diff --git a/lib/config.js b/lib/config.js
index 2a4fd56b..ad0a0033 100644
--- a/lib/config.js
+++ b/lib/config.js
@@ -1,7 +1,5 @@
 import { cosmiconfigSync } from 'cosmiconfig';
-import parseJson from 'parse-json';
 import parseToml from '@iarna/toml/parse-string.js';
-import yaml from 'yaml';
 import _ from 'lodash';
 import isCI from 'is-ci';
 import _debug from 'debug';
@@ -21,19 +19,17 @@ const searchPlaces = [
 ];
 
 const loaders = {
-  '.json': (_, content) => parseJson(content),
-  '.toml': (_, content) => parseToml(content),
-  '.yaml': (_, content) => yaml.parse(content)
+  '.toml': (_, content) => parseToml(content)
 };
 
-const getLocalConfig = localConfigFile => {
+const getLocalConfig = ({ file, dir = process.cwd() }) => {
   let localConfig = {};
-  if (localConfigFile === false) return localConfig;
+  if (file === false) return localConfig;
   const explorer = cosmiconfigSync('release-it', {
     searchPlaces,
     loaders
   });
-  const result = localConfigFile ? explorer.load(localConfigFile) : explorer.search();
+  const result = file ? explorer.load(file) : explorer.search(dir);
   if (result && typeof result.config === 'string') {
     throw new Error(`Invalid configuration file at ${result.filepath}`);
   }
@@ -44,7 +40,7 @@ const getLocalConfig = localConfigFile => {
 class Config {
   constructor(config = {}) {
     this.constructorConfig = config;
-    this.localConfig = getLocalConfig(config.config);
+    this.localConfig = getLocalConfig({ file: config.config, dir: config.configDir });
     this.options = this.mergeOptions();
     this.options = this.expandPreReleaseShorthand(this.options);
     this.contextOptions = {};
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 7a1dee81..404a40aa 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -78,7 +78,6 @@
     "open": "8.4.0",
     "ora": "6.1.0",
     "os-name": "5.0.1",
-    "parse-json": "5.2.0",
     "promise.allsettled": "1.0.5",
     "proxy-agent": "5.0.0",
     "semver": "7.3.7",
@@ -87,7 +86,6 @@
     "url-join": "5.0.0",
     "uuid": "8.3.2",
     "wildcard-match": "5.1.2",
-    "yaml": "1.10.2",
     "yargs-parser": "21.0.1"
   },
   "devDependencies": {
diff --git a/test/config.js b/test/config.js
index 30a935f0..0268a3a4 100644
--- a/test/config.js
+++ b/test/config.js
@@ -1,30 +1,30 @@
 import test from 'ava';
-import mock from 'mock-fs';
 import isCI from 'is-ci';
 import Config from '../lib/config.js';
 import { readJSON } from '../lib/util.js';
 
 const defaultConfig = readJSON(new URL('../config/release-it.json', import.meta.url));
+const projectConfig = readJSON(new URL('../.release-it.json', import.meta.url));
 
 const localConfig = { github: { release: true } };
 
-test.afterEach(() => mock.restore()); // eslint-disable-line ava/no-inline-assertions
-
-test('should contain default values', t => {
-  mock({ '../.release-it.json': JSON.stringify(localConfig) });
+test("should read this project's own configuration", t => {
   const config = new Config();
   t.deepEqual(config.constructorConfig, {});
+  t.deepEqual(config.localConfig, projectConfig);
+  t.deepEqual(config.defaultConfig, defaultConfig);
+});
+
+test('should contain default values', t => {
+  const config = new Config({ configDir: './test/stub/config/default' });
+  t.deepEqual(config.constructorConfig, { configDir: './test/stub/config/default' });
   t.deepEqual(config.localConfig, localConfig);
   t.deepEqual(config.defaultConfig, defaultConfig);
-  mock.restore();
 });
 
