diff --git a/src/Init/System/IO.lean b/src/Init/System/IO.lean
index 506432b08e..c87a6f4119 100644
--- a/src/Init/System/IO.lean
+++ b/src/Init/System/IO.lean
@@ -1122,6 +1122,8 @@ structure Metadata where
   Whether the file is an ordinary file, a directory, a symbolic link, or some other kind of file.
   -/
   type     : FileType
+  /-- The number of hard links to the file. -/
+  numLinks : UInt64
   deriving Repr
 
 end FS
diff --git a/src/runtime/io.cpp b/src/runtime/io.cpp
index c6d9796ddf..7f1e96f870 100644
--- a/src/runtime/io.cpp
+++ b/src/runtime/io.cpp
@@ -1094,28 +1094,20 @@ structure Metadata where
 
 constant metadata : @& FilePath → IO IO.FS.Metadata
 */
-static obj_res timespec_to_obj(timespec const & ts) {
+static obj_res timespec_to_obj(uv_timespec_t const & ts) {
     object * o = alloc_cnstr(0, 1, sizeof(uint32));
     cnstr_set(o, 0, lean_int64_to_int(ts.tv_sec));
     cnstr_set_uint32(o, sizeof(object *), ts.tv_nsec);
     return o;
 }
 
-static obj_res metadata_core(struct stat const & st) {
-    object * mdata = alloc_cnstr(0, 2, sizeof(uint64) + sizeof(uint8));
-#ifdef __APPLE__
-    cnstr_set(mdata, 0, timespec_to_obj(st.st_atimespec));
-    cnstr_set(mdata, 1, timespec_to_obj(st.st_mtimespec));
-#elif defined(LEAN_WINDOWS)
-    // TODO: sub-second precision on Windows
-    cnstr_set(mdata, 0, timespec_to_obj(timespec { st.st_atime, 0 }));
-    cnstr_set(mdata, 1, timespec_to_obj(timespec { st.st_mtime, 0 }));
-#else
+static obj_res metadata_core(uv_stat_t const & st) {
+    object * mdata = alloc_cnstr(0, 2, 2 * sizeof(uint64) + sizeof(uint8));
     cnstr_set(mdata, 0, timespec_to_obj(st.st_atim));
     cnstr_set(mdata, 1, timespec_to_obj(st.st_mtim));
-#endif
     cnstr_set_uint64(mdata, 2 * sizeof(object *), st.st_size);
-    cnstr_set_uint8(mdata, 2 * sizeof(object *) + sizeof(uint64),
+    cnstr_set_uint64(mdata, 2 * sizeof(object *) + sizeof(uint64), st.st_nlink);
+    cnstr_set_uint8(mdata, 2 * sizeof(object *) + 2 * sizeof(uint64),
                     S_ISDIR(st.st_mode) ? 0 :
                     S_ISREG(st.st_mode) ? 1 :
 #ifndef LEAN_WINDOWS
@@ -1130,11 +1122,16 @@ extern "C" LEAN_EXPORT obj_res lean_io_metadata(b_obj_arg filename) {
     if (strlen(fname) != lean_string_size(filename) - 1) {
         return mk_embedded_nul_error(filename);
     }
-    struct stat st;
-    if (stat(fname, &st) != 0) {
-        return io_result_mk_error(decode_io_error(errno, filename));
+    uv_fs_t req;
+    int ret = uv_fs_stat(NULL, &req, fname, NULL);
+    if (ret < 0) {
+        uv_fs_req_cleanup(&req);
+        return io_result_mk_error(decode_uv_error(ret, filename));
+    } else {
+        object* mdata = metadata_core(req.statbuf);
+        uv_fs_req_cleanup(&req);
+        return mdata;
     }
-    return metadata_core(st);
 }
 
 extern "C" LEAN_EXPORT obj_res lean_io_symlink_metadata(b_obj_arg filename) {
@@ -1145,11 +1142,16 @@ extern "C" LEAN_EXPORT obj_res lean_io_symlink_metadata(b_obj_arg filename) {
     if (strlen(fname) != lean_string_size(filename) - 1) {
         return mk_embedded_nul_error(filename);
     }
-    struct stat st;
-    if (lstat(string_cstr(filename), &st) != 0) {
-        return io_result_mk_error(decode_io_error(errno, filename));
+    uv_fs_t req;
+    int ret = uv_fs_lstat(NULL, &req, fname, NULL);
+    if (ret < 0) {
+        uv_fs_req_cleanup(&req);
+        return io_result_mk_error(decode_uv_error(ret, filename));
+    } else {
+        object* mdata = metadata_core(req.statbuf);
+        uv_fs_req_cleanup(&req);
+        return mdata;
     }
-    return metadata_core(st);
 #endif
 }
 
diff --git a/tests/lean/run/IO_test.lean b/tests/lean/run/IO_test.lean
index b4b0912b3f..4275c33c09 100644
--- a/tests/lean/run/IO_test.lean
+++ b/tests/lean/run/IO_test.lean
@@ -162,18 +162,21 @@ def testRemoveDirAll : IO Unit := do
 #eval testRemoveDirAll
 
 def testHardLink : IO Unit := do
-  let fn := "io_test/hardLinkTarget.txt"
+  let fn : System.FilePath := "io_test/hardLinkTarget.txt"
   let contents := "foo"
   writeFile fn contents
-  let linkFn := "io_test/hardLink.txt"
+  let linkFn : System.FilePath := "io_test/hardLink.txt"
   if (← System.FilePath.pathExists linkFn) then
     removeFile linkFn
+  check_eq "1" 1 (← fn.metadata).numLinks
   hardLink fn linkFn
+  check_eq "2" 2 (← fn.metadata).numLinks
+  check_eq "3" 2 (← linkFn.metadata).numLinks
   removeFile fn
   assert! !(← System.FilePath.pathExists fn)
   assert! (← System.FilePath.pathExists linkFn)
   let linkContents ← readFile linkFn
-  check_eq "1" contents linkContents
+  check_eq "4" contents linkContents
 
 #guard_msgs in
 #eval testHardLink