diff --git a/fs/exists.ts b/fs/exists.ts
index 2c68ec6cfd5d..aa6334b43187 100644
--- a/fs/exists.ts
+++ b/fs/exists.ts
@@ -1,12 +1,20 @@
 // Copyright 2018-2019 the Deno authors. All rights reserved. MIT license.
-
+const { lstat, lstatSync, DenoError, ErrorKind } = Deno;
 /**
  * Test whether or not the given path exists by checking with the file system
  */
 export async function exists(filePath: string): Promise<boolean> {
-  return Deno.lstat(filePath)
+  return lstat(filePath)
     .then((): boolean => true)
-    .catch((): boolean => false);
+    .catch((err: Error): boolean => {
+      if (err instanceof DenoError) {
+        if (err.kind === ErrorKind.NotFound) {
+          return false;
+        }
+      }
+
+      throw err;
+    });
 }
 
 /**
@@ -14,9 +22,14 @@ export async function exists(filePath: string): Promise<boolean> {
  */
 export function existsSync(filePath: string): boolean {
   try {
-    Deno.lstatSync(filePath);
+    lstatSync(filePath);
     return true;
-  } catch {
-    return false;
+  } catch (err) {
+    if (err instanceof DenoError) {
+      if (err.kind === ErrorKind.NotFound) {
+        return false;
+      }
+    }
+    throw err;
   }
 }
diff --git a/fs/exists_test.ts b/fs/exists_test.ts
index e65befa7846c..69c18d467e0b 100644
--- a/fs/exists_test.ts
+++ b/fs/exists_test.ts
@@ -46,3 +46,96 @@ test(async function existsLink(): Promise<void> {
   // in repository
   assertEquals(await exists(path.join(testdataDir, "0-link.ts")), true);
 });
+
+test(async function existsPermission(): Promise<void> {
+  interface Scenes {
+    read: boolean; // --allow-read
+    async: boolean;
+    output: string;
+    file: string; // target file to run
+  }
+
+  const scenes: Scenes[] = [
+    // 1
+    {
+      read: false,
+      async: true,
+      output: "run again with the --allow-read flag",
+      file: "0.ts"
+    },
+    {
+      read: false,
+      async: false,
+      output: "run again with the --allow-read flag",
+      file: "0.ts"
+    },
+    // 2
+    {
+      read: true,
+      async: true,
+      output: "exist",
+      file: "0.ts"
+    },
+    {
+      read: true,
+      async: false,
+      output: "exist",
+      file: "0.ts"
+    },
+    // 3
+    {
+      read: false,
+      async: true,
+      output: "run again with the --allow-read flag",
+      file: "no_exist_file_for_test.ts"
+    },
+    {
+      read: false,
+      async: false,
+      output: "run again with the --allow-read flag",
+      file: "no_exist_file_for_test.ts"
+    },
+    // 4
+    {
+      read: true,
+      async: true,
+      output: "not exist",
+      file: "no_exist_file_for_test.ts"
+    },
+    {
+      read: true,
+      async: false,
+      output: "not exist",
+      file: "no_exist_file_for_test.ts"
+    }
+  ];
+
+  for (const s of scenes) {
+    console.log(
+      `test ${s.async ? "exists" : "existsSync"}("testdata/${s.file}") ${
+        s.read ? "with" : "without"
+      } --allow-read`
+    );
+
+    const args = [Deno.execPath(), "run"];
+
+    if (s.read) {
+      args.push("--allow-read");
+    }
+
+    args.push(path.join(testdataDir, s.async ? "exists.ts" : "exists_sync.ts"));
+    args.push(s.file);
+
+    const { stdout } = Deno.run({
+      stdout: "piped",
+      cwd: testdataDir,
+      args: args
+    });
+
+    const output = await Deno.readAll(stdout);
+
+    assertEquals(new TextDecoder().decode(output), s.output);
+  }
+
+  // done
+});
diff --git a/fs/testdata/exists.ts b/fs/testdata/exists.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..aee8574d87dc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/fs/testdata/exists.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+import { exists } from "../exists.ts";
+
+exists(Deno.args[1])
+  .then(isExist => {
+    Deno.stdout.write(new TextEncoder().encode(isExist ? 'exist' :'not exist'))
+  })
+  .catch((err) => {
+    Deno.stdout.write(new TextEncoder().encode(err.message))
+  })
+
diff --git a/fs/testdata/exists_sync.ts b/fs/testdata/exists_sync.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..70b2071c114f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/fs/testdata/exists_sync.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+import { existsSync } from "../exists.ts";
+
+try {
+  const isExist = existsSync(Deno.args[1])
+  Deno.stdout.write(new TextEncoder().encode(isExist ? 'exist' :'not exist'))
+} catch (err) {
+  Deno.stdout.write(new TextEncoder().encode(err.message))
+}
+
+