diff --git a/ChangeLog.txt b/ChangeLog.txt
index 7e6b8bd0b..8e747a38f 100644
--- a/ChangeLog.txt
+++ b/ChangeLog.txt
@@ -1540,4 +1540,7 @@
 	  modem in nsh.  From  Vladimir Komendantskiy (2019-01-31).
 	* apps/system/ubloxmodem:  Moved the modem application from
 	  examples/ to system/ (2016-01-31).
+	* apps/system/i2c:  The I2C tool now obeys it OS interfacing:
+	  it now uses an I2C character driver to access the I2C bus
+	  (2016-02-02).
 
diff --git a/system/i2c/i2c_dev.c b/system/i2c/i2c_dev.c
index 284fc8ba8..7151a2f5c 100644
--- a/system/i2c/i2c_dev.c
+++ b/system/i2c/i2c_dev.c
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ int i2ccmd_dev(FAR struct i2ctool_s *i2ctool, int argc, char **argv)
 
   /* Get a handle to the I2C bus */
 
-  fd = i2cdev_open(i2ctool, i2ctool->bus);
+  fd = i2cdev_open(i2ctool->bus);
   if (fd < 0)
     {
        i2ctool_printf(i2ctool, "Failed to get bus %d\n", i2ctool->bus);
@@ -176,15 +176,15 @@ int i2ccmd_dev(FAR struct i2ctool_s *i2ctool, int argc, char **argv)
 
           if (i2ctool->start)
             {
-              ret = i2cdev_transfer(i2ctool, fd, &msg[0], 1);
+              ret = i2cdev_transfer(fd, &msg[0], 1);
               if (ret == OK)
                 {
-                  ret = i2cdev_transfer(i2ctool, fd, &msg[1], 1);
+                  ret = i2cdev_transfer(fd, &msg[1], 1);
                 }
             }
           else
             {
-              ret = i2cdev_transfer(i2ctool, fd, msg, 2);
+              ret = i2cdev_transfer(fd, msg, 2);
             }
 
           if (ret == OK)
diff --git a/system/i2c/i2c_devif.c b/system/i2c/i2c_devif.c
index fb5384be2..db1ad5b3d 100644
--- a/system/i2c/i2c_devif.c
+++ b/system/i2c/i2c_devif.c
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ bool i2cdev_exists(int bus)
  * Name: i2cdev_open
  ****************************************************************************/
 
-int i2cdev_open(FAR struct i2ctool_s *i2ctool, int bus)
+int i2cdev_open(int bus)
 {
   FAR char *devpath;
   int fd;
@@ -123,27 +123,14 @@ int i2cdev_open(FAR struct i2ctool_s *i2ctool, int bus)
 
   /* Open the file for read-only access (we need only IOCTLs) */
 
-  fd = open(devpath, O_RDONLY);
-  if (fd < 0)
-    {
-      int errcode = errno;
-
-      /* We failed to open the driver */
-
-      i2ctool_printf(i2ctool, "ERROR: Failed to open %s: %d\n",
-                     devpath, errcode);
-      return ERROR;
-    }
-
-  return fd;
+  return open(devpath, O_RDONLY);
 }
 
 /****************************************************************************
  * Name: i2cdev_transfer
  ****************************************************************************/
 
-int i2cdev_transfer(FAR struct i2ctool_s *i2ctool, int fd,
-                    FAR struct i2c_msg_s *msgv, int msgc)
+int i2cdev_transfer(int fd, FAR struct i2c_msg_s *msgv, int msgc)
 {
   struct i2c_transfer_s xfer;
   int ret;
@@ -155,17 +142,5 @@ int i2cdev_transfer(FAR struct i2ctool_s *i2ctool, int fd,
 
   /* Perform the IOCTL */
 
-  ret = ioctl(fd, I2CIOC_TRANSFER, (unsigned long)((uintptr_t)&xfer));
-  if (ret < 0)
-    {
-      int errcode = errno;
-
-      /* We failed to open the driver */
-
-      i2ctool_printf(i2ctool, "ERROR: ioctl(I2CIOC_TRANSFER) failed: %d\n",
-                     errcode);
-      return ERROR;
-    }
-
-  return OK;
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+  return ioctl(fd, I2CIOC_TRANSFER, (unsigned long)((uintptr_t)&xfer));
+}
diff --git a/system/i2c/i2c_get.c b/system/i2c/i2c_get.c
index 70777abde..acdea6b2a 100644
--- a/system/i2c/i2c_get.c
+++ b/system/i2c/i2c_get.c
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ int i2ccmd_get(FAR struct i2ctool_s *i2ctool, int argc, FAR char **argv)
 
