diff --git a/extra/hledger-register-csv.hs b/extra/hledger-register-csv.hs
deleted file mode 100755
index 568d9a8fc..000000000
--- a/extra/hledger-register-csv.hs
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,59 +0,0 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env runhaskell
-{-|
-hledger-register-csv [OPTIONS] [ARGS]
-
-Show a register report as CSV.
--}
-
-module Main
-where
-
-import Hledger.Cli
-import Text.CSV
-
-
-argsmode :: Mode RawOpts
-argsmode = (defCommandMode ["register-csv"]) {
-  modeHelp = "show matched postings and running total as CSV"
- ,modeGroupFlags = Group {
-     groupUnnamed = [ -- copied from Register.hs:
-      flagNone ["historical","H"] (\opts -> setboolopt "historical" opts) "include prior postings in the running total"
-     ,flagNone ["average","A"] (\opts -> setboolopt "average" opts) "show a running average instead of the running total (implies --empty)"
-     ,flagNone ["related","r"] (\opts -> setboolopt "related" opts) "show postings' siblings instead"
-     ]
-    ,groupNamed = [
-         ("Input",inputflags)
-        ,("Reporting",reportflags)
-        ,("Misc",helpflags)
-        ]
-    ,groupHidden = []
-    }
- }
-
-main :: IO ()
-main = do
-  opts <- getCliOpts argsmode
-  withJournalDo opts $
-    \CliOpts{reportopts_=ropts} j -> do
-      d <- getCurrentDay
-      putStrLn $ printCSV $ postingsReportAsCsv $ postingsReport ropts (queryFromOpts d ropts) j
-    
-postingsReportAsCsv :: PostingsReport -> CSV
-postingsReportAsCsv (_,is) =
-  ["date","description","account","amount","running total or balance"]
-  :
-  map postingsReportItemAsCsvRecord is
-
-postingsReportItemAsCsvRecord :: PostingsReportItem -> Record
-postingsReportItemAsCsvRecord (_, _, _, p, b) = [date,desc,acct,amt,bal]
-  where
-    date = showDate $ postingDate p
-    desc = maybe "" tdescription $ ptransaction p
-    acct = bracket $ paccount p
-      where
-        bracket = case ptype p of
-                             BalancedVirtualPosting -> (\s -> "["++s++"]")
-                             VirtualPosting -> (\s -> "("++s++")")
-                             _ -> id
-    amt = showMixedAmountOneLineWithoutPrice $ pamount p
-    bal = showMixedAmountOneLineWithoutPrice b
diff --git a/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Options.hs b/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Options.hs
index ed1dbe063..4ffb37629 100644
--- a/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Options.hs
+++ b/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Options.hs
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ module Hledger.Cli.Options (
   aliasesFromOpts,
   journalFilePathFromOpts,
   rulesFilePathFromOpts,
+  outputFilePathAndExtensionFromOpts,
   -- | For register:
   OutputWidth(..),
   Width(..),
@@ -55,6 +56,7 @@ module Hledger.Cli.Options (
 )
 where
 
+import Control.Applicative ((<$>))
 import qualified Control.Exception as C
 import Control.Monad (when)
 import Data.List
@@ -235,6 +237,7 @@ data CliOpts = CliOpts {
     ,command_         :: String
     ,file_            :: Maybe FilePath
     ,rules_file_      :: Maybe FilePath
+    ,output_          :: Maybe FilePath
     ,alias_           :: [String]
     ,ignore_assertions_ :: Bool
     ,debug_           :: Int            -- ^ debug level, set by @--debug[=N]@. See also 'Hledger.Utils.debugLevel'.
@@ -257,6 +260,7 @@ defcliopts = CliOpts
     def
     def
     def
+    def
 
 -- | Convert possibly encoded option values to regular unicode strings.
 decodeRawOpts :: RawOpts -> RawOpts
@@ -273,6 +277,7 @@ rawOptsToCliOpts rawopts = do
              ,command_         = stringopt "command" rawopts
              ,file_            = maybestringopt "file" rawopts
              ,rules_file_      = maybestringopt "rules-file" rawopts
+             ,output_          = maybestringopt "output" rawopts
              ,alias_           = map stripquotes $ listofstringopt "alias" rawopts
              ,debug_           = intopt "debug" rawopts
              ,ignore_assertions_ = boolopt "ignore-assertions" rawopts
@@ -341,6 +346,17 @@ journalFilePathFromOpts opts = do
   d <- getCurrentDirectory
   expandPath d $ fromMaybe f $ file_ opts
 
