diff --git a/lib/install.js b/lib/install.js
index 98a55c54df..358dd1ce5b 100644
--- a/lib/install.js
+++ b/lib/install.js
@@ -1,15 +1,14 @@
 var Promise = require('./promise')
 var debug = require('debug')('pnpm:install')
 var npa = require('npm-package-arg')
-var config = require('./config')
 var join = require('path').join
 var mkdirp = require('./mkdirp')
 var fetch = require('./fetch')
 var resolve = require('./resolve')
 var getUuid = require('node-uuid')
 var symlink = require('./force_symlink')
+var linkBins = require('./install/link_bins')
 var fs = require('mz/fs')
-var basename = require('path').basename
 
 /*
  * Installs a package.
@@ -49,8 +48,9 @@ module.exports = function install (ctx, pkg, modules, options) {
   var log = ctx.log(pkgSpec) // function
   var tmp = join(ctx.tmp, getUuid()) // 'node_modules/.tmp/000-11...'
 
-  return fs.stat(join(modules, pkgSpec.name))
+  return fs.stat(join(modules, pkgSpec.name, 'package.json'))
     .catch((err) => {
+      if (err.code !== 'ENOENT') throw err
       return resolve(pkgSpec)
         .then(set)
         .then(_ => log('resolved', pkgData))
@@ -63,7 +63,6 @@ module.exports = function install (ctx, pkg, modules, options) {
           .then(_ => log('downloading'))
           .then(_ => mkdirp(store))
           .then(_ => mkdirp(tmp))
-          // TODO: check for existence of target
           .then(_ => fetch(tmp, dist.tarball, dist.shasum, log))
           .then(_ => linkBins(modules, tmp, fullname))
           .then(_ => log('dependencies'))
@@ -76,7 +75,7 @@ module.exports = function install (ctx, pkg, modules, options) {
           .then(_ => unlock(ctx, target))
         })
         .then(_ => mkdirp(modules))
-        .then(_ => doSymlink())
+        .then(_ => symlinkToModules(fullname, name, modules, depth))
     })
     .then(_ => log('done'))
     .catch((err) => {
@@ -92,17 +91,6 @@ module.exports = function install (ctx, pkg, modules, options) {
     name = res.name
     dist = res.dist
   }
-
-  // perform the final symlinking of ./.store/x@1.0.0 => ./x.
-  function doSymlink () {
-    if (depth === 0) {
-      return symlink(join('.store', fullname), join(modules, name))
-    } else {
-      // we'll go back to ..../.store here so the same module will act the same
-      // on node_modules/.tmp
-      return symlink(join('..', '..', '..', '.store', fullname), join(modules, name))
-    }
-  }
 }
 
 function lock (ctx, path) {
@@ -119,7 +107,7 @@ function isLocked (ctx, path) {
 }
 
 /*
- * symlink a package into its own node_modules. this way, babel-runtime@5 can
+ * Symlink a package into its own node_modules. this way, babel-runtime@5 can
  * require('babel-runtime') within itself.
  */
 
@@ -135,45 +123,20 @@ function symlinkSelf (target, name, depth) {
 }
 
 /*
- * Links executables into `node_modules/.bin`
+ * Perform the final symlinking of ./.store/x@1.0.0 -> ./x.
  *
- *     module = 'project/node_modules'
- *     target = 'project/node_modules/.tmp/a1b3c56...'
- *     linkBins(module, target, 'rimraf@2.5.1')
- *
- *     // node_modules/.bin/rimraf -> ../.store/rimraf@2.5.1/cmd.js
+ *     fullname = 'lodash@4.0.0'
+ *     name = 'lodash'
+ *     modules = './node_modules'
+ *     symlinkToModules(fullname, name, modules, 0)
  */
 
-function linkBins (module, target, fullname) {
-  var pkg = tryRequire(join(target, 'package.json'))
-  if (!pkg || !pkg.bin) return
-  
-  var bins = binify(pkg)
-
-  return Object.keys(bins).map((bin) => {
-    var actualBin = bins[bin]
-
-    return Promise.resolve()
-      .then(_ => fs.chmod(join(target, actualBin), 0o755))
-      .then(_ => mkdirp(join(module, '.bin')))
-      .then(_ => symlink(
-        join('..', '.store', fullname, actualBin),
-        join(module, '.bin', bin)))
-  })
-}
-
-function binify (pkg) {
-  if (typeof pkg.bin === 'string') {
-    var obj = {}
-    obj[pkg.name] = pkg.bin
-    return obj
+function symlinkToModules (fullname, name, modules, depth) {
+  if (depth === 0) {
+    return symlink(join('.store', fullname), join(modules, name))
+  } else {
+    // we'll go back to ..../.store here so the same module will act the same
+    // on node_modules/.tmp
+    return symlink(join('..', '..', '..', '.store', fullname), join(modules, name))
   }
-
-  return pkg.bin
-}
-
-function tryRequire (path) {
-  try {
-    return require(path)
-  } catch (e) { }
 }
diff --git a/lib/install/link_bins.js b/lib/install/link_bins.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e1fdb895e4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/install/link_bins.js
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+var join = require('path').join
+var symlink = require('../force_symlink')
+var fs = require('mz/fs')
+var mkdirp = require('../mkdirp')
+
+/*
+ * Links executables into `node_modules/.bin`.
+ *
+ * - `modules` (String) - the node_modlules path
+ * - `target` (String) - where the module is now; read package.json from here
+ * - `fullname` (String) - fullname of the module (`rimraf@2.5.1`)
+ *
+ *     module = 'project/node_modules'
+ *     target = 'project/node_modules/.tmp/a1b3c56...'
+ *     linkBins(module, target, 'rimraf@2.5.1')
+ *
+ *     // node_modules/.bin/rimraf -> ../.store/rimraf@2.5.1/cmd.js
+ */
+
+module.exports = function linkBins (modules, target, fullname) {
+  var pkg = tryRequire(join(target, 'package.json'))
+  if (!pkg || !pkg.bin) return
+
+  var bins = binify(pkg)
+
+  return Object.keys(bins).map((bin) => {
+    var actualBin = bins[bin]
+
+    return Promise.resolve()
+      .then(_ => fs.chmod(join(target, actualBin), 0o755))
+      .then(_ => mkdirp(join(modules, '.bin')))
+      .then(_ => symlink(
+        join('..', '.store', fullname, actualBin),
+        join(modules, '.bin', bin)))
+  })
+}
+
+/*
+ * Like `require()`, but returns `undefined` when it fails
+ */
+
+function tryRequire (path) {
+  try { return require(path) } catch (e) { }
+}
+
+/*
+ * Returns bins for a package in a standard object format. This normalizes
+ * between npm's string and object formats.
+ *
+ *    binify({ name: 'rimraf', bin: 'cmd.js' })
+ *    => { rimraf: 'cmd.js' }
+ *
+ *    binify({ name: 'rmrf', bin: { rmrf: 'cmd.js' } })
+ *    => { rmrf: 'cmd.js' }
+ */
+
+function binify (pkg) {
+  if (typeof pkg.bin === 'string') {
+    var obj = {}
+    obj[pkg.name] = pkg.bin
+    return obj
+  }
+
+  return pkg.bin
+}