diff --git a/packages/minimongo/minimongo.js b/packages/minimongo/minimongo.js
index ceac91e251..256e450005 100644
--- a/packages/minimongo/minimongo.js
+++ b/packages/minimongo/minimongo.js
@@ -498,6 +498,7 @@ LocalCollection.prototype.remove = function (selector) {
       LocalCollection._recomputeResults(query);
   });
   self._observeQueue.drain();
+  return remove.length;
 };
 
 // XXX atomicity: if multi is true, and one modification fails, do
@@ -523,12 +524,15 @@ LocalCollection.prototype.update = function (selector, mod, options) {
   });
   var recomputeQids = {};
 
+  var updateCount = 0;
+
   for (var id in self.docs) {
     var doc = self.docs[id];
     if (selector_f(doc)) {
       // XXX Should we save the original even if mod ends up being a no-op?
       self._saveOriginal(id, doc);
       self._modifyAndNotify(doc, mod, recomputeQids);
+      ++updateCount;
       if (!options.multi)
         break;
     }
@@ -541,6 +545,7 @@ LocalCollection.prototype.update = function (selector, mod, options) {
                                         qidToOriginalResults[qid]);
   });
   self._observeQueue.drain();
+  return updateCount;
 };
 
 LocalCollection.prototype._modifyAndNotify = function (
diff --git a/packages/minimongo/minimongo_tests.js b/packages/minimongo/minimongo_tests.js
index 23b938dea6..e30784e46a 100644
--- a/packages/minimongo/minimongo_tests.js
+++ b/packages/minimongo/minimongo_tests.js
@@ -66,7 +66,8 @@ var log_callbacks = function (operations) {
 // XXX test shared structure in all MM entrypoints
 Tinytest.add("minimongo - basics", function (test) {
   var c = new LocalCollection(),
-      fluffyKitten_id;
+      fluffyKitten_id,
+      count;
 
   fluffyKitten_id = c.insert({type: "kitten", name: "fluffy"});
   c.insert({type: "kitten", name: "snookums"});
@@ -87,7 +88,8 @@ Tinytest.add("minimongo - basics", function (test) {
   test.length(c.find({type: "kitten"}).fetch(), 2);
   test.length(c.find({type: "cryptographer"}).fetch(), 2);
 
-  c.update({name: "snookums"}, {$set: {type: "cryptographer"}});
+  count = c.update({name: "snookums"}, {$set: {type: "cryptographer"}});
+  test.equal(count, 1);
   test.equal(c.find().count(), 4);
   test.equal(c.find({type: "kitten"}).count(), 1);
   test.equal(c.find({type: "cryptographer"}).count(), 3);
@@ -102,10 +104,12 @@ Tinytest.add("minimongo - basics", function (test) {
   c.remove({_id: null});
   c.remove({_id: false});
   c.remove({_id: undefined});
-  c.remove();
+  count = c.remove();
+  test.equal(count, 0);
   test.equal(c.find().count(), 4);
 
-  c.remove({});
+  count = c.remove({});
+  test.equal(count, 4);
   test.equal(c.find().count(), 0);
 
   c.insert({_id: 1, name: "strawberry", tags: ["fruit", "red", "squishy"]});
@@ -1647,7 +1651,8 @@ Tinytest.add("minimongo - diff", function (test) {
 
 Tinytest.add("minimongo - saveOriginals", function (test) {
   // set up some data
-  var c = new LocalCollection();
+  var c = new LocalCollection(),
+      count;
   c.insert({_id: 'foo', x: 'untouched'});
   c.insert({_id: 'bar', x: 'updateme'});
   c.insert({_id: 'baz', x: 'updateme'});
@@ -1658,9 +1663,12 @@ Tinytest.add("minimongo - saveOriginals", function (test) {
   c.saveOriginals();
   c.insert({_id: "hooray", z: 'insertme'});
   c.remove({y: 'removeme'});
-  c.update({x: 'updateme'}, {$set: {z: 5}}, {multi: true});
+  count = c.update({x: 'updateme'}, {$set: {z: 5}}, {multi: true});
   c.update('bar', {$set: {k: 7}});  // update same doc twice
 
