diff --git a/src/shell.js b/src/shell.js
index 48eb925..c1f18b5 100644
--- a/src/shell.js
+++ b/src/shell.js
@@ -1,5 +1,9 @@
 define(function(require) {
 
+  var Path = require('src/path');
+
+
+
   function Shell(fs, options) {
     options = options || {};
 
@@ -43,8 +47,19 @@ define(function(require) {
 
   };
 
+  /**
+   * Create a file if it does not exist, or update access and
+   * modified times if it does. Valid options include:
+   *
+   *  * create - whether to create the file if missing (defaults to true)
+   *  * date - use the provided Date value instead of current date/time
+   */
   Shell.prototype.touch = function(path, options, callback) {
     var fs = this.fs;
+    if(typeof options === 'function') {
+      callback = options;
+      options = {};
+    }
     path = Path.resolve(this.cwd, path);
 
     function createFile(path) {
@@ -55,14 +70,22 @@ define(function(require) {
 
     function updateTimes(path) {
       var now = Date.now();
-      fs.utimes(path, now, now, function(error) {
+      var atime = options.date || now;
+      var mtime = options.date || now;
+
+      fs.utimes(path, atime, mtime, function(error) {
         callback(error);
       });
     }
 
     fs.stat(path, function(error, stats) {
       if(error) {
-        createFile(path);
+        // Skip file creation if create is `false`
+        if(options.create === false) {
+          callback();
+        } else {
+          createFile(path);
+        }
       } else {
         updateTimes(path);
       }
diff --git a/tests/lib/test-utils.js b/tests/lib/test-utils.js
index 666a2f2..bca7658 100644
--- a/tests/lib/test-utils.js
+++ b/tests/lib/test-utils.js
@@ -68,6 +68,10 @@ function(Filer, IndexedDBTestProvider, WebSQLTestProvider, MemoryTestProvider) {
     return _provider;
   }
 
+  function shell() {
+    return fs().Shell();
+  }
+
   function cleanup(callback) {
     if(!_provider) {
       return;
@@ -100,6 +104,7 @@ function(Filer, IndexedDBTestProvider, WebSQLTestProvider, MemoryTestProvider) {
     uniqueName: uniqueName,
     setup: setup,
     fs: fs,
+    shell: shell,
     provider: provider,
     providers: {
       IndexedDB: IndexedDBTestProvider,
diff --git a/tests/spec/shell/touch.spec.js b/tests/spec/shell/touch.spec.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ba86827
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/spec/shell/touch.spec.js
@@ -0,0 +1,104 @@
+define(["Filer", "util"], function(Filer, util) {
+
+  function getTimes(fs, path, callback) {
+    fs.stat(path, function(error, stats) {
+      if(error) throw error;
+      callback({mtime: stats.mtime, atime: stats.atime});
+    });
+  }
+
+  describe('FileSystemShell.touch', function() {
+    beforeEach(util.setup);
+    afterEach(util.cleanup);
+
+    it('should be a function', function() {
+      var shell = util.shell();
+      expect(shell.touch).to.be.a('function');
+    });
+
+    it('should create a new file if path does not exist', function(done) {
+      var fs = util.fs();
+      var shell = fs.Shell();
+
+      shell.touch('/newfile', function(error) {
+        if(error) throw error;
+
+        fs.stat('/newfile', function(error, stats) {
+          expect(error).not.to.exist;
+          expect(stats.type).to.equal('FILE');
+          done();
+        });
+      });
+    });
+
+    it('should skip creating a new file if options.create is false', function(done) {
+      var fs = util.fs();
+      var shell = fs.Shell();
+
+      shell.touch('/newfile', { create: false }, function(error) {
+        if(error) throw error;
+
+        fs.stat('/newfile', function(error, stats) {
+          expect(error).to.exist;
+          done();
+        });
+      });
+    });
+
+    it('should update times if path does exist', function(done) {
+      var fs = util.fs();
+      var shell = fs.Shell();
+      var atime = Date.parse('1 Oct 2000 15:33:22');
+      var mtime = Date.parse('30 Sep 2000 06:43:54');
+
+      fs.open('/newfile', 'w', function (error, fd) {
+        if (error) throw error;
+
+        fs.futimes(fd, atime, mtime, function (error) {
+          if(error) throw error;
+
+          fs.close(fd, function(error) {
+            if(error) throw error;
+
+            getTimes(fs, '/newfile', function(times1) {
+              shell.touch('/newfile', function(error) {
+                expect(error).not.to.exist;
+
+                getTimes(fs, '/newfile', function(times2) {
+                  expect(times2.mtime).to.be.above(times1.mtime);
+                  expect(times2.atime).to.be.above(times1.atime);
+                  done();
+                });
+              });
+            });
+          });
+        });
+      });
+    });
+
+    it('should update times to specified date if path does exist', function(done) {
+      var fs = util.fs();
+      var shell = fs.Shell();
+      var date = Date.parse('1 Oct 2001 15:33:22');
+
+      fs.open('/newfile', 'w', function (error, fd) {
+        if (error) throw error;
+
+        fs.close(fd, function(error) {
+          if(error) throw error;
+
+          shell.touch('/newfile', { date: date }, function(error) {
+            expect(error).not.to.exist;
+
+            getTimes(fs, '/newfile', function(times) {
+              expect(times.mtime).to.equal(date);
+              expect(times.atime).to.equal(date);
+              done();
+            });
+          });
+        });
+      });
+    });
+  });
+
+});
diff --git a/tests/test-manifest.js b/tests/test-manifest.js
index 73e8ae5..f7f77e4 100644
--- a/tests/test-manifest.js
+++ b/tests/test-manifest.js
@@ -42,6 +42,9 @@ define([
   "spec/adapters/adapters.spec",
   "spec/adapters/adapters.general.spec",
 
+  // Filer.FileSystemShell.*
+  "spec/shell/touch.spec",
+
   // Ported node.js tests (filenames match names in https://github.com/joyent/node/tree/master/test)
   "spec/node-js/simple/test-fs-mkdir",
   "spec/node-js/simple/test-fs-null-bytes",