diff --git a/NEWS b/NEWS
index e462672f3..cc8f51c1e 100644
--- a/NEWS
+++ b/NEWS
@@ -20,6 +20,20 @@ New in spot 2.0a (not yet released)
     These differ from --ap=RANGE that only consider *declared* atomic
     propositions, regardless of whether they are actually used.
 
+  * ltlcross and ltldo have a new syntax to specify that an input
+    formula should be written in some given syntax after rewriting
+    some operators away.  For instance the defaults arguments passed
+    to ltl2dstar have been changed from
+         --output-format=hoa %L %O
+    into
+         --output-format=hoa %[WM]L %O
+    where [WM] specifies that operators W and M should be rewritten
+    away.  As a consequence running
+         ltldo ltl2dstar -f 'a M b'
+    will now work and call ltl2dstar on the equivalent formula
+    'b U (a & b)' instead.  The operators that can be listed between
+    brackets are the same as those of ltlfilt --unabbreviate option.
+
   Library:
 
   * The print_hoa() function will now output version 1.1 of the HOA
diff --git a/bin/common_trans.cc b/bin/common_trans.cc
index bec70a850..04a062b9b 100644
--- a/bin/common_trans.cc
+++ b/bin/common_trans.cc
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@
 #include "error.h"
 
 #include <spot/tl/print.hh>
+#include <spot/tl/unabbrev.hh>
 #include "common_conv.hh"
 #include <spot/misc/escape.hh>
 
@@ -41,11 +42,11 @@ static struct shorthands_t
   shorthands[] = {
     { "lbt", " <%L>%O" },
     { "ltl2ba", " -f %s>%O" },
-    { "ltl2dstar", " --output-format=hoa %L %O"},
+    { "ltl2dstar", " --output-format=hoa %[MW]L %O"},
     { "ltl2tgba", " -H %f>%O" },
     { "ltl3ba", " -f %s>%O" },
     { "ltl3dra", " -f %s>%O" },
-    { "modella", " %L %O" },
+    { "modella", " %[MWei^]L %O" },
     { "spin", " -f %s>%O" },
   };
 
@@ -63,7 +64,7 @@ static void show_shorthands()
         "matching those prefixes.  So for instance\n"
         "  '{DRA} ~/mytools/ltl2dstar-0.5.2'\n"
         "will changed into\n"
-        "  '{DRA} ~/mytools/ltl2dstar-0.5.2 --output-format=hoa %L %O'\n");
+        "  '{DRA} ~/mytools/ltl2dstar-0.5.2 --output-format=hoa %[MR]L %O'\n");
 }
 
 
@@ -153,6 +154,58 @@ quoted_string::print(std::ostream& os, const char*) const
   spot::quote_shell_string(os, val().c_str());
 }
 
+void quoted_formula::print(std::ostream& os, const char* pos) const
+{
+  spot::formula f = val_;
+  if (*pos == '[')
+    {
+      ++pos;
+      auto end = strchr(pos, ']');
+      auto arg = strndup(pos, end - pos);
+      f = spot::unabbreviate(f, arg);
+      free(arg);
+      pos = end + 1;
+    }
+  std::ostringstream ss;
+  std::ostream* out = &ss;
+  bool quoted = true;
+  switch (*pos)
+    {
+    case 'F':
+    case 'S':
+    case 'L':
+    case 'W':
+      out = &os;
+      quoted = false;
+    }
+  switch (*pos)
+    {
+    case 'f':
+    case 'F':
+      print_psl(*out, f, true);
+      break;
+    case 's':
+    case 'S':
+      print_spin_ltl(*out, f, true);
+      break;
+    case 'l':
+    case 'L':
+      print_lbt_ltl(*out, f);
+      break;
+    case 'w':
+    case 'W':
+      print_wring_ltl(*out, f);
+      break;
+    }
+  if (quoted)
+    {
+      std::string s = ss.str();
+      spot::quote_shell_string(os, s.c_str());
+    }
+}
+
+
+
 printable_result_filename::printable_result_filename()
 {
   val_ = nullptr;
@@ -184,19 +237,42 @@ printable_result_filename::print(std::ostream& os, const char*) const
   spot::quote_shell_string(os, val()->name());
 }
 