+
+-- | Get the (tilde-expanded, absolute) output file path and file
+-- extension (without the dot) from options, or the defaults ("-","").
+outputFilePathAndExtensionFromOpts :: CliOpts -> IO (String, String)
+outputFilePathAndExtensionFromOpts opts = do
+  d <- getCurrentDirectory
+  p <- expandPath d <$> fromMaybe "-" $ output_ opts
+  let (_,ext) = splitExtension p
+      ext' = dropWhile (=='.') ext
+  return (p,ext')
+
 -- | Get the (tilde-expanded) rules file path from options, if any.
 rulesFilePathFromOpts :: CliOpts -> IO (Maybe FilePath)
 rulesFilePathFromOpts opts = do
diff --git a/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Register.hs b/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Register.hs
index c10caea09..31467bb9a 100644
--- a/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Register.hs
+++ b/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Register.hs
@@ -15,6 +15,8 @@ module Hledger.Cli.Register (
 import Data.List
 import Data.Maybe
 import System.Console.CmdArgs.Explicit
+import System.FilePath
+import Text.CSV
 import Test.HUnit
 import Text.Printf
 
@@ -32,6 +34,7 @@ registermode = (defCommandMode $ ["register"] ++ aliases) {
      ,flagNone ["average","A"] (\opts -> setboolopt "average" opts) "show a running average instead of the running total (implies --empty)"
      ,flagNone ["related","r"] (\opts -> setboolopt "related" opts) "show postings' siblings instead"
      ,flagReq  ["width","w"] (\s opts -> Right $ setopt "width" s opts) "N" "set output width (default: 80)"
+     ,flagReq  ["output","o"] (\s opts -> Right $ setopt "output" s opts) "[FILE][.FMT]" "write output to FILE (- or nothing means stdout). With a recognised FMT suffix, write that format (txt, csv)."
      ]
     ,groupHidden = []
     ,groupNamed = [generalflagsgroup1]
@@ -43,7 +46,35 @@ registermode = (defCommandMode $ ["register"] ++ aliases) {
 register :: CliOpts -> Journal -> IO ()
 register opts@CliOpts{reportopts_=ropts} j = do
   d <- getCurrentDay
-  putStr $ postingsReportAsText opts $ postingsReport ropts (queryFromOpts d ropts) j
+  let r = postingsReport ropts (queryFromOpts d ropts) j
+
+  (path, ext) <- outputFilePathAndExtensionFromOpts opts
+  let filename = fst $ splitExtension $ snd $ splitFileName path
+      write  | filename `elem` ["","-"] && ext `elem` ["","csv","txt"] = putStr
+             | otherwise                                               = writeFile path
+      render | ext=="csv" = \_ r -> (printCSV . postingsReportAsCsv) r
+             | otherwise  = postingsReportAsText
+  write $ render opts r
+
+postingsReportAsCsv :: PostingsReport -> CSV
+postingsReportAsCsv (_,is) =
+  ["date","description","account","amount","running total or balance"]
+  :
+  map postingsReportItemAsCsvRecord is
+
+postingsReportItemAsCsvRecord :: PostingsReportItem -> Record
+postingsReportItemAsCsvRecord (_, _, _, p, b) = [date,desc,acct,amt,bal]
+  where
+    date = showDate $ postingDate p
+    desc = maybe "" tdescription $ ptransaction p
+    acct = bracket $ paccount p
+      where
+        bracket = case ptype p of
+                             BalancedVirtualPosting -> (\s -> "["++s++"]")
+                             VirtualPosting -> (\s -> "("++s++")")
+                             _ -> id
+    amt = showMixedAmountOneLineWithoutPrice $ pamount p
+    bal = showMixedAmountOneLineWithoutPrice b
 
 -- | Render a register report as plain text suitable for console output.
 postingsReportAsText :: CliOpts -> PostingsReport -> String