diff --git a/app/templating/__tests__/utils.test.js b/app/templating/__tests__/utils.test.js
index 0b2428dd8..fbb4e35e9 100644
--- a/app/templating/__tests__/utils.test.js
+++ b/app/templating/__tests__/utils.test.js
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@ describe('tokenizeTag()', () => {
 
 describe('unTokenizeTag()', () => {
   beforeEach(globalBeforeEach);
-  it('untokenizes a tag', () => {
+  it('handles the default case', () => {
     const tagStr = `{% name bar, "baz \\"qux\\""   , 1 + 5, 'hi' %}`;
 
     const tagData = utils.tokenizeTag(tagStr);
@@ -161,4 +161,18 @@ describe('unTokenizeTag()', () => {
 
     expect(result).toEqual(`{% name bar, "baz \\"qux\\"", 1 + 5, 'hi' %}`);
   });
+
+  it('fixes missing quotedBy attribute', () => {
+    const tagData = {
+      name: 'name',
+      args: [
+        {type: 'file', value: 'foo/bar/baz'},
+        {type: 'model', value: 'foo'}
+      ]
+    };
+
+    const result = utils.unTokenizeTag(tagData);
+
+    expect(result).toEqual(`{% name 'foo/bar/baz', 'foo' %}`);
+  });
 });
diff --git a/app/templating/extensions/__tests__/file-extension.test.js b/app/templating/extensions/__tests__/file-extension.test.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b3a7cc075
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/templating/extensions/__tests__/file-extension.test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+import path from 'path';
+import * as templating from '../../index';
+import {globalBeforeEach} from '../../../__jest__/before-each';
+
+function assertTemplate (txt, context, expected) {
+  return async function () {
+    const result = await templating.render(txt, {context});
+    expect(result).toMatch(expected);
+  };
+}
+
+function assertTemplateFails (txt, context, expected) {
+  return async function () {
+    try {
+      await templating.render(txt, {context});
+      fail(`Render should have thrown ${expected}`);
+    } catch (err) {
+      expect(err.message).toContain(expected);
+    }
+  };
+}
+
+describe('FileExtension', () => {
+  beforeEach(globalBeforeEach);
+  const ctx = {path: path.resolve(__dirname, path.join('./test.txt'))};
+  const escapedPath = ctx.path.replace(/\\/g, '\\\\');
+  it('reads from string', assertTemplate(`{% file "${escapedPath}" %}`, ctx, 'Hello World'));
+  it('reads a file correctly', assertTemplate('{% file path %}', ctx, 'Hello World!'));
+  it('fails on missing file', assertTemplateFails('{% file "/foo" %}', ctx, `ENOENT: no such file or directory, open '${path.resolve('/foo')}'`));
+  it('fails on no 2nd param', assertTemplateFails('{% file %}', ctx, 'No file selected'));
+  it('fails on unknown variable', assertTemplateFails('{% file foo %}', ctx, 'No file selected'));
+});
diff --git a/app/templating/extensions/__tests__/test.txt b/app/templating/extensions/__tests__/test.txt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c57eff55e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/templating/extensions/__tests__/test.txt
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Hello World!
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/app/templating/extensions/file-extension.js b/app/templating/extensions/file-extension.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..eef25db0e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/templating/extensions/file-extension.js
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+// @flow
+import fs from 'fs';
+
+export default {
+  name: 'file',
+  displayName: 'File',
+  description: 'read contents from a file',
+  args: [
+    {
+      displayName: 'Choose File',
+      type: 'file'
+    }
+  ],
+  run (context: Object, path: string): string {
+    if (!path) {
+      throw new Error('No file selected');
+    }
+
+    return fs.readFileSync(path, 'utf8');
+  }
+};
diff --git a/app/templating/extensions/index.js b/app/templating/extensions/index.js
index a760f7c50..654937671 100644
--- a/app/templating/extensions/index.js
+++ b/app/templating/extensions/index.js
@@ -3,7 +3,8 @@ import * as plugins from '../../plugins/index';
 
 import timestampExtension from './timestamp-extension';
 import uuidExtension from './uuid-extension';
-import NowExtension from './now-extension';
+import nowExtension from './now-extension';
+import fileExtension from './file-extension';
 import responseExtension from './response-extension';
 import base64Extension from './base-64-extension';
 import requestExtension from './request-extension';
@@ -29,28 +30,32 @@ export type PluginArgumentEnumOption = {
 }
 
 export type PluginArgumentEnum = PluginArgumentBase & {
-  type: 'enum';
+  type: 'enum',
   options: Array<PluginArgumentEnumOption>,
   defaultValue?: PluginArgumentValue
 };
 
 export type PluginArgumentModel = PluginArgumentBase & {
-  type: 'model';
+  type: 'model',
   model: string,
   defaultValue?: string
 };
 
 export type PluginArgumentString = PluginArgumentBase & {
-  type: 'string';
+  type: 'string',
   placeholder?: string,
   defaultValue?: string
 };
 
 export type PluginArgumentBoolean = PluginArgumentBase & {
-  type: 'boolean';
+  type: 'boolean',
   defaultValue?: boolean
 };
 