+  // Verify returned count is correct
+  test.equal(count, 2);
+
   // Verify the originals.
   var originals = c.retrieveOriginals();
   var affected = ['bar', 'baz', 'quux', 'whoa', 'hooray'];
diff --git a/packages/mongo-livedata/collection.js b/packages/mongo-livedata/collection.js
index d67ea71158..b0bfd0f899 100644
--- a/packages/mongo-livedata/collection.js
+++ b/packages/mongo-livedata/collection.js
@@ -357,7 +357,9 @@ _.each(["insert", "update", "remove"], function (name) {
       // it's my collection.  descend into the collection object
       // and propagate any exception.
       try {
-        self._collection[name].apply(self._collection, args);
+        var result = self._collection[name].apply(self._collection, args);
+        if (ret === undefined)
+          ret = result;
       } catch (e) {
         if (callback) {
           callback(e);
diff --git a/packages/mongo-livedata/mongo_driver.js b/packages/mongo-livedata/mongo_driver.js
index 1922570c4e..f1aa92a59b 100644
--- a/packages/mongo-livedata/mongo_driver.js
+++ b/packages/mongo-livedata/mongo_driver.js
@@ -228,9 +228,10 @@ _Mongo.prototype.remove = function (collection_name, selector) {
     var future = new Future;
     collection.remove(replaceTypes(selector, replaceMeteorAtomWithMongo),
                       {safe: true}, future.resolver());
-    future.wait();
+    var result = future.wait();
     // XXX We don't have to run this on error, right?
     self._refresh(collection_name, selector);
+    return result;
   } finally {
     write.committed();
   }
@@ -266,8 +267,9 @@ _Mongo.prototype.update = function (collection_name, selector, mod, options) {
     collection.update(replaceTypes(selector, replaceMeteorAtomWithMongo),
                       replaceTypes(mod, replaceMeteorAtomWithMongo),
                       mongoOpts, future.resolver());
-    future.wait();
+    var result = future.wait();
     self._refresh(collection_name, selector);
+    return result;
   } finally {
     write.committed();
   }
diff --git a/packages/mongo-livedata/mongo_livedata_tests.js b/packages/mongo-livedata/mongo_livedata_tests.js
index 948a7962bd..f7875fff5e 100644
--- a/packages/mongo-livedata/mongo_livedata_tests.js
+++ b/packages/mongo-livedata/mongo_livedata_tests.js
@@ -191,8 +191,14 @@ Tinytest.addAsync("mongo-livedata - basics, " + idGeneration, function (test, on
   test.equal(_.pluck(coll.find({run: run}, {sort: {x: -1}}).fetch(), "x"),
              [4, 1]);
 
+  expectObserve('', function () {
+    var count = coll.update({run: run, x: -1}, {$inc: {x: 2}}, {multi: true});
+    test.equal(count, 0);
+  });
+
   expectObserve('c(3,0,1)c(6,1,4)', function () {
-    coll.update({run: run}, {$inc: {x: 2}}, {multi: true});
+    var count = coll.update({run: run}, {$inc: {x: 2}}, {multi: true});
+    test.equal(count, 2);
     test.equal(_.pluck(coll.find({run: run}, {sort: {x: -1}}).fetch(), "x"),
                [6, 3]);
   });
@@ -205,7 +211,8 @@ Tinytest.addAsync("mongo-livedata - basics, " + idGeneration, function (test, on
   });
 
   expectObserve('r(13,1)', function () {
-    coll.remove({run: run, x: {$gt: 10}});
+    var count = coll.remove({run: run, x: {$gt: 10}});
+    test.equal(count, 1);
     test.equal(coll.find({run: run}).count(), 1);
   });
 
@@ -214,6 +221,12 @@ Tinytest.addAsync("mongo-livedata - basics, " + idGeneration, function (test, on
     test.equal(coll.find({run: run}).count(), 0);
   });
 
+  expectObserve('', function () {
+    var count = coll.remove({run: run});
+    test.equal(count, 0);
+    test.equal(coll.find({run: run}).count(), 0);
+  });
+
   obs.stop();
   onComplete();
 });