diff --git a/packages/interface-ipfs-core/src/ls.js b/packages/interface-ipfs-core/src/ls.js
index 533c229faf..ae670e5852 100644
--- a/packages/interface-ipfs-core/src/ls.js
+++ b/packages/interface-ipfs-core/src/ls.js
@@ -218,5 +218,72 @@ module.exports = (common, options) => {
       expect(output).to.have.lengthOf(1)
       expect(output[0]).to.have.property('path', `${path}/${subfile}`)
     })
+
+    it('should ls single file', async () => {
+      const dir = randomName('DIR')
+      const file = randomName('F0')
+
+      const input = { path: `${dir}/${file}`, content: randomName('D1') }
+
+      const res = await ipfs.add(input)
+      const path = `${res.cid}/${file}`
+      const output = await all(ipfs.ls(path))
+
+      expect(output).to.have.lengthOf(1)
+      expect(output[0]).to.have.property('path', path)
+    })
+
+    it('should ls single file with metadata', async () => {
+      const dir = randomName('DIR')
+      const file = randomName('F0')
+
+      const input = {
+        path: `${dir}/${file}`,
+        content: randomName('D1'),
+        mode: 0o631,
+        mtime: {
+          secs: 5000,
+          nsecs: 100
+        }
+      }
+
+      const res = await ipfs.add(input)
+      const path = `${res.cid}/${file}`
+      const output = await all(ipfs.ls(res.cid))
+
+      expect(output).to.have.lengthOf(1)
+      expect(output[0]).to.have.property('path', path)
+      expect(output[0]).to.have.property('mode', input.mode)
+      expect(output[0]).to.have.deep.property('mtime', input.mtime)
+    })
+
+    it('should ls single file without containing directory', async () => {
+      const input = { content: randomName('D1') }
+
+      const res = await ipfs.add(input)
+      const output = await all(ipfs.ls(res.cid))
+
+      expect(output).to.have.lengthOf(1)
+      expect(output[0]).to.have.property('path', res.cid.toString())
+    })
+
+    it('should ls single file without containing directory with metadata', async () => {
+      const input = {
+        content: randomName('D1'),
+        mode: 0o631,
+        mtime: {
+          secs: 5000,
+          nsecs: 100
+        }
+      }
+
+      const res = await ipfs.add(input)
+      const output = await all(ipfs.ls(res.cid))
+
+      expect(output).to.have.lengthOf(1)
+      expect(output[0]).to.have.property('path', res.cid.toString())
+      expect(output[0]).to.have.property('mode', input.mode)
+      expect(output[0]).to.have.deep.property('mtime', input.mtime)
+    })
   })
 }
diff --git a/packages/ipfs-core/src/components/ls.js b/packages/ipfs-core/src/components/ls.js
index ae34e1aee9..1fe0234f2c 100644
--- a/packages/ipfs-core/src/components/ls.js
+++ b/packages/ipfs-core/src/components/ls.js
@@ -34,7 +34,8 @@ module.exports = function ({ ipld, preload }) {
     }
 
     if (file.unixfs.type === 'file') {
-      return mapFile(file, options)
+      yield mapFile(file, options)
+      return
     }
 
     if (file.unixfs.type.includes('dir')) {
diff --git a/packages/ipfs-http-client/src/ls.js b/packages/ipfs-http-client/src/ls.js
index ff9cdbb571..f51a9f640e 100644
--- a/packages/ipfs-http-client/src/ls.js
+++ b/packages/ipfs-http-client/src/ls.js
@@ -3,14 +3,54 @@
 const CID = require('cids')
 const configure = require('./lib/configure')
 const toUrlSearchParams = require('./lib/to-url-search-params')
+const stat = require('./files/stat')
 
