diff --git a/changelog.rst b/changelog.rst
index 772a17ee..ebb7847d 100644
--- a/changelog.rst
+++ b/changelog.rst
@@ -4,6 +4,14 @@ Changelog
 The format is based on `Keep a Changelog <http://keepachangelog.com/en/1.1.0/>`__.
 This project adheres to `Semantic Versioning <http://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html>`__.
 
+v0.4.0 - xxxx-xx-xx
+-------------------
+
+Added
+~~~~~
+- Support for reading files via a context manager, text buffer, or string.
+
+
 v0.3.1 - 2025-07-16
 -------------------
 
diff --git a/parsnip/_errors.py b/parsnip/_errors.py
index d37f76cc..25f4cf99 100644
--- a/parsnip/_errors.py
+++ b/parsnip/_errors.py
@@ -1,6 +1,27 @@
 # Copyright (c) 2025, The Regents of the University of Michigan
 # This file is from the parsnip project, released under the BSD 3-Clause License.
 
+from pathlib import Path
+
+
+def _is_potentially_valid_path(file: str) -> bool:
+    """Check whether a file string could possibly be intended as a path.
+
+    This method returns true if the provided string is a valid path, whther the suffix
+    ".cif" is contained in the path, if the path links to a file, or if the path's
+    parent is a directory.
+    """
+    try:
+        path = Path(file)
+        return (
+            ".cif" in path.suffixes  # Probably intended to parse as file
+            or path.exists()  # If it is a file, we definitely want to parse that
+            # Possibly a typo, but we want to check that path regardless.
+            or (path.parent.is_dir() and path.parent != Path("."))
+        )
+    except OSError:
+        return False
+
 
 class ParseWarning(Warning):
     def __init__(self, message):
diff --git a/parsnip/parsnip.py b/parsnip/parsnip.py
index 37e0b217..6ab94a0c 100644
--- a/parsnip/parsnip.py
+++ b/parsnip/parsnip.py
@@ -74,13 +74,13 @@
 from fnmatch import fnmatch
 from importlib.util import find_spec
 from pathlib import Path
-from typing import ClassVar
+from typing import ClassVar, TextIO
 
 import numpy as np
 from more_itertools import flatten, peekable
 from numpy.lib.recfunctions import structured_to_unstructured
 
-from parsnip._errors import ParseWarning
+from parsnip._errors import ParseWarning, _is_potentially_valid_path
 from parsnip.patterns import (
     _accumulate_nonsimple_data,
     _box_from_lengths_and_angles,
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ class CifFile:
     >>> from parsnip import CifFile
     >>> cif = CifFile("example_file.cif")
     >>> print(cif)
-    CifFile(fn=example_file.cif) : 12 data entries, 2 data loops
+    CifFile(file=example_file.cif) : 12 data entries, 2 data loops
 
     Data entries are accessible via the :attr:`~.pairs` and :attr:`~.loops` attributes:
 
@@ -141,21 +141,38 @@ class CifFile:
             Default value = ``False``
     """
 
-    def __init__(self, fn: str | Path, cast_values: bool = False):
-        """Create a CifFile object from a filename.
+    def __init__(
+        self, file: str | Path | TextIO | Iterable[str], cast_values: bool = False
+    ):
+        """Create a CifFile object from a filename, file object, or iterator over `str`.
 
         On construction, the entire file is parsed into key-value pairs and data loops.
         Comment lines are ignored.
 
         """
-        self._fn = fn
+        self._fn = file
         self._pairs = {}
         self._loops = []
 
         self._cpat = {k: re.compile(pattern) for (k, pattern) in self.PATTERNS.items()}
         self._cast_values = cast_values
 
-        with open(fn) as file:
+        if (isinstance(file, str) and _is_potentially_valid_path(file)) or isinstance(
+            file, Path
+        ):
+            with open(file) as file:
+                self._parse(peekable(file))
+        # We expect a TextIO | IOBase, but allow users to pass any Iterable[string_like]
+        # This includes a str that does not point to a file!
+        elif isinstance(file, str):
+            msg = (
+                "\nFile input was parsed as a raw CIF data block. "
+                "If you intended to read the input string as a file path, please "
+                "ensure it is validly formatted."
+            )
+            warnings.warn(msg, RuntimeWarning, stacklevel=2)
+            self._parse(peekable(file.splitlines(True)))
+        else:
             self._parse(peekable(file))
 
     _SYMPY_AVAILABLE = find_spec("sympy") is not None
@@ -919,7 +936,7 @@ def _parse(self, data_iter: Iterable):
     def __repr__(self):
         n_pairs = len(self.pairs)
         n_tabs = len(self.loops)
-        return f"CifFile(fn={self._fn}) : {n_pairs} data entries, {n_tabs} data loops"
+        return f"CifFile(file={self._fn}) : {n_pairs} data entries, {n_tabs} data loops"
 
     PATTERNS: ClassVar = {
         "key_value_general": r"^(_[\w\.\-/\[\d\]]+)\s+([^#]+)",
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index eb254a84..3d19f948 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -90,9 +90,9 @@ known-first-party = ["parsnip"]
 
 [tool.ruff.lint.per-file-ignores]
 "tests/*" = ["D", "B018", "F811"]
-"tests/conftest.py" = ["N816", "N806"]
 "parsnip/*" = ["E741"]
 "__init__.py" = ["F401"] # Do not remove "unused" imports in __init__.py files
+"tests/conftest.py" = ["N806", "N816"] # Allow mixed-case globals
 
