diff --git a/spec/app/atom-spec.coffee b/spec/app/atom-spec.coffee
index 261c86d4f..675443a19 100644
--- a/spec/app/atom-spec.coffee
+++ b/spec/app/atom-spec.coffee
@@ -141,3 +141,72 @@ describe "the `atom` global", ->
 
       runs ->
         expect(versionHandler.argsForCall[0][0]).toMatch /^\d+\.\d+(\.\d+)?$/
+
+  describe "modal native dialogs", ->
+    beforeEach ->
+      spyOn(atom, 'sendMessageToBrowserProcess')
+      atom.sendMessageToBrowserProcess.simulateConfirmation = (buttonText) ->
+        labels = @argsForCall[0][1][2...]
+        callbacks = @argsForCall[0][2]
+        @reset()
+        callbacks[labels.indexOf(buttonText)]()
+
+      atom.sendMessageToBrowserProcess.simulatePathSelection = (path) ->
+        callback = @argsForCall[0][2]
+        @reset()
+        callback(path)
+
+    it "only presents one native dialog at a time", ->
+      confirmHandler = jasmine.createSpy("confirmHandler")
+      selectPathHandler = jasmine.createSpy("selectPathHandler")
+
+      atom.confirm "Are you happy?", "really, truly happy?", "Yes", confirmHandler, "No"
+      atom.confirm "Are you happy?", "really, truly happy?", "Yes", confirmHandler, "No"
+      atom.showSaveDialog(selectPathHandler)
+      atom.showSaveDialog(selectPathHandler)
+
+      expect(atom.sendMessageToBrowserProcess.callCount).toBe 1
+      atom.sendMessageToBrowserProcess.simulateConfirmation("Yes")
+      expect(confirmHandler).toHaveBeenCalled()
+
+      expect(atom.sendMessageToBrowserProcess.callCount).toBe 1
+      atom.sendMessageToBrowserProcess.simulateConfirmation("No")
+
+      expect(atom.sendMessageToBrowserProcess.callCount).toBe 1
+      atom.sendMessageToBrowserProcess.simulatePathSelection('/selected/path')
+      expect(selectPathHandler).toHaveBeenCalledWith('/selected/path')
+      selectPathHandler.reset()
+
+      expect(atom.sendMessageToBrowserProcess.callCount).toBe 1
+
+    it "prioritizes dialogs presented as the result of dismissing other dialogs before any previously deferred dialogs", ->
+      atom.confirm "A1", "", "Next", ->
+        atom.confirm "B1", "", "Next", ->
+          atom.confirm "C1", "", "Next", ->
+          atom.confirm "C2", "", "Next", ->
+        atom.confirm "B2", "", "Next", ->
+      atom.confirm "A2", "", "Next", ->
+
+      expect(atom.sendMessageToBrowserProcess.callCount).toBe 1
+      expect(atom.sendMessageToBrowserProcess.argsForCall[0][1][0]).toBe "A1"
+      atom.sendMessageToBrowserProcess.simulateConfirmation('Next')
+
+      expect(atom.sendMessageToBrowserProcess.callCount).toBe 1
+      expect(atom.sendMessageToBrowserProcess.argsForCall[0][1][0]).toBe "B1"
+      atom.sendMessageToBrowserProcess.simulateConfirmation('Next')
+
+      expect(atom.sendMessageToBrowserProcess.callCount).toBe 1
+      expect(atom.sendMessageToBrowserProcess.argsForCall[0][1][0]).toBe "C1"
+      atom.sendMessageToBrowserProcess.simulateConfirmation('Next')
+
+      expect(atom.sendMessageToBrowserProcess.callCount).toBe 1
+      expect(atom.sendMessageToBrowserProcess.argsForCall[0][1][0]).toBe "C2"
+      atom.sendMessageToBrowserProcess.simulateConfirmation('Next')
+
+      expect(atom.sendMessageToBrowserProcess.callCount).toBe 1
+      expect(atom.sendMessageToBrowserProcess.argsForCall[0][1][0]).toBe "B2"
+      atom.sendMessageToBrowserProcess.simulateConfirmation('Next')
+
+      expect(atom.sendMessageToBrowserProcess.callCount).toBe 1
+      expect(atom.sendMessageToBrowserProcess.argsForCall[0][1][0]).toBe "A2"
+      atom.sendMessageToBrowserProcess.simulateConfirmation('Next')
diff --git a/spec/spec-helper.coffee b/spec/spec-helper.coffee
index fc93ecc61..bbe236034 100644
--- a/spec/spec-helper.coffee
+++ b/spec/spec-helper.coffee
@@ -83,6 +83,8 @@ afterEach ->
     window.git = null
   $('#jasmine-content').empty()
   ensureNoPathSubscriptions()
+  atom.pendingModals = [[]]
+  atom.presentingModal = false
   waits(0) # yield to ui thread to make screen update more frequently
 