 test('should merge provided options', t => {
-  mock({
-    'package.json': JSON.stringify({ 'release-it': { git: { push: false } } }),
-    '../.release-it.json': JSON.stringify(localConfig)
-  });
   const config = new Config({
+    configDir: './test/stub/config/merge',
     increment: '1.0.0',
     verbose: true,
     github: {
@@ -37,7 +37,6 @@ test('should merge provided options', t => {
   t.is(options.increment, '1.0.0');
   t.is(options.git.push, false);
   t.is(options.github.release, true);
-  mock.restore();
 });
 
 test('should set CI mode', t => {
@@ -57,24 +56,18 @@ test('should override --no-npm.publish', t => {
 });
 
 test('should read YAML config', t => {
-  mock({ '.release-it.yaml': 'foo:\n  bar: 1' });
-  const config = new Config({ config: '.release-it.yaml' });
+  const config = new Config({ configDir: './test/stub/config/yaml' });
   t.deepEqual(config.options.foo, { bar: 1 });
-  mock.restore();
 });
 
 test('should read YML config', t => {
-  mock({ '.release-it.yml': 'foo:\n  bar: 1' });
-  const config = new Config({ config: '.release-it.yml' });
+  const config = new Config({ configDir: './test/stub/config/yml' });
   t.deepEqual(config.options.foo, { bar: 1 });
-  mock.restore();
 });
 
 test('should read TOML config', t => {
-  mock({ '.release-it.toml': '[foo]\nbar=1' });
-  const config = new Config({ config: '.release-it.toml' });
+  const config = new Config({ configDir: './test/stub/config/toml' });
   t.deepEqual(config.options.foo, { bar: 1 });
-  mock.restore();
 });
 
 test('should throw if provided config file is not found', t => {
@@ -82,15 +75,15 @@ test('should throw if provided config file is not found', t => {
 });
 
 test('should throw if provided config file is invalid (cosmiconfig exception)', t => {
-  mock({ 'invalid-config-txt': 'foo\nbar\baz' });
-  t.throws(() => new Config({ config: 'invalid-config-txt' }), { message: /Invalid configuration file at/ });
-  mock.restore();
+  t.throws(() => new Config({ config: './test/stub/config/invalid-config-txt' }), {
+    message: /Invalid configuration file at/
+  });
 });
 
 test('should throw if provided config file is invalid (no object)', t => {
-  mock({ 'invalid-config-rc': 'foo=bar' });
-  t.throws(() => new Config({ config: 'invalid-config-rc' }), { message: /Invalid configuration file at/ });
-  mock.restore();
+  t.throws(() => new Config({ config: './test/stub/config/invalid-config-rc' }), {
+    message: /Invalid configuration file at/
+  });
 });
 
 test('should not set default increment (for CI mode)', t => {
diff --git a/test/stub/config/default/.release-it.json b/test/stub/config/default/.release-it.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d280b4de
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/stub/config/default/.release-it.json
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+{
+  "github": {
+    "release": true
+  }
+}
diff --git a/test/stub/config/invalid-config-rc b/test/stub/config/invalid-config-rc
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..74d0a43f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/stub/config/invalid-config-rc
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+foo=bar
diff --git a/test/stub/config/invalid-config-txt b/test/stub/config/invalid-config-txt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c42f1d4c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/stub/config/invalid-config-txt
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+foo
+bar\baz
diff --git a/test/stub/config/merge/.release-it.json b/test/stub/config/merge/.release-it.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d280b4de
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/stub/config/merge/.release-it.json
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+{
+  "github": {
+    "release": true
+  }
+}
diff --git a/test/stub/config/merge/package.json b/test/stub/config/merge/package.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..534092bc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/stub/config/merge/package.json
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+{
+  "release-it": {
+    "git": {
+      "push": false
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/test/stub/config/toml/.release-it.toml b/test/stub/config/toml/.release-it.toml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..fb278833
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/stub/config/toml/.release-it.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+[foo]
+bar=1
diff --git a/test/stub/config/yaml/.release-it.yaml b/test/stub/config/yaml/.release-it.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6fdc1c6f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/stub/config/yaml/.release-it.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+foo:
+  bar: 1
diff --git a/test/stub/config/yml/.release-it.yml b/test/stub/config/yml/.release-it.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6fdc1c6f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/stub/config/yml/.release-it.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+foo:
+  bar: 1