diff --git a/include/dwarfs/terminal.h b/include/dwarfs/terminal.h
index d30c9c6f..f2319c25 100644
--- a/include/dwarfs/terminal.h
+++ b/include/dwarfs/terminal.h
@@ -67,7 +67,8 @@ class terminal {
   static void setup();
 
   virtual size_t width() const = 0;
-  virtual bool is_fancy(std::ostream& os) const = 0;
+  virtual bool is_tty(std::ostream& os) const = 0;
+  virtual bool is_fancy() const = 0;
   virtual std::string_view
   color(termcolor color, termstyle style = termstyle::NORMAL) const = 0;
   virtual std::string
diff --git a/src/dwarfs/logger.cpp b/src/dwarfs/logger.cpp
index 3ef24a4d..67310b58 100644
--- a/src/dwarfs/logger.cpp
+++ b/src/dwarfs/logger.cpp
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ std::string logger::all_level_names() {
 stream_logger::stream_logger(std::shared_ptr<terminal const> term,
                              std::ostream& os, logger_options const& logopts)
     : os_(os)
-    , color_(term->is_fancy(os))
+    , color_(term->is_tty(os) && term->is_fancy())
     , enable_stack_trace_{getenv_is_enabled("DWARFS_LOGGER_STACK_TRACE")}
     , with_context_(logopts.with_context ? logopts.with_context.value()
                                          : logopts.threshold >= logger::VERBOSE)
diff --git a/src/dwarfs/terminal.cpp b/src/dwarfs/terminal.cpp
index 5f68b60c..a1648ede 100644
--- a/src/dwarfs/terminal.cpp
+++ b/src/dwarfs/terminal.cpp
@@ -167,7 +167,7 @@ class terminal_windows : public terminal_ansi {
     return csbi.srWindow.Right - csbi.srWindow.Left + 1;
   }
 
-  bool is_fancy(std::ostream& os) const override {
+  bool is_tty(std::ostream& os) const override {
     if (&os == &std::cout) {
       return ::_isatty(::_fileno(stdout));
     }
@@ -176,6 +176,8 @@ class terminal_windows : public terminal_ansi {
     }
     return false;
   }
+
+  bool is_fancy() const override { return true; }
 };
 
 #else
@@ -188,11 +190,7 @@ class terminal_posix : public terminal_ansi {
     return w.ws_col;
   }
 
-  bool is_fancy(std::ostream& os) const override {
-    auto term = ::getenv("TERM");
-    if (!term || term[0] == '\0' || std::string_view(term) == "dumb") {
-      return false;
-    }
+  bool is_tty(std::ostream& os) const override {
     if (&os == &std::cout) {
       return ::isatty(::fileno(stdout));
     }
@@ -201,6 +199,15 @@ class terminal_posix : public terminal_ansi {
     }
     return false;
   }
+
+  bool is_fancy() const override {
+    // TODO: we might want to use the iolayer here
+    if (auto term = ::getenv("TERM")) {
+      std::string_view term_sv(term);
+      return !term_sv.empty() && term_sv != "dumb";
+    }
+    return false;
+  }
 };
 
 #endif
diff --git a/src/dwarfs/tool.cpp b/src/dwarfs/tool.cpp
index cb1546bd..a8a45a96 100644
--- a/src/dwarfs/tool.cpp
+++ b/src/dwarfs/tool.cpp
@@ -90,9 +90,10 @@ void add_common_options(po::options_description& opts,
 
 #ifdef DWARFS_BUILTIN_MANPAGE
 void show_manpage(manpage::document doc, iolayer const& iol) {
-  auto const fancy = iol.term->is_fancy(iol.out);
-  auto content = render_manpage(doc, iol.term->width(), fancy);
-  if (!show_in_pager(content)) {
+  bool is_tty = iol.term->is_tty(iol.out);
+  auto content =
+      render_manpage(doc, iol.term->width(), is_tty && iol.term->is_fancy());
+  if (!is_tty || !show_in_pager(content)) {
     iol.out << content;
   }
 }
diff --git a/src/mkdwarfs_main.cpp b/src/mkdwarfs_main.cpp
index f316a490..bd7955e6 100644
--- a/src/mkdwarfs_main.cpp
+++ b/src/mkdwarfs_main.cpp
@@ -896,7 +896,7 @@ int mkdwarfs_main(int argc, sys_char** argv, iolayer const& iol) {
   if (no_progress) {
     progress_mode = "none";
   }
-  if (progress_mode != "none" && !iol.term->is_fancy(iol.err)) {
+  if (progress_mode != "none" && !iol.term->is_tty(iol.err)) {
     progress_mode = "simple";
   }
 
