diff --git a/repos/os/include/file_system_session/client.h b/repos/os/include/file_system_session/client.h
index 01164eee91..f9d94003a8 100644
--- a/repos/os/include/file_system_session/client.h
+++ b/repos/os/include/file_system_session/client.h
@@ -112,6 +112,11 @@ class File_system::Session_client : public Genode::Rpc_client<Session>
 		{
 			call<Rpc_move>(from_dir, from_name, to_dir, to_name);
 		}
+
+		unsigned num_entries(Dir_handle dir) override
+		{
+			return call<Rpc_num_entries>(dir);
+		}
 };
 
 #endif /* _INCLUDE__FILE_SYSTEM_SESSION__CLIENT_H_ */
diff --git a/repos/os/include/file_system_session/file_system_session.h b/repos/os/include/file_system_session/file_system_session.h
index c744a53cc8..7e7fca9de5 100644
--- a/repos/os/include/file_system_session/file_system_session.h
+++ b/repos/os/include/file_system_session/file_system_session.h
@@ -474,6 +474,13 @@ struct File_system::Session : public Genode::Session
 	virtual void move(Dir_handle, Name const &from,
 	                  Dir_handle, Name const &to) = 0;
 
+	/**
+	 * Return number of directory entries
+	 *
+	 * \throw Invalid_handle     the directory handle is invalid
+	 */
+	virtual unsigned num_entries(Dir_handle) = 0;
+
 
 	/*******************
 	 ** RPC interface **
@@ -525,12 +532,14 @@ struct File_system::Session : public Genode::Session
 	                 GENODE_TYPE_LIST(Invalid_handle, Invalid_name,
 	                                  Lookup_failed, Permission_denied, Unavailable),
 	                 Dir_handle, Name const &, Dir_handle, Name const &);
+	GENODE_RPC_THROW(Rpc_num_entries, unsigned, num_entries,
+	                 GENODE_TYPE_LIST(Invalid_handle),
+	                 Dir_handle);
 
 	GENODE_RPC_INTERFACE(Rpc_tx_cap,
-	                     Rpc_file, Rpc_symlink, Rpc_dir,
-	                     Rpc_node, Rpc_watch,
+	                     Rpc_file, Rpc_symlink, Rpc_dir, Rpc_node, Rpc_watch,
 	                     Rpc_close, Rpc_status, Rpc_control, Rpc_unlink,
-	                     Rpc_truncate, Rpc_move);
+	                     Rpc_truncate, Rpc_move, Rpc_num_entries);
 };
 
 #endif /* _INCLUDE__FILE_SYSTEM_SESSION__FILE_SYSTEM_SESSION_H_ */
diff --git a/repos/os/src/lib/vfs/fs_file_system.h b/repos/os/src/lib/vfs/fs_file_system.h
index 5dfdb687e9..8009ed71ae 100644
--- a/repos/os/src/lib/vfs/fs_file_system.h
+++ b/repos/os/src/lib/vfs/fs_file_system.h
@@ -754,13 +754,11 @@ class Vfs::Fs_file_system : public File_system
 				path = "/";
 
 			try {
-				::File_system::Node_handle node = _fs.node(path);
-				Fs_handle_guard node_guard(*this, _fs, node,
+				::File_system::Dir_handle dir = _fs.dir(path, false);
+				Fs_handle_guard node_guard(*this, _fs, dir,
 				                           _handle_space, _fs);
 
-				::File_system::Status status = _fs.status(node);
-
-				return status.size / sizeof(::File_system::Directory_entry);
+				return _fs.num_entries(dir);
 			}
 			catch (...) { }
 			return 0;
diff --git a/repos/os/src/server/lx_fs/directory.h b/repos/os/src/server/lx_fs/directory.h
index d98bf7d9fc..adc019fbe1 100644
--- a/repos/os/src/server/lx_fs/directory.h
+++ b/repos/os/src/server/lx_fs/directory.h
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ class Lx_fs::Directory : public Node
 			return fd;
 		}
 
-		size_t _num_entries() const
+		unsigned _num_entries() const
 		{
 			unsigned num = 0;
 
@@ -250,7 +250,7 @@ class Lx_fs::Directory : public Node
 				st.st_mtime = 0;
 
 			return {
-				.size  = _num_entries() * sizeof(File_system::Directory_entry),
+				.size  = 0,
 				.type  = Node_type::DIRECTORY,
 				.rwx   = { .readable   = (st.st_mode & S_IRUSR) != 0,
 				           .writeable  = (st.st_mode & S_IWUSR) != 0,
@@ -260,6 +260,11 @@ class Lx_fs::Directory : public Node
 			};
 		}
 
+		unsigned num_entries() override
+		{
+			return _num_entries();
+		}
+
 		Path path() const override
 		{
 			return _path;
diff --git a/repos/os/src/server/lx_fs/main.cc b/repos/os/src/server/lx_fs/main.cc
index e93e98550e..2d62bdfa00 100644
--- a/repos/os/src/server/lx_fs/main.cc
+++ b/repos/os/src/server/lx_fs/main.cc
@@ -441,6 +441,19 @@ class Lx_fs::Session_component : private Session_resources,
 			}
 		}
 
+		unsigned num_entries(Dir_handle dir_handle) override
+		{
+			auto fn = [&] (Open_node &open_node) {
+				return open_node.node().num_entries();
+			};
+
+			try {
+				return _open_node_registry.apply<Open_node>(dir_handle, fn);
+			} catch (Id_space<File_system::Node>::Unknown_id const &) {
+				throw Invalid_handle();
+			}
+		}
+
 		void control(Node_handle, Control) override
 		{
 			Genode::error(__func__, " not implemented");
diff --git a/repos/os/src/server/lx_fs/node.h b/repos/os/src/server/lx_fs/node.h
index bd8d84d5f0..0322c353c6 100644
--- a/repos/os/src/server/lx_fs/node.h
+++ b/repos/os/src/server/lx_fs/node.h
@@ -74,6 +74,8 @@ class Lx_fs::Node : public File_system::Node_base
 
 		virtual Status status() = 0;
 
+		virtual unsigned num_entries() { return 0; }
+
 		/*
 		 * File functionality
 		 */
diff --git a/repos/os/src/server/vfs/main.cc b/repos/os/src/server/vfs/main.cc
index 15a7d2913a..623bf7a588 100644
--- a/repos/os/src/server/vfs/main.cc
+++ b/repos/os/src/server/vfs/main.cc
@@ -660,8 +660,6 @@ class Vfs_server::Session_component : private Session_resources,
 				{
 					switch (vfs_stat.type) {
 					case Vfs::Node_type::DIRECTORY:
-						return _vfs.num_dirent(node.path()) * sizeof(Directory_entry);
-
 					case Vfs::Node_type::SYMLINK:
 						return 0ULL;
 
@@ -688,6 +686,12 @@ class Vfs_server::Session_component : private Session_resources,
 			return fs_stat;
 		}
 
+		unsigned num_entries(Dir_handle dir_handle) override
+		{
+			return _apply(dir_handle, [&] (Directory &dir) {
+				return (unsigned)_vfs.num_dirent(dir.path()); });
+		}
+
 		void unlink(Dir_handle dir_handle, Name const &name) override
 		{
 			if (!_writeable) throw Permission_denied();