diff --git a/src/vs/platform/files/common/files.ts b/src/vs/platform/files/common/files.ts
index 92a263e67d695294235f0d539bf21c26d836fc37..f4f448a3abd051cfe6f6f47acf8d13465d5b2976 100644
--- a/src/vs/platform/files/common/files.ts
+++ b/src/vs/platform/files/common/files.ts
@@ -167,12 +167,13 @@ export interface IStat {
 export interface IFileSystemProvider {
 	onDidChange?: Event<FileChangesEvent>;
 	stat(resource: URI): TPromise<IStat>;
-	readdir(resource: URI): TPromise<URI[]>;
-	mkdir(resource: URI): TPromise<void>;
 	read(resource: URI, progress: IProgress<Uint8Array>): TPromise<void>;
 	write(resource: URI, content: Uint8Array): TPromise<void>;
+	unlink(resource: URI): TPromise<void>;
 	rename(resource: URI, target: URI): TPromise<void>;
-	del(resource: URI): TPromise<void>;
+	mkdir(resource: URI): TPromise<void>;
+	readdir(resource: URI): TPromise<URI[]>;
+	rmdir(resource: URI): TPromise<void>;
 }
 
 
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/services/files/electron-browser/ftpFileSystemProvider.ts b/src/vs/workbench/services/files/electron-browser/ftpFileSystemProvider.ts
index 2867b30db593c63794868f070cc193b52ed90923..c22fe332520937396ee604db1a3e3f00fc0cb565 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/services/files/electron-browser/ftpFileSystemProvider.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/services/files/electron-browser/ftpFileSystemProvider.ts
@@ -93,23 +93,18 @@ export class FtpFileSystemProvider implements IFileSystemProvider {
 		return ninvoke(this._connection, this._connection.put, content, resource.path);
 	}
 
-	del(resource: URI): TPromise<void> {
-
-		return ninvoke<JSFtp.Entry[]>(this._connection, this._connection.ls, resource.path).then(entries => {
-			if (entries.length === 1) {
-				// file;
-		return ninvoke(this._connection, this._connection.raw, 'DELE', [resource.path]);
-			} else {
-				// dir
-				return ninvoke(this._connection, this._connection.raw, 'RMD', [resource.path]);
-			}
-		});
+	rmdir(resource: URI): TPromise<void> {
+		return ninvoke(this._connection, this._connection.raw, 'RMD', [resource.path]);
 	}
 
 	mkdir(resource: URI): TPromise<void> {
 		return ninvoke(this._connection, this._connection.raw, 'MKD', [resource.path]);
 	}
 
+	unlink(resource: URI): TPromise<void> {
+		return ninvoke(this._connection, this._connection.raw, 'DELE', [resource.path]);
+	}
+
 	rename(resource: URI, target: URI): TPromise<void> {
 		return ninvoke(this._connection, this._connection.raw, 'RNFR', [resource.path]).then(() => {
 			return ninvoke(this._connection, this._connection.raw, 'RNTO', [target.path]);
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/services/files/electron-browser/remoteFileService.ts b/src/vs/workbench/services/files/electron-browser/remoteFileService.ts
index d2c1760963d4d263471c97f20fbf092e165ef145..009692840316beadf6fa3787913a5f0094670425 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/services/files/electron-browser/remoteFileService.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/services/files/electron-browser/remoteFileService.ts
@@ -258,7 +258,8 @@ export class RemoteFileService extends FileService {
 	async del(resource: URI, useTrash?: boolean): TPromise<void> {
 		const provider = this._provider.get(resource.scheme);
 		if (provider) {
-			await provider.del(resource);
+			const stat = await provider.stat(resource);
+			await stat.type === FileType.Dir ? provider.rmdir(resource) : provider.unlink(resource);
 			this._onAfterOperation.fire(new FileOperationEvent(resource, FileOperation.DELETE));
 		} else {
 			return super.del(resource, useTrash);