-module.exports = configure(api => {
+module.exports = configure((api, opts) => {
   return async function * ls (path, options = {}) {
+    const pathStr = `${path instanceof Uint8Array ? new CID(path) : path}`
+
+    async function mapLink (link) {
+      let hash = link.Hash
+
+      if (hash.includes('/')) {
+        // the hash is a path, but we need the CID
+        const ipfsPath = hash.startsWith('/ipfs/') ? hash : `/ipfs/${hash}`
+        const stats = await stat(opts)(ipfsPath)
+
+        hash = stats.cid
+      }
+
+      const entry = {
+        name: link.Name,
+        path: pathStr + (link.Name ? `/${link.Name}` : ''),
+        size: link.Size,
+        cid: new CID(hash),
+        type: typeOf(link),
+        depth: link.Depth || 1
+      }
+
+      if (link.Mode) {
+        entry.mode = parseInt(link.Mode, 8)
+      }
+
+      if (link.Mtime !== undefined && link.Mtime !== null) {
+        entry.mtime = {
+          secs: link.Mtime
+        }
+
+        if (link.MtimeNsecs !== undefined && link.MtimeNsecs !== null) {
+          entry.mtime.nsecs = link.MtimeNsecs
+        }
+      }
+
+      return entry
+    }
+
     const res = await api.post('ls', {
       timeout: options.timeout,
       signal: options.signal,
       searchParams: toUrlSearchParams({
-        arg: `${path instanceof Uint8Array ? new CID(path) : path}`,
+        arg: pathStr,
         ...options
       }),
       headers: options.headers
@@ -28,37 +68,19 @@ module.exports = configure(api => {
         throw new Error('expected one array in results.Objects')
       }
 
-      result = result.Links
-      if (!Array.isArray(result)) {
+      const links = result.Links
+      if (!Array.isArray(links)) {
         throw new Error('expected one array in results.Objects[0].Links')
       }
 
-      for (const link of result) {
-        const entry = {
-          name: link.Name,
-          path: path + '/' + link.Name,
-          size: link.Size,
-          cid: new CID(link.Hash),
-          type: typeOf(link),
-          depth: link.Depth || 1
-        }
+      if (!links.length) {
+        // no links, this is a file, yield a single result
+        yield mapLink(result)
 
-        if (link.Mode) {
-          entry.mode = parseInt(link.Mode, 8)
-        }
-
-        if (link.Mtime !== undefined && link.Mtime !== null) {
-          entry.mtime = {
-            secs: link.Mtime
-          }
-
-          if (link.MtimeNsecs !== undefined && link.MtimeNsecs !== null) {
-            entry.mtime.nsecs = link.MtimeNsecs
-          }
-        }
-
-        yield entry
+        return
       }
+
+      yield * links.map(mapLink)
     }
   }
 })
diff --git a/packages/ipfs-http-server/src/api/resources/files-regular.js b/packages/ipfs-http-server/src/api/resources/files-regular.js
index b3d27bc688..c3d9725bd1 100644
--- a/packages/ipfs-http-server/src/api/resources/files-regular.js
+++ b/packages/ipfs-http-server/src/api/resources/files-regular.js
@@ -401,13 +401,16 @@ exports.ls = {
 
     const mapLink = link => {
       const output = {
-        Name: link.name,
         Hash: cidToString(link.cid, { base: cidBase }),
         Size: link.size,
         Type: toTypeCode(link.type),
         Depth: link.depth
       }
 
+      if (link.name) {
+        output.Name = link.name
+      }
+
       if (link.mode != null) {
         output.Mode = link.mode.toString(8).padStart(4, '0')
       }
@@ -423,6 +426,20 @@ exports.ls = {
       return output
     }
 