   /* Get a handle to the I2C bus */
 
-  fd = i2cdev_open(i2ctool, i2ctool->bus);
+  fd = i2cdev_open(i2ctool->bus);
   if (fd < 0)
     {
        i2ctool_printf(i2ctool, "Failed to get bus %d\n", i2ctool->bus);
@@ -205,15 +205,15 @@ int i2ctool_get(FAR struct i2ctool_s *i2ctool, int fd, uint8_t regaddr,
 
   if (i2ctool->start)
     {
-      ret = i2cdev_transfer(i2ctool, fd, &msg[0], 1);
+      ret = i2cdev_transfer(fd, &msg[0], 1);
       if (ret== OK)
         {
-          ret = i2cdev_transfer(i2ctool, fd, &msg[1], 1);
+          ret = i2cdev_transfer(fd, &msg[1], 1);
         }
     }
   else
     {
-      ret = i2cdev_transfer(i2ctool, fd, msg, 2);
+      ret = i2cdev_transfer(fd, msg, 2);
     }
 
   /* Return the result of the read operation */
diff --git a/system/i2c/i2c_set.c b/system/i2c/i2c_set.c
index b5cad99b1..ce3638280 100644
--- a/system/i2c/i2c_set.c
+++ b/system/i2c/i2c_set.c
@@ -141,7 +141,7 @@ int i2ccmd_set(FAR struct i2ctool_s *i2ctool, int argc, FAR char **argv)
 
   /* Get a handle to the I2C bus */
 
-  fd = i2cdev_open(i2ctool, i2ctool->bus);
+  fd = i2cdev_open(i2ctool->bus);
   if (fd < 0)
     {
        i2ctool_printf(i2ctool, "Failed to get bus %d\n", i2ctool->bus);
@@ -233,15 +233,15 @@ int i2ctool_set(FAR struct i2ctool_s *i2ctool, int fd, uint8_t regaddr,
 
   if (i2ctool->start)
     {
-      ret = i2cdev_transfer(i2ctool, fd, &msg[0], 1);
+      ret = i2cdev_transfer(fd, &msg[0], 1);
       if (ret == OK)
         {
-          ret = i2cdev_transfer(i2ctool, fd, &msg[1], 1);
+          ret = i2cdev_transfer(fd, &msg[1], 1);
         }
     }
   else
     {
-      ret = i2cdev_transfer(i2ctool, fd, msg, 2);
+      ret = i2cdev_transfer(fd, msg, 2);
     }
 
   return ret;
diff --git a/system/i2c/i2c_verf.c b/system/i2c/i2c_verf.c
index d5bd8339a..ed67d1409 100644
--- a/system/i2c/i2c_verf.c
+++ b/system/i2c/i2c_verf.c
@@ -143,7 +143,7 @@ int i2ccmd_verf(FAR struct i2ctool_s *i2ctool, int argc, FAR char **argv)
 
   /* Get a handle to the I2C bus */
 
-  fd = i2cdev_open(i2ctool, i2ctool->bus);
+  fd = i2cdev_open(i2ctool->bus);
   if (fd < 0)
     {
        i2ctool_printf(i2ctool, "Failed to get bus %d\n", i2ctool->bus);
diff --git a/system/i2c/i2ctool.h b/system/i2c/i2ctool.h
index da3997178..ea43f7035 100644
--- a/system/i2c/i2ctool.h
+++ b/system/i2c/i2ctool.h
@@ -208,8 +208,7 @@ int arg_hex(FAR char **arg, FAR long *value);
 
 FAR char *i2cdev_path(int bus);
 bool i2cdev_exists(int bus);
-int i2cdev_open(FAR struct i2ctool_s *i2ctool, int bus);
-int i2cdev_transfer(FAR struct i2ctool_s *i2ctool, int fd,
-                    FAR struct i2c_msg_s *msgv, int msgc);
+int i2cdev_open(int bus);
+int i2cdev_transfer(int fd, FAR struct i2c_msg_s *msgv, int msgc);
 
 #endif /* __APPS_SYSTEM_I2C_I2CTOOLS_H */