diff --git a/spa/tools/spa-json-dump.c b/spa/tools/spa-json-dump.c
index afd9569f6..8745cc1da 100644
--- a/spa/tools/spa-json-dump.c
+++ b/spa/tools/spa-json-dump.c
@@ -11,21 +11,56 @@
 #include <sys/mman.h>
 #include <fcntl.h>
 #include <errno.h>
+#include <getopt.h>
 
 #include <spa/utils/result.h>
 #include <spa/utils/json.h>
 #include <spa/debug/file.h>
 
-#define REJECT	"\"\\'=:,{}[]()#"
+#define DEFAULT_INDENT	2
 
 struct data {
+	const char *filename;
 	FILE *file;
+
+	void *data;
+	size_t size;
+
 	int indent;
 	bool simple_string;
 	const char *comma;
 	const char *key_sep;
 };
 
+#define OPTIONS		"hi:s"
+static const struct option long_options[] = {
+	{ "help",	no_argument,		NULL, 'h'},
+
+	{ "indent",	required_argument,	NULL, 'i' },
+	{ "spa",	no_argument,		NULL, 's' },
+
+	{ NULL, 0, NULL, 0 }
+};
+
+static void show_usage(struct data *d, const char *name, bool is_error)
+{
+	FILE *fp;
+
+	fp = is_error ? stderr : stdout;
+
+	fprintf(fp, "%s [options] [spa-json-file]\n", name);
+	fprintf(fp,
+		"  -h, --help                            Show this help\n"
+		"\n");
+	fprintf(fp,
+		"  -i  --indent                          set indent (default %d)\n"
+		"  -s  --spa                             use simplified SPA JSON\n"
+		"\n",
+		DEFAULT_INDENT);
+}
+
+#define REJECT	"\"\\'=:,{}[]()#"
+
 static bool is_simple_string(const char *val, int len)
 {
 	int i;
@@ -141,59 +176,46 @@ static int dump(struct data *d, int indent, struct spa_json *it, const char *val
 	return 0;
 }
 
-static int process_json(const char *filename, void *buf, size_t size)
+static int process_json(struct data *d)
 {
-	struct data d;
 	int len, res;
 	struct spa_json it;
 	const char *value;
 
-	spa_zero(d);
-	if ((len = spa_json_begin(&it, buf, size, &value)) <= 0) {
-                fprintf(stderr, "not a valid file '%s': %s\n", filename, spa_strerror(len));
+	if ((len = spa_json_begin(&it, d->data, d->size, &value)) <= 0) {
+		fprintf(stderr, "not a valid file '%s': %s\n", d->filename, spa_strerror(len));
 		return -EINVAL;
 	}
 	if (!spa_json_is_container(value, len)) {
-		spa_json_init(&it, buf, size);
+		spa_json_init(&it, d->data, d->size);
 		value = NULL;
 		len = 0;
 	}
-	d.file = stdout;
-#if 1
-	d.simple_string = false;
-	d.comma = ",";
-	d.key_sep = ":";
-	d.indent = 2;
-#else
-	d.simple_string = true;
-	d.comma = "";
-	d.key_sep = " =";
-	d.indent = 4;
-#endif
 
-	res = dump(&d, 0, &it, value, len);
+	res = dump(d, 0, &it, value, len);
 	if (spa_json_next(&it, &value) < 0)
 		res = -EINVAL;
 
-	fprintf(d.file, "\n");
-	fflush(d.file);
+	fprintf(d->file, "\n");
+	fflush(d->file);
 
 	if (res < 0) {
 		struct spa_error_location loc;
 
