diff --git a/linter/linter.go b/linter/linter.go
index 1437ba1f..c7838848 100644
--- a/linter/linter.go
+++ b/linter/linter.go
@@ -2,12 +2,13 @@
 package linter
 
 import (
-	"io"
-
 	jsonnet "github.com/google/go-jsonnet"
 	"github.com/google/go-jsonnet/ast"
 	"github.com/google/go-jsonnet/internal/errors"
 	"github.com/google/go-jsonnet/internal/parser"
+	"io"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
 
 	"github.com/google/go-jsonnet/linter/internal/common"
 	"github.com/google/go-jsonnet/linter/internal/traversal"
@@ -45,14 +46,6 @@ type nodeWithLocation struct {
 
 // Lint analyses a node and reports any issues it encounters to an error writer.
 func lint(vm *jsonnet.VM, nodes []nodeWithLocation, errWriter *ErrorWriter) {
-	roots := make(map[string]ast.Node)
-	for _, node := range nodes {
-		roots[node.path] = node.node
-	}
-	for _, node := range nodes {
-		getImports(vm, node, roots, errWriter)
-	}
-
 	variablesInFile := make(map[string]common.VariableInfo)
 
 	std := common.Variable{
@@ -65,16 +58,20 @@ func lint(vm *jsonnet.VM, nodes []nodeWithLocation, errWriter *ErrorWriter) {
 		return variables.FindVariables(node.node, variables.Environment{"std": &std, "$std": &std})
 	}
 
-	for importedPath, rootNode := range roots {
-		variablesInFile[importedPath] = *findVariables(nodeWithLocation{rootNode, importedPath})
-	}
+	for _, node := range nodes {
+		roots := make(map[string]ast.Node)
+		roots[node.path] = node.node
+		getImports(vm, node, roots, errWriter)
 
-	vars := make(map[string]map[ast.Node]*common.Variable)
-	for importedPath, info := range variablesInFile {
-		vars[importedPath] = info.VarAt
-	}
+		for importedPath, rootNode := range roots {
+			variablesInFile[importedPath] = *findVariables(nodeWithLocation{rootNode, importedPath})
+		}
+
+		vars := make(map[string]map[ast.Node]*common.Variable)
+		for importedPath, info := range variablesInFile {
+			vars[importedPath] = info.VarAt
+		}
 
-	for _, node := range nodes {
 		variableInfo := findVariables(node)
 
 		for _, v := range variableInfo.Variables {
@@ -85,6 +82,20 @@ func lint(vm *jsonnet.VM, nodes []nodeWithLocation, errWriter *ErrorWriter) {
 		ec := common.ErrCollector{}
 
 		types.Check(node.node, roots, vars, func(currentPath, importedPath string) ast.Node {
+			// try to resolve the imported node from the already calculated list of roots
+			// if this fails, reimport the node
+			idx := strings.LastIndex(currentPath, "/")
+			var currentDir = ""
+			if idx != -1 {
+				currentDir = currentPath[:idx]
+			}
+
+			relativePath := filepath.Join(currentDir, importedPath)
+			node := roots[relativePath]
+			if node != nil {
+				return node
+			}
+
 			node, _, err := vm.ImportAST(currentPath, importedPath)
 			if err != nil {
 				return nil