diff --git a/lib/base-command.js b/lib/base-command.js
index 4077733a934b..870c69acc492 100644
--- a/lib/base-command.js
+++ b/lib/base-command.js
@@ -75,7 +75,6 @@ class BaseCommand {
   }
 
   async setWorkspaces (filters) {
-    // TODO npm guards workspaces/global mode so we should use this.npm.prefix?
     const ws = await getWorkspaces(filters, { path: this.npm.localPrefix })
     this.workspaces = ws
     this.workspaceNames = [...ws.keys()]
diff --git a/lib/npm.js b/lib/npm.js
index 7046a84d0bcf..407ca9a5a649 100644
--- a/lib/npm.js
+++ b/lib/npm.js
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ const npm = module.exports = new class extends EventEmitter {
   constructor () {
     super()
     // TODO make this only ever load once (or unload) in tests
-    require('./utils/perf.js')
+    this.timers = require('./utils/perf.js').timers
     this.started = Date.now()
     this.command = null
     this.commands = proxyCmds
diff --git a/lib/utils/exit-handler.js b/lib/utils/exit-handler.js
index 931527704b9b..c19e83123fad 100644
--- a/lib/utils/exit-handler.js
+++ b/lib/utils/exit-handler.js
@@ -32,9 +32,14 @@ process.on('timing', (name, value) => {
 })
 
 process.on('exit', code => {
+  // process.emit is synchronous, so the timeEnd handler will run before the
+  // unfinished timer check below
   process.emit('timeEnd', 'npm')
   log.disableProgress()
-  if (npm.config && npm.config.loaded && npm.config.get('timing')) {
+  for (const [name, timers] of npm.timers)
+    log.verbose('unfinished npm timer', name, timers)
+
+  if (npm.config.loaded && npm.config.get('timing')) {
     try {
       const file = path.resolve(npm.config.get('cache'), '_timing.json')
       const dir = path.dirname(npm.config.get('cache'))
@@ -69,7 +74,7 @@ process.on('exit', code => {
     }
   }
   // In timing mode we always write the log file
-  if (npm.config && npm.config.loaded && npm.config.get('timing') && !wroteLogFile)
+  if (npm.config.loaded && npm.config.get('timing') && !wroteLogFile)
     writeLogFile()
   if (wroteLogFile) {
     // just a line break
@@ -113,7 +118,7 @@ const exit = (code, noLog) => {
 
 const exitHandler = (err) => {
   log.disableProgress()
-  if (!npm.config || !npm.config.loaded) {
+  if (!npm.config.loaded) {
     // logging won't work unless we pretend that it's ready
     err = err || new Error('Exit prior to config file resolving.')
     console.error(err.stack || err.message)
@@ -180,7 +185,7 @@ const exitHandler = (err) => {
   for (const errline of [...msg.summary, ...msg.detail])
     log.error(...errline)
 
-  if (npm.config && npm.config.get('json')) {
+  if (npm.config.loaded && npm.config.get('json')) {
     const error = {
       error: {
         code: err.code,
diff --git a/lib/utils/perf.js b/lib/utils/perf.js
index 4961054d909a..b75d3e1d95f8 100644
--- a/lib/utils/perf.js
+++ b/lib/utils/perf.js
@@ -1,20 +1,21 @@
 const log = require('npmlog')
-const timings = new Map()
+const timers = new Map()
 
 process.on('time', (name) => {
-  timings.set(name, Date.now())
+  timers.set(name, Date.now())
 })
 
 process.on('timeEnd', (name) => {
-  if (timings.has(name)) {
-    const ms = Date.now() - timings.get(name)
+  if (timers.has(name)) {
+    const ms = Date.now() - timers.get(name)
     process.emit('timing', name, ms)
     log.timing(name, `Completed in ${ms}ms`)
-    timings.delete(name)
+    timers.delete(name)
   } else
     log.silly('timing', "Tried to end timer that doesn't exist:", name)
 })
 
+exports.timers = timers
 // for tests
 /* istanbul ignore next */
 exports.reset = () => {
diff --git a/test/lib/utils/exit-handler.js b/test/lib/utils/exit-handler.js
index 06014b67a975..49e145aebd49 100644
--- a/test/lib/utils/exit-handler.js
+++ b/test/lib/utils/exit-handler.js
@@ -1,8 +1,10 @@
 /* eslint-disable no-extend-native */
 /* eslint-disable no-global-assign */
+const t = require('tap')
 const EventEmitter = require('events')
 const writeFileAtomic = require('write-file-atomic')
-const t = require('tap')
+
+const { real: mockNpm } = require('../../fixtures/mock-npm')
 