 window.loadPackage = (name, options) ->
diff --git a/src/app/atom.coffee b/src/app/atom.coffee
index 6939a071f..597fb60cb 100644
--- a/src/app/atom.coffee
+++ b/src/app/atom.coffee
@@ -16,6 +16,8 @@ _.extend atom,
   loadedPackages: []
   activatedAtomPackages: []
   atomPackageStates: {}
+  presentingModal: false
+  pendingModals: [[]]
 
   getPathToOpen: ->
     @getWindowState('pathToOpen') ? window.location.params.pathToOpen
@@ -102,15 +104,49 @@ _.extend atom,
     @sendMessageToBrowserProcess('newWindow', args)
 
   confirm: (message, detailedMessage, buttonLabelsAndCallbacks...) ->
-    args = [message, detailedMessage]
-    callbacks = []
-    while buttonLabelsAndCallbacks.length
-      args.push(buttonLabelsAndCallbacks.shift())
-      callbacks.push(buttonLabelsAndCallbacks.shift())
-    @sendMessageToBrowserProcess('confirm', args, callbacks)
+    wrapCallback = (callback) => => @dismissModal(callback)
+    @presentModal =>
+      args = [message, detailedMessage]
+      callbacks = []
+      while buttonLabelsAndCallbacks.length
+        do =>
+          buttonLabel = buttonLabelsAndCallbacks.shift()
+          buttonCallback = buttonLabelsAndCallbacks.shift()
+          args.push(buttonLabel)
+          callbacks.push(=> @dismissModal(buttonCallback))
+      @sendMessageToBrowserProcess('confirm', args, callbacks)
 
   showSaveDialog: (callback) ->
-    @sendMessageToBrowserProcess('showSaveDialog', [], callback)
+    @presentModal =>
+      @sendMessageToBrowserProcess('showSaveDialog', [], (path) => @dismissModal(callback, path))
+
+  presentModal: (fn) ->
+    if @presentingModal
+      @pushPendingModal(fn)
+    else
+      @presentingModal = true
+      fn()
+
+  dismissModal: (fn, args...) ->
+    @pendingModals.push([]) # prioritize any modals presented during dismiss callback
+    fn?(args...)
+    @presentingModal = false
+    @presentModal(fn) if fn = @shiftPendingModal()
+
+  pushPendingModal: (fn) ->
+    # pendingModals is a stack of queues. enqueue to top of stack.
+    stackSize = @pendingModals.length
+    @pendingModals[stackSize - 1].push(fn)
+
+  shiftPendingModal: ->
+    # pop pendingModals stack if its top queue is empty, otherwise shift off the topmost queue
+    stackSize = @pendingModals.length
+    currentQueueSize = @pendingModals[stackSize - 1].length
+    if stackSize > 1 and currentQueueSize == 0
+      @pendingModals.pop()
+      @shiftPendingModal()
+    else
+      @pendingModals[stackSize - 1].shift()
 
   toggleDevTools: ->
     @sendMessageToBrowserProcess('toggleDevTools')