diff --git a/cmd/evaluate_all_command.go b/cmd/evaluate_all_command.go
index 68edf62d..220517a0 100644
--- a/cmd/evaluate_all_command.go
+++ b/cmd/evaluate_all_command.go
@@ -89,6 +89,25 @@ func evaluateAll(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 
 	printer := yqlib.NewPrinter(out, outputToJSON, unwrapScalar, colorsEnabled, indent, !noDocSeparators)
 
+	if frontMatter != "" {
+		frontMatterHandler := yqlib.NewFrontMatterHandler(args[firstFileIndex])
+		err = frontMatterHandler.Split()
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		args[firstFileIndex] = frontMatterHandler.GetYamlFrontMatterFilename()
+
+		if frontMatter == "process" {
+			reader, err := os.Open(frontMatterHandler.GetContentFilename()) // #nosec
+			if err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+			printer.SetAppendix(reader)
+			defer yqlib.SafelyCloseReader(reader)
+		}
+		defer frontMatterHandler.CleanUp()
+	}
+
 	allAtOnceEvaluator := yqlib.NewAllAtOnceEvaluator()
 	switch len(args) {
 	case 0:
diff --git a/cmd/evalute_sequence_command.go b/cmd/evalute_sequence_command.go
index dcc82f10..69aae477 100644
--- a/cmd/evalute_sequence_command.go
+++ b/cmd/evalute_sequence_command.go
@@ -120,7 +120,6 @@ func evaluateSequence(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 			defer yqlib.SafelyCloseReader(reader)
 		}
 		defer frontMatterHandler.CleanUp()
-
 	}
 
 	switch len(args) {
diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/front_matter_test.go b/pkg/yqlib/front_matter_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..bc2f952e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/front_matter_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,133 @@
+package yqlib
+
+import (
+	"io/ioutil"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/mikefarah/yq/v4/test"
+)
+
+func createTestFile(content string) string {
+	tempFile, err := createTempFile()
+	if err != nil {
+		panic(err)
+	}
+
+	_, err = tempFile.Write([]byte(content))
+	if err != nil {
+		panic(err)
+	}
+
+	safelyCloseFile(tempFile)
+
+	return tempFile.Name()
+}
+
+func readFile(filename string) string {
+	bytes, err := ioutil.ReadFile(filename)
+	if err != nil {
+		panic(err)
+	}
+	return string(bytes)
+}
+
+func TestFrontMatterSplitWithLeadingSep(t *testing.T) {
+	file := createTestFile(`---
+a: apple
+b: banana
+---
+not a 
+yaml: doc
+`)
+
+	expectedYamlFm := `---
+a: apple
+b: banana
+`
+
+	expectedContent := `---
+not a 
+yaml: doc
+`
+
+	fmHandler := NewFrontMatterHandler(file)
+	err := fmHandler.Split()
+	if err != nil {
+		panic(err)
+	}
+
+	yamlFm := readFile(fmHandler.GetYamlFrontMatterFilename())
+
+	test.AssertResult(t, expectedYamlFm, yamlFm)
+
+	content := readFile(fmHandler.GetContentFilename())
+	test.AssertResult(t, expectedContent, content)
+
+	tryRemoveFile(file)
+	fmHandler.CleanUp()
+}
+
+func TestFrontMatterSplitWithNoLeadingSep(t *testing.T) {
+	file := createTestFile(`a: apple
+b: banana
+---
+not a 
+yaml: doc
+`)
+
+	expectedYamlFm := `a: apple
+b: banana
+`
+
+	expectedContent := `---
+not a 
+yaml: doc
+`
+
+	fmHandler := NewFrontMatterHandler(file)
+	err := fmHandler.Split()
+	if err != nil {
+		panic(err)
+	}
+
+	yamlFm := readFile(fmHandler.GetYamlFrontMatterFilename())
+
+	test.AssertResult(t, expectedYamlFm, yamlFm)
+
+	content := readFile(fmHandler.GetContentFilename())
+	test.AssertResult(t, expectedContent, content)
+
+	tryRemoveFile(file)
+	fmHandler.CleanUp()
+}
+
+func TestFrontMatterSplitWithArray(t *testing.T) {
+	file := createTestFile(`[1,2,3]
+---
+not a 
+yaml: doc
+`)
+
+	expectedYamlFm := "[1,2,3]\n"
+
+	expectedContent := `---
+not a 
+yaml: doc
+`
+
+	fmHandler := NewFrontMatterHandler(file)
+	err := fmHandler.Split()
+	if err != nil {
+		panic(err)
+	}
+
+	yamlFm := readFile(fmHandler.GetYamlFrontMatterFilename())
+
+	test.AssertResult(t, expectedYamlFm, yamlFm)
+
+	content := readFile(fmHandler.GetContentFilename())
+	test.AssertResult(t, expectedContent, content)
+
+	tryRemoveFile(file)
+	fmHandler.CleanUp()
+}
diff --git a/scripts/acceptance.sh b/scripts/acceptance.sh
index 2ea7902e..0929f871 100755
--- a/scripts/acceptance.sh
+++ b/scripts/acceptance.sh
@@ -127,12 +127,13 @@ if [[ $? != 0 ]]; then
 fi
 
