diff --git a/modules/kobalt-plugin-api/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/api/KobaltContext.kt b/modules/kobalt-plugin-api/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/api/KobaltContext.kt
index 5a9cba74..292bb255 100644
--- a/modules/kobalt-plugin-api/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/api/KobaltContext.kt
+++ b/modules/kobalt-plugin-api/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/api/KobaltContext.kt
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import com.beust.kobalt.internal.KobaltSettings
 import com.beust.kobalt.internal.PluginInfo
 import com.beust.kobalt.maven.DependencyManager
 import com.beust.kobalt.misc.KobaltExecutors
+import java.io.File
 
 class KobaltContext(val args: Args) {
     var variant: Variant = Variant()
@@ -47,4 +48,9 @@ class InternalContext {
      * will be disabled.
      */
     var buildFileOutOfDate: Boolean = false
+
+    /**
+     * The absolute directory of the current project.
+     */
+    var absoluteDir: File? = null
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/modules/kobalt-plugin-api/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/internal/build/BuildFile.kt b/modules/kobalt-plugin-api/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/internal/build/BuildFile.kt
index e4efb9e9..d7f8e831 100644
--- a/modules/kobalt-plugin-api/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/internal/build/BuildFile.kt
+++ b/modules/kobalt-plugin-api/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/internal/build/BuildFile.kt
@@ -23,4 +23,9 @@ class BuildFile(val path: Path, val name: String, val realPath: Path = path) {
     val dotKobaltDir: File get() = File(directory.parentFile.parentFile, KFiles.KOBALT_DOT_DIR).apply {
         mkdirs()
     }
+
+    /**
+     * @return the absolute directory of this build file, assuming the build file is in $project/kobalt/src/Build.kt
+     */
+    val absoluteDir = path.parent.parent.parent.toFile()
 }
diff --git a/modules/kobalt-plugin-api/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/maven/DependencyManager.kt b/modules/kobalt-plugin-api/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/maven/DependencyManager.kt
index 968056b6..6085ad61 100644
--- a/modules/kobalt-plugin-api/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/maven/DependencyManager.kt
+++ b/modules/kobalt-plugin-api/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/maven/DependencyManager.kt
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import com.beust.kobalt.maven.dependency.FileDependency
 import com.beust.kobalt.misc.KFiles
 import com.beust.kobalt.misc.KobaltExecutors
 import com.beust.kobalt.misc.log
+import com.beust.kobalt.misc.warn
 import com.google.common.collect.ArrayListMultimap
 import java.io.File
 import java.util.*
@@ -30,7 +31,15 @@ class DependencyManager @Inject constructor(val executors: KobaltExecutors, val
             val path = if (project?.directory != null) {
                 val idPath = id.substring(FileDependency.PREFIX_FILE.length)
                 if (! File(idPath).isAbsolute) {
-                    File(project!!.directory, idPath)
+                    // If the project directory is relative, we might not be in the correct directory to locate
+                    // that file, so we'll use the absolute directory deduced from the build file path. Pick
+                    // the first one that produces an actual file
+                    val result = listOf(File(project!!.directory), Kobalt.context?.internalContext?.absoluteDir).map {
+                        File(it, idPath)
+                    }.first {
+                        it.exists()
+                    }
+                    result
                 } else {
                     File(idPath)
                 }
@@ -119,7 +128,14 @@ class DependencyManager @Inject constructor(val executors: KobaltExecutors, val
             }
         }
 
-        val result2 = reorderDependencies(result).filter {
+        val reordered = reorderDependencies(result)
+
+        val nonexistent = reordered.filter{ ! it.jarFile.get().exists() }
+        if (nonexistent.any()) {
+            warn("Nonexistent dependencies: $nonexistent")
+        }
+
+        val result2 = reordered.filter {
             // Only keep existent files (nonexistent files are probably optional dependencies or parent poms
             // that point to other poms but don't have a jar file themselves)
             it.jarFile.get().exists()
diff --git a/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/app/BuildFileCompiler.kt b/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/app/BuildFileCompiler.kt
index 47918c44..58ee7438 100644
--- a/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/app/BuildFileCompiler.kt
+++ b/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/app/BuildFileCompiler.kt
@@ -73,6 +73,11 @@ public class BuildFileCompiler @Inject constructor(@Assisted("buildFiles") val b
             val pluginUrls = parsedBuildFile.pluginUrls
             val buildScriptJarFile = File(KFiles.findBuildScriptLocation(buildFile, SCRIPT_JAR))
 
+            //
+            // Save the current build script absolute directory
+            //
+            context.internalContext.absoluteDir = buildFile.absoluteDir
+
             // If the script jar files were generated by a different version, wipe them in case the API
             // changed in-between
             buildScriptJarFile.parentFile.let { dir ->
@@ -96,6 +101,10 @@ public class BuildFileCompiler @Inject constructor(@Assisted("buildFiles") val b
                     errorTaskResult = taskResult
                 }
             }
+
+            // Clear the absolute dir
+            context.internalContext.absoluteDir = null
+
         }
         val pluginUrls = parsedBuildFiles.flatMap { it.pluginUrls }
         return FindProjectResult(projects, pluginUrls, if (errorTaskResult != null) errorTaskResult!! else TaskResult())