diff --git a/benches/wasi.rs b/benches/wasi.rs
index 3b8f28863a..ae8a7c8c17 100644
--- a/benches/wasi.rs
+++ b/benches/wasi.rs
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 //! Measure some common WASI call scenarios.
 
 use criterion::{criterion_group, criterion_main, Criterion};
-use std::time::Instant;
+use std::{fs::File, path::Path, time::Instant};
 use wasmtime::{Engine, Linker, Module, Store, TypedFunc};
 use wasmtime_wasi::{sync::WasiCtxBuilder, WasiCtx};
 
@@ -9,6 +9,15 @@ criterion_group!(benches, bench_wasi);
 criterion_main!(benches);
 
 fn bench_wasi(c: &mut Criterion) {
+    let _ = env_logger::try_init();
+
+    // Build a zero-filled test file if it does not yet exist.
+    let test_file = Path::new("benches/wasi/test.bin");
+    if !test_file.is_file() {
+        let file = File::create(test_file).unwrap();
+        file.set_len(4096).unwrap();
+    }
+
     // Benchmark each `*.wat` file in the `wasi` directory.
     for file in std::fs::read_dir("benches/wasi").unwrap() {
         let path = file.unwrap().path();
@@ -67,5 +76,11 @@ fn wasi_context() -> WasiCtx {
         "--flag4".to_string(),
     ])
     .unwrap()
+    .preopened_dir(
+        wasmtime_wasi::Dir::open_ambient_dir("benches/wasi", wasmtime_wasi::ambient_authority())
+            .unwrap(),
+        "/",
+    )
+    .unwrap()
     .build()
 }
diff --git a/benches/wasi/.gitignore b/benches/wasi/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a0c61d0c3a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/benches/wasi/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+test.bin
diff --git a/benches/wasi/open-file.wat b/benches/wasi/open-file.wat
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..390562ee81
--- /dev/null
+++ b/benches/wasi/open-file.wat
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+;; Repeatedly open and close `test.bin`.
+(module
+    (import "wasi_snapshot_preview1" "path_open"
+        (func $__wasi_path_open (param i32 i32 i32 i32 i32 i64 i64 i32 i32) (result i32)))
+    (import "wasi_snapshot_preview1" "fd_read"
+        (func $__wasi_fd_read (param i32 i32 i32 i32) (result i32)))
+    (import "wasi_snapshot_preview1" "fd_close"
+        (func $__wasi_fd_close (param i32) (result i32)))
+    (func (export "run") (param $iters i64) (result i64)
+        (local $i i64)
+        (local.set $i (i64.const 0))
+        (loop $cont
+            ;; Open the file `test.bin` under the same directory as this WAT
+            ;; file; this assumes some prior set up of the preopens in
+            ;; `wasi.rs`. See https://github.com/WebAssembly/WASI/blob/d8da230b/phases/snapshot/witx/wasi_snapshot_preview1.witx#L346.
+            (call $__wasi_path_open
+                ;; The fd of the preopen under which to search for the file;
+                ;; the first three are the `std*` ones.
+                (i32.const 3)
+                ;; The lookup flags (i.e., whether to follow symlinks).
+                (i32.const 0)
+                ;; The path to the file under the initial fd.
+                (i32.const 0)
+                (i32.const 8)
+                ;; The open flags; in this case we will only attempt to read but
+                ;; this may attempt to create the file if it does not exist, see
+                ;; https://github.com/WebAssembly/WASI/blob/d8da230b/phases/snapshot/witxtypenames.witx#L444).
+                (i32.const 0)
+                ;; The base rights and the inheriting rights: here we only set
+                ;; the bits for the FD_READ and FD_READDIR capabilities.
+                (i64.const 0x2002)
+                (i64.const 0x2002)
+                ;; The file descriptor flags (e.g., whether to append, sync,
+                ;; etc.); see https://github.com/WebAssembly/WASI/blob/d8da230b/phases/snapshot/witx/typenames.witx#L385
+                (i32.const 0)
+                ;; The address at which to store the opened fd (if the call
+                ;; succeeds)
+                (i32.const 16))
+            (if (then unreachable))
+
+            ;; Close the open file handle we stored at offset 16.
+            (call $__wasi_fd_close (i32.load (i32.const 16)))
+            (if (then unreachable))
+
+            ;; Continue looping until $i reaches $iters.
+            (local.set $i (i64.add (local.get $i) (i64.const 1)))
+            (br_if $cont (i64.lt_u (local.get $i) (local.get $iters)))
+        )
+        (local.get $i)
+    )
+    (data (i32.const 0) "test.bin")
+    (memory (export "memory") 1)
+)
diff --git a/benches/wasi/read-dir.wat b/benches/wasi/read-dir.wat
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6d9004a712
--- /dev/null
+++ b/benches/wasi/read-dir.wat
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+;; Read the directory entries of the preopened directory.
+(module
+    (import "wasi_snapshot_preview1" "fd_readdir"
+        (func $__wasi_fd_readdir (param i32 i32 i32 i64 i32) (result i32)))
+    (func (export "run") (param $iters i64) (result i64)
+        (local $i i64)
+        (local.set $i (i64.const 0))
+
+        (if (i32.ne (i32.load (i32.const 0)) (i32.const 0))
+            (then unreachable))
+
+        (loop $cont
+            ;; Read the file into the sole iovec buffer.
