diff --git a/ion-java-cli/build.gradle.kts b/ion-java-cli/build.gradle.kts
index 8ddd311a4..a1c515aed 100644
--- a/ion-java-cli/build.gradle.kts
+++ b/ion-java-cli/build.gradle.kts
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 plugins {
     java
     application
+    // Apply GraalVM Native Image plugin
+    id("org.graalvm.buildtools.native") version "0.10.3"
 }
 
 description = "A CLI that implements the standard interface defined by ion-test-driver."
@@ -15,8 +17,33 @@ repositories {
 dependencies {
     implementation("args4j:args4j:2.33")
     implementation(rootProject)
+
+    implementation("info.picocli:picocli:4.7.6")
+    annotationProcessor("info.picocli:picocli-codegen:4.7.6")
+}
+
+tasks.withType<JavaCompile> {
+    options.compilerArgs.add("-Aproject=${project.group}/${project.name}")
 }
 
 application {
     mainClass.set("com.amazon.tools.cli.IonJavaCli")
 }
+
+// Defines an ion-java-cli:nativeCompile task which produces ion-java-cli/build/native/nativeCompile/jion
+// You need to have GRAALVM_HOME pointed at a GraalVM installation
+// You can get one of those via e.g. `sdk install java 17.0.9-graalce`
+// See: https://sdkman.io/
+graalvmNative {
+    testSupport.set(false)
+    binaries {
+        named("main") {
+            imageName.set("jion")
+            mainClass.set("com.amazon.tools.cli.SimpleIonCli")
+            buildArgs.add("-O4")
+        }
+    }
+    binaries.all {
+        buildArgs.add("--verbose")
+    }
+}
diff --git a/ion-java-cli/src/main/java/com/amazon/tools/cli/OutputFormat.java b/ion-java-cli/src/main/java/com/amazon/tools/cli/OutputFormat.java
index ab1882934..3f1609bec 100644
--- a/ion-java-cli/src/main/java/com/amazon/tools/cli/OutputFormat.java
+++ b/ion-java-cli/src/main/java/com/amazon/tools/cli/OutputFormat.java
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ private static IonWriter createIonWriter(OutputFormat format, OutputStream out,
         switch (format) {
             case TEXT: return IonTextWriterBuilder.standard().withImports(symbols).build(out);
             case PRETTY: return IonTextWriterBuilder.pretty().withImports(symbols).build(out);
-            case EVENTS: return IonTextWriterBuilder.pretty().withImports(symbols).build(out);
+            case EVENTS: return IonTextWriterBuilder.standard().withImports(symbols).build(out);
             case BINARY: return IonBinaryWriterBuilder.standard().withImports(symbols).build(out);
             case NONE: return IonTextWriterBuilder.standard().withImports(symbols).build(new NoOpOutputStream());
             default: throw new IllegalStateException("Unsupported output format: " + format);
diff --git a/ion-java-cli/src/main/java/com/amazon/tools/cli/SimpleIonCli.java b/ion-java-cli/src/main/java/com/amazon/tools/cli/SimpleIonCli.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d6ddf6f53
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ion-java-cli/src/main/java/com/amazon/tools/cli/SimpleIonCli.java
@@ -0,0 +1,113 @@
+package com.amazon.tools.cli;
+
+
+import com.amazon.ion.IonReader;
+import com.amazon.ion.IonWriter;
+import com.amazon.ion.system.IonReaderBuilder;
+import picocli.CommandLine;
+import picocli.CommandLine.Command;
+import picocli.CommandLine.HelpCommand;
+import picocli.CommandLine.Option;
+import picocli.CommandLine.Parameters;
+
+import java.io.ByteArrayInputStream;
+import java.io.File;
+import java.io.FileDescriptor;
+import java.io.FileInputStream;
+import java.io.FileNotFoundException;
+import java.io.FileOutputStream;
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.io.InputStream;
+import java.io.OutputStream;
+import java.io.SequenceInputStream;
+import java.util.Arrays;
+
+@Command(
+        name = SimpleIonCli.NAME,
+        version = SimpleIonCli.VERSION,
+        subcommands = {HelpCommand.class},
+        mixinStandardHelpOptions = true
+)
+class SimpleIonCli {
+
+    public static final String NAME = "jion";
+    public static final String VERSION = "2024-10-31";
+    //TODO: Replace with InputStream.nullInputStream in JDK 11+
+    public static final InputStream EMPTY = new ByteArrayInputStream(new byte[0]);
+
+    public static void main(String[] args) {
+        CommandLine commandLine = new CommandLine(new SimpleIonCli())
+                .setCaseInsensitiveEnumValuesAllowed(true)
+                .setUsageHelpAutoWidth(true);
+        System.exit(commandLine.execute(args));
+    }
+
+    @Option(names={"-f", "--format", "--output-format"}, defaultValue = "pretty",
+            description = "Output format, from the set (text | pretty | binary | none).",
+            paramLabel = "<format>",
+    scope = CommandLine.ScopeType.INHERIT)
+    OutputFormat outputFormat;
+
+    @Option(names={"-o", "--output"}, paramLabel = "FILE", description = "Output file",
+    scope = CommandLine.ScopeType.INHERIT)
+    File outputFile;
+
+    @Command(name = "cat", aliases = {"process"},
+            description = "concatenate FILE(s) in the requested Ion output format",
+            mixinStandardHelpOptions = true)
+    int cat( @Parameters(paramLabel = "FILE") File... files) {
+
+        if (outputFormat == OutputFormat.EVENTS) {
+            System.err.println("'events' output format is not supported");
+            return CommandLine.ExitCode.USAGE;
+        }
+
+        //TODO: This is not resilient to problems with a single file. Should it be?
+        try (InputStream in = getInputStream(files);
+             IonReader reader = IonReaderBuilder.standard().build(in);
+             OutputStream out = getOutputStream(outputFile);
+             IonWriter writer = outputFormat.createIonWriter(out)) {
+            // getInputStream will look for stdin if we don't supply
+            writer.writeValues(reader);
+        } catch (IOException e) {
+            System.err.println(e.getMessage());
+            return CommandLine.ExitCode.SOFTWARE;
+        }
+
+        // process files
+        return CommandLine.ExitCode.OK;
+    }
+
+    private static InputStream getInputStream(File... files) {
+        if (files == null || files.length == 0) return new FileInputStream(FileDescriptor.in);
+
+        // As convenient as this formulation is I'm not sure of the ordering guarantees here
+        // Revisit if that is ever problematic
+        return Arrays.stream(files)
+                .map(SimpleIonCli::getInputStream)
+                .reduce(EMPTY, SequenceInputStream::new);
+    }
+
+    private static InputStream getInputStream(File inputFile) {
+        try {
+            return new FileInputStream(inputFile);
+        } catch (FileNotFoundException e) {
+            throw cloak(e);
+        }
+    }
+
+    // Removing some boilerplate from checked-exception consuming paths, without RuntimeException wrapping
+    // JLS Section 18.4 covers type inference for generic methods,
+    // including the rule that `throws T` is inferred as RuntimeException if possible.
+    // See e.g. https://www.rainerhahnekamp.com/en/ignoring-exceptions-in-java/
+    private static <T extends Throwable> T cloak(Throwable t) throws T {
+        @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
+        T result = (T) t;
+        return result;
+    }
+
+    private static FileOutputStream getOutputStream(File outputFile) throws IOException {
+        // non-line-buffered stdout, or the requested file output
+        return outputFile == null ? new FileOutputStream(FileDescriptor.out) : new FileOutputStream(outputFile);
+    }
+}