+void
+filed_formula::print(std::ostream& os, const char* pos) const
+{
+  std::ostringstream ss;
+  f_.print(ss, pos);
+  os << '\'' << string_to_tmp(ss.str(), serial_) << '\'';
+}
+
+std::string
+filed_formula::string_to_tmp(const std::string str, unsigned n) const
+{
+  char prefix[30];
+  snprintf(prefix, sizeof prefix, "lcr-i%u-", n);
+  spot::open_temporary_file* tmpfile = spot::create_open_tmpfile(prefix);
+  std::string tmpname = tmpfile->name();
+  int fd = tmpfile->fd();
+  ssize_t s = str.size();
+  if (write(fd, str.c_str(), s) != s
+      || write(fd, "\n", 1) != 1)
+    error(2, errno, "failed to write into %s", tmpname.c_str());
+  tmpfile->close();
+  return tmpname;
+}
 
 translator_runner::translator_runner(spot::bdd_dict_ptr dict,
                                      bool no_output_allowed)
   : dict(dict)
 {
-  declare('f', &string_ltl_spot);
-  declare('s', &string_ltl_spin);
-  declare('l', &string_ltl_lbt);
-  declare('w', &string_ltl_wring);
-  declare('F', &filename_ltl_spot);
-  declare('S', &filename_ltl_spin);
-  declare('L', &filename_ltl_lbt);
-  declare('W', &filename_ltl_wring);
+  declare('f', &ltl_formula);
+  declare('s', &ltl_formula);
+  declare('l', &ltl_formula);
+  declare('w', &ltl_formula);
+  declare('F', &filename_formula);
+  declare('S', &filename_formula);
+  declare('L', &filename_formula);
+  declare('W', &filename_formula);
   declare('D', &output);
   declare('H', &output);
   declare('N', &output);
@@ -229,61 +305,29 @@ translator_runner::translator_runner(spot::bdd_dict_ptr dict,
     }
 }
 
-void
-translator_runner::string_to_tmp(std::string& str, unsigned n,
-                                 std::string& tmpname)
-{
-  char prefix[30];
-  snprintf(prefix, sizeof prefix, "lcr-i%u-", n);
-  spot::open_temporary_file* tmpfile = spot::create_open_tmpfile(prefix);
-  tmpname = tmpfile->name();
-  int fd = tmpfile->fd();
-  ssize_t s = str.size();
-  if (write(fd, str.c_str(), s) != s
-      || write(fd, "\n", 1) != 1)
-    error(2, errno, "failed to write into %s", tmpname.c_str());
-  tmpfile->close();
-}
-
-const std::string&
+std::string
 translator_runner::formula() const
 {
   // Pick the most readable format we have...
-  if (!string_ltl_spot.val().empty())
-    return string_ltl_spot;
-  if (!string_ltl_spin.val().empty())
-    return string_ltl_spin;
-  if (!string_ltl_wring.val().empty())
-    return string_ltl_wring;
-  if (!string_ltl_lbt.val().empty())
-    return string_ltl_lbt;
+  if (has('f') || has('F'))
+    return spot::str_psl(ltl_formula, true);
+  if (has('s') || has('S'))
+    return spot::str_spin_ltl(ltl_formula, true);
+  if (has('l') || has('L'))
+    return spot::str_lbt_ltl(ltl_formula);
+  if (has('w') || has('W'))
+    return spot::str_wring_ltl(ltl_formula);
   SPOT_UNREACHABLE();
-  return string_ltl_spot;
+  return spot::str_psl(ltl_formula, true);
 }
 
