diff --git a/src/packages/tabs/src/tab.coffee b/src/packages/tabs/src/tab.coffee
index 67935a3d5..2d46e09c4 100644
--- a/src/packages/tabs/src/tab.coffee
+++ b/src/packages/tabs/src/tab.coffee
@@ -11,6 +11,25 @@ class Tab extends View
     @updateFileName()
     @editSession.on 'buffer-path-change.tab', =>
       @updateFileName()
+    @subscribeToBuffer()
+
+  updateTab: ->
+    @updateBufferHasModifiedText(@buffer.isModified())
+
+  subscribeToBuffer: ->
+    @buffer = @editSession.buffer
+    @subscribe @buffer, 'contents-modified.tabs', (e) => @updateBufferHasModifiedText(e.differsFromDisk)
+    @subscribe @buffer, 'after-save.tabs', => @updateTab()
+    @subscribe @buffer, 'git-status-change.tabs', => @updateTab()
+    @updateTab()
+
+  updateBufferHasModifiedText: (differsFromDisk) ->
+    if differsFromDisk
+      @toggleClass('file-modified') unless @isModified
+      @isModified = true
+    else
+      @removeClass('file-modified') if @isModified
+      @isModified = false
 
   updateFileName: ->
     @fileName.text(@editSession.buffer.getBaseName() ? 'untitled')
diff --git a/src/packages/tabs/src/tabs.css b/src/packages/tabs/src/tabs.css
index ba9b60995..458fe74f3 100644
--- a/src/packages/tabs/src/tabs.css
+++ b/src/packages/tabs/src/tabs.css
@@ -21,6 +21,19 @@
   height: 24px;
 }
 
+.tab.file-modified .close-icon {
+  border: 3px solid #777;
+  top: 6px;
+  border-radius: 10px;
+  width: 5px;
+  height: 5px;
+  right: 5px;
+}
+
+.tab.file-modified .close-icon:before {
+  content: "";
+}
+
 .tab:first-child {
   box-shadow: inset 0 0 5px #383838, 0 1px 0 #585858, inset -1px 0 0 #4a4a4a;
 }
diff --git a/static/status-bar.css b/static/status-bar.css
index 09ea8bb29..457920340 100644
--- a/static/status-bar.css
+++ b/static/status-bar.css
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@
 }
 
 .status-bar .git-status.octicons.modified-status-icon {
-  color: #f78a46;
+  color: #F9EE98;
   display: inline-block;
 }