diff --git a/cli.js b/cli.js
index 1bcdf482a..80151397c 100755
--- a/cli.js
+++ b/cli.js
@@ -1,19 +1,11 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env node
 'use strict';
-const path = require('path');
 const debug = require('debug')('ava');
+const importLocal = require('import-local');
 
-// Prefer the local installation of AVA.
-const resolveCwd = require('resolve-cwd');
-
-const localCLI = resolveCwd('ava/cli');
-
-// Use `path.relative()` to detect local AVA installation,
-// because __filename's case is inconsistent on Windows
-// see https://github.com/nodejs/node/issues/6624
-if (localCLI && path.relative(localCLI, __filename) !== '') {
+// Prefer the local installation of AVA
+if (importLocal(__filename)) {
 	debug('Using local install of AVA');
-	require(localCLI);
 } else {
 	if (debug.enabled) {
 		require('time-require'); // eslint-disable-line import/no-unassigned-import
diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index 511fb3321..833e6a094 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -2117,6 +2117,28 @@
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/ignore-by-default/-/ignore-by-default-1.0.1.tgz",
       "integrity": "sha1-SMptcvbGo68Aqa1K5odr44ieKwk="
     },
+    "import-local": {
+      "version": "0.1.1",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/import-local/-/import-local-0.1.1.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha1-sReVcqrNwRxqkQCftDDbyrX2aKg=",
+      "dependencies": {
+        "pkg-dir": {
+          "version": "2.0.0",
+          "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/pkg-dir/-/pkg-dir-2.0.0.tgz",
+          "integrity": "sha1-9tXREJ4Z1j7fQo4L1X4Sd3YVM0s="
+        },
+        "resolve-cwd": {
+          "version": "2.0.0",
+          "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/resolve-cwd/-/resolve-cwd-2.0.0.tgz",
+          "integrity": "sha1-AKn3OHVW4nA46uIyyqNypqWbZlo="
+        },
+        "resolve-from": {
+          "version": "3.0.0",
+          "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/resolve-from/-/resolve-from-3.0.0.tgz",
+          "integrity": "sha1-six699nWiBvItuZTM17rywoYh0g="
+        }
+      }
+    },
     "imurmurhash": {
       "version": "0.1.4",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/imurmurhash/-/imurmurhash-0.1.4.tgz",
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index be16766c4..6b6783adc 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -133,6 +133,7 @@
     "has-flag": "^2.0.0",
     "hullabaloo-config-manager": "^1.1.0",
     "ignore-by-default": "^1.0.0",
+    "import-local": "^0.1.1",
     "indent-string": "^3.0.0",
     "is-ci": "^1.0.7",
     "is-generator-fn": "^1.0.0",
diff --git a/test/cli.js b/test/cli.js
index a2a65a33c..f762ba455 100644
--- a/test/cli.js
+++ b/test/cli.js
@@ -7,8 +7,6 @@ const getStream = require('get-stream');
 const figures = require('figures');
 const makeDir = require('make-dir');
 const touch = require('touch');
-const proxyquire = require('proxyquire');
-const sinon = require('sinon');
 const uniqueTempDir = require('unique-temp-dir');
 const execa = require('execa');
 const stripAnsi = require('strip-ansi');
@@ -33,7 +31,7 @@ function execCli(args, opts, cb) {
 	let stderr;
 
 	const processPromise = new Promise(resolve => {
-		child = childProcess.spawn(process.execPath, [path.relative(dirname, cliPath)].concat(args), {
+		child = childProcess.spawn(process.execPath, [cliPath].concat(args), {
 			cwd: dirname,
 			env,
 			stdio: [null, 'pipe', 'pipe']
@@ -421,33 +419,16 @@ test('should warn ava is required without the cli', t => {
 });
 
 test('prefers local version of ava', t => {
-	t.plan(1);
-
-	const stubModulePath = path.join(__dirname, '/fixture/empty');
-	const debugSpy = sinon.spy();
-	const resolveCwdStub = () => stubModulePath;
-
-	function debugStub() {
-		return message => {
-			let result = {
-				enabled: false
-			};
-
-			if (message) {
-				result = debugSpy(message);
-			}
-
-			return result;
-		};
-	}
-
-	proxyquire('../cli', {
-		debug: debugStub,
-		'resolve-cwd': resolveCwdStub
+	execCli('', {
+		dirname: 'fixture/local-bin',
+		env: {
+			DEBUG: 'ava'
+		}
+	}, (err, stdout, stderr) => {
+		t.ifError(err);
+		t.match(stderr, 'Using local install of AVA');
+		t.end();
 	});
-
-	t.ok(debugSpy.calledWith('Using local install of AVA'));
-	t.end();
 });
 
 test('use current working directory if `package.json` is not found', () => {
diff --git a/test/fixture/local-bin/node_modules/ava/cli.js b/test/fixture/local-bin/node_modules/ava/cli.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e69de29bb
diff --git a/test/fixture/local-bin/node_modules/ava/package.json b/test/fixture/local-bin/node_modules/ava/package.json
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7c83cc461
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixture/local-bin/node_modules/ava/package.json
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+{
+	"name": "ava"
+}