diff --git a/commands/cli/parse.go b/commands/cli/parse.go
index 694951bed07..ee6b1656db1 100644
--- a/commands/cli/parse.go
+++ b/commands/cli/parse.go
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import (
 	"os"
 	fp "path"
 	"runtime"
+	"sort"
 	"strings"
 
 	cmds "github.com/jbenet/go-ipfs/commands"
@@ -319,8 +320,10 @@ func openPath(file *os.File, path string) (cmds.File, error) {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	files := make([]cmds.File, 0, len(contents))
+	// make sure contents are sorted so -- repeatably -- we get the same inputs.
+	sort.Sort(sortFIByName(contents))
 
+	files := make([]cmds.File, 0, len(contents))
 	for _, child := range contents {
 		childPath := fp.Join(path, child.Name())
 		childFile, err := os.Open(childPath)
@@ -351,3 +354,9 @@ func isTerminal(stdin *os.File) (bool, error) {
 	// if stdin is a CharDevice, return true
 	return ((stat.Mode() & os.ModeCharDevice) != 0), nil
 }
+
+type sortFIByName []os.FileInfo
+
+func (es sortFIByName) Len() int           { return len(es) }
+func (es sortFIByName) Swap(i, j int)      { es[i], es[j] = es[j], es[i] }
+func (es sortFIByName) Less(i, j int) bool { return es[i].Name() < es[j].Name() }
diff --git a/core/commands/add.go b/core/commands/add.go
index 3ab27ad8fdc..fbac578a92b 100644
--- a/core/commands/add.go
+++ b/core/commands/add.go
@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
 	"path"
-	"sort"
 
 	cmds "github.com/jbenet/go-ipfs/commands"
 	core "github.com/jbenet/go-ipfs/core"
@@ -83,7 +82,8 @@ remains to be implemented.
 				return nil, u.ErrCast()
 			}
 
-			sort.Stable(val)
+			// TODO: use this with an option
+			// sort.Stable(val)
 
 			var buf bytes.Buffer
 			for i, obj := range val.Objects {
@@ -204,12 +204,12 @@ func addDagnode(output *AddOutput, name string, dn *dag.Node) error {
 // Sort interface implementation to sort add output by name
 
 func (a AddOutput) Len() int {
-    return len(a.Names)
+	return len(a.Names)
 }
 func (a AddOutput) Swap(i, j int) {
-    a.Names[i], a.Names[j] = a.Names[j], a.Names[i]
-    a.Objects[i], a.Objects[j] = a.Objects[j], a.Objects[i]
+	a.Names[i], a.Names[j] = a.Names[j], a.Names[i]
+	a.Objects[i], a.Objects[j] = a.Objects[j], a.Objects[i]
 }
 func (a AddOutput) Less(i, j int) bool {
-    return a.Names[i] < a.Names[j]
+	return a.Names[i] < a.Names[j]
 }
diff --git a/test/t0040-add-and-cat.sh b/test/t0040-add-and-cat.sh
index b6aae632da3..15a1de1c870 100755
--- a/test/t0040-add-and-cat.sh
+++ b/test/t0040-add-and-cat.sh
@@ -78,9 +78,9 @@ test_expect_success "'ipfs add -r' output looks good" '
 	PLANETS="QmWSgS32xQEcXMeqd3YPJLrNBLSdsfYCep2U7CFkyrjXwY" &&
 	MARS="QmPrrHqJzto9m7SyiRzarwkqPcCSsKR2EB1AyqJfe8L8tN" &&
 	VENUS="QmU5kp3BH3B8tnWUU2Pikdb2maksBNkb92FHRr56hyghh4" &&
-	echo "added $PLANETS mountdir/planets" >expected &&
-	echo "added $MARS mountdir/planets/mars.txt" >>expected &&
+	echo "added $MARS mountdir/planets/mars.txt" >expected &&
 	echo "added $VENUS mountdir/planets/venus.txt" >>expected &&
+	echo "added $PLANETS mountdir/planets" >>expected &&
 	test_cmp expected actual
 '