 void
 translator_runner::round_formula(spot::formula f, unsigned serial)
 {
-  if (has('f') || has('F'))
-    string_ltl_spot = spot::str_psl(f, true);
-  if (has('s') || has('S'))
-    string_ltl_spin = spot::str_spin_ltl(f, true);
-  if (has('l') || has('L'))
-    string_ltl_lbt = spot::str_lbt_ltl(f);
-  if (has('w') || has('W'))
-    string_ltl_wring = spot::str_wring_ltl(f);
-  if (has('F'))
-    string_to_tmp(string_ltl_spot, serial, filename_ltl_spot);
-  if (has('S'))
-    string_to_tmp(string_ltl_spin, serial, filename_ltl_spin);
-  if (has('L'))
-    string_to_tmp(string_ltl_lbt, serial, filename_ltl_lbt);
-  if (has('W'))
-    string_to_tmp(string_ltl_wring, serial, filename_ltl_wring);
+  ltl_formula = f;
+  filename_formula.new_round(serial);
 }
 
-
-
 volatile bool timed_out = false;
 unsigned timeout_count = 0;
 
@@ -407,6 +451,10 @@ static const argp_option options[] =
       "If either %l, %L, or %T are used, any input formula that does "
       "not use LBT-style atomic propositions (i.e. p0, p1, ...) will be "
       "relabeled automatically.\n"
+      "The sequences %f,%s,%l,%w,%F,%S,%L,%W can optionally be \"infixed\""
+      " by a bracketed sequence of operators to unabbreviate before outputing"
+      " the formula.  For instance %[MW]f will rewrite operators M and W"
+      " before outputing it.\n"
       "Furthermore, if COMMANDFMT has the form \"{NAME}CMD\", then only CMD "
       "will be passed to the shell, and NAME will be used to name the tool "
       "in the output.", 4 },
diff --git a/bin/common_trans.hh b/bin/common_trans.hh
index 473f859a5..f93304ffe 100644
--- a/bin/common_trans.hh
+++ b/bin/common_trans.hh
@@ -56,6 +56,31 @@ struct quoted_string final: public spot::printable_value<std::string>
   void print(std::ostream& os, const char* pos) const override;
 };
 
+struct quoted_formula final: public spot::printable_value<spot::formula>
+{
+  using spot::printable_value<spot::formula>::operator=;
+  void print(std::ostream& os, const char* pos) const override;
+};
+
+struct filed_formula final: public spot::printable
+{
+  filed_formula(const quoted_formula& ltl) : f_(ltl)
+  {
+  }
+
+  void print(std::ostream& os, const char* pos) const override;
+
+  void new_round(unsigned serial)
+  {
+    serial_ = serial;
+  }
+
+ private:
+  const quoted_formula& f_;
+  unsigned serial_;
+  std::string string_to_tmp(const std::string str, unsigned n) const;
+};
+
 struct printable_result_filename final:
   public spot::printable_value<spot::temporary_file*>
 {
@@ -75,14 +100,8 @@ class translator_runner: protected spot::formater
 protected:
   spot::bdd_dict_ptr dict;
   // Round-specific variables
-  quoted_string string_ltl_spot;
-  quoted_string string_ltl_spin;
-  quoted_string string_ltl_lbt;
-  quoted_string string_ltl_wring;
-  quoted_string filename_ltl_spot;
-  quoted_string filename_ltl_spin;
-  quoted_string filename_ltl_lbt;
-  quoted_string filename_ltl_wring;
+  quoted_formula ltl_formula;
+  filed_formula filename_formula = ltl_formula;
   // Run-specific variables
   printable_result_filename output;
 public:
@@ -92,8 +111,7 @@ public:
                     // whether we accept the absence of output
                     // specifier
                     bool no_output_allowed = false);
-  void string_to_tmp(std::string& str, unsigned n, std::string& tmpname);
-  const std::string& formula() const;
+  std::string formula() const;
   void round_formula(spot::formula f, unsigned serial);
 };
 
diff --git a/doc/org/ltlcross.org b/doc/org/ltlcross.org
index 9db0e4e2a..eaada3ded 100644
--- a/doc/org/ltlcross.org
+++ b/doc/org/ltlcross.org
@@ -98,6 +98,14 @@ Performing sanity checks and gathering statistics...
 No problem detected.
 #+end_example
 
