diff --git a/Makefile.target b/Makefile.target
index 9968871d6e..2c46091225 100644
--- a/Makefile.target
+++ b/Makefile.target
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ $(QEMU_PROG).stp-installed: $(BUILD_DIR)/trace-events-all
 		--binary=$(bindir)/$(QEMU_PROG) \
 		--target-name=$(TARGET_NAME) \
 		--target-type=$(TARGET_TYPE) \
-		< $< > $@,"GEN","$(TARGET_DIR)$(QEMU_PROG).stp-installed")
+		$< > $@,"GEN","$(TARGET_DIR)$(QEMU_PROG).stp-installed")
 
 $(QEMU_PROG).stp: $(BUILD_DIR)/trace-events-all
 	$(call quiet-command,$(TRACETOOL) \
@@ -64,14 +64,14 @@ $(QEMU_PROG).stp: $(BUILD_DIR)/trace-events-all
 		--binary=$(realpath .)/$(QEMU_PROG) \
 		--target-name=$(TARGET_NAME) \
 		--target-type=$(TARGET_TYPE) \
-		< $< > $@,"GEN","$(TARGET_DIR)$(QEMU_PROG).stp")
+		$< > $@,"GEN","$(TARGET_DIR)$(QEMU_PROG).stp")
 
 $(QEMU_PROG)-simpletrace.stp: $(BUILD_DIR)/trace-events-all
 	$(call quiet-command,$(TRACETOOL) \
 		--format=simpletrace-stap \
 		--backends=$(TRACE_BACKENDS) \
 		--probe-prefix=qemu.$(TARGET_TYPE).$(TARGET_NAME) \
-		< $< > $@,"GEN","$(TARGET_DIR)$(QEMU_PROG)-simpletrace.stp")
+		$< > $@,"GEN","$(TARGET_DIR)$(QEMU_PROG)-simpletrace.stp")
 
 else
 stap:
diff --git a/scripts/tracetool.py b/scripts/tracetool.py
index 6accbbff69..f66e767271 100755
--- a/scripts/tracetool.py
+++ b/scripts/tracetool.py
@@ -129,7 +129,10 @@ def main(args):
         if probe_prefix is None:
             probe_prefix = ".".join(["qemu", target_type, target_name])
 
-    events = tracetool.read_events(sys.stdin)
+    if len(args) != 1:
+        error_opt("missing trace-events filepath")
+    with open(args[0], "r") as fh:
+        events = tracetool.read_events(fh)
 
     try:
         tracetool.generate(events, arg_format, arg_backends,
diff --git a/trace/Makefile.objs b/trace/Makefile.objs
index abac333094..1e1ce7479d 100644
--- a/trace/Makefile.objs
+++ b/trace/Makefile.objs
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ $(obj)/generated-ust-provider.h-timestamp: $(BUILD_DIR)/trace-events-all $(trace
 	$(call quiet-command,$(TRACETOOL) \
 		--format=ust-events-h \
 		--backends=$(TRACE_BACKENDS) \
-		< $< > $@,"GEN","$(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@)")
+		$< > $@,"GEN","$(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@)")
 
 $(obj)/generated-ust.c: $(obj)/generated-ust.c-timestamp $(BUILD_DIR)/config-host.mak
 	@cmp $< $@ >/dev/null 2>&1 || cp $< $@
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ $(obj)/generated-ust.c-timestamp: $(BUILD_DIR)/trace-events-all $(tracetool-y)
 	$(call quiet-command,$(TRACETOOL) \
 		--format=ust-events-c \
 		--backends=$(TRACE_BACKENDS) \
-		< $< > $@,"GEN","$(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@)")
+		$< > $@,"GEN","$(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@)")
 
 $(obj)/generated-tracers.h: $(obj)/generated-ust-provider.h
 $(obj)/generated-tracers.c: $(obj)/generated-ust.c
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ $(obj)/generated-tracers.h-timestamp: $(BUILD_DIR)/trace-events-all $(BUILD_DIR)
 	$(call quiet-command,$(TRACETOOL) \
 		--format=h \
 		--backends=$(TRACE_BACKENDS) \
-		< $< > $@,"GEN","$(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@)")
+		$< > $@,"GEN","$(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@)")
 
 ##############################
 # non-DTrace
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ $(obj)/generated-tracers.c-timestamp: $(BUILD_DIR)/trace-events-all $(BUILD_DIR)
 	$(call quiet-command,$(TRACETOOL) \
 		--format=c \
 		--backends=$(TRACE_BACKENDS) \
-		< $< > $@,"GEN","$(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@)")
+		$< > $@,"GEN","$(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@)")
 
 $(obj)/generated-tracers.o: $(obj)/generated-tracers.c $(obj)/generated-tracers.h
 
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ $(obj)/generated-tracers-dtrace.dtrace-timestamp: $(BUILD_DIR)/trace-events-all
 	$(call quiet-command,$(TRACETOOL) \
 		--format=d \
 		--backends=$(TRACE_BACKENDS) \
-		< $< > $@,"GEN","$(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@)")
+		$< > $@,"GEN","$(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@)")
 
 $(obj)/generated-tracers-dtrace.h: $(obj)/generated-tracers-dtrace.dtrace
 	$(call quiet-command,dtrace -o $@ -h -s $<,"GEN","$@")
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ $(obj)/generated-helpers-wrappers.h-timestamp: $(BUILD_DIR)/trace-events-all $(B
 	$(call quiet-command,$(TRACETOOL) \
 		--format=tcg-helper-wrapper-h \
 		--backend=$(TRACE_BACKENDS) \
-		< $< > $@,"GEN","$(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@)")
+		$< > $@,"GEN","$(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@)")
 
 $(obj)/generated-helpers.h: $(obj)/generated-helpers.h-timestamp
 	@cmp $< $@ >/dev/null 2>&1 || cp $< $@
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ $(obj)/generated-helpers.h-timestamp: $(BUILD_DIR)/trace-events-all $(BUILD_DIR)
 	$(call quiet-command,$(TRACETOOL) \
 		--format=tcg-helper-h \
 		--backend=$(TRACE_BACKENDS) \
-		< $< > $@,"GEN","$(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@)")
+		$< > $@,"GEN","$(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@)")
 
 $(obj)/generated-helpers.c: $(obj)/generated-helpers.c-timestamp
 	@cmp $< $@ >/dev/null 2>&1 || cp $< $@
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ $(obj)/generated-helpers.c-timestamp: $(BUILD_DIR)/trace-events-all $(BUILD_DIR)
 	$(call quiet-command,$(TRACETOOL) \
 		--format=tcg-helper-c \
 		--backend=$(TRACE_BACKENDS) \
-		< $< > $@,"GEN","$(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@)")
+		$< > $@,"GEN","$(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@)")
 
 $(obj)/generated-helpers.o: $(obj)/generated-helpers.c
 
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ $(obj)/generated-tcg-tracers.h-timestamp: $(BUILD_DIR)/trace-events-all $(BUILD_
 	$(call quiet-command,$(TRACETOOL) \
 		--format=tcg-h \
 		--backend=$(TRACE_BACKENDS) \
-		< $< > $@,"GEN","$(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@)")
+		$< > $@,"GEN","$(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@)")
 
 
 ######################################################################