diff --git a/packages/minimongo/minimongo_tests.js b/packages/minimongo/minimongo_tests.js
index 6ae30c5437..363d476beb 100644
--- a/packages/minimongo/minimongo_tests.js
+++ b/packages/minimongo/minimongo_tests.js
@@ -433,6 +433,15 @@ Tinytest.add("minimongo - selector_compiler", function (test) {
   nomatch({a: {$exists: false}}, {a: [1]});
   match({a: {$exists: false}}, {b: [1]});
 
+  match({a: {$exists: 1}}, {a: 5});
+  match({a: {$exists: 0}}, {b: 5});
+
+  nomatch({'a.x':{$exists: false}}, {a: [{}, {x: 5}]});
+  match({'a.x':{$exists: true}}, {a: [{}, {x: 5}]});
+  match({'a.x':{$exists: true}}, {a: [{}, {x: 5}]});
+  match({'a.x':{$exists: true}}, {a: {x: []}});
+  match({'a.x':{$exists: true}}, {a: {x: null}});
+
   // $mod
   match({a: {$mod: [10, 1]}}, {a: 11});
   nomatch({a: {$mod: [10, 1]}}, {a: 12});
diff --git a/packages/minimongo/selector.js b/packages/minimongo/selector.js
index d2cde73201..a793c737c5 100644
--- a/packages/minimongo/selector.js
+++ b/packages/minimongo/selector.js
@@ -258,6 +258,12 @@ var VALUE_OPERATORS = {
   $nin: function (operand) {
     return invertBranchedSelector(convertElementSelectorToBranchedSelector(
       ELEMENT_OPERATORS.$in(operand)));
+  },
+  $exists: function (operand) {
+    var exists = convertElementSelectorToBranchedSelector(function (value) {
+      return value !== undefined;
+    });
+    return operand ? exists : invertBranchedSelector(exists);
   }
 };
 
@@ -1038,7 +1044,6 @@ var andCompiledDocumentSelectors = function (selectors) {
 
 
 // Remaining to update:
-// - $exists
 // - $type
 // - $regex/$option
 // - $all