+export type PluginArgumentFile = PluginArgumentBase & {
+  type: 'file'
+};
+
 export type PluginArgumentNumber = PluginArgumentBase & {
   type: 'number';
   placeholder?: string,
@@ -62,6 +67,7 @@ export type PluginArgument =
   | PluginArgumentModel
   | PluginArgumentString
   | PluginArgumentBoolean
+  | PluginArgumentFile
   | PluginArgumentNumber;
 
 export type PluginTemplateTagContext = {
@@ -90,9 +96,10 @@ export type PluginTemplateTag = {
 
 const DEFAULT_EXTENSIONS: Array<PluginTemplateTag> = [
   timestampExtension,
-  NowExtension,
+  nowExtension,
   uuidExtension,
   base64Extension,
+  fileExtension,
   requestExtension,
   responseExtension
 ];
diff --git a/app/templating/utils.js b/app/templating/utils.js
index d5b72e906..5bb42e392 100644
--- a/app/templating/utils.js
+++ b/app/templating/utils.js
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ export function tokenizeTag (tagStr: string): NunjucksParsedTag {
 export function unTokenizeTag (tagData: NunjucksParsedTag): string {
   const args = [];
   for (const arg of tagData.args) {
-    if (arg.type === 'string') {
+    if (['string', 'model', 'file'].includes(arg.type)) {
       const q = arg.quotedBy || "'";
       const re = new RegExp(`([^\\\\])${q}`, 'g');
       const str = arg.value.toString().replace(re, `$1\\${q}`);
@@ -174,6 +174,8 @@ export function getDefaultFill (name: string, args: Array<NunjucksParsedTagArg>)
       case 'boolean':
         return argDefinition.defaultValue ? 'true' : 'false';
       case 'string':
+      case 'file':
+      case 'model':
         return `'${(argDefinition.defaultValue: any) || ''}'`;
       default:
         return "''";
diff --git a/app/ui/components/base/file-input-button.js b/app/ui/components/base/file-input-button.js
index f34766af1..c47f59b72 100644
--- a/app/ui/components/base/file-input-button.js
+++ b/app/ui/components/base/file-input-button.js
@@ -1,20 +1,32 @@
-import React, {PureComponent} from 'react';
-import PropTypes from 'prop-types';
+// @flow
+import * as React from 'react';
 import autobind from 'autobind-decorator';
 import {basename as pathBasename} from 'path';
 import {remote} from 'electron';
 
+type Props = {
+  // Required
+  onChange: Function,
+  path: string,
+
+  // Optional
+  showFileName?: boolean,
+  showFileIcon?: boolean,
+  name?: string
+};
+
 @autobind
-class FileInputButton extends PureComponent {
+class FileInputButton extends React.PureComponent<Props> {
+  _button: ?HTMLButtonElement;
   focus () {
-    this._button.focus();
+    this._button && this._button.focus();
   }
 
   focusEnd () {
-    this._button.focus();
+    this._button && this._button.focus();
   }
 
-  _setRef (n) {
+  _setRef (n: ?HTMLButtonElement) {
     this._button = n;
   }
 
@@ -52,15 +64,4 @@ class FileInputButton extends PureComponent {
   }
 }
 
-FileInputButton.propTypes = {
-  // Required
-  onChange: PropTypes.func.isRequired,
-  path: PropTypes.string.isRequired,
-
-  // Optional
-  showFileName: PropTypes.bool,
-  showFileIcon: PropTypes.bool,
-  name: PropTypes.string
-};
-
 export default FileInputButton;
diff --git a/app/ui/components/templating/tag-editor.js b/app/ui/components/templating/tag-editor.js
index cf19e7d29..89eba84db 100644
--- a/app/ui/components/templating/tag-editor.js
+++ b/app/ui/components/templating/tag-editor.js
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import type {BaseModel} from '../../../models/index';
 import type {Workspace} from '../../../models/workspace';
 import type {PluginArgumentEnumOption} from '../../../templating/extensions/index';
 import {Dropdown, DropdownButton, DropdownDivider, DropdownItem} from '../base/dropdown/index';
+import FileInputButton from '../base/file-input-button';
 
 type Props = {
   handleRender: Function,
@@ -116,7 +117,8 @@ class TagEditor extends React.PureComponent<Props, State> {
   _updateArg (
     argValue: string | number | boolean,
     argIndex: number,
-    forceNewType: string | null = null
+    forceNewType: string | null = null,
+    patch: Object = {}
   ) {
     const {tagDefinitions, activeTagData, activeTagDefinition} = this.state;
 