+To handle tools that do not support some LTL operators, the character
+sequences ~%f~, ~%s~, ~%l~, ~%w~, ~%F~, ~%S~, ~%L~, and ~%W~ can be
+"infixed" by a bracketed list of operators to rewrite away.  For
+instance if a tool reads LTL formulas from a file in LBT's syntax, but
+does not support operators ~M~ (strong until) and ~W~ (weak until),
+use ~%[WM]L~ instead of just ~%L~; this way operators ~W~ and ~M~ will
+be rewritten using the other supported operators.
+
 =ltlcross= can only read four kinds of output:
   - Never claims (only if they are restricted to representing an
     automaton using =if=, =goto=, and =skip= statements) such as those
@@ -125,7 +133,7 @@ tools:
   - '=ltl2ba -f %s >%O='
   - '=ltl3ba -M0 -f %s >%O=' (less deterministic output, can be smaller)
   - '=ltl3ba -M1 -f %s >%O=' (more deterministic output)
-  - '=modella -r12 -g -e %L %O='
+  - '=modella -r12 -g -e %[MWei^]L %O='
   - '=/path/to/script4lbtt.py %L %O=' (script supplied by [[http://web.archive.org/web/20070214050826/http://estragon.ti.informatik.uni-kiel.de/~fritz/][ltl2nba]] for
     its interface with LBTT)
   - '=ltl2tgba -s %f >%O=' (smaller output, Büchi automaton)
@@ -134,22 +142,22 @@ tools:
   - '=ltl2tgba -H -D %f >%O=' (more deterministic output, TGBA)
   - '=lbt <%L >%O='
   - '~ltl2dstar --ltl2nba=spin:path/to/ltl2tgba@-sD
-    --output-format=hoa %L %O~' deterministic Rabin output in HOA, as
+    --output-format=hoa %[MW]L %O~' deterministic Rabin output in HOA, as
     supported since version 0.5.2 of =ltl2dstar=.
   - '~ltl2dstar --ltl2nba=spin:path/to/ltl2tgba@-sD --automata=streett
-    --output-format=hoa %L %O~' deterministic Streett output in HOA,
+    --output-format=hoa %[MW]L %O~' deterministic Streett output in HOA,
     as supported since version 0.5.2 of =ltl2dstar=.
-  - '=ltl2dstar --ltl2nba=spin:path/to/ltl2tgba@-sD %L %O=' (Rabin
+  - '=ltl2dstar --ltl2nba=spin:path/to/ltl2tgba@-sD %[MW]L %O=' (Rabin
     output in DSTAR format, as supported in older versions of
     =ltl2dstar=.
   - '=ltl2dstar --ltl2nba=spin:path/to/ltl2tgba@-sD %L - | dstar2tgba
     -s >%O=' (external conversion from Rabin to Büchi done by
     =dstar2tgba= for more reduction of the Büchi automaton than what
     =ltlcross= would provide)
-  - '=java -jar Rabinizer.jar -ltl2dstar %F %O; mv %O.dst %O=' (Rabinizer
+  - '=java -jar Rabinizer.jar -ltl2dstar %[MW]F %O; mv %O.dst %O=' (Rabinizer
     uses the last =%O= argument as a prefix to which it always append =.dst=,
     so we have to rename =%O.dst= as =%O= so that =ltlcross= can find the file)
-  - '~java -jar rabinizer3.1.jar -in=formula -silent -out=std -format=hoa -auto=tr %f >%O~'
+  - '~java -jar rabinizer3.1.jar -in=formula -silent -out=std -format=hoa -auto=tr %[MWR]f >%O~'
     (rabinizer 3.1 can output automata in the HOA format)
   - '=ltl3dra -f %s >%O=' (The HOA format is the default for =ltl2dra=.)
 
