diff --git a/spec/atom/project-spec.coffee b/spec/atom/project-spec.coffee
index 39f6517a6..72032caa0 100644
--- a/spec/atom/project-spec.coffee
+++ b/spec/atom/project-spec.coffee
@@ -14,3 +14,16 @@ describe "Project", ->
         project.getFilePaths().done (result) ->
           expect(result).toEqual(expectedPaths)
 
+  describe ".open(path)", ->
+    absolutePath = null
+    beforeEach ->
+      absolutePath = require.resolve('fixtures/dir/a')
+
+    describe "when given an absolute path", ->
+      it "returns a buffer for the given path", ->
+        expect(project.open(absolutePath).url).toBe absolutePath
+
+    describe "when given a relative path", ->
+      it "returns a buffer for the given path (relative to the project root)", ->
+        expect(project.open('a').url).toBe absolutePath
+
diff --git a/src/atom/project.coffee b/src/atom/project.coffee
index b6a91a791..ca0369f3d 100644
--- a/src/atom/project.coffee
+++ b/src/atom/project.coffee
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 fs = require 'fs'
+Buffer = require 'buffer'
 
 module.exports =
 
@@ -8,3 +9,12 @@ class Project
   getFilePaths: ->
     fs.async.listFiles(@url, true)
 
+  open: (filePath) ->
+    new Buffer(@resolve(filePath))
+
+  resolve: (filePath) ->
+    if filePath[0] == '/'
+      filePath
+    else
+      fs.join(@url, filePath)
+