diff --git a/acceptance/tests/resource/file/symbolic_modes.rb b/acceptance/tests/resource/file/symbolic_modes.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..138fe44e3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/acceptance/tests/resource/file/symbolic_modes.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,111 @@
+test_name "file resource: symbolic modes"
+
+def validate(path, mode)
+  "ruby -e 'exit (File::Stat.new(#{path.inspect}).mode & 0777 == #{mode})'"
+end
+
+def tmpfile(what)
+  "/tmp/symbolic-mode-#{what}-" +
+    "#{Time.now.strftime("%Y%m%d")}-#{$$}-" +
+    "#{rand(0x100000000).to_s(36)}.test"
+end
+
+# Generate some standard, remote-safe names for our scratch content, and make
+# sure that they exist already.  Don't need to care about modes or owners, as
+# we reset anything that matters inside the test loop.
+file = tmpfile('file')
+dir  = tmpfile('dir')
+
+on agents, "touch #{file} ; mkdir #{dir}"
+
+# Infrastructure for a nice, table driven test.  Yum.
+#
+# For your reference:
+# 4000    the set-user-ID-on-execution bit
+# 2000    the set-group-ID-on-execution bit
+# 1000    the sticky bit
+# 0400    Allow read by owner.
+# 0200    Allow write by owner.
+# 0100    For files, allow execution by owner.  For directories, allow the
+#         owner to search in the directory.
+# 0040    Allow read by group members.
+# 0020    Allow write by group members.
+# 0010    For files, allow execution by group members.  For directories, allow
+#         group members to search in the directory.
+# 0004    Allow read by others.
+# 0002    Allow write by others.
+# 0001    For files, allow execution by others.  For directories allow others
+#         to search in the directory.
+#
+# fields are:  start_mode, symbolic_mode, file_mode, dir_mode
+# start_mode is passed to chmod on the target platform
+# symbolic_mode is the mode set in our test
+# the file and dir mode values are the numeric resultant values we should get
+tests = <<END
+0000   u=rwx     0700  0700
+0000   ug=rwx    0770  0770
+0000   ugo=rwx   0777  0777
+0000   u=r       0400  0400
+0000   u=w       0200  0200
+0000   u=x       0100  0100
+
+0500   u+w       0700  0700
+0400   u+w       0600  0600
+0200   u+r       0600  0600
+
+0100   u+X       0100  0100
+0200   u+X       0300  0300
+0400   u+X       0500  0500
+END
+
+tests.split("\n").map {|x| x.split(/\s+/)}.each do |data|
+  # Might as well skip blank lines.
+  next if data.empty? or data.any? {|x| x.nil? or x.empty? }
+
+  # Make sure our interpretation of the data is reasonable.
+  start_mode    = '%04o' % data[0].to_i(8)
+  # inspect quotes the string in a way that is both shell, and manifest, safe;
+  # since almost every use of it is in one of those places, this saves quite
+  # some effort otherwise handling the value.
+  symbolic_mode =          data[1].inspect
+  file_mode     = '%04o' % data[2].to_i(8)
+  dir_mode      = '%04o' % data[3].to_i(8)
+
+  step "ensure permissions for testing #{symbolic_mode}"
+  on agents, "chmod #{start_mode} #{file} && chown root:root #{file}"
+  on agents, "chmod #{start_mode} #{dir}  && chown root:root #{dir}"
+
+  step "test mode #{symbolic_mode} works on a file"
+  manifest = "file { #{file.inspect}: ensure => file, mode => #{symbolic_mode} }"
+  apply_manifest_on(agents, manifest) do
+    assert_match(/mode changed '#{start_mode}' to '#{file_mode}'/, stdout,
+                 "couldn't set file mode to #{symbolic_mode}")
+  end
+
+  step "validate the mode changes applied to the file"
+  on agents, "test -f #{file} && " + validate(file, file_mode)
+
+  # Validate that we don't reapply the changes - that they are stable.
+  apply_manifest_on(agents, manifest) do
+    assert_no_match(/mode changed/, stdout, "reapplied the symbolic mode change")
+  end
+
+  step "test mode #{symbolic_mode} works on a directory"
+  manifest = "file { #{dir.inspect}: ensure => directory, mode => #{symbolic_mode} }"
+  apply_manifest_on(agents, manifest) do
+    assert_match(/mode changed '#{start_mode}' to '#{dir_mode}'/, stdout,
+                 "couldn't set dir mode to #{symbolic_mode}")
+  end
+
+  step "validate the mode changes applied to the dir"
+  on agents, "test -d #{dir} && " + validate(file, dir_mode)
+
+  # Validate that we don't reapply the changes - that they are stable.
+  apply_manifest_on(agents, manifest) do
+    assert_no_match(/mode changed/, stdout, "reapplied the symbolic mode change")
+  end
+end
+
+
+step "clean up old test things"
+on agents, "rm -rf #{file} #{dir}"