diff --git a/hxt.cabal b/hxt.cabal
--- a/hxt.cabal
+++ b/hxt.cabal
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 -- arch-tag: Haskell XML Toolbox main description file
 Name:           hxt
-Version:        9.0.0
+Version:        9.0.1
 Synopsis:       A collection of tools for processing XML with Haskell.
 Description:    The Haskell XML Toolbox bases on the ideas of HaXml and HXML,
                 but introduces a more general approach for processing XML with Haskell.
diff --git a/src/Text/XML/HXT/Arrow/DocumentInput.hs b/src/Text/XML/HXT/Arrow/DocumentInput.hs
--- a/src/Text/XML/HXT/Arrow/DocumentInput.hs
+++ b/src/Text/XML/HXT/Arrow/DocumentInput.hs
@@ -143,9 +143,15 @@
 
 addMimeType     :: IOStateArrow s XmlTree XmlTree
 addMimeType
-    = addMime $< ( getAttrValue transferURI
-                   >>>
-                   ( uriToMime $< getMimeTypeTable )
+    = addMime $< ( ( getSysVar theFileMimeType
+                     >>>
+                     isA (not . null)
+                   )
+                   `orElse`
+                   ( getAttrValue transferURI
+                     >>>
+                     ( uriToMime $< getMimeTypeTable )
+                   )
                  )
     where
     addMime mt
diff --git a/src/Text/XML/HXT/Arrow/XmlState.hs b/src/Text/XML/HXT/Arrow/XmlState.hs
--- a/src/Text/XML/HXT/Arrow/XmlState.hs
+++ b/src/Text/XML/HXT/Arrow/XmlState.hs
@@ -117,6 +117,7 @@
     , withDefaultBaseURI
     , withEncodingErrors
     , withErrors
+    , withFileMimeType
     , withIgnoreNoneXmlContents
     , withIndent
     , withInputEncoding
diff --git a/src/Text/XML/HXT/Arrow/XmlState/RunIOStateArrow.hs b/src/Text/XML/HXT/Arrow/XmlState/RunIOStateArrow.hs
--- a/src/Text/XML/HXT/Arrow/XmlState/RunIOStateArrow.hs
+++ b/src/Text/XML/HXT/Arrow/XmlState/RunIOStateArrow.hs
@@ -72,14 +72,14 @@
 
 initialSysWriter                :: XIOSysWriter
 initialSysWriter                = XIOwrt
-                                  { xioErrorMsgList      = []
+                                  { xioErrorStatus       = c_ok
+                                  , xioErrorMsgList      = []
                                   }
 
 initialSysEnv                   :: XIOSysEnv
 initialSysEnv                   = XIOEnv
                                   { xioTraceLevel        = 0
                                   , xioTraceCmd          = traceOutputToStderr
-                                  , xioErrorStatus       = c_ok
                                   , xioErrorMsgHandler   = errorOutputToStderr
                                   , xioErrorMsgCollect   = False
                                   , xioBaseURI           = ""
@@ -108,6 +108,7 @@
                                   { xioMimeTypes                = defaultMimeTypeTable
                                   , xioMimeTypeFile             = ""
                                   , xioAcceptedMimeTypes        = []
+                                  , xioFileMimeType             = ""
                                   , xioWarnings                 = True
                                   , xioRemoveWS                 = False
                                   , xioParseByMimeType          = False
diff --git a/src/Text/XML/HXT/Arrow/XmlState/SystemConfig.hs b/src/Text/XML/HXT/Arrow/XmlState/SystemConfig.hs
--- a/src/Text/XML/HXT/Arrow/XmlState/SystemConfig.hs
+++ b/src/Text/XML/HXT/Arrow/XmlState/SystemConfig.hs
@@ -49,6 +49,13 @@
 withMimeTypeFile                :: String -> SysConfig
 withMimeTypeFile                = setS theMimeTypeFile
 
+-- | Force a given mime type for all file contents.
+--
+-- The mime type for file access will then not be computed by looking into a mime.types file
+
+withFileMimeType                :: String -> SysConfig
+withFileMimeType                = setS theFileMimeType
+
 -- | @withWarnings yes/no@ : system option, issue warnings during reading, HTML parsing and processing,
 -- default is 'yes'
 
diff --git a/src/Text/XML/HXT/Arrow/XmlState/TypeDefs.hs b/src/Text/XML/HXT/Arrow/XmlState/TypeDefs.hs
--- a/src/Text/XML/HXT/Arrow/XmlState/TypeDefs.hs
+++ b/src/Text/XML/HXT/Arrow/XmlState/TypeDefs.hs
@@ -160,12 +160,12 @@
 
 instance NFData XIOSysState             -- all fields of interest are strict
 
-data XIOSysWriter       = XIOwrt  { xioErrorMsgList             :: ! XmlTrees
+data XIOSysWriter       = XIOwrt  { xioErrorStatus              :: ! Int
+                                  , xioErrorMsgList             :: ! XmlTrees
                                   }
 
 data XIOSysEnv          = XIOEnv  { xioTraceLevel               :: ! Int
                                   , xioTraceCmd                 ::   Int -> String -> IO ()
-                                  , xioErrorStatus              :: ! Int
                                   , xioErrorMsgHandler          ::   String -> IO ()
                                   , xioErrorMsgCollect          :: ! Bool
                                   , xioBaseURI                  :: ! String
@@ -190,6 +190,7 @@
 data XIOParseConfig     = XIOPcfg { xioMimeTypes                ::   MimeTypeTable
                                   , xioMimeTypeFile             ::   String
                                   , xioAcceptedMimeTypes        ::   [String]
+                                  , xioFileMimeType             ::   String
                                   , xioWarnings                 :: ! Bool
                                   , xioRemoveWS                 :: ! Bool
                                   , xioParseByMimeType          :: ! Bool
@@ -263,6 +264,13 @@
                                     , setS = \ x s -> s { xioSysWriter = x}
                                     }
 
+theErrorStatus                  :: Selector XIOSysState Int
+theErrorStatus                  = theSysWriter
+                                  >>>
+                                  S { getS = xioErrorStatus
+                                    , setS = \ x s -> s { xioErrorStatus = x }
+                                    }
+
 theErrorMsgList                 :: Selector XIOSysState XmlTrees
 theErrorMsgList                 = theSysWriter
                                   >>>
@@ -493,13 +501,6 @@
                                     , setS = \ x s -> s { xioParseConfig = x}
                                     }
 
-theErrorStatus                  :: Selector XIOSysState Int
-theErrorStatus                  = theSysEnv
-                                  >>>
-                                  S { getS = xioErrorStatus
-                                    , setS = \ x s -> s { xioErrorStatus = x }
-                                    }
-
 theErrorMsgHandler              :: Selector XIOSysState (String -> IO ())
 theErrorMsgHandler              = theSysEnv
                                   >>>
@@ -571,6 +572,13 @@
                                   >>>
                                   S { getS = xioAcceptedMimeTypes
                                     , setS = \ x s -> s { xioAcceptedMimeTypes = x }
+                                    }
+
+theFileMimeType                 :: Selector XIOSysState String
+theFileMimeType                 = theParseConfig
+                                  >>>
+                                  S { getS = xioFileMimeType
+                                    , setS = \ x s -> s { xioFileMimeType = x }
                                     }
 
 theWarnings                     :: Selector XIOSysState Bool