diff --git a/lib/core.js b/lib/core.js
index d1fb3075..e8b2ca9a 100644
--- a/lib/core.js
+++ b/lib/core.js
@@ -73,6 +73,7 @@ const parseName = function(pkg) {
 // Fetch package info json from registry
 const fetchPackageInfo = async function(name, registry) {
   if (!registry) registry = env.registry;
+  log.debug(`fetchPackageInfo: ${name} registry=${registry}`);
   try {
     let pkgUrl = `${registry}/${name}`;
     log.debug(`http get ${pkgUrl}`);
@@ -102,6 +103,7 @@ const fetchPackageInfo = async function(name, registry) {
   ]
  */
 const fetchPackageDependencies = async function({ name, version, deep }) {
+  log.debug(`fetchPackageDependencies: ${name}@${version} deep=${deep}`);
   // a list of pending dependency {name, version}
   const pendingList = [{ name, version }];
   // a list of processed dependency {name, version}
@@ -123,22 +125,33 @@ const fetchPackageDependencies = async function({ name, version, deep }) {
         self: entry.name == name
       };
       if (!validDep.module) {
-        // fetch package info
-        let pkgInfo = cachedPacakgeInfoDict[entry.name];
+        // try fetching package info from cache
+        let { pkgInfo, upstream } = _.get(cachedPacakgeInfoDict, entry.name, {
+          pkgInfo: null,
+          upstream: false
+        });
+        if (pkgInfo) {
+          validDep.upstream = upstream;
+        }
+        // try fetching package info from the default registry
         if (!pkgInfo) {
           pkgInfo = await fetchPackageInfo(entry.name);
-          if (pkgInfo) cachedPacakgeInfoDict[entry.name] = pkgInfo;
+          if (pkgInfo) {
+            validDep.upstream = false;
+            cachedPacakgeInfoDict[entry.name] = { pkgInfo, upstream: false };
+          }
         }
+        // try fetching package info from the upstream registry
         if (!pkgInfo) {
           pkgInfo = await fetchPackageInfo(entry.name, env.upstreamRegistry);
           if (pkgInfo) {
             validDep.upstream = true;
-            cachedPacakgeInfoDict[entry.name] = pkgInfo;
+            cachedPacakgeInfoDict[entry.name] = { pkgInfo, upstream: true };
           }
         }
         // handle package not exist
         if (!pkgInfo) {
-          log.warn(`package not found: ${entry.name}`);
+          log.warn(`invalid dep: ${entry.name}`);
           continue;
         }
         // verify version
@@ -169,7 +182,11 @@ const fetchPackageDependencies = async function({ name, version, deep }) {
         }
       }
       validDeps.push(validDep);
-      log.debug(`- ${entry.name}@${entry.version}`);
+      log.debug(
+        `valid dep: ${entry.name}@${entry.version} ${
+          validDep.module ? "module " : ""
+        }${validDep.upstream ? "upstream" : ""}`
+      );
     }
   }
   return validDeps;
diff --git a/test/test-cmd-deps.js b/test/test-cmd-deps.js
index 3250e156..b863325a 100644
--- a/test/test-cmd-deps.js
+++ b/test/test-cmd-deps.js
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ describe("cmd-deps.js", function() {
       retCode.should.equal(0);
       stderr
         .captured()
-        .includes("package not found")
+        .includes("invalid dep")
         .should.be.ok();
     });
     it("deps pkg upstream", async function() {