diff --git a/test/sharness/t0250-files-api.sh b/test/sharness/t0250-files-api.sh
index ffd5bc8adc6..5ade5a4c334 100755
--- a/test/sharness/t0250-files-api.sh
+++ b/test/sharness/t0250-files-api.sh
@@ -10,17 +10,16 @@ test_description="test the unix files api"
 
 test_init_ipfs
 
-# setup files for testing
-test_expect_success "can create some files for testing" '
-	FILE1=$(echo foo | ipfs add -q) &&
-	FILE2=$(echo bar | ipfs add -q) &&
-	FILE3=$(echo baz | ipfs add -q) &&
-	mkdir stuff_test &&
+create_files() {
+	FILE1=$(echo foo | ipfs add "$@" -q) &&
+	FILE2=$(echo bar | ipfs add "$@" -q) &&
+	FILE3=$(echo baz | ipfs add "$@" -q) &&
+	mkdir -p stuff_test &&
 	echo cats > stuff_test/a &&
 	echo dogs > stuff_test/b &&
 	echo giraffes > stuff_test/c &&
-	DIR1=$(ipfs add -q stuff_test | tail -n1)
-'
+	DIR1=$(ipfs add -r "$@" -q stuff_test | tail -n1)
+}
 
 verify_path_exists() {
 	# simply running ls on a file should be a good 'check'
@@ -90,6 +89,8 @@ test_sharding() {
 }
 
 test_files_api() {
+	ROOT_HASH=$1
+
 	test_expect_success "can mkdir in root" '
 		ipfs files mkdir /cats
 	'
@@ -159,6 +160,12 @@ test_files_api() {
 		verify_dir_contents /cats file1
 	'
 
+	test_expect_success "file has correct hash and size in directory" '
+		echo "file1	$FILE1	4" > ls_l_expected &&
+		ipfs files ls -l /cats > ls_l_actual &&
+		test_cmp ls_l_expected ls_l_actual
+	'
+
 	test_expect_success "can read file" '
 		ipfs files read /cats/file1 > file1out
 	'
@@ -402,7 +409,7 @@ test_files_api() {
 	test_expect_success "root hash not bubbled up yet" '
 		test -z "$ONLINE" ||
 		(ipfs refs local > refsout &&
-		test_expect_code 1 grep QmcwKfTMCT7AaeiD92hWjnZn9b6eh9NxnhfSzN5x2vnDpt refsout)
+		test_expect_code 1 grep $ROOT_HASH refsout)
 	'
 
 	test_expect_success "changes bubbled up to root on inspection" '
@@ -410,7 +417,7 @@ test_files_api() {
 	'
 
 	test_expect_success "root hash looks good" '
-		export EXP_ROOT_HASH="QmcwKfTMCT7AaeiD92hWjnZn9b6eh9NxnhfSzN5x2vnDpt" &&
+		export EXP_ROOT_HASH="$ROOT_HASH" &&
 		echo $EXP_ROOT_HASH > root_hash_exp &&
 		test_cmp root_hash_exp root_hash
 	'
@@ -521,26 +528,47 @@ test_files_api() {
 		ipfs files rm -r /foobar &&
 		ipfs files rm -r /adir
 	'
+
+	test_expect_success "root mfs entry is empty" '
+		verify_dir_contents /
+	'
+
+        test_expect_success "repo gc" '
+		ipfs repo gc
+	'
 }
 
 # test offline and online
-test_files_api
+test_expect_success "can create some files for testing" '
+	create_files
+'
+test_files_api QmcwKfTMCT7AaeiD92hWjnZn9b6eh9NxnhfSzN5x2vnDpt
 
-test_expect_success "clean up objects from previous test run" '
-	ipfs repo gc
+test_expect_success "can create some files for testing with raw-leaves" '
+	create_files --raw-leaves
 '
+test_files_api QmTpKiKcAj4sbeesN6vrs5w3QeVmd4QmGpxRL81hHut4dZ
 