diff --git a/test/test_helpers.h b/test/test_helpers.h
index 9fb40602..ed93b845 100644
--- a/test/test_helpers.h
+++ b/test/test_helpers.h
@@ -165,10 +165,12 @@ class test_terminal : public terminal {
   test_terminal(std::ostream& out, std::ostream& err);
 
   void set_fancy(bool fancy) { fancy_ = fancy; }
+  void set_is_tty(bool is_tty) { is_tty_ = is_tty; }
   void set_width(size_t width) { width_ = width; }
 
   size_t width() const override;
-  bool is_fancy(std::ostream& os) const override;
+  bool is_tty(std::ostream& os) const override;
+  bool is_fancy() const override;
   std::string_view color(termcolor color, termstyle style) const override;
   std::string colored(std::string text, termcolor color, bool enable,
                       termstyle style) const override;
@@ -180,6 +182,7 @@ class test_terminal : public terminal {
   std::ostream* out_;
   std::ostream* err_;
   bool fancy_{false};
+  bool is_tty_{false};
   size_t width_{80};
 };
 
@@ -244,6 +247,7 @@ class test_iolayer {
 
   void use_real_terminal(bool use);
   void set_in(std::string in);
+  void set_terminal_is_tty(bool is_tty);
   void set_terminal_fancy(bool fancy);
   void set_terminal_width(size_t width);
 
diff --git a/test/test_iolayer.cpp b/test/test_iolayer.cpp
index 98e68c57..eef47731 100644
--- a/test/test_iolayer.cpp
+++ b/test/test_iolayer.cpp
@@ -216,9 +216,9 @@ test_terminal::test_terminal(std::ostream& out, std::ostream& err)
 
 size_t test_terminal::width() const { return width_; }
 
-bool test_terminal::is_fancy(std::ostream& os) const {
-  return fancy_ && (&os == out_ || &os == err_);
-}
+bool test_terminal::is_tty(std::ostream& /*os*/) const { return is_tty_; }
+
+bool test_terminal::is_fancy() const { return fancy_; }
 
 std::string_view test_terminal::carriage_return() const { return "<cr>"; }
 
@@ -344,6 +344,9 @@ void test_iolayer::use_real_terminal(bool use) {
   real_term_ = terminal::create();
 }
 
+void test_iolayer::set_terminal_is_tty(bool is_tty) {
+  term_->set_is_tty(is_tty);
+}
 void test_iolayer::set_terminal_fancy(bool fancy) { term_->set_fancy(fancy); }
 void test_iolayer::set_terminal_width(size_t width) { term_->set_width(width); }
 void test_iolayer::set_in(std::string in) { in_.str(std::move(in)); }
diff --git a/test/tool_main_test.cpp b/test/tool_main_test.cpp
index 4f5d4a44..ae03030a 100644
--- a/test/tool_main_test.cpp
+++ b/test/tool_main_test.cpp
@@ -692,6 +692,7 @@ TEST_P(term_logging_test, end_to_end) {
 
   {
     mkdwarfs_tester t;
+    t.iol->set_terminal_is_tty(fancy);
     t.iol->set_terminal_fancy(fancy);
     t.os->set_access_fail("/somedir/ipsum.py"); // trigger an error
     EXPECT_EQ(2, t.run("-l1 -i / -o - --categorize --num-workers=8 -S 22 "
@@ -1419,6 +1420,7 @@ TEST(mkdwarfs_test, invalid_filter_debug_mode) {
 
 TEST(mkdwarfs_test, invalid_progress_mode) {
   mkdwarfs_tester t;
+  t.iol->set_terminal_is_tty(true);
   t.iol->set_terminal_fancy(true);
   EXPECT_NE(0, t.run({"-i", "/", "-o", "-", "--progress=grmpf"}));
   EXPECT_THAT(t.err(), ::testing::HasSubstr("invalid progress mode"));
@@ -1689,6 +1691,7 @@ TEST_P(mkdwarfs_progress_test, basic) {
 
   auto t = mkdwarfs_tester::create_empty();
 
+  t.iol->set_terminal_is_tty(true);
   t.iol->set_terminal_fancy(true);
 
   t.add_root_dir();