+    const stat = await ipfs.files.stat(path.startsWith('/ipfs/') ? path : `/ipfs/${path}`)
+
+    if (stat.type === 'file') {
+      // return single object with metadata
+      return h.response({
+        Objects: [{
+          ...mapLink(stat),
+          Hash: path,
+          Depth: 1,
+          Links: []
+        }]
+      })
+    }
+
     if (!stream) {
       try {
         const links = await all(ipfs.ls(path, {
diff --git a/packages/ipfs-http-server/test/inject/files.js b/packages/ipfs-http-server/test/inject/files.js
index 8cf18c32c4..9b73c2ed7f 100644
--- a/packages/ipfs-http-server/test/inject/files.js
+++ b/packages/ipfs-http-server/test/inject/files.js
@@ -30,7 +30,10 @@ describe('/files', () => {
       cat: sinon.stub(),
       get: sinon.stub(),
       ls: sinon.stub(),
-      refs: sinon.stub()
+      refs: sinon.stub(),
+      files: {
+        stat: sinon.stub()
+      }
     }
 
     ipfs.refs.local = sinon.stub()
@@ -352,6 +355,9 @@ describe('/files', () => {
     })
 
     it('should list directory contents', async () => {
+      ipfs.files.stat.withArgs(`/ipfs/${cid}`).returns({
+        type: 'directory'
+      })
       ipfs.ls.withArgs(`${cid}`, defaultOptions).returns([{
         name: 'link',
         cid,
@@ -380,7 +386,36 @@ describe('/files', () => {
       })
     })
 
+    it('should list a file', async () => {
+      ipfs.files.stat.withArgs(`/ipfs/${cid}/derp`).returns({
+        cid,
+        size: 10,
+        type: 'file',
+        depth: 1,
+        mode: 0o420
+      })
+
+      const res = await http({
+        method: 'POST',
+        url: `/api/v0/ls?arg=${cid}/derp`
+      }, { ipfs })
+
+      expect(res).to.have.property('statusCode', 200)
+      expect(res).to.have.deep.nested.property('result.Objects[0]', {
+        Hash: `${cid}/derp`,
+        Depth: 1,
+        Mode: '0420',
+        Size: 10,
+        Type: 2,
+        Links: []
+      })
+      expect(ipfs.ls.called).to.be.false()
+    })
+
     it('should list directory contents without unixfs v1.5 fields', async () => {
+      ipfs.files.stat.withArgs(`/ipfs/${cid}`).returns({
+        type: 'directory'
+      })
       ipfs.ls.withArgs(`${cid}`, defaultOptions).returns([{
         name: 'link',
         cid,
@@ -408,6 +443,9 @@ describe('/files', () => {
     })
 
     it('should list directory contents recursively', async () => {
+      ipfs.files.stat.withArgs(`/ipfs/${cid}`).returns({
+        type: 'directory'
+      })
       ipfs.ls.withArgs(`${cid}`, {
         ...defaultOptions,
         recursive: true
@@ -456,6 +494,9 @@ describe('/files', () => {
     })
 
     it('accepts a timeout', async () => {
+      ipfs.files.stat.withArgs(`/ipfs/${cid}`).returns({
+        type: 'directory'
+      })
       ipfs.ls.withArgs(`${cid}`, {
         ...defaultOptions,
         timeout: 1000
@@ -477,6 +518,9 @@ describe('/files', () => {
     })
 
     it('accepts a timeout when streaming', async () => {
+      ipfs.files.stat.withArgs(`/ipfs/${cid}`).returns({
+        type: 'directory'
+      })
       ipfs.ls.withArgs(`${cid}`, {
         ...defaultOptions,
         timeout: 1000
diff --git a/packages/ipfs/test/interface-http-go.js b/packages/ipfs/test/interface-http-go.js
index c3a60d6d0d..6d56c3800b 100644
--- a/packages/ipfs/test/interface-http-go.js
+++ b/packages/ipfs/test/interface-http-go.js
@@ -46,6 +46,14 @@ describe('interface-ipfs-core over ipfs-http-client tests against go-ipfs', () =
         name: 'should ls with metadata',
         reason: 'TODO not implemented in go-ipfs yet'
       },
+      {
+        name: 'should ls single file with metadata',
+        reason: 'TODO not implemented in go-ipfs yet'
+      },
+      {
+        name: 'should ls single file without containing directory with metadata',
+        reason: 'TODO not implemented in go-ipfs yet'
+      },
       {
         name: 'should override raw leaves when file is smaller than one block and metadata is present',
         reason: 'TODO not implemented in go-ipfs yet'