diff --git a/C/iopreds.c b/C/iopreds.c
index 0498e512c..e7069afa9 100644
--- a/C/iopreds.c
+++ b/C/iopreds.c
@@ -2077,9 +2077,12 @@ init_cur_s (void)
 {				/* Init current_stream */
   Term t3 = Deref(ARG3);
   if (!IsVarTerm(t3)) {
-    Int i = CheckStream (t3, Input_Stream_f|Output_Stream_f, "current_stream/3");
-    Term t1 = StreamName(i), t2;
     
+    Int i;
+    Term t1, t2;
+
+    i = CheckStream (t3, Input_Stream_f|Output_Stream_f, "current_stream/3");
+    t1 = StreamName(i);
     t2 = (Stream[i].status & Input_Stream_f ?
 	  MkAtomTerm (AtomRead) :
 	  MkAtomTerm (AtomWrite));
@@ -4519,6 +4522,19 @@ StreamToFileNo(Term t)
   }
 }
 
+int
+p_stream(Term t)
+{
+  Term in = Deref(ARG1);
+  if (IsVarTerm(in))
+    return(FALSE);
+  if (IsAtomTerm(in))
+    return(CheckAlias(AtomOfTerm(in)) >= 0);
+  if (IsApplTerm(in))
+    return(FunctorOfTerm(in) == FunctorStream);
+  return(FALSE);
+}
+
 void
 InitBackIO (void)
 {
@@ -4589,6 +4605,7 @@ InitIOPreds(void)
   InitCPred ("$change_alias_to_stream", 2, p_change_alias_to_stream, SafePredFlag|SyncPredFlag);
   InitCPred ("$check_if_valid_new_alias", 1, p_check_if_valid_new_alias, TestPredFlag|SafePredFlag|SyncPredFlag);
   InitCPred ("$fetch_stream_alias", 2, p_fetch_stream_alias, SafePredFlag|SyncPredFlag);
+  InitCPred ("$stream", 2, p_stream, SafePredFlag|TestPredFlag),
 #if HAVE_SELECT
   InitCPred ("stream_select", 3, p_stream_select, SafePredFlag|SyncPredFlag);
 #endif
diff --git a/pl/yio.yap b/pl/yio.yap
index 7ccc39c7b..963a418dd 100644
--- a/pl/yio.yap
+++ b/pl/yio.yap
@@ -250,7 +250,7 @@ see(F) :- current_input(Stream),
 	'$user_file_name'(Stream,F).
 see(F) :- current_stream(_,read,Stream), '$user_file_name'(Stream,F), !,
 	set_input(Stream).
-see(Stream) :- current_stream(_,read,Stream), !,
+see(Stream) :- '$stream'(Stream), current_stream(_,read,Stream), !,
 	set_input(Stream).
 see(F) :- open(F,read,Stream), set_input(Stream).
 
@@ -267,7 +267,7 @@ tell(F) :- current_output(Stream),
 	'$user_file_name'(Stream,F), !.
 tell(F) :- current_stream(_,write,Stream), '$user_file_name'(Stream, F), !,
 	set_output(Stream).
-tell(Stream) :- current_stream(_,write,Stream), !,
+tell(Stream) :- '$stream'(Stream), current_stream(_,write,Stream), !,
 	set_output(Stream).
 tell(F) :- open(F,write,Stream), set_output(Stream).