-test_launch_ipfs_daemon
+test_launch_ipfs_daemon --offline
 
 ONLINE=1 # set online flag so tests can easily tell
-test_files_api
-test_kill_ipfs_daemon
+test_expect_success "can create some files for testing" '
+	create_files
+'
+test_files_api QmcwKfTMCT7AaeiD92hWjnZn9b6eh9NxnhfSzN5x2vnDpt
+
+test_expect_success "can create some files for testing with raw-leaves" '
+	create_files --raw-leaves
+'
+test_files_api QmTpKiKcAj4sbeesN6vrs5w3QeVmd4QmGpxRL81hHut4dZ
+
+test_kill_ipfs_daemon --offline
 
 test_expect_success "enable sharding in config" '
 	ipfs config --json Experimental.ShardingEnabled true
 '
 
-test_launch_ipfs_daemon
+test_launch_ipfs_daemon --offline
 test_sharding
 test_kill_ipfs_daemon
 
diff --git a/unixfs/mod/dagmodifier.go b/unixfs/mod/dagmodifier.go
index 090cdb59300..f99453c8d55 100644
--- a/unixfs/mod/dagmodifier.go
+++ b/unixfs/mod/dagmodifier.go
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import (
 	"bytes"
 	"context"
 	"errors"
+	"fmt"
 	"io"
 
 	chunk "github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs/importer/chunk"
@@ -29,7 +30,7 @@ var writebufferSize = 1 << 21
 // Dear god, please rename this to something more pleasant
 type DagModifier struct {
 	dagserv mdag.DAGService
-	curNode *mdag.ProtoNode
+	curNode node.Node
 
 	splitter   chunk.SplitterGen
 	ctx        context.Context
@@ -42,14 +43,18 @@ type DagModifier struct {
 	read uio.DagReader
 }
 
+var ErrNotUnixfs = fmt.Errorf("dagmodifier only supports unixfs nodes (proto or raw)")
+
 func NewDagModifier(ctx context.Context, from node.Node, serv mdag.DAGService, spl chunk.SplitterGen) (*DagModifier, error) {
-	pbn, ok := from.(*mdag.ProtoNode)
-	if !ok {
-		return nil, mdag.ErrNotProtobuf
+	switch from.(type) {
+	case *mdag.ProtoNode, *mdag.RawNode:
+		// ok
+	default:
+		return nil, ErrNotUnixfs
 	}
 
 	return &DagModifier{
-		curNode:  pbn.Copy().(*mdag.ProtoNode),
+		curNode:  from.Copy(),
 		dagserv:  serv,
 		splitter: spl,
 		ctx:      ctx,
@@ -144,19 +149,29 @@ func (dm *DagModifier) Write(b []byte) (int, error) {
 	return n, nil
 }
 
-func (dm *DagModifier) Size() (int64, error) {
-	pbn, err := ft.FromBytes(dm.curNode.Data())
-	if err != nil {
-		return 0, err
-	}
+var ErrNoRawYet = fmt.Errorf("currently only fully support protonodes in the dagmodifier")
 
-	if dm.wrBuf != nil {
-		if uint64(dm.wrBuf.Len())+dm.writeStart > pbn.GetFilesize() {
+// Size returns the Filesize of the node
+func (dm *DagModifier) Size() (int64, error) {
+	switch nd := dm.curNode.(type) {
+	case *mdag.ProtoNode:
+		pbn, err := ft.FromBytes(nd.Data())
+		if err != nil {
+			return 0, err
+		}
+		if dm.wrBuf != nil && uint64(dm.wrBuf.Len())+dm.writeStart > pbn.GetFilesize() {
 			return int64(dm.wrBuf.Len()) + int64(dm.writeStart), nil
 		}
+		return int64(pbn.GetFilesize()), nil
+	case *mdag.RawNode:
+		if dm.wrBuf != nil {
+			return 0, ErrNoRawYet
+		}
+		sz, err := nd.Size()
+		return int64(sz), err
+	default:
+		return 0, ErrNotUnixfs
 	}
-
-	return int64(pbn.GetFilesize()), nil
 }
 
