Index: src/shell.c.in
==================================================================
--- src/shell.c.in
+++ src/shell.c.in
@@ -3545,12 +3545,15 @@
   FILE *f = fopen(zName, "rb");
   size_t n;
   int rc = SHELL_OPEN_UNSPEC;
   char zBuf[100];
   if( f==0 ){
-    if( dfltZip && sqlite3_strlike("%.zip",zName,0)==0 ) return SHELL_OPEN_ZIPFILE;
-    return SHELL_OPEN_NORMAL;
+    if( dfltZip && sqlite3_strlike("%.zip",zName,0)==0 ){
+       return SHELL_OPEN_ZIPFILE;
+    }else{
+       return SHELL_OPEN_NORMAL;
+    }
   }
   fseek(f, -25, SEEK_END);
   n = fread(zBuf, 25, 1, f);
   if( n==1 && memcmp(zBuf, "Start-Of-SQLite3-", 17)==0 ){
     rc = SHELL_OPEN_APPENDVFS;
@@ -3566,21 +3569,35 @@
   }
   fclose(f);
   return rc;  
 }
 
+/* Flags for open_db().
+**
+** The default behavior of open_db() is to exit(1) if the database fails to
+** open.  The OPEN_DB_KEEPALIVE flag changes that so that it prints an error
+** but still returns without calling exit.
+**
+** The OPEN_DB_ZIPFILE flag causes open_db() to prefer to open files as a
+** ZIP archive if the file does not exist or is empty and its name matches
+** the *.zip pattern.
+*/
+#define OPEN_DB_KEEPALIVE   0x001   /* Return after error if true */
+#define OPEN_DB_ZIPFILE     0x002   /* Open as ZIP if name matches *.zip */
+
 /*
 ** Make sure the database is open.  If it is not, then open it.  If
 ** the database fails to open, print an error message and exit.
 */
-static void open_db(ShellState *p, int keepAlive){
+static void open_db(ShellState *p, int openFlags){
   if( p->db==0 ){
     if( p->openMode==SHELL_OPEN_UNSPEC ){
       if( p->zDbFilename==0 || p->zDbFilename[0]==0 ){
         p->openMode = SHELL_OPEN_NORMAL;
-      }else if( access(p->zDbFilename,0)==0 ){
-        p->openMode = (u8)deduceDatabaseType(p->zDbFilename, 0);
+      }else{
+        p->openMode = (u8)deduceDatabaseType(p->zDbFilename, 
+                             (openFlags & OPEN_DB_ZIPFILE)!=0);
       }
     }
     switch( p->openMode ){
       case SHELL_OPEN_APPENDVFS: {
         sqlite3_open_v2(p->zDbFilename, &p->db, 
@@ -3603,11 +3620,11 @@
     }
     globalDb = p->db;
     if( p->db==0 || SQLITE_OK!=sqlite3_errcode(p->db) ){
       utf8_printf(stderr,"Error: unable to open database \"%s\": %s\n",
           p->zDbFilename, sqlite3_errmsg(p->db));
-      if( keepAlive ) return;
+      if( openFlags & OPEN_DB_KEEPALIVE ) return;
       exit(1);
     }
 #ifndef SQLITE_OMIT_LOAD_EXTENSION
     sqlite3_enable_load_extension(p->db, 1);
 #endif
@@ -6521,11 +6538,11 @@
     /* If a filename is specified, try to open it first */
     zNewFilename = nArg>iName ? sqlite3_mprintf("%s", azArg[iName]) : 0;
     if( zNewFilename ){
       if( newFlag ) shellDeleteFile(zNewFilename);
       p->zDbFilename = zNewFilename;
-      open_db(p, 1);
+      open_db(p, OPEN_DB_KEEPALIVE);
       if( p->db==0 ){
         utf8_printf(stderr, "Error: cannot open '%s'\n", zNewFilename);
         sqlite3_free(zNewFilename);
       }else{
         p->zFreeOnClose = zNewFilename;
@@ -8651,11 +8668,11 @@
       if( nCmd>0 ){
         utf8_printf(stderr, "Error: cannot mix regular SQL or dot-commands"
                             " with \"%s\"\n", z);
         return 1;
       }
-      open_db(&data, 0);
+      open_db(&data, OPEN_DB_ZIPFILE);
       if( z[2] ){
         argv[i] = &z[2];
         arDotCommand(&data, 1, argv+(i-1), argc-(i-1));
       }else{
         arDotCommand(&data, 1, argv+i, argc-i);