diff --git a/src/vs/vscode.proposed.d.ts b/src/vs/vscode.proposed.d.ts
index b28b3f0c0ef..1a9db25a0f5 100644
--- a/src/vs/vscode.proposed.d.ts
+++ b/src/vs/vscode.proposed.d.ts
@@ -232,7 +232,7 @@ declare module 'vscode' {
 	// todo@joh add open/close calls?
 	export interface FileSystemProvider2 {
 
-		_version: 5;
+		_version: 6;
 
 		/**
 		 * An event to signal that a resource has been created, changed, or deleted.
@@ -258,6 +258,14 @@ declare module 'vscode' {
 		 */
 		readDirectory(uri: Uri, token: CancellationToken): [string, FileStat2][] | Thenable<[string, FileStat2][]>;
 
+		/**
+		 * Create a new directory. *Note* that new files are created via `write`-calls.
+		 * 
+		 * @param uri The uri of the *new* folder.
+		 * @param token A cancellation token.
+		 */
+		createDirectory(uri: Uri, token: CancellationToken): FileStat2 | Thenable<FileStat2>;
+
 		/**
 		 * Read the entire contents of a file.
 		 *
@@ -292,9 +300,6 @@ declare module 'vscode' {
 		// todo@remote
 		// ? useTrash, expose trash
 		delete(uri: Uri, token: CancellationToken): void | Thenable<void>;
-
-		// todo@remote
-		create(uri: Uri, options: { type: FileType2 }, token: CancellationToken): FileStat2 | Thenable<FileStat2>;
 	}
 
 	export namespace workspace {
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHostFileSystem.ts b/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHostFileSystem.ts
index 23c778ef52c..965c01793e6 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHostFileSystem.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHostFileSystem.ts
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ class FsLinkProvider implements vscode.DocumentLinkProvider {
 
 class FileSystemProviderShim implements vscode.FileSystemProvider2 {
 
-	_version: 5;
+	_version: 6;
 
 	onDidChange: vscode.Event<vscode.FileChange2[]>;
 
@@ -131,14 +131,8 @@ class FileSystemProviderShim implements vscode.FileSystemProvider2 {
 			}
 		});
 	}
-	create(resource: vscode.Uri, options: { type: vscode.FileType2; }): Thenable<vscode.FileStat2> {
-		if (options.type === FileType2.Directory) {
-			return this._delegate.mkdir(resource).then(stat => FileSystemProviderShim._modernizeFileStat(stat));
-		} else {
-			return this._delegate.write(resource, Buffer.from([]))
-				.then(() => this._delegate.stat(resource))
-				.then(stat => FileSystemProviderShim._modernizeFileStat(stat));
-		}
+	createDirectory(resource: vscode.Uri): Thenable<vscode.FileStat2> {
+		return this._delegate.mkdir(resource).then(stat => FileSystemProviderShim._modernizeFileStat(stat));
 	}
 
 	// --- read/write
@@ -174,7 +168,7 @@ export class ExtHostFileSystem implements ExtHostFileSystemShape {
 	}
 
 	registerFileSystemProvider(scheme: string, provider: vscode.FileSystemProvider, newProvider: vscode.FileSystemProvider2) {
-		if (newProvider && newProvider._version === 5) {
+		if (newProvider && newProvider._version === 6) {
 			return this._doRegisterFileSystemProvider(scheme, newProvider);
 		} else if (provider) {
 			return this._doRegisterFileSystemProvider(scheme, new FileSystemProviderShim(provider));
@@ -257,7 +251,7 @@ export class ExtHostFileSystem implements ExtHostFileSystemShape {
 		return asWinJsPromise(token => this._fsProvider.get(handle).rename(URI.revive(oldUri), URI.revive(newUri), { flags }, token));
 	}
 	$mkdir(handle: number, resource: UriComponents): TPromise<files.IStat, any> {
-		return asWinJsPromise(token => this._fsProvider.get(handle).create(URI.revive(resource), { type: FileType2.Directory }, token));
+		return asWinJsPromise(token => this._fsProvider.get(handle).createDirectory(URI.revive(resource), token));
 	}
 
 	$provideFileSearchResults(handle: number, session: number, query: string): TPromise<void> {