@@ -167,18 +175,18 @@ the following words, then the string on the right is appended.
 
   lbt          <%L>%O
   ltl2ba       -f %s>%O
-  ltl2dstar    --output-format=hoa %L %O
+  ltl2dstar    --output-format=hoa %[MW]L %O
   ltl2tgba     -H %f>%O
   ltl3ba       -f %s>%O
-  ltl3dra      -f %f>%O
-  modella      %L %O
+  ltl3dra      -f %s>%O
+  modella      %[MWei^]L %O
   spin         -f %s>%O
 
 Any {name} and directory component is skipped for the purpose of
 matching those prefixes.  So for instance
   '{DRA} ~/mytools/ltl2dstar-0.5.2'
 will changed into
-  '{DRA} ~/mytools/ltl2dstar-0.5.2 --output-format=hoa %L %O'
+  '{DRA} ~/mytools/ltl2dstar-0.5.2 --output-format=hoa %[MR]L %O'
 #+end_example
 
 What this implies is that running =ltlcross ltl2ba ltl3ba ...= is
diff --git a/spot/misc/formater.cc b/spot/misc/formater.cc
index a2a817ae9..ca56213cf 100644
--- a/spot/misc/formater.cc
+++ b/spot/misc/formater.cc
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 // -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
-// Copyright (C) 2012, 2013 Laboratoire de Recherche et Développement
-// de l'Epita (LRDE).
+// Copyright (C) 2012, 2013, 2016 Laboratoire de Recherche et
+// Développement de l'Epita (LRDE).
 //
 // This file is part of Spot, a model checking library.
 //
@@ -20,9 +20,18 @@
 #include "config.h"
 #include <spot/misc/formater.hh>
 #include <iostream>
+#include <sstream>
 
 namespace spot
 {
+  static void unclosed_bracket(const char* s)
+  {
+    std::ostringstream ss;
+    ss << '\'' << s << "' has unclosed bracket";
+    throw std::runtime_error(ss.str());
+  }
+
+
   void
   formater::scan(const char* fmt, std::vector<bool>& has) const
   {
@@ -30,6 +39,19 @@ namespace spot
       if (*pos == '%')
         {
           char c = *++pos;
+          // %[...]c
+          const char* mark = pos;
+          if (c == '[')
+            {
+              do
+                {
+                  ++pos;
+                  if (SPOT_UNLIKELY(!*pos))
+                    unclosed_bracket(mark - 1);
+                }
+              while (*pos != ']');
+              c = *++pos;
+            }
           has[c] = true;
           if (!c)
             break;
@@ -53,9 +75,25 @@ namespace spot
         else
           {
             char c = *++pos;
+            const char* next = pos;
+            // in case we have %[...]X... , we want to pass
+            // [...]X... to the printer, and continue after the X once
+            // that is done.
+            if (c == '[')
+              {
+                do
+                  {
+                    ++next;
+                    if (SPOT_UNLIKELY(*next == 0))
+                      unclosed_bracket(pos - 1);
+                  }
+                while (*next != ']');
+                c = *++next;
+              }
             call_[c]->print(*output_, pos);
             if (!c)
               break;
+            pos = next;
           }
       return *output_;
     }
diff --git a/tests/core/ltldo.test b/tests/core/ltldo.test
index b2f0f3ef5..48a33faa2 100755
--- a/tests/core/ltldo.test
+++ b/tests/core/ltldo.test
@@ -25,10 +25,11 @@ ltldo=ltldo
 ltl2tgba=ltl2tgba
 genltl=genltl
 
-run 0 $ltldo -f a -f 'a&b' -t 'echo %f,%s' >output
+run 0 $ltldo -f a -f 'a&b' -f 'a -> b' -t 'echo %f,%s,%[ei]w' >output
 cat >expected <<EOF
-a,a
-(a) & (b),(a) && (b)
+a,a,a=1
+(a) & (b),(a) && (b),(a=1) * (b=1)
+(a) -> (b),(a) -> (b),(a=0) + (b=1)
 EOF
 diff output expected