diff --git a/stow.in b/stow.in
index 837f2b5..dee5d8a 100755
--- a/stow.in
+++ b/stow.in
@@ -113,13 +113,13 @@ if (not caller()) {
         if ($Option{'compat'}) {
             unstow_contents_orig(
                 join_paths($Stow_Path, $package), # path to package
-                '',                              # target is current_dir
+                '.',                              # target is current_dir
             );
         }
         else {
             unstow_contents(
                 join_paths($Stow_Path, $package), # path to package
-                '',                              # target is current_dir
+                '.',                              # target is current_dir
             );
         }
         debug(2, "Unstowing package $package... done");
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ if (not caller()) {
         debug(2, "Stowing package $package...");
         stow_contents(
             join_paths($Stow_Path, $package), # path package
-            '',                              # target is current dir
+            '.',                              # target is current dir
             join_paths($Stow_Path, $package), # source from target
         );
         debug(2, "Stowing package $package... done");
@@ -407,9 +407,10 @@ sub stow_contents {
     debug(2, "Stowing contents of $path (cwd is $cwd)");
     debug(3, "--- $target => $source");
 
-    if (not -d $path) {
-        error("stow_contents() called on a non-directory: $path");
-    }
+    error("stow_contents() called with non-directory path: $path")
+        unless -d $path;
+    error("stow_contents() called with non-directory target: $target")
+        unless is_a_node($target);
 
     opendir my $DIR, $path 
         or error("cannot read directory: $path");
@@ -552,9 +553,11 @@ sub unstow_contents_orig {
     my $cwd = getcwd();
     debug(2, "Unstowing from $target (compat mode, cwd is $cwd)");
     debug(3, "--- source path is $path");
-    if (not -d $target) {
-        error("unstow_contents() called on a non-directory: $target");
-    }
+    # In compat mode we traverse the target tree not the source tree,
+    # so we're unstowing the contents of /target/foo, there's no
+    # guarantee that the corresponding /stow/mypkg/foo exists.
+    error("unstow_contents_orig() called with non-directory target: $target")
+        unless -d $target;
 
     opendir my $DIR, $target
         or error("cannot read directory: $target");
@@ -653,9 +656,11 @@ sub unstow_contents {
     my $cwd = getcwd();
     debug(2, "Unstowing from $target (cwd is $cwd)");
     debug(3, "--- source path is $path");
-    if (not -d $path) {
-        error("unstow_contents() called on a non-directory: $path");
-    }
+    # We traverse the source tree not the target tree, 
+    error("unstow_contents() called with non-directory path: $path")
+        unless -d $path;
+    error("unstow_contents() called with non-directory target: $target")
+        unless is_a_node($target);
 
     opendir my $DIR, $path
         or error("cannot read directory: $path");
diff --git a/t/stow_contents.t b/t/stow_contents.t
index e27d17b..97645c2 100755
--- a/t/stow_contents.t
+++ b/t/stow_contents.t
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ $Option{'verbose'} = 0;
 make_dir('../stow/pkg2/lib2');
 make_file('../stow/pkg2/lib2/file2');
 make_dir('lib2');
-stow_contents('../stow/pkg2', './', '../stow/pkg2');
+stow_contents('../stow/pkg2', '.', '../stow/pkg2');
 process_tasks();
 is( 
     readlink('lib2/file2'),
diff --git a/t/unstow_contents.t b/t/unstow_contents.t
index 7dd3d6b..817f544 100755
--- a/t/unstow_contents.t
+++ b/t/unstow_contents.t
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ make_dir('../stow/pkg1/bin1');
 make_file('../stow/pkg1/bin1/file1');
 make_link('bin1','../stow/pkg1/bin1');
 
-unstow_contents('../stow/pkg1','./');
+unstow_contents('../stow/pkg1','.');
 process_tasks();
 ok(
     scalar(@Conflicts) == 0 &&
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ make_dir('lib2');
 make_dir('../stow/pkg2/lib2');
 make_file('../stow/pkg2/lib2/file2');
 make_link('lib2/file2', '../../stow/pkg2/lib2/file2');
-unstow_contents('../stow/pkg2','./');
+unstow_contents('../stow/pkg2','.');
 process_tasks();
 ok(
     scalar(@Conflicts) == 0 &&
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ make_link('bin3/file3a' => '../../stow/pkg3a/bin3/file3a'); # emulate stow
 make_dir('../stow/pkg3b/bin3');
 make_file('../stow/pkg3b/bin3/file3b');
 make_link('bin3/file3b' => '../../stow/pkg3b/bin3/file3b'); # emulate stow
-unstow_contents('../stow/pkg3b', './');
+unstow_contents('../stow/pkg3b', '.');
 process_tasks();
 ok( 
     scalar(@Conflicts) == 0 &&
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ make_dir('../stow/pkg4/bin4');
 make_file('../stow/pkg4/bin4/file4');
 make_link('bin4/file4', '../../stow/pkg4/bin4/does-not-exist');
 
-unstow_contents('../stow/pkg4', './');
+unstow_contents('../stow/pkg4', '.');
 process_tasks();
 ok(
     scalar(@Conflicts) == 0 &&
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ $Option{'verbose'} = 0;
 make_dir('../stow/pkg5/bin5');
 make_link('bin5', '../not-stow');
 
-unstow_contents('../stow/pkg5', './');
+unstow_contents('../stow/pkg5', '.');
 like(
     $Conflicts[-1], qr(CONFLICT:.*existing target is not owned by stow)
     => q(existing link not owned by stow)
@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@ make_link('bin6/file6', '../../stow/pkg6a/bin6/file6');
 make_dir('../stow/pkg6b/bin6');
 make_file('../stow/pkg6b/bin6/file6');
 
-unstow_contents('../stow/pkg6b', './');
+unstow_contents('../stow/pkg6b', '.');
 ok(
     scalar(@Conflicts) == 0 &&
     -l 'bin6/file6' && 
@@ -162,7 +162,7 @@ make_dir('stow/pkg7a/stow/pkg7b');
 make_file('stow/pkg7a/stow/pkg7b/file7b');
 make_link('stow/pkg7b', '../stow/pkg7a/stow/pkg7b');
 
-unstow_contents('stow/pkg7b', './');
+unstow_contents('stow/pkg7b', '.');
 stderr_like(
   sub { process_tasks(); },
   qr/There are no outstanding operations to perform/,
@@ -192,7 +192,7 @@ make_dir('stow/pkg8a/stow2/pkg8b');
 make_file('stow/pkg8a/stow2/pkg8b