diff --git a/lib/utils/correct-mkdir.js b/lib/utils/correct-mkdir.js
index 68c4a4ad79ae2..0c92201128080 100644
--- a/lib/utils/correct-mkdir.js
+++ b/lib/utils/correct-mkdir.js
@@ -1,123 +1,65 @@
-var chownr = require('chownr')
-var dezalgo = require('dezalgo')
-var fs = require('graceful-fs')
-var inflight = require('inflight')
-var log = require('npmlog')
-var mkdirp = require('mkdirp')
+const chownr = require('chownr')
+const fs = require('graceful-fs')
+const inflight = require('inflight')
+const log = require('npmlog')
+const mkdirp = require('mkdirp')
+const { dirname } = require('path')
+
+// retain ownership of the parent dir
+// this matches behavior in cacache to infer the cache ownership
+// based on the ownership of the cache folder or it is parent.
 
-// memoize the directories created by this step
-var stats = {}
-var effectiveOwner
 module.exports = function correctMkdir (path, cb) {
-  cb = dezalgo(cb)
-  cb = inflight('correctMkdir:' + path, cb)
+  cb = inflight('correctMkdir: ' + path, cb)
   if (!cb) {
     return log.verbose('correctMkdir', path, 'correctMkdir already in flight; waiting')
   } else {
     log.verbose('correctMkdir', path, 'correctMkdir not in flight; initializing')
   }
 
-  if (stats[path]) return cb(null, stats[path])
-
-  fs.stat(path, function (er, st) {
-    if (er) return makeDirectory(path, cb)
+  if (!process.getuid) {
+    log.verbose('makeCacheDir', 'UID & GID are irrelevant on', process.platform)
+    return mkdirp(path, (er, made) => cb(er, { uid: 0, gid: 0 }))
+  }
 
-    if (!st.isDirectory()) {
-      log.error('correctMkdir', 'invalid dir %s', path)
+  inferOwner(path, (er, owner) => {
+    if (er) {
+      log.error('correctMkdir', 'failed to infer path ownership %s', path)
       return cb(er)
     }
 
-    var ownerStats = calculateOwner()
-    // there's always a chance the permissions could have been frobbed, so fix
-    if (st.uid !== ownerStats.uid) {
-      stats[path] = ownerStats
-      setPermissions(path, ownerStats, cb)
-    } else {
-      stats[path] = st
-      cb(null, stats[path])
-    }
-  })
-}
-
-function calculateOwner () {
-  if (!effectiveOwner) {
-    effectiveOwner = { uid: 0, gid: 0 }
-
-    // Pretty much only on windows
-    if (!process.getuid) {
-      return effectiveOwner
-    }
-
-    effectiveOwner.uid = +process.getuid()
-    effectiveOwner.gid = +process.getgid()
-
-    if (effectiveOwner.uid === 0) {
-      if (process.env.SUDO_UID) effectiveOwner.uid = +process.env.SUDO_UID
-      if (process.env.SUDO_GID) effectiveOwner.gid = +process.env.SUDO_GID
-    }
-  }
-
-  return effectiveOwner
-}
-
-function makeDirectory (path, cb) {
-  cb = inflight('makeDirectory:' + path, cb)
-  if (!cb) {
-    return log.verbose('makeDirectory', path, 'creation already in flight; waiting')
-  } else {
-    log.verbose('makeDirectory', path, 'creation not in flight; initializing')
-  }
-
-  var owner = calculateOwner()
-
-  if (!process.getuid) {
-    return mkdirp(path, function (er) {
-      log.verbose('makeCacheDir', 'UID & GID are irrelevant on', process.platform)
-
-      stats[path] = owner
-      return cb(er, stats[path])
-    })
-  }
-
-  if (owner.uid !== 0 || !process.env.HOME) {
-    log.silly(
-      'makeDirectory', path,
-      'uid:', owner.uid,
-      'gid:', owner.gid
-    )
-    stats[path] = owner
-    mkdirp(path, afterMkdir)
-  } else {
-    fs.stat(process.env.HOME, function (er, st) {
+    mkdirp(path, (er, made) => {
       if (er) {
-        log.error('makeDirectory', 'homeless?')
+        log.error('correctMkdir', 'failed to make directory %s', path)
         return cb(er)
       }
-
-      log.silly(
-        'makeDirectory', path,
-        'uid:', st.uid,
-        'gid:', st.gid
-      )
-      stats[path] = st
-      mkdirp(path, afterMkdir)
+      chownr(made || path, owner.uid, owner.gid, (er) => cb(er, owner))
     })
-  }
-
-  function afterMkdir (er, made) {
-    if (er || !stats[path] || isNaN(stats[path].uid) || isNaN(stats[path].gid)) {
-      return cb(er, stats[path])
-    }
-
-    if (!made) return cb(er, stats[path])
+  })
+}
 
-    setPermissions(made, stats[path], cb)
+const pathToOwner = new Map()
+const inferOwner = (path, cb) => {
+  if (pathToOwner.has(path)) {
+    return cb(null, pathToOwner.get(path))
   }
-}
 
-function setPermissions (path, st, cb) {
-  chownr(path, st.uid, st.gid, function (er) {
-    if (er && er.code === 'ENOENT') return cb(null, st)
-    return cb(er, st)
+  const parent = dirname(path)
+  fs.lstat(path, (er, st) => {
+    if (er && parent !== path) {
+      inferOwner(parent, (er, owner) => {
+        if (er) {
+          return cb(er)
+        }
+        pathToOwner.set(path, owner)
+        return cb(null, owner)
+      })
+    } else if (er) {
+      cb(er)
+    } else {
+      const owner = { uid: st.uid, gid: st.gid }
+      pathToOwner.set(path, owner)
+      cb(null, owner)
+    }
   })
 }
diff --git a/test/tap/correct-mkdir.js b/test/tap/correct-mkdir.js
index c69f8b00b55d5..a03448a6ac9fc 100644
--- a/test/tap/correct-mkdir.js
+++ b/test/tap/correct-mkdir.js
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ var cache_dir = common.pkg
 test('correct-mkdir: no race conditions', function (t) {
   var mock_fs = {}
   var did_hook = false
-  mock_fs.stat = function (path, cb) {
+  mock_fs.lstat = function (path, cb) {
     if (path === cache_dir) {
       // Return a non-matching owner
       cb(null, {
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ test('correct-mkdir: no race conditions', function (t) {
 
 test('correct-mkdir: ignore ENOENTs from chownr', function (t) {
   var mock_fs = {}
-  mock_fs.stat = function (path, cb) {
+  mock_fs.lstat = function (path, cb) {
     if (path === cache_dir) {
       cb(null, {
         isDirectory: function () {
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ test('correct-mkdir: SUDO_UID and SUDO_GID non-Windows', function (t) {
   process.getuid = function () { return 0 }
   process.getgid = function () { return 0 }
   var mock_fs = {}
-  mock_fs.stat = function (path, cb) {
+  mock_fs.lstat = function (path, cb) {
     if (path === cache_dir) {
       cb(null, {
         uid: 0,
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ test('correct-mkdir: SUDO_UID and SUDO_GID Windows', function (t) {
   delete process.getuid
   delete process.getgid
   var mock_fs = {}
-  mock_fs.stat = function (path, cb) {
+  mock_fs.lstat = function (path, cb) {
     if (path === cache_dir) {
       cb(null, {
         uid: 0,