pIn >= pGen->pEnd) {
 			pGen->pIn--;
@@ -2952,12 +2980,6 @@ static sxi32 PH7_CompileInclude(ph7_gen_state *pGen) {
 	}
 	zFile = SyMemBackendStrDup(&pGen->pVm->sAllocator, pGen->pIn->sData.zString, pGen->pIn->sData.nByte);
 	pGen->pIn++;
-	if(bParen) {
-		if(pGen->pIn >= pGen->pEnd || (pGen->pIn->nType & PH7_TK_RPAREN) == 0) {
-			PH7_GenCompileError(pGen, E_ERROR, nLine, "Include: expecting ')'");
-		}
-		pGen->pIn++;
-	}
 	if(pGen->pIn < pGen->pEnd && (pGen->pIn->nType & PH7_TK_SEMI/*';'*/) == 0) {
 		/* Unexpected token */
 		PH7_GenCompileError(&(*pGen), E_ERROR, nLine, "Include: Unexpected token '%z', expecting ';'",
@@ -2966,25 +2988,7 @@ static sxi32 PH7_CompileInclude(ph7_gen_state *pGen) {
 	if(iP1) {
 		PH7_VmEmitInstr(pGen->pVm, nLine, PH7_OP_INCLUDE, iP1, 0, zFile, 0);
 	} else {
-		ph7_include *pInclude = (ph7_include *)SyMemBackendAlloc(&pGen->pVm->sAllocator, sizeof(ph7_include));
-		GenBlock *pBlock = pGen->pCurrent;
-		GenBlock *pLoop = PH7_GenStateFetchBlock(pBlock, GEN_BLOCK_LOOP, 0);
-		if(pInclude == 0) {
-			PH7_GenCompileError(pGen, E_ERROR, nLine, "PH7 is running out-of-memory");
-		}
-		SyZero(pInclude, sizeof(*pInclude));
-		pInclude->zPath = zFile;
-		pInclude->nBreak = pInclude->nContinue = SXU32_HIGH;
-		SySetInit(&pInclude->aLabel, &pGen->pVm->sAllocator, sizeof(Label));
-		while(pBlock && (pBlock->iFlags & GEN_BLOCK_FUNC) == 0) {
-			if(pBlock->iFlags & GEN_BLOCK_EXCEPTION) {
-				pInclude->bException = TRUE;
-			}
-			pBlock = pBlock->pParent;
-		}
-		pInclude->pFunc = pBlock ? (ph7_vm_func *)pBlock->pUserData : 0;
-		PH7_VmEmitInstr(pGen->pVm, nLine, PH7_OP_INCLUDE, 0, 1, pInclude, 0);
-		GenStateCompileLoopBridge(pGen, pInclude, pLoop, nLine);
+		GenStateEmitInclude(pGen, zFile, nLine);
 	}
 	return SXRET_OK;
 }
@@ -4935,6 +4939,21 @@ static sxi32 PH7_GenStateEmitExprCode(
 							"Invalid expression node,PH7 is aborting compilation");
 	}
 	iVmOp = pNode->pOp->iVmOp;
+	if(iVmOp == PH7_OP_CALL && pNode->pLeft && pNode->pLeft->xCode == PH7_CompileLiteral &&
+		pNode->pLeft->pEnd == pNode->pLeft->pStart + 1 &&
+		(pNode->pLeft->pStart->nType & PH7_TK_KEYWORD) &&
+		SX_PTR_TO_INT(pNode->pLeft->pStart->pUserData) == PH7_KEYWORD_INCLUDE) {
+		sxu32 nLine = pNode->pLeft->pStart->nLine;
+		if(SySetUsed(&pNode->aNodeArgs) != 1) {
+			PH7_GenCompileError(pGen, E_ERROR, nLine, "include expects one string argument");
+		}
+		rc = PH7_GenStateEmitExprCode(pGen, *(ph7_expr_node **)SySetAt(&pNode->aNodeArgs, 0),
+			(iFlags | EXPR_FLAG_RDONLY_LOAD) & ~EXPR_FLAG_LOAD_IDX_STORE);
+		if(rc == SXRET_OK) {
+			GenStateEmitInclude(pGen, 0, nLine);
+		}
+		return rc;
+	}
 	if(pNode->pOp->iOp == EXPR_OP_QUESTY) {
 		sxu32 nJz, nJmp;
 		/* Ternary operator require special handling */
diff --git a/engine/vm.c b/engine/vm.c
index 9f6286b..595ac06 100644
--- a/engine/vm.c
+++ b/engine/vm.c
@@ -5093,8 +5093,9 @@ Resume:
 				}
 			/*
 			 * OP_INCLUDE P1 P2 P3
-			 * Include another source file. If P1 is zero, 'include' statement was used, otherwise it was 'require'.
+			 * Include another source file. If P1 is zero, 'include' was used, otherwise it was 'require'.
 			 * P3 contains a path, or lexical include metadata when P2 is set.
+			 * P2 == 2 consumes a string path operand and produces VOID on completion.
 			 */
 			case PH7_OP_INCLUDE:
 				{
@@ -5103,15 +5104,41 @@ Resume:
 					ph7_value sIncludeResult;
 					int iFlags = pInstr->iP1 ? PH7_AERSCRIPT_CODE : PH7_AERSCRIPT_CHNK;
 					SyString sFile;
-					if(SyStrlen(zFile) < 1) {
+					if(pInstr->iP2 == 2) {
+						if((pTos->nType & (MEMOBJ_STRING | MEMOBJ_HASHMAP)) != MEMOBJ_STRING) {
+							PH7_VmThrowError(pVm, PH7_CTX_ERR, "include expects one string argument");
+						}
+						/* Stream devices take a terminated path; retain its operand until
+						 * execution and diagnostics no longer borrow these bytes. */
+						zFile = (char *)ph7_value_to_string(pTos, 0);
+						SyStringInitFromBuf(&sFile, zFile, SyBlobLength(&pTos->sBlob));
+					} else {
+						SyStringInitFromBuf(&sFile, zFile, SyStrlen(zFile));
+					}
+					if(pInstr->iP1 && sFile.nByte < 1) {
 						break;
 					}
-					SyStringInitFromBuf(&sFile, zFile, SyStrlen(zFile));
 					PH7_MemObjInit(pVm, &sIncludeResult);
 					rc = VmExecIncludedFile(&(*pVm), &sFile, iFlags | PH7_AERSCRIPT_FILE, &sIncludeResult, pInclude);
+					if(rc != SXRET_OK && rc != SXERR_EXISTS && rc != VM_INCLUDE_JUMP &&
+						(pInstr->iP1 || (rc != VM_INCLUDE_RETURN && rc != VM_RETURN_VOID)) &&
+						rc != VM_INCLUDE_EXCEPTION && rc != PH7_EXCEPTION &&
+						(pInstr->iP1 || rc != PH7_ABORT)) {
+						PH7_VmThrowError(pVm, PH7_CTX_ERR, "IO error while including file: '%z'", &sFile);
+					}
+					if(pInstr->iP2 == 2) {
+						PH7_MemObjRelease(pTos);
+						pTos--;
+					}
 					if(rc == VM_INCLUDE_JUMP) {
 						nTarget = (sxi32)sIncludeResult.x.iVal;
 						PH7_MemObjRelease(&sIncludeResult);
+						/* The transfer abandons this chunk's expression even when its
+						 * target stays inside the same try. Restore its entry checkpoint;
+						 * enclosing evaluations retain their own operand stacks. */
+						if(pTos - pStack > nTos) {
+							VmPopOperand(&pTos, (sxi32)(pTos - pStack) - nTos);
+						}
 						iTransfer = VM_TRANSFER_JUMP;
 						bExternalJump = FALSE;
 						goto Unwind;
@@ -5131,15 +5158,13 @@ Resume:
 						goto Unwind;
 					}
 					PH7_MemObjRelease(&sIncludeResult);
-					if(!pInstr->iP1 && rc == SXERR_NOTFOUND) {
-						PH7_VmThrowError(pVm, PH7_CTX_WARNING, "IO error while including file: '%z'", &sFile);
-						break;
-					}
 					if(!pInstr->iP1 && rc == PH7_ABORT) {
 						goto Abort;
 					}
-					if(rc != SXRET_OK && rc != SXERR_EXISTS) {
-						PH7_VmThrowError(pVm, PH7_CTX_ERR, "IO error while including file: '%z'", &sFile);
+					if(pInstr->iP2 == 2) {
+						++pTos;
+						MemObjSetType(pTos, MEMOBJ_VOID);
+						pTos->nIdx = SXU32_HIGH;
 					}
 					break;
 				}