-		if (spa_json_get_error(&it, buf, &loc))
+		if (spa_json_get_error(&it, d->data, &loc))
 			spa_debug_file_error_location(stderr, &loc,
 					"syntax error in file '%s': %s",
-					filename, loc.reason);
+					d->filename, loc.reason);
 		else
-			fprintf(stderr, "error parsing file '%s': %s\n", filename, spa_strerror(res));
+			fprintf(stderr, "error parsing file '%s': %s\n",
+					d->filename, spa_strerror(res));
 
 		return -EINVAL;
 	}
 	return 0;
 }
 
-static int process_stdin(void)
+static int process_stdin(struct data *d)
 {
 	uint8_t *buf = NULL, *p;
 	size_t alloc = 0, size = 0, read_size, res;
@@ -217,8 +239,10 @@ static int process_stdin(void)
 		fprintf(stderr, "error: %m\n");
 		goto error;
 	}
+	d->data = buf;
+	d->size = size;
 
-	err = process_json("-", buf, size);
+	err = process_json(d);
 	free(buf);
 
 	return (err == 0) ? EXIT_SUCCESS : EXIT_FAILURE;
@@ -230,38 +254,69 @@ error:
 
 int main(int argc, char *argv[])
 {
+	int c;
+	int longopt_index = 0;
 	int fd, res, exit_code = EXIT_FAILURE;
-	void *data;
+	struct data d;
 	struct stat sbuf;
 
-	if (argc < 1) {
-		fprintf(stderr, "usage: %s [spa-json-file]\n", argv[0]);
-		goto error;
-	}
-	if (argc == 1)
-		return process_stdin();
-	if ((fd = open(argv[1],  O_CLOEXEC | O_RDONLY)) < 0)  {
-                fprintf(stderr, "error opening file '%s': %m\n", argv[1]);
-		goto error;
-        }
-        if (fstat(fd, &sbuf) < 0) {
-                fprintf(stderr, "error statting file '%s': %m\n", argv[1]);
-                goto error_close;
-	}
-        if ((data = mmap(NULL, sbuf.st_size, PROT_READ, MAP_PRIVATE, fd, 0)) == MAP_FAILED) {
-                fprintf(stderr, "error mmapping file '%s': %m\n", argv[1]);
-                goto error_close;
+	spa_zero(d);
+	d.file = stdout;
+
+	d.filename = "-";
+	d.simple_string = false;
+	d.comma = ",";
+	d.key_sep = ":";
+	d.indent = DEFAULT_INDENT;
+
+	while ((c = getopt_long(argc, argv, OPTIONS, long_options, &longopt_index)) != -1) {
+		switch (c) {
+		case 'h' :
+			show_usage(&d, argv[0], false);
+			return 0;
+		case 'i':
+			d.indent = atoi(optarg);
+			break;
+		case 's':
+			d.simple_string = true;
+			d.comma = "";
+			d.key_sep = " =";
+			break;
+		default:
+			show_usage(&d, argv[0], true);
+			return -1;
+		}
 	}
 
-	res = process_json(argv[1], data, sbuf.st_size);
+	if (optind < argc)
+		d.filename = argv[optind++];
+
+	if (spa_streq(d.filename, "-"))
+		return process_stdin(&d);
+
+	 ((fd = open(d.filename,  O_CLOEXEC | O_RDONLY)) < 0)  {
+		fprintf(stderr, "error opening file '%s': %m\n", d.filename);
+		goto error;
+	}
+	if (fstat(fd, &sbuf) < 0) {
+		fprintf(stderr, "error statting file '%s': %m\n", d.filename);
+		goto error_close;
+	}
+	if ((d.data = mmap(NULL, sbuf.st_size, PROT_READ, MAP_PRIVATE, fd, 0)) == MAP_FAILED) {
+		fprintf(stderr, "error mmapping file '%s': %m\n", d.filename);
+		goto error_close;
+	}
+	d.size = sbuf.st_size;
+
+	res = process_json(&d);
 	if (res < 0)
 		exit_code = EXIT_FAILURE;
 	else
 		exit_code = EXIT_SUCCESS;
 
-        munmap(data, sbuf.st_size);
+	munmap(d.data, sbuf.st_size);
 error_close:
-        close(fd);
+	close(fd);
 error:
 	return exit_code;
 }