 [tool.ruff.format]
 quote-style = "double"
diff --git a/tests/conftest.py b/tests/conftest.py
index 898614df..015c2c30 100644
--- a/tests/conftest.py
+++ b/tests/conftest.py
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-# ruff: noqa: N816. Allow mixed-case global variables
 from __future__ import annotations
 
 import os
@@ -37,6 +36,18 @@ def remove_invalid(s):
     return s.replace("\r", "")
 
 
+def _array_assertion_verbose(keys, test_data, real_data):
+    keys = np.asarray(keys)
+    test_data = np.asarray(test_data)
+    real_data = np.asarray(real_data)
+    msg = (
+        f"Key(s) {keys[test_data != real_data]} did not match:\n"
+        f"{test_data[test_data != real_data]}!="
+        f"{real_data[test_data != real_data]}\n"
+    )
+    np.testing.assert_equal(test_data, real_data, err_msg=msg)
+
+
 def _gemmi_read_keys(filename, keys, as_number=True):
     try:
         file_block = cif.read_file(filename).sole_block()
diff --git a/tests/test_ciffile.py b/tests/test_ciffile.py
index 1c044278..f2849f08 100644
--- a/tests/test_ciffile.py
+++ b/tests/test_ciffile.py
@@ -1,8 +1,12 @@
+# ruff: noqa: SIM115
 import re
+from pathlib import Path
 
+import numpy as np
 import pytest
-from conftest import cif_files_mark
+from conftest import _array_assertion_verbose, cif_files_mark
 
+from parsnip import CifFile
 from parsnip._errors import ParseWarning
 
 
@@ -28,3 +32,28 @@ def test_cast_values(cif_data):
 
     cif_data.file._pairs = uncast_pairs  # Need to reset the data
     assert cif_data.file.pairs == uncast_pairs
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    ("input_preprocessor", "expect_warning"),
+    [
+        (lambda fn: open(fn), None),  # IOBase
+        (lambda fn: fn, None),  # string file path
+        (lambda fn: Path(fn), None),  # Path
+        (lambda fn: open(fn).readlines(), None),  # list[str]
+        (lambda fn: open(fn).read(), RuntimeWarning),  # raw string
+    ],
+)
+@cif_files_mark
+def test_open_methods(cif_data, input_preprocessor, expect_warning):
+    print(type(input_preprocessor(cif_data.filename)))
+    keys = [*cif_data.file.pairs.keys()]
+    stored_data = np.asarray([*cif_data.file.pairs.values()])
+
+    if expect_warning is not None:
+        with pytest.warns(expect_warning, match="parsed as a raw CIF data block."):
+            cif = CifFile(input_preprocessor(cif_data.filename))
+    else:
+        cif = CifFile(input_preprocessor(cif_data.filename))
+
+    _array_assertion_verbose(keys, cif.get_from_pairs(keys), stored_data)
diff --git a/tests/test_key_reader.py b/tests/test_key_reader.py
index 8abf5636..ea22b246 100644
--- a/tests/test_key_reader.py
+++ b/tests/test_key_reader.py
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import numpy as np
 from conftest import (
+    _array_assertion_verbose,
     _gemmi_read_keys,
     all_files_mark,
     bad_cif,
@@ -9,18 +10,6 @@
 from more_itertools import flatten
 
 
-def _array_assertion_verbose(keys, test_data, real_data):
-    keys = np.asarray(keys)
-    test_data = np.asarray(test_data)
-    real_data = np.asarray(real_data)
-    msg = (
-        f"Key(s) {keys[test_data != real_data]} did not match:\n"
-        f"{test_data[test_data != real_data]}!="
-        f"{real_data[test_data != real_data]}\n"
-    )
-    np.testing.assert_equal(test_data, real_data, err_msg=msg)
-
-
 @all_files_mark
 def test_read_key_value_pairs(cif_data):
     pycif = pycifrw_or_xfail(cif_data)
diff --git a/tests/test_utils.py b/tests/test_utils.py
index 67d6b5d5..e13e3f1e 100644
--- a/tests/test_utils.py
+++ b/tests/test_utils.py
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
+from pathlib import Path
+
 import pytest
 
-from parsnip._errors import ParseError, ParseWarning
+from parsnip._errors import ParseError, ParseWarning, _is_potentially_valid_path
 
 
 def test_parse_error(capfd):
@@ -14,3 +16,19 @@ def test_parse_warning():
         raise ParseWarning("TEST_WARNING_RAISED")
 
     assert "TEST_WARNING_RAISED" in str(warning.value)
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    ("path_str", "expected"),
+    [
+        (str(Path(__file__)), True),  # existing file
+        (str(Path(__file__).parent / "conftest.py"), True),  # real file
+        (str(Path(__file__).parent / "nonexistent.txt"), True),  # parent dir exists
+        (str(Path(__file__).parent / "fake_file.cif"), True),  # .cif suffix
+        (str(Path(__file__).parent / "asdf/noparent.txt"), False),  # no parent
+        ("asdfasdfasd", False),
+        ("asdfasdfasd.cif", True),
+    ],
+)
+def test_is_potentially_valid_path(path_str, expected):
+    assert _is_potentially_valid_path(path_str) is expected