The gastrointestinal (GI) tract extracts nutrients from ingested meals. In addition to nutrients, meals contain toxins and infectious agents. Consequently, most animals conduct the entire digestive process within the GI tract, but luminal contents are entirely outside the body, separated by the tightly sealed GI epithelium. Therefore, like skin and oral cavity, the gut must sense the chemical and physical properties of luminal contents to optimize digestion and nutrient absorption. Yet, physical sensing of luminal contents remains unclear. The gut epithelium contains specialized sensory enteroendocrine cells (EECs) that intimately interact with luminal contents. We focus on a subpopulation of EECs that have similarities to the light touch sensors in the skin, the Merkel cells. These gut touch sensors endow the gut with an ability to detect small luminal forces and luminal contents’ physical properties to regulate critical aspects of GI physiology, suggesting that the gut has a built-in tactile sensing system.