 // Sync writes changes to this dag to disk
@@ -222,7 +237,12 @@ func (dm *DagModifier) Sync() error {
 // modifyDag writes the data in 'data' over the data in 'node' starting at 'offset'
 // returns the new key of the passed in node and whether or not all the data in the reader
 // has been consumed.
-func (dm *DagModifier) modifyDag(node *mdag.ProtoNode, offset uint64, data io.Reader) (*cid.Cid, bool, error) {
+func (dm *DagModifier) modifyDag(n node.Node, offset uint64, data io.Reader) (*cid.Cid, bool, error) {
+	node, ok := n.(*mdag.ProtoNode)
+	if !ok {
+		return nil, false, ErrNoRawYet
+	}
+
 	f, err := ft.FromBytes(node.Data())
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, false, err
@@ -301,13 +321,19 @@ func (dm *DagModifier) modifyDag(node *mdag.ProtoNode, offset uint64, data io.Re
 }
 
 // appendData appends the blocks from the given chan to the end of this dag
-func (dm *DagModifier) appendData(node *mdag.ProtoNode, spl chunk.Splitter) (node.Node, error) {
-	dbp := &help.DagBuilderParams{
-		Dagserv:  dm.dagserv,
-		Maxlinks: help.DefaultLinksPerBlock,
+func (dm *DagModifier) appendData(nd node.Node, spl chunk.Splitter) (node.Node, error) {
+	switch nd := nd.(type) {
+	case *mdag.ProtoNode:
+		dbp := &help.DagBuilderParams{
+			Dagserv:  dm.dagserv,
+			Maxlinks: help.DefaultLinksPerBlock,
+		}
+		return trickle.TrickleAppend(dm.ctx, nd, dbp.New(spl))
+	case *mdag.RawNode:
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("appending to raw node types not yet supported")
+	default:
+		return nil, ErrNotUnixfs
 	}
-
-	return trickle.TrickleAppend(dm.ctx, node, dbp.New(spl))
 }
 
 // Read data from this dag starting at the current offset
@@ -367,12 +393,12 @@ func (dm *DagModifier) CtxReadFull(ctx context.Context, b []byte) (int, error) {
 }
 
 // GetNode gets the modified DAG Node
-func (dm *DagModifier) GetNode() (*mdag.ProtoNode, error) {
+func (dm *DagModifier) GetNode() (node.Node, error) {
 	err := dm.Sync()
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
-	return dm.curNode.Copy().(*mdag.ProtoNode), nil
+	return dm.curNode.Copy(), nil
 }
 
 // HasChanges returned whether or not there are unflushed changes to this dag
@@ -452,7 +478,12 @@ func (dm *DagModifier) Truncate(size int64) error {
 }
 
 // dagTruncate truncates the given node to 'size' and returns the modified Node
-func dagTruncate(ctx context.Context, nd *mdag.ProtoNode, size uint64, ds mdag.DAGService) (*mdag.ProtoNode, error) {
+func dagTruncate(ctx context.Context, n node.Node, size uint64, ds mdag.DAGService) (*mdag.ProtoNode, error) {
+	nd, ok := n.(*mdag.ProtoNode)
+	if !ok {
+		return nil, ErrNoRawYet
+	}
+
 	if len(nd.Links()) == 0 {
 		// TODO: this can likely be done without marshaling and remarshaling
 		pbn, err := ft.FromBytes(nd.Data())
diff --git a/unixfs/mod/dagmodifier_test.go b/unixfs/mod/dagmodifier_test.go
index d7b3f326707..b228441941b 100644
--- a/unixfs/mod/dagmodifier_test.go
+++ b/unixfs/mod/dagmodifier_test.go
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import (
 
 	h "github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs/importer/helpers"
 	trickle "github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs/importer/trickle"
+	mdag "github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs/merkledag"
 	ft "github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs/unixfs"
 	uio "github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs/unixfs/io"
 	testu "github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs/unixfs/test"
@@ -105,7 +106,7 @@ func TestDagModifierBasic(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
 
-	size, err := ft.DataSize(node.Data())
+	size, err := ft.DataSize(node.(*mdag.ProtoNode).Data())
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}