diff --git a/utils/pack-directory/__tests__/pack-directory.test.js b/utils/pack-directory/__tests__/pack-directory.test.js
index dd31b84b5e..62cbe0edec 100644
--- a/utils/pack-directory/__tests__/pack-directory.test.js
+++ b/utils/pack-directory/__tests__/pack-directory.test.js
@@ -194,8 +194,8 @@ describe("pack-directory", () => {
     const last = pkgs.pop();
     const subs = await packDirectory(
       last,
-      // TODO: use location
-      last.contents,
+      // a real package doesn't _actually_ need this argument
+      undefined,
       conf
     );
 
diff --git a/utils/pack-directory/lib/pack-directory.js b/utils/pack-directory/lib/pack-directory.js
index e43a1a1a1e..d46069c783 100644
--- a/utils/pack-directory/lib/pack-directory.js
+++ b/utils/pack-directory/lib/pack-directory.js
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ function packDirectory(_pkg, dir, _opts) {
   const pkg = Package.lazy(_pkg, dir);
   const opts = PackConfig(_opts);
 
-  opts.log.verbose("pack-directory", path.relative(".", dir));
+  opts.log.verbose("pack-directory", path.relative(".", pkg.contents));
 
   let chain = Promise.resolve();
 
@@ -42,11 +42,11 @@ function packDirectory(_pkg, dir, _opts) {
 
   chain = chain.then(() => runLifecycle(pkg, "prepack", opts));
   chain = chain.then(() => pkg.refresh());
-  chain = chain.then(() => packlist({ path: dir }));
+  chain = chain.then(() => packlist({ path: pkg.contents }));
   chain = chain.then(files =>
     tar.create(
       {
-        cwd: dir,
+        cwd: pkg.contents,
         prefix: "package/",
         portable: true,
         // Provide a specific date in the 1980s for the benefit of zip,