diff --git a/nvm-exec b/nvm-exec
index 8f18e98e49..5e88766a66 100755
--- a/nvm-exec
+++ b/nvm-exec
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
 
 SOURCE=${BASH_SOURCE[0]}
-test -L "$SOURCE" && SOURCE=$(readlink "$SOURCE")
+test -L "$SOURCE" && command cd "$( dirname "$SOURCE" )" && \
+  SOURCE=$(readlink "$SOURCE")
 DIR="$(command cd "$( dirname "$SOURCE" )" && pwd )"
 
 unset NVM_CD_FLAGS
diff --git "a/test/slow/nvm exec/Running \"nvm exec --lts\" when NVM_DIR differs from nvm" "b/test/slow/nvm exec/Running \"nvm exec --lts\" when NVM_DIR differs from nvm"
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ee314be76b
--- /dev/null
+++ "b/test/slow/nvm exec/Running \"nvm exec --lts\" when NVM_DIR differs from nvm"	
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+
+set -ex
+
+die () { echo "$@" ; exit 1; }
+
+INSTPATH="$(mktemp -p "$(pwd)" -d)"
+trap 'test ! -z "${INSTPATH-}" && test -d "$INSTPATH" && rm -rf "$INSTPATH"' EXIT
+declare -x NVM_DIR=$INSTPATH
+\. ../../../nvm.sh
+
+nvm install --lts || die 'nvm install --lts failed'
+nvm exec --lts npm --version || die "`nvm exec` failed to run"
+declare -x NODE_VERSION="$(nvm exec --lts --silent node --version)"
+
+ln -s ../../../../nvm-exec "$INSTPATH/nvm-exec" || die "failed to create a symlink to $INSTPATH/"
+"$INSTPATH/nvm-exec" npm ls > /dev/null || die "`nvm exec` failed to run using nvm-exec helper"
+