diff --git a/src/cli/commands/file.js b/src/cli/commands/file.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5bc4dcf93f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/cli/commands/file.js
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+'use strict'
+
+module.exports = {
+  command: 'file',
+
+  description: 'Interact with IPFS objects representing Unix filesystems.',
+
+  builder (yargs) {
+    return yargs
+      .commandDir('file')
+  },
+
+  handler (argv) {
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/cli/commands/file/ls.js b/src/cli/commands/file/ls.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c952087b98
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/cli/commands/file/ls.js
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+'use strict'
+
+const print = require('../../utils').print
+
+module.exports = {
+  command: 'ls <key>',
+
+  describe: 'List directory contents for Unix filesystem objects.',
+
+  builder: {},
+
+  handler (argv) {
+    let path = argv.key
+    argv.ipfs.ls(path, (err, links) => {
+      if (err) {
+        throw err
+      }
+
+      // Single file? Then print its hash
+      if (links.length === 0) {
+        links = [{hash: path}]
+      }
+
+      links.forEach((file) => print(file.hash))
+    })
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/http/api/resources/file.js b/src/http/api/resources/file.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6c0b6b4c4c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/http/api/resources/file.js
@@ -0,0 +1,111 @@
+'use strict'
+
+const mh = require('multihashes')
+const debug = require('debug')
+const log = debug('jsipfs:http-api:file')
+log.error = debug('jsipfs:http-api:file:error')
+const unixfsEngine = require('ipfs-unixfs-engine')
+const exporter = unixfsEngine.exporter
+const pull = require('pull-stream')
+const toB58String = require('multihashes').toB58String
+
+exports = module.exports
+
+const fileTypeMap = {
+  file: 'File',
+  dir: 'Directory'
+}
+
+function toFileObject (file) {
+  const fo = {
+    Hash: toB58String(file.hash),
+    Size: file.size,
+    Type: fileTypeMap[file.type] || file.type
+  }
+  if (fo.Hash !== file.name) {
+    fo.Name = file.name
+  }
+  return fo
+}
+
+// common pre request handler that parses the args and returns `key` which is assigned to `request.pre.args`
+exports.parseKey = (request, reply) => {
+  if (!request.query.arg) {
+    return reply({
+      Message: "Argument 'key' is required",
+      Code: 0
+    }).code(400).takeover()
+  }
+
+  let key = request.query.arg
+  if (key.indexOf('/ipfs/') === 0) {
+    key = key.substring(6)
+  }
+
+  let hash = key
+  const slashIndex = hash.indexOf('/')
+  if (slashIndex > 0) {
+    hash = hash.substring(0, slashIndex)
+  }
+
+  try {
+    mh.fromB58String(hash)
+  } catch (err) {
+    log.error(err)
+    return reply({
+      Message: 'invalid ipfs ref path',
+      Code: 0
+    }).code(500).takeover()
+  }
+
+  const subpaths = key.split('/')
+  subpaths.shift()
+  reply({
+    path: request.query.arg,
+    subpaths: subpaths,
+    key: key,
+    hash: hash
+  })
+}
+
+exports.ls = {
+  // uses common parseKey method that returns a `key`
+  parseArgs: exports.parseKey,
+
+  // main route handler which is called after the above `parseArgs`, but only if the args were valid
+  handler: (request, reply) => {
+    const path = request.pre.args.path
+    const ipfs = request.server.app.ipfs
+    const subpaths = request.pre.args.subpaths
+    const rootDepth = subpaths.length
+
+    pull(
+      exporter(path, ipfs._ipldResolver, { maxDepth: rootDepth + 1 }),
+      pull.collect((err, files) => {
+        if (err) {
+          return reply({
+            Message: 'Failed to list dir: ' + err.message,
+            Code: 0
+          }).code(500)
+        }
+
+        let res = {
