diff --git a/jc/cli.py b/jc/cli.py
index f8989e13..8c95fa0d 100644
--- a/jc/cli.py
+++ b/jc/cli.py
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import shlex
 import importlib
 import textwrap
 import signal
+import subprocess
 import json
 import jc
 import jc.appdirs as appdirs
@@ -395,15 +396,21 @@ def json_out(data, pretty=False, env_colors=None, mono=False, piped_out=False):
             return json.dumps(data, separators=(',', ':'), ensure_ascii=False)
 
 
-def generate_magic_command(args):
+def magic_parser(args):
     """
-    Return a tuple with a boolean and a command, where the boolean signifies that
-    the command is valid, and the command is either a command string or None.
+    Return a tuple:
+        valid_command   (bool)  is this a valid command? (exists in magic dict)
+        run_command     (list)  list of the user's command to run. None if no command.
+        jc_parser       (str)   parser to use for this user's command.
+        jc_options      (list)  list of jc options
+
+    Side-effect:
+        This function will reset sys.argv to an empty list
     """
 
     # Parse with magic syntax: jc -p ls -al
     if len(args) <= 1 or args[1].startswith('--'):
-        return False, None
+        return False, None, None, []
 
     # correctly parse escape characters and spaces with shlex
     args_given = ' '.join(map(shlex.quote, args[1:])).split()
@@ -413,7 +420,7 @@ def generate_magic_command(args):
     for arg in list(args_given):
         # parser found - use standard syntax
         if arg.startswith('--'):
-            return False, None
+            return False, None, None, []
 
         # option found - populate option list
         elif arg.startswith('-'):
@@ -423,13 +430,16 @@ def generate_magic_command(args):
         else:
             break
 
+    # reset sys.argv since we are now done with it
+    sys.argv = []
+
     # if -h, -a, or -v found in options, then bail out
     if 'h' in options or 'a' in options or 'v' in options:
-        return False, None
+        return False, None, None, []
 
     # all options popped and no command found - for case like 'jc -a'
     if len(args_given) == 0:
-        return False, None
+        return False, None, None, []
 
     magic_dict = {}
     parser_info = about_jc()['parsers']
@@ -446,26 +456,25 @@ def generate_magic_command(args):
     # try to get a parser for two_word_command, otherwise get one for one_word_command
     found_parser = magic_dict.get(two_word_command, magic_dict.get(one_word_command))
 
-    # construct a new command line using the standard syntax: COMMAND | jc --PARSER -OPTIONS
-    run_command = ' '.join(args_given)
-    if found_parser:
-        cmd_options = ('-' + ''.join(options)) if options else ''
-        return True, ' '.join([run_command, '|', 'jc', found_parser, cmd_options])
-    else:
-        return False, run_command
+    run_command = args_given
+    return (
+        True if found_parser else False,
+        run_command,
+        found_parser,
+        options
+    )
 
 
-def magic():
-    """Runs the command generated by generate_magic_command() to support magic syntax"""
-    valid_command, run_command = generate_magic_command(sys.argv)
-    if valid_command:
-        os.system(run_command)
-        sys.exit(0)
-    elif run_command is None:
-        return
-    else:
-        jc.utils.error_message(f'parser not found for "{run_command}". Use "jc -h" for help.')
-        sys.exit(1)
+def run_user_command(command):
+    """Use subprocess to run the user's command. Returns the STDOUT, STDERR, and the Exit Code as a tuple."""
+    proc = subprocess.Popen(command, stdout=subprocess.PIPE, stderr=subprocess.PIPE, universal_newlines=True)
+    stdout, stderr = proc.communicate()
+
+    return (
+        stdout or '\n',
+        stderr,
+        proc.returncode
+    )
 
 
 def main():
@@ -481,13 +490,27 @@ def main():
         pass
 
     # try magic syntax first: e.g. jc -p ls -al
-    magic()
+    magic_stdout, magic_stderr, magic_exit_code, magic_options = None, None, None, []
+    valid_command, run_command, magic_found_parser, magic_options = magic_parser(sys.argv)
+    if valid_command:
+        magic_stdout, magic_stderr, magic_exit_code = run_user_command(run_command)
+        if magic_stderr:
+            print(magic_stderr, file=sys.stderr)
+    elif run_command is None:
+        pass
+    else:
+        run_command_str = ' '.join(run_command)
+        jc.utils.error_message(f'parser not found for "{run_command_str}". Use "jc -h" for help.')
+        sys.exit(1)
 
+    # set colors
     jc_colors = os.getenv('JC_COLORS')
 
+    # set options
     options = []
+    options.extend(magic_options)
 
-    # options
+    # note that sys.argv will be an empty list after magic_parser finds the magic syntax is used
     for opt in sys.argv:
         if opt.startswith('-') and not opt.startswith('--'):
             options.extend(opt[1:])
@@ -521,40 +544,48 @@ def main():
         import jc.tracebackplus
         jc.tracebackplus.enable(context=11)
 
-    if sys.stdin.isatty():
+    if sys.stdin.isatty() and magic_stdout is None:
         jc.utils.error_message('Missing piped data. Use "jc -h" for help.')
-        sys.exit(1)
+        sys.exit(magic_exit_code + 1 if magic_exit_code else 1)
 
-    data = sys.stdin.read()
+    data = magic_stdout or sys.stdin.read()
 
-    found = False
+    # find the correct parser
+    if magic_found_parser:
+        parser = parser_module(magic_found_parser)
 
-    for arg in sys.argv:
-        parser_name = parser_shortname(arg)
+    else:
+        found = False
+        for arg in sys.argv:
+            parser_name = parser_shortname(arg)
 
-        if parser_name in parsers:
-            # load parser module just in time so we don't need to load all modules
-            parser = parser_module(arg)
-            try:
-                result = parser.parse(data, raw=raw, quiet=quiet)
+            if parser_name in parsers:
+                # load parser module just in time so we don't need to load all modules
+                parser = parser_module(arg)
                 found = True
                 break
 
-            except Exception:
-                if debug:
-                    raise
-                else:
-                    import jc.utils
-                    jc.utils.error_message(
-                        f'{parser_name} parser could not parse the input data. Did you use the correct parser?\n'
-                        '             For details use the -d or -dd option. Use "jc -h" for help.')
-                    sys.exit(1)
+        if not found:
+            jc.utils.error_message('Missing or incorrect arguments. Use "jc -h" for help.')
+            sys.exit(1)
 
-    if not found:
-        jc.utils.error_message('Missing or incorrect arguments. Use "jc -h" for help.')
-        sys.exit(1)
+    # parse the data
+    try:
+        result = parser.parse(data, raw=raw, quiet=quiet)
 
+    except Exception:
+        if debug:
+            raise
+        else:
+            import jc.utils
+            jc.utils.error_message(
+                f'{parser_name} parser could not parse the input data. Did you use the correct parser?\n'
+                '             For details use the -d or -dd option. Use "jc -h" for help.')
+            sys.exit(magic_exit_code or 1)
+
+    # output the json
     print(json_out(result, pretty=pretty, env_colors=jc_colors, mono=mono, piped_out=piped_output()))
+    sys.exit(magic_exit_code or 0)
 
 
 if __name__ == '__main__':