@@ -130,6 +132,11 @@ class TagEditor extends React.PureComponent<Props, State> {
       return;
     }
 
+    // Fix strings
+    if (typeof argValue === 'string') {
+      argValue = argValue.replace(/\\/g, '\\\\');
+    }
+
     // Ensure all arguments exist
     const defaultArgs = this._getDefaultTagData(activeTagDefinition).args;
     for (let i = 0; i < defaultArgs.length; i++) {
@@ -154,7 +161,7 @@ class TagEditor extends React.PureComponent<Props, State> {
     // Update type if we need to
     if (forceNewType) {
       // Ugh, what a hack (because it's enum)
-      (argData: any).type = forceNewType;
+      Object.assign((argData: any), {type: forceNewType}, patch);
     }
 
     this._update(tagDefinitions, activeTagDefinition, tagData, false);
@@ -182,10 +189,14 @@ class TagEditor extends React.PureComponent<Props, State> {
       const initialType = argDef ? argDef.type : 'string';
       const variable = variables.find(v => v.name === existingValue);
       const value = variable ? variable.value : '';
-      return this._updateArg(value, argIndex, initialType);
+      return this._updateArg(value, argIndex, initialType, {quotedBy: "'"});
     }
   }
 
+  _handleChangeFile (path: string, argIndex: number) {
+    return this._updateArg(path, argIndex);
+  }
+
   _handleChange (e: SyntheticEvent<HTMLInputElement>, forceVariable: boolean = false) {
     const parent = e.currentTarget.parentNode;
     let argIndex = -1;
@@ -315,6 +326,9 @@ class TagEditor extends React.PureComponent<Props, State> {
 
     return (
       <select value={path || ''} onChange={this._handleChange}>
+        <option key="n/a" value="NO_VARIABLE">
+          -- Select Variable --
+        </option>
         {variables.map((v, i) => (
           <option key={`${i}::${v.name}`} value={v.name}>
             {v.name}
@@ -352,6 +366,18 @@ class TagEditor extends React.PureComponent<Props, State> {
     );
   }
 
+  renderArgFile (value: string, argIndex: number) {
+    return (
+      <FileInputButton
+        showFileIcon
+        showFileName
+        className="btn btn--clicky btn--super-compact"
+        onChange={path => this._handleChangeFile(path, argIndex)}
+        path={value}
+      />
+    );
+  }
+
   renderArgEnum (value: string, options: Array<PluginArgumentEnumOption>) {
     const argDatas = this.state.activeTagData ? this.state.activeTagData.args : [];
     return (
@@ -439,9 +465,8 @@ class TagEditor extends React.PureComponent<Props, State> {
     const argInputVariable = isVariable ? this.renderArgVariable(strValue) : null;
 
     let argInput;
-    let isVariableAllowed = false;
+    let isVariableAllowed = true;
     if (argDefinition.type === 'string') {
-      isVariableAllowed = true;
       const placeholder = typeof argDefinition.placeholder === 'string'
         ? argDefinition.placeholder
         : '';
@@ -449,14 +474,16 @@ class TagEditor extends React.PureComponent<Props, State> {
     } else if (argDefinition.type === 'enum') {
       const {options} = argDefinition;
       argInput = this.renderArgEnum(strValue, options);
+    } else if (argDefinition.type === 'file') {
+      argInput = this.renderArgFile(strValue, argIndex);
     } else if (argDefinition.type === 'model') {
+      isVariableAllowed = false;
       const model = typeof argDefinition.model === 'string' ? argDefinition.model : 'unknown';
       const modelId = typeof strValue === 'string' ? strValue : 'unknown';
       argInput = this.renderArgModel(modelId, model);
     } else if (argDefinition.type === 'boolean') {
       argInput = this.renderArgBoolean(strValue.toLowerCase() === 'true');
     } else if (argDefinition.type === 'number') {
-      isVariableAllowed = true;
       const placeholder = typeof argDefinition.placeholder === 'string' ? argDefinition.placeholder : '';
       argInput = this.renderArgNumber(strValue, placeholder || '');
     } else {