 # run expression against empty file
+rm -f temp.yaml
 touch temp.yaml
 expected="apple: tree"
 
 ./yq e '.apple = "tree"' temp.yaml -i
 X=$(cat temp.yaml)
-rm temp.yaml
+rm -f temp.yaml
 if [[ $X != $expected ]]; then
   echo "Write empty doc"
   echo "Expected $expected but was $X"
@@ -143,7 +144,7 @@ touch temp.yaml
 
 ./yq ea '.apple = "tree"' temp.yaml -i
 X=$(cat temp.yaml)
-rm temp.yaml
+rm -f temp.yaml
 if [[ $X != $expected ]]; then
   echo "Write all empty doc"
   echo "Expected $expected but was $X"
@@ -151,6 +152,7 @@ if [[ $X != $expected ]]; then
 fi
 
 echo "Test: handle empty files with just comments"
+rm -f temp.yaml
 echo "# comment" > temp.yaml
 read -r -d '' expected << EOM
 # comment
@@ -159,7 +161,7 @@ EOM
 
 ./yq e '.apple = "tree"' temp.yaml -i
 X=$(cat temp.yaml)
-rm temp.yaml
+rm -f temp.yaml
 if [[ $X != $expected ]]; then
   echo "Write empty doc"
   echo "Expected $expected but was $X"
@@ -170,13 +172,95 @@ echo "# comment" > temp.yaml
 
 ./yq ea '.apple = "tree"' temp.yaml -i
 X=$(cat temp.yaml)
-rm temp.yaml
+rm -f temp.yaml
 if [[ $X != $expected ]]; then
   echo "Write all empty doc"
   echo "Expected $expected but was $X"
   exit 1
 fi
 
+echo "Test: eval front matter process"
+
+cat >temp.yaml <<EOL
+---
+a: apple
+b: cat
+---
+not yaml
+c: at
+EOL
+
+read -r -d '' expected << EOM
+---
+a: apple
+b: dog
+---
+not yaml
+c: at
+EOM
+
+./yq e --front-matter="process" '.b = "dog"' temp.yaml -i
+X=$(cat temp.yaml)
+rm -f temp.yaml
+if [[ $X != $expected ]]; then
+  echo "eval fail"
+  echo "Expected $expected but was $X"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+echo "Test: eval front matter extract"
+
+cat >temp.yaml <<EOL
+a: apple
+b: cat
+---
+not yaml
+c: at
+EOL
+
+read -r -d '' expected << EOM
+a: apple
+b: dog
+EOM
+
+./yq e --front-matter="extract" '.b = "dog"' temp.yaml -i
+X=$(cat temp.yaml)
+rm -f temp.yaml
+if [[ $X != $expected ]]; then
+  echo "eval fail"
+  echo "Expected $expected but was $X"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+echo "Test: eval-all front matter process"
+
+cat >temp.yaml <<EOL
+---
+a: apple
+b: cat
+---
+not yaml
+c: at
+EOL
+
+read -r -d '' expected << EOM
+---
+a: apple
+b: dog
+---
+not yaml
+c: at
+EOM
+
+./yq ea --front-matter="process" '.b = "dog"' temp.yaml -i
+X=$(cat temp.yaml)
+rm -f temp.yaml
+if [[ $X != $expected ]]; then
+  echo "eval fail"
+  echo "Expected $expected but was $X"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
 echo "--success"
 
 set -e