 // NOTE: Although these unit tests may look like the rest on the surface,
 // they are in fact very special due to the amount of things hooking directly
@@ -25,23 +27,14 @@ t.cleanSnapshot = (str) => redactCwd(str)
 
 // internal modules mocks
 const cacheFolder = t.testdir({})
-const config = {
-  values: {
-    cache: cacheFolder,
-    timing: true,
-  },
-  loaded: true,
-  updateNotification: null,
-  get (key) {
-    return this.values[key]
-  },
-}
 
-const npm = {
-  version: '1.0.0',
-  config,
-  shelloutCommands: ['exec', 'run-script'],
-}
+const { npm } = mockNpm(t)
+
+t.before(async () => {
+  npm.version = '1.0.0'
+  await npm.load()
+  npm.config.set('cache', cacheFolder)
+})
 
 const npmlog = {
   disableProgress: () => null,
@@ -190,9 +183,15 @@ t.test('handles unknown error', (t) => {
 t.test('npm.config not ready', (t) => {
   t.plan(1)
 
-  config.loaded = false
-
+  const { npm: unloaded } = mockNpm(t)
   const _error = console.error
+
+  t.teardown(() => {
+    console.error = _error
+    exitHandler.setNpm(npm)
+  })
+
+  exitHandler.setNpm(unloaded)
   console.error = (msg) => {
     t.match(
       msg,
@@ -202,25 +201,20 @@ t.test('npm.config not ready', (t) => {
   }
 
   exitHandler()
-
-  t.teardown(() => {
-    console.error = _error
-    config.loaded = true
-  })
 })
 
 t.test('fail to write logfile', (t) => {
   t.plan(1)
 
+  t.teardown(() => {
+    npm.config.set('cache', cacheFolder)
+  })
+
   const badDir = t.testdir({
     _logs: 'is a file',
   })
 
-  config.values.cache = badDir
-
-  t.teardown(() => {
-    config.values.cache = cacheFolder
-  })
+  npm.config.set('cache', badDir)
 
   t.doesNotThrow(
     () => exitHandler(err),
@@ -231,7 +225,11 @@ t.test('fail to write logfile', (t) => {
 t.test('console.log output using --json', (t) => {
   t.plan(1)
 
-  config.values.json = true
+  npm.config.set('json', true)
+  t.teardown(() => {
+    console.error = _error
+    npm.config.set('json', false)
+  })
 
   const _error = console.error
   console.error = (jsonOutput) => {
@@ -249,11 +247,6 @@ t.test('console.log output using --json', (t) => {
   }
 
   exitHandler(new Error('Error: EBADTHING Something happened'))
-
-  t.teardown(() => {
-    console.error = _error
-    delete config.values.json
-  })
 })
 
 t.test('throw a non-error obj', (t) => {
@@ -354,7 +347,12 @@ t.test('on exit handler', (t) => {
 t.test('it worked', (t) => {
   t.plan(2)
 
-  config.values.timing = false
+  npm.config.set('timing', false)
+
+  t.teardown(() => {
+    process.exit = _exit
+    npm.config.set('timing', true)
+  })
 
   const _exit = process.exit
   process.exit = (code) => {
@@ -370,11 +368,6 @@ t.test('it worked', (t) => {
     process.emit('exit', 0)
   }
 
-  t.teardown(() => {
-    process.exit = _exit
-    config.values.timing = true
-  })
-
   exitHandler()
 })
 
@@ -466,6 +459,14 @@ t.test('exit handler called twice', (t) => {
 t.test('defaults to log error msg if stack is missing', (t) => {
   t.plan(1)
 
+  const { npm: unloaded } = mockNpm(t)
+  const _error = console.error
+
+  t.teardown(() => {
+    console.error = _error
+    exitHandler.setNpm(npm)
+  })
+
   const noStackErr = Object.assign(
     new Error('Error with no stack'),
     {
@@ -475,15 +476,11 @@ t.test('defaults to log error msg if stack is missing', (t) => {
   )
   delete noStackErr.stack
 
-  npm.config.loaded = false
-
-  const _error = console.error
   console.error = (msg) => {
-    console.error = _error
-    npm.config.loaded = true
     t.equal(msg, 'Error with no stack', 'should use error msg')
   }
 
+  exitHandler.setNpm(unloaded)
   exitHandler(noStackErr)
 })