diff --git a/cli/parse.go b/cli/parse.go
index 52aebe41..f1917f9c 100644
--- a/cli/parse.go
+++ b/cli/parse.go
@@ -216,7 +216,7 @@ func parseArgs(req *cmds.Request, root *cmds.Command, stdin *os.File) error {
 	}
 
 	stringArgs := make([]string, 0, numInputs)
-	fileArgs := make(map[string]files.File)
+	fileArgs := make(map[string]files.Node)
 
 	// the index of the current argument definition
 	iArgDef := 0
@@ -255,7 +255,7 @@ func parseArgs(req *cmds.Request, root *cmds.Command, stdin *os.File) error {
 				// treat stringArg values as file paths
 				fpath := inputs[0]
 				inputs = inputs[1:]
-				var file files.File
+				var file files.Node
 				if fpath == "-" {
 					r, err := maybeWrapStdin(stdin, msgStdinInfo)
 					if err != nil {
@@ -422,7 +422,7 @@ func (st *parseState) parseLongOpt(optDefs map[string]cmdkit.Option) (string, in
 	optval, err := parseOpt(k, v, optDefs)
 	return k, optval, err
 }
-func filesMapToSortedArr(fs map[string]files.File) []files.FileEntry {
+func filesMapToSortedArr(fs map[string]files.Node) []files.DirEntry {
 	var names []string
 	for name, _ := range fs {
 		names = append(names, name)
@@ -430,9 +430,9 @@ func filesMapToSortedArr(fs map[string]files.File) []files.FileEntry {
 
 	sort.Strings(names)
 
-	var out []files.FileEntry
+	var out []files.DirEntry
 	for _, f := range names {
-		out = append(out, files.FileEntry{File: fs[f], Name: f})
+		out = append(out, files.FileEntry(f, fs[f]))
 	}
 
 	return out
@@ -455,7 +455,7 @@ func getArgDef(i int, argDefs []cmdkit.Argument) *cmdkit.Argument {
 const notRecursiveFmtStr = "'%s' is a directory, use the '-%s' flag to specify directories"
 const dirNotSupportedFmtStr = "invalid path '%s', argument '%s' does not support directories"
 
-func appendFile(fpath string, argDef *cmdkit.Argument, recursive, hidden bool) (files.File, error) {
+func appendFile(fpath string, argDef *cmdkit.Argument, recursive, hidden bool) (files.Node, error) {
 	fpath = filepath.ToSlash(filepath.Clean(fpath))
 	if fpath == "." {
 		cwd, err := os.Getwd()
diff --git a/command.go b/command.go
index 656eda15..b979492e 100644
--- a/command.go
+++ b/command.go
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@ package cmds
 import (
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
-	"io"
 	"strings"
 
 	"github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs-cmdkit"
@@ -229,16 +228,18 @@ func (c *Command) CheckArguments(req *Request) error {
 		lastArg.Type == cmdkit.ArgString &&
 		req.Files != nil {
 
-		_, fi, err := req.Files.NextFile()
-		switch err {
-		case io.EOF:
-		case nil:
-			req.bodyArgs = newArguments(fi)
+		it, err := req.Files.Entries()
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		if it.Next() {
+			req.bodyArgs = newArguments(it.File())
 			// Can't pass files and stdin arguments.
 			req.Files = nil
-		default:
-			// io error.
-			return err
+		} else {
+			if it.Err() != nil {
+				return it.Err()
+			}
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/http/client.go b/http/client.go
index f6813d7e..b6da288a 100644
--- a/http/client.go
+++ b/http/client.go
@@ -119,12 +119,16 @@ func (c *client) toHTTPRequest(req *cmds.Request) (*http.Request, error) {
 	if bodyArgs := req.BodyArgs(); bodyArgs != nil {
 		// In the end, this wraps a file reader in a file reader.
 		// However, such is life.
-		fileReader = files.NewMultiFileReader(files.NewSliceFile([]files.FileEntry{
-			{File: files.NewReaderFile(bodyArgs, nil), Name: "stdin"},
-		}), true)
+		fileReader, err = files.NewMultiFileReader(files.NewSliceFile([]files.DirEntry{files.FileEntry("stdin", files.NewReaderFile(bodyArgs, nil))}), true)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
 		reader = fileReader
 	} else if req.Files != nil {
-		fileReader = files.NewMultiFileReader(req.Files, true)
+		fileReader, err = files.NewMultiFileReader(req.Files, true)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
 		reader = fileReader
 	}
 
diff --git a/http/parse.go b/http/parse.go
index 70ed8019..3c1c41d5 100644
--- a/http/parse.go
+++ b/http/parse.go
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ func parseRequest(ctx context.Context, r *http.Request, root *cmds.Command) (*cm
 	contentType := r.Header.Get(contentTypeHeader)
 	mediatype, _, _ := mime.ParseMediaType(contentType)
 
-	var f files.File
+	var f files.Directory
 	if mediatype == "multipart/form-data" {
 		reader, err := r.MultipartReader()
 		if err != nil {
diff --git a/request.go b/request.go
index 504b5fbb..f1efc283 100644
--- a/request.go
+++ b/request.go
@@ -18,14 +18,14 @@ type Request struct {
 	Arguments []string
 	Options   cmdkit.OptMap
 
-	Files files.File
+	Files files.Directory
 
 	bodyArgs *arguments
 }
 
 // NewRequest returns a request initialized with given arguments
 // An non-nil error will be returned if the provided option values are invalid
-func NewRequest(ctx context.Context, path []string, opts cmdkit.OptMap, args []string, file files.File, root *Command) (*Request, error) {
+func NewRequest(ctx context.Context, path []string, opts cmdkit.OptMap, args []string, file files.Directory, root *Command) (*Request, error) {
 	if opts == nil {
 		opts = make(cmdkit.OptMap)
 	}