+            (call $__wasi_fd_readdir
+                ;; The fd of the preopened directory; the first three are the
+                ;; `std*` ones.
+                (i32.const 3)
+                ;; The buffer address at which to store the entries and the
+                ;; length of the buffer.
+                (i32.const 16)
+                (i32.const 4096)
+                ;; The location at which to start reading entries in the
+                ;; directory; here we start at the first entry.
+                (i64.const 0)
+                ;; The address at which to store the number of bytes read.
+                (i32.const 8))
+            (drop)
+
+            ;; Check that we indeed read at least 380 bytes of directory
+            ;; entries.
+            (if (i32.lt_u (i32.load (i32.const 8)) (i32.const 300))
+               (then unreachable))
+
+            ;; Continue looping until $i reaches $iters.
+            (local.set $i (i64.add (local.get $i) (i64.const 1)))
+            (br_if $cont (i64.lt_u (local.get $i) (local.get $iters)))
+        )
+        (local.get $i)
+    )
+    (memory (export "memory") 1)
+)
diff --git a/benches/wasi/read-file.wat b/benches/wasi/read-file.wat
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9e3d2bb5be
--- /dev/null
+++ b/benches/wasi/read-file.wat
@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+;; Repeatedly read the contents of `test.bin`.
+(module
+    (import "wasi_snapshot_preview1" "path_open"
+        (func $__wasi_path_open (param i32 i32 i32 i32 i32 i64 i64 i32 i32) (result i32)))
+    (import "wasi_snapshot_preview1" "fd_read"
+        (func $__wasi_fd_read (param i32 i32 i32 i32) (result i32)))
+    (import "wasi_snapshot_preview1" "fd_close"
+        (func $__wasi_fd_close (param i32) (result i32)))
+    (func (export "run") (param $iters i64) (result i64)
+        (local $i i64)
+        (local.set $i (i64.const 0))
+
+        ;; Set up the iovec list; the memory usage for this module should be:
+        ;; - offset 0 => file name
+        ;; - offset 16 => the opened file descriptor
+        ;; - offset 24 => the number of read bytes
+        ;; - offset 32 => the iovec list
+        ;; - offset 48 => the first (and only) iovec buffer
+        (i32.store (i32.const 32) (i32.const 48))
+        (i32.store (i32.const 36) (i32.const 4096))
+
+        (loop $cont
+            ;; Open the file `test.bin` under the same directory as this WAT
+            ;; file; this assumes some prior set up of the preopens in
+            ;; `wasi.rs`. See https://github.com/WebAssembly/WASI/blob/d8da230b/phases/snapshot/witx/wasi_snapshot_preview1.witx#L346.
+            (call $__wasi_path_open
+                ;; The fd of the preopen under which to search for the file;
+                ;; the first three are the `std*` ones.
+                (i32.const 3)
+                ;; The lookup flags (i.e., whether to follow symlinks).
+                (i32.const 0)
+                ;; The path to the file under the initial fd.
+                (i32.const 0)
+                (i32.const 8)
+                ;; The open flags; in this case we will only attempt to read but
+                ;; this may attempt to create the file if it does not exist, see
+                ;; https://github.com/WebAssembly/WASI/blob/d8da230b/phases/snapshot/witxtypenames.witx#L444).
+                (i32.const 0)
+                ;; The base rights and the inheriting rights: here we only set
+                ;; the bits for the FD_READ and FD_READDIR capabilities.
+                (i64.const 0x2002)
+                (i64.const 0x2002)
+                ;; The file descriptor flags (e.g., whether to append, sync,
+                ;; etc.); see https://github.com/WebAssembly/WASI/blob/d8da230b/phases/snapshot/witx/typenames.witx#L385
+                (i32.const 0)
+                ;; The address at which to store the opened fd (if the call
+                ;; succeeds)
+                (i32.const 16))
+            (if (then unreachable))
+
+            ;; Read the file into the sole iovec buffer.
+            (call $__wasi_fd_read
+                ;; The now-open fd stored at offset 16.
+                (i32.load (i32.const 16))
+                ;; The address and size of the list of iovecs; here we only use
+                ;; a list of a single iovec set up outside the loop.
+                (i32.const 32)
+                (i32.const 1)
+                ;; The address at which to store the number of bytes read.
+                (i32.const 24))
+            (if (then unreachable))
+            ;; Check that we indeed read 4096 bytes.
+            (if (i32.ne (i32.load (i32.const 24)) (i32.const 4096))
+                (then unreachable))
+
+            ;; Close the open file handle we stored at offset 16.
+            (call $__wasi_fd_close (i32.load (i32.const 16)))
+            (if (then unreachable))
+
+            ;; Continue looping until $i reaches $iters.
+            (local.set $i (i64.add (local.get $i) (i64.const 1)))
+            (br_if $cont (i64.lt_u (local.get $i) (local.get $iters)))
+        )
+        (local.get $i)
+    )
+    (data (i32.const 0) "test.bin")
+    (memory (export "memory") 1)
+)