+          Arguments: {},
+          Objects: {}
+        }
+        const links = []
+        files.forEach((file) => {
+          if (file.depth === rootDepth) {
+            let id = toB58String(file.hash)
+            res.Arguments[path] = id
+            res.Objects[id] = toFileObject(file)
+            res.Objects[id].Links = file.type === 'file' ? null : links
+          } else {
+            links.push(toFileObject(file))
+          }
+        })
+        return reply(res)
+      })
+    )
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/http/api/resources/index.js b/src/http/api/resources/index.js
index 671a349952..37bb316cab 100644
--- a/src/http/api/resources/index.js
+++ b/src/http/api/resources/index.js
@@ -9,5 +9,6 @@ exports.config = require('./config')
 exports.block = require('./block')
 exports.swarm = require('./swarm')
 exports.bitswap = require('./bitswap')
+exports.file = require('./file')
 exports.files = require('./files')
 exports.pubsub = require('./pubsub')
diff --git a/src/http/api/routes/file.js b/src/http/api/routes/file.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..1abf7456b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/http/api/routes/file.js
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+'use strict'
+
+const resources = require('./../resources')
+
+module.exports = (server) => {
+  const api = server.select('API')
+
+  api.route({
+    // TODO fix method
+    method: '*',
+    path: '/api/v0/file/ls',
+    config: {
+      pre: [
+        { method: resources.file.ls.parseArgs, assign: 'args' }
+      ],
+      handler: resources.file.ls.handler
+    }
+  })
+}
diff --git a/src/http/api/routes/index.js b/src/http/api/routes/index.js
index c317db6de7..3fa1d75e68 100644
--- a/src/http/api/routes/index.js
+++ b/src/http/api/routes/index.js
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ module.exports = (server) => {
   require('./config')(server)
   require('./swarm')(server)
   require('./bitswap')(server)
+  require('./file')(server)
   require('./files')(server)
   require('./pubsub')(server)
   require('./debug')(server)
diff --git a/test/cli/commands.js b/test/cli/commands.js
index e6d9059d36..dc681ecebd 100644
--- a/test/cli/commands.js
+++ b/test/cli/commands.js
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 const expect = require('chai').expect
 const runOnAndOff = require('../utils/on-and-off')
 
-const commandCount = 57
+const commandCount = 58
 
 describe('commands', () => runOnAndOff((thing) => {
   let ipfs
diff --git a/test/cli/file.js b/test/cli/file.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..59ab531f6d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/cli/file.js
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+/* eslint-env mocha */
+'use strict'
+
+const expect = require('chai').expect
+const runOnAndOff = require('../utils/on-and-off')
+const file = 'QmR56UJmAaZLXLdTT1ALrE9vVqV8soUEekm9BMd4FnuYqV'
+const dir = 'QmYmW4HiZhotsoSqnv2o1oUusvkRM8b9RweBoH7ao5nki2'
+
+describe('file ls', () => runOnAndOff((thing) => {
+  let ipfs
+
+  before(function () {
+    this.timeout(50 * 1000)
+    ipfs = thing.ipfs
+    return ipfs('files add -r test/fixtures/test-data/recursive-get-dir')
+  })
+
+  it('prints a filename', () => {
+    return ipfs(`file ls ${file}`)
+      .then((out) => expect(out).to.eql(`${file}\n`))
+  })
+
+  it('prints the filenames in a directory', () => {
+    return ipfs(`file ls ${dir}`)
+      .then((out) => expect(out).to.eql(
+        'QmQQHYDwAQms78fPcvx1uFFsfho23YJNoewfLbi9AtdyJ9\n' +
+        'QmPkWYfSLCEBLZu7BZt4kigGDMe3cpogMbeVf97gN2xJDN\n' +
+        'Qma13ZrhKG52MWnwtZ6fMD8jGj8d4Q9sJgn5xtKgeZw5uz\n' +
+        'QmUhUuiTKkkK8J6JZ9zmj8iNHPuNfGYcszgRumzhHBxEEU\n' +
+        'QmR56UJmAaZLXLdTT1ALrE9vVqV8soUEekm9BMd4FnuYqV\n'
+      ))
+  })
+}))