diff --git a/plugins/include.ts b/plugins/include.ts
index 06d3d3c..ab0cc28 100644
--- a/plugins/include.ts
+++ b/plugins/include.ts
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@ export default function (): Plugin {
   };
 }
 
+const DIRECT_DATA = /["'`\w]\s+([a-z_$][^\s'"`]*)$/i;
+
 function includeTag(
   env: Environment,
   token: Token,
@@ -37,6 +39,13 @@ function includeTag(
     data = tagCode.slice(bracketIndex).trim();
   }
 
+  // Includes data directly (e.g. {{ include "template.vto" data }})
+  const directDataMatch = tagCode.match(DIRECT_DATA);
+  if (directDataMatch) {
+    data = directDataMatch[1];
+    file = tagCode.slice(0, -data.length).trim();
+  }
+
   const { dataVarname } = env.options;
   const tmp = env.getTempVariable();
   return `{
diff --git a/plugins/layout.ts b/plugins/layout.ts
index 99e1e17..accbf38 100644
--- a/plugins/layout.ts
+++ b/plugins/layout.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { SourceError } from "../core/errors.ts";
+import iterateTopLevel from "../core/js.ts";
 import type { Token } from "../core/tokenizer.ts";
 import type { Environment, Plugin } from "../core/environment.ts";
 
@@ -9,8 +10,8 @@ export default function (): Plugin {
   };
 }
 
-const LAYOUT_TAG = /^layout\s+([^{]+|`[^`]+`)+(?:\{([^]*)\})?$/;
 const SLOT_NAME = /^[a-z_]\w*$/i;
+const DIRECT_DATA = /["'`\w]\s+([a-z_$][^\s'"`]*)$/i;
 
 function layoutTag(
   env: Environment,
@@ -24,12 +25,29 @@ function layoutTag(
     return;
   }
 
-  const match = code?.match(LAYOUT_TAG);
-  if (!match) {
-    throw new SourceError("Invalid layout tag", position);
+  const tagCode = code.slice(6).trim();
+  let file = tagCode;
+  let data = "";
+
+  // Includes { data }
+  if (tagCode.endsWith("}")) {
+    let bracketIndex = -1;
+    for (const [index, reason] of iterateTopLevel(tagCode)) {
+      if (reason == "{") bracketIndex = index;
+    }
+    if (bracketIndex == -1) {
+      throw new SourceError("Invalid layout tag", position);
+    }
+    file = tagCode.slice(0, bracketIndex).trim();
+    data = tagCode.slice(bracketIndex).trim();
   }
 
-  const [_, file, data] = match;
+  // Includes data directly (e.g. {{ layout "template.vto" data }})
+  const directDataMatch = tagCode.match(DIRECT_DATA);
+  if (directDataMatch) {
+    data = directDataMatch[1];
+    file = tagCode.slice(0, -data.length).trim();
+  }
 
   const compiledFilters = env.compileFilters(tokens, "__slots.content");
   const { dataVarname } = env.options;
@@ -40,7 +58,7 @@ function layoutTag(
     return __env.run(${file}, {
       ...${dataVarname},
       ...__slots,
-      ${data ?? ""}
+      ${data ? "..." + data : ""}
     }, __template.path, ${position});
   })()).content;`;
 }
diff --git a/test/include.test.ts b/test/include.test.ts
index 04b0f70..c4abf59 100644
--- a/test/include.test.ts
+++ b/test/include.test.ts
@@ -102,6 +102,35 @@ Deno.test("Include tag (with data)", async () => {
       name: "world",
     },
   });
+
+  await test({
+    template: `
+    {{ set data = { name } }}
+    {{ include "/my-file.vto" data }}
+    `,
+    expected: "Hello world",
+    includes: {
+      "/my-file.vto": "Hello {{ name }}",
+    },
+    data: {
+      name: "world",
+    },
+  });
+
+  await test({
+    template: `
+    {{ set data = { name } }}
+    {{ include "/my-file" + ext data }}
+    `,
+    expected: "Hello world",
+    includes: {
+      "/my-file.vto": "Hello {{ name }}",
+    },
+    data: {
+      ext: ".vto",
+      name: "world",
+    },
+  });
 });
 
 Deno.test("Include tag (with custom data)", async () => {
diff --git a/test/layout.test.ts b/test/layout.test.ts
index 276f5b7..3d6cba4 100644
--- a/test/layout.test.ts
+++ b/test/layout.test.ts
@@ -45,6 +45,29 @@ Deno.test("Layout tag (with extra data)", async () => {
       "/my-file.vto": "<{{ tag }}>{{ content }}</{{ tag }}>",
     },
   });
+  await test({
+    template: `
+    {{ set data = { tag: "h1" } }}
+    {{ layout "/my-file.vto" data }}Hello world{{ /layout }}
+    `,
+    expected: "<h1>Hello world</h1>",
+    includes: {
+      "/my-file.vto": "<{{ tag }}>{{ content }}</{{ tag }}>",
+    },
+  });
+  await test({
+    template: `
+    {{ set data = { tag: "h1" } }}
+    {{ layout "/my-file" + ext data }}Hello world{{ /layout }}
+    `,
+    expected: "<h1>Hello world</h1>",
+    includes: {
+      "/my-file.vto": "<{{ tag }}>{{ content }}</{{ tag }}>",
+    },
+    data: {
+      ext: ".vto",
+    },
+  });
 });
 
 Deno.test("Layout tag (with extra data and filters)", async () => {