diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/doc/usage/formatting-expressions.md b/pkg/yqlib/doc/usage/formatting-expressions.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..59503dd19c4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/doc/usage/formatting-expressions.md
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+# Formatting Expressions
+
+`From version v4.41+`
+
+You can put expressions into `.yq` files, use whitespace and comments to break up complex expressions and explain what's going on.
+
+## Using expression files and comments
+Given a sample.yaml file of:
+```yaml
+a:
+  b: old
+```
+And an 'update.yq' expression file of:
+```bash
+# This is a yq expression that updates the map
+# for several great reasons outlined here.
+
+.a.b = "new" # line comment here
+| .a.c = "frog"
+
+# Now good things will happen.
+```
+then
+```bash
+yq --from-file update.yq sample.yml
+```
+will output
+```yaml
+a:
+  b: new
+  c: frog
+```
+
diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/doc/usage/headers/formatting-expressions.md b/pkg/yqlib/doc/usage/headers/formatting-expressions.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..60a018ef07e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/doc/usage/headers/formatting-expressions.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+# Formatting Expressions
+
+`From version v4.41+`
+
+You can put expressions into `.yq` files, use whitespace and comments to break up complex expressions and explain what's going on.
diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/doc/usage/xml.md b/pkg/yqlib/doc/usage/xml.md
index 503f9a7475e..4238e971411 100644
--- a/pkg/yqlib/doc/usage/xml.md
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/doc/usage/xml.md
@@ -370,7 +370,7 @@ cat: purrs
 ```
 then
 ```bash
-yq -o=xml '.' sample.yml
+yq -o=xml sample.yml
 ```
 will output
 ```xml
@@ -387,7 +387,7 @@ pets:
 ```
 then
 ```bash
-yq -o=xml '.' sample.yml
+yq -o=xml sample.yml
 ```
 will output
 ```xml
@@ -409,7 +409,7 @@ cat:
 ```
 then
 ```bash
-yq -o=xml '.' sample.yml
+yq -o=xml sample.yml
 ```
 will output
 ```xml
@@ -430,7 +430,7 @@ cat:
 ```
 then
 ```bash
-yq -o=xml '.' sample.yml
+yq -o=xml sample.yml
 ```
 will output
 ```xml
@@ -457,7 +457,7 @@ cat: # inline_cat
 ```
 then
 ```bash
-yq -o=xml '.' sample.yml
+yq -o=xml sample.yml
 ```
 will output
 ```xml
@@ -487,7 +487,7 @@ apple:
 ```
 then
 ```bash
-yq -o=xml '.' sample.yml
+yq -o=xml sample.yml
 ```
 will output
 ```xml
diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/formatting_expressions_test.go b/pkg/yqlib/formatting_expressions_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..65ed3e10ad0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/formatting_expressions_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+package yqlib
+
+import (
+	"bufio"
+	"fmt"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/mikefarah/yq/v4/test"
+)
+
+var formattingExpressionScenarios = []formatScenario{
+	{
+		description: "Using expression files and comments",
+		input:       "a:\n  b: old",
+		expression:  "\n# This is a yq expression that updates the map\n# for several great reasons outlined here.\n\n.a.b = \"new\" # line comment here\n| .a.c = \"frog\"\n\n# Now good things will happen.\n",
+		expected:    "a:\n  b: new\n  c: frog\n",
+	},
+}
+
+func documentExpressionScenario(_ *testing.T, w *bufio.Writer, i interface{}) {
+	s := i.(formatScenario)
+
+	if s.skipDoc {
+		return
+	}
+	writeOrPanic(w, fmt.Sprintf("## %v\n", s.description))
+
+	if s.subdescription != "" {
+		writeOrPanic(w, s.subdescription)
+		writeOrPanic(w, "\n\n")
+	}
+
+	writeOrPanic(w, "Given a sample.yaml file of:\n")
+	writeOrPanic(w, fmt.Sprintf("```yaml\n%v\n```\n", s.input))
+
+	writeOrPanic(w, "And an 'update.yq' expression file of:\n")
+	writeOrPanic(w, fmt.Sprintf("```bash%v```\n", s.expression))
+
+	writeOrPanic(w, "then\n")
+	writeOrPanic(w, "```bash\nyq --from-file update.yq sample.yml\n```\n")
+	writeOrPanic(w, "will output\n")
+
+	writeOrPanic(w, fmt.Sprintf("```yaml\n%v```\n\n", mustProcessFormatScenario(s, NewYamlDecoder(ConfiguredYamlPreferences), NewYamlEncoder(2, false, ConfiguredYamlPreferences))))
+}
+
+func TestExpressionCommentScenarios(t *testing.T) {
+	for _, tt := range formattingExpressionScenarios {
+		test.AssertResultComplexWithContext(t, tt.expected,
+			mustProcessFormatScenario(tt, NewYamlDecoder(ConfiguredYamlPreferences), NewYamlEncoder(2, false, ConfiguredYamlPreferences)),
+			tt.description)
+	}
+	genericScenarios := make([]interface{}, len(formattingExpressionScenarios))
+	for i, s := range formattingExpressionScenarios {
+		genericScenarios[i] = s
+	}
+	documentScenarios(t, "usage", "formatting-expressions", genericScenarios, documentExpressionScenario)
+}
diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/lexer_participle.go b/pkg/yqlib/lexer_participle.go
index 391c8f04d11..1b365d88d3b 100644
--- a/pkg/yqlib/lexer_participle.go
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/lexer_participle.go
@@ -221,6 +221,7 @@ var participleYqRules = []*participleYqRule{
 
 	{"SubtractAssign", `\-=`, opToken(subtractAssignOpType), 0},
 	{"Subtract", `\-`, opToken(subtractOpType), 0},
+	{"Comment", `#.*`, nil, 0},
 }
 
 type yqAction func(lexer.Token) (*token, error)
diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/xml_test.go b/pkg/yqlib/xml_test.go
index 20a7551401c..c3eca8d199f 100644
--- a/pkg/yqlib/xml_test.go
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/xml_test.go
@@ -768,7 +768,7 @@ func documentXMLEncodeScenario(w *bufio.Writer, s formatScenario) {
 	writeOrPanic(w, fmt.Sprintf("```yaml\n%v\n```\n", s.input))
 
 	writeOrPanic(w, "then\n")
-	writeOrPanic(w, "```bash\nyq -o=xml '.' sample.yml\n```\n")
+	writeOrPanic(w, "```bash\nyq -o=xml sample.yml\n```\n")
 	writeOrPanic(w, "will output\n")
 
 	writeOrPanic(w, fmt.Sprintf("```xml\n%v```\n\n", mustProcessFormatScenario(s, NewYamlDecoder(ConfiguredYamlPreferences), NewXMLEncoder(2, ConfiguredXMLPreferences))))