diff --git a/packages/common/src/ide/types/FileSystem.types.ts b/packages/common/src/ide/types/FileSystem.types.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..15818b3633
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/common/src/ide/types/FileSystem.types.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+import { Disposable } from "./ide.types";
+
+export type PathChangeListener = () => void;
+
+export interface FileSystem {
+  /**
+   * Recursively watch a directory for changes.
+   * @param path The path of the directory to watch
+   * @param onDidChange A function to call on changes
+   * @returns A disposable to cancel the watcher
+   */
+  watchDir(path: string, onDidChange: PathChangeListener): Disposable;
+}
diff --git a/packages/common/src/index.ts b/packages/common/src/index.ts
index a989652ad3..6f087a3b22 100644
--- a/packages/common/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/common/src/index.ts
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ export * from "./ide/types/Events";
 export * from "./ide/types/QuickPickOptions";
 export * from "./ide/types/events.types";
 export * from "./ide/types/Paths";
+export * from "./ide/types/FileSystem.types";
 export * from "./types/RangeExpansionBehavior";
 export * from "./types/InputBoxOptions";
 export * from "./types/Position";
diff --git a/packages/cursorless-engine/src/cursorlessEngine.ts b/packages/cursorless-engine/src/cursorlessEngine.ts
index e1265749bb..ef501b18be 100644
--- a/packages/cursorless-engine/src/cursorlessEngine.ts
+++ b/packages/cursorless-engine/src/cursorlessEngine.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,10 @@
-import { Command, CommandServerApi, Hats, IDE } from "@cursorless/common";
+import {
+  Command,
+  CommandServerApi,
+  FileSystem,
+  Hats,
+  IDE,
+} from "@cursorless/common";
 import { StoredTargetMap, TestCaseRecorder, TreeSitter } from ".";
 import { CursorlessEngine } from "./api/CursorlessEngineApi";
 import { ScopeProvider } from "./api/ScopeProvider";
@@ -22,6 +28,7 @@ export function createCursorlessEngine(
   ide: IDE,
   hats: Hats,
   commandServerApi: CommandServerApi | null,
+  fileSystem: FileSystem,
 ): CursorlessEngine {
   injectIde(ide);
 
diff --git a/packages/cursorless-vscode/src/extension.ts b/packages/cursorless-vscode/src/extension.ts
index 625bdcf4b0..3b60a24294 100644
--- a/packages/cursorless-vscode/src/extension.ts
+++ b/packages/cursorless-vscode/src/extension.ts
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ import {
   ScopeVisualizerCommandApi,
   VisualizationType,
 } from "./ScopeVisualizerCommandApi";
+import { VscodeFileSystem } from "./ide/vscode/VscodeFileSystem";
 
 /**
  * Extension entrypoint called by VSCode on Cursorless startup.
@@ -51,7 +52,7 @@ export async function activate(
 ): Promise<CursorlessApi> {
   const parseTreeApi = await getParseTreeApi();
 
-  const { vscodeIDE, hats } = await createVscodeIde(context);
+  const { vscodeIDE, hats, fileSystem } = await createVscodeIde(context);
 
   const normalizedIde =
     vscodeIDE.runMode === "production"
@@ -83,6 +84,7 @@ export async function activate(
     normalizedIde ?? vscodeIDE,
     hats,
     commandServerApi,
+    fileSystem,
   );
 
   const statusBarItem = StatusBarItem.create("cursorless.showQuickPick");
@@ -129,7 +131,7 @@ async function createVscodeIde(context: vscode.ExtensionContext) {
   );
   await hats.init();
 
-  return { vscodeIDE, hats };
+  return { vscodeIDE, hats, fileSystem: new VscodeFileSystem() };
 }
 
 function createTreeSitter(parseTreeApi: ParseTreeApi): TreeSitter {
diff --git a/packages/cursorless-vscode/src/ide/vscode/VscodeFileSystem.ts b/packages/cursorless-vscode/src/ide/vscode/VscodeFileSystem.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..49da4f0017
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/cursorless-vscode/src/ide/vscode/VscodeFileSystem.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+import {
+  Disposable,
+  FileSystem,
+  PathChangeListener,
+  walkFiles,
+} from "@cursorless/common";
+import { stat } from "fs/promises";
+import { max } from "lodash";
+
+export class VscodeFileSystem implements FileSystem {
+  watchDir(path: string, onDidChange: PathChangeListener): Disposable {
+    // Just poll for now; we can take advantage of VSCode's sophisticated
+    // watcher later. Note that we would need to do a version check, as VSCode
+    // file watcher is only available in more recent versions of VSCode.
+    return new PollingFileSystemWatcher(path, onDidChange);
+  }
+}
+
+const CHECK_INTERVAL_MS = 1000;
+
+class PollingFileSystemWatcher implements Disposable {
+  private maxMtimeMs: number = -1;
+  private timer: NodeJS.Timer;
+
+  constructor(
+    private readonly path: string,
+    private readonly onDidChange: PathChangeListener,
+  ) {
+    this.checkForChanges = this.checkForChanges.bind(this);
+    this.timer = setInterval(this.checkForChanges, CHECK_INTERVAL_MS);
+  }
+
+  private async checkForChanges() {
+    const paths = await walkFiles(this.path);
+
+    const maxMtime =
+      max(
+        (await Promise.all(paths.map((file) => stat(file)))).map(
+          (stat) => stat.mtimeMs,
+        ),
+      ) ?? 0;
+
+    if (maxMtime > this.maxMtimeMs) {
+      this.maxMtimeMs = maxMtime;
+      this.onDidChange();
+    }
+  }
+
+  dispose() {
+    clearInterval(this.timer);
+  }
+}