diff --git a/lib/cli.js b/lib/cli.js
index e3369903..e749d5b0 100644
--- a/lib/cli.js
+++ b/lib/cli.js
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 'use strict'
 
-const fs = require('fs')
 const pkg = require('../package.json')
 const { Options, Invoker, processor } = require('@asciidoctor/cli')
 const chokidar = require('chokidar')
@@ -10,29 +9,19 @@ class ProcessorEmitter extends EventEmitter {}
 const processorEmitter = new ProcessorEmitter()
 
 const converter = require('./converter.js')
+// we look forward to the CLI having Invoker.readFromStdin()
+// https://github.com/Mogztter/asciidoctor-pdf.js/pull/158#issuecomment-577788688
 const stdin = require('./stdin')
 
 async function convertFiles (files, argv, options, verbose, preview) {
   for (const file of files) {
     if (verbose) {
-      console.log(`converting file ${file}`)
+      console.log(`converting file ${file.contents ? '-' : file.path}`)
     }
     await converter.convert(processor, file, options, argv.timings, argv.watch, preview)
   }
 }
 
-function getTemporaryAdocFile (workingDir) {
-  let tempFile
-  // random file name for stdin data
-  const name = 'asciidoctor-pdf-' + Math.random().toString(36).substring(2, 15)
-  if (path.isAbsolute(workingDir)) {
-    tempFile = path.join(workingDir, `${name}.adoc`)
-  } else {
-    tempFile = path.normalize(path.join(process.cwd(), workingDir, `${name}.adoc`))
-  }
-  return tempFile
-}
-
 class PdfOptions {
   constructor () {
     this.options = new Options()
@@ -102,23 +91,16 @@ class PdfInvoker extends Invoker {
     Invoker.prepareProcessor(args, processor)
     const options = this.options.options
     if (this.options.stdin) {
-      const dir = this.options.base_dir || this.options.doc_dir || process.cwd()
-      const adocFile = getTemporaryAdocFile(dir)
-      const adocFilePath = path.parse(adocFile) 
-      const htmlFilePath = path.join(adocFilePath.dir, adocFilePath.name + '.html')
+      const fictiveInputFile = `${this.options.base_dir || this.options.doc_dir || process.cwd()}/asciidoctor-pdf-stdin.adoc`
       stdin.read((data) => {
-        fs.writeFile(adocFile, data, { flag: 'wx' }, function (err) {
-          if (err) throw err
-          convertFiles([adocFile], args, options, verbose, preview).then(() => {
-            // this should be handled async but skills inadequate :-(
-            fs.unlinkSync(adocFile)
-            fs.unlinkSync(htmlFilePath)
-          })
+          const fileObj = {path: fictiveInputFile,
+                           contents: data}
+          convertFiles([fileObj], args, options, verbose, preview)
         })
-      })
       return { exit: false }
     } else if (files && files.length > 0) {
-      await convertFiles(files, args, options, verbose, preview)
+      const fileObjs = files.map(file => new Object({ path: file }))
+      await convertFiles(fileObjs, args, options, verbose, preview)
       if (watch) {
         const watchFiles = files.map((file) => {
           const dirname = path.dirname(file)
diff --git a/lib/converter.js b/lib/converter.js
index e74b832c..55504819 100644
--- a/lib/converter.js
+++ b/lib/converter.js
@@ -30,15 +30,15 @@ function registerTemplateConverter (processor, templates) {
 }
 
 async function convert (processor, inputFile, options, timings, watch, preview) {
-  const tempFile = getTemporaryHtmlFile(inputFile, options)
+  const tempFile = getTemporaryHtmlFile(inputFile.path, options)
   let workingDir
   if (options.to_dir) {
     await mkdirs(options.to_dir)
     workingDir = options.to_dir
   } else {
-    workingDir = path.dirname(inputFile)
+    workingDir = path.dirname(inputFile.path)
   }
-  const inputFilenameWithoutExt = path.basename(inputFile, path.extname(inputFile))
+  const inputFilenameWithoutExt = path.basename(inputFile.path, path.extname(inputFile.path))
   let outputFile = path.join(workingDir, inputFilenameWithoutExt + '.pdf')
   let outputToStdout = false
   if (options.to_file) {
@@ -55,14 +55,23 @@ async function convert (processor, inputFile, options, timings, watch, preview)
   }
   const instanceOptions = Object.assign({}, options, { to_file: tempFile })
   let doc
+
   if (timings) {
     const timings = processor.Timings.$new()
     instanceOptions.timings = timings
-    doc = processor.convertFile(inputFile, instanceOptions)
-    timings.$print_report(Opal.gvars.stderr, inputFile)
+  }
+
+  if ( inputFile.contents ) {
+    // data from stdin
+    doc = processor.convert(inputFile.contents, instanceOptions)
   } else {
-    doc = processor.convertFile(inputFile, instanceOptions)
+    doc = processor.convertFile(inputFile.path, instanceOptions)
   }
+
+  if (timings) {
+    timings.$print_report(Opal.gvars.stderr, inputFile.contents ? '-' : inputFile.path)
+  }
+
   const puppeteerConfig = {
     headless: !preview,
     args: ['--no-sandbox', '--allow-file-access-from-files']
diff --git a/test/pdf_test.js b/test/pdf_test.js
index ddb8e756..3e5a7436 100644
--- a/test/pdf_test.js
+++ b/test/pdf_test.js
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ describe('PDF converter', function () {
   const convert = async (inputFile, outputFile, options) => {
     const opts = options || {}
     opts.to_file = outputFile
-    await converter.convert(asciidoctor, inputFile, opts, false)
+    await converter.convert(asciidoctor, { path: inputFile }, opts, false)
     return PDFDocument.load(fs.readFileSync(outputFile))
   }
 
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ describe('PDF converter', function () {
     const outputFile = `${__dirname}/output/title-page-background-color.pdf`
     opts.to_file = outputFile
     opts.attributes = { stylesheet: `${__dirname}/../css/asciidoctor.css;${__dirname}/../css/document.css;${__dirname}/../css/features/book.css;${__dirname}/fixtures/black-title-page.css` }
-    await converter.convert(asciidoctor, `${__dirname}/fixtures/title-page.adoc`, opts, false)
+    await converter.convert(asciidoctor, { path: `${__dirname}/fixtures/title-page.adoc` }, opts, false)
     expect(outputFile).to.be.visuallyIdentical('title-page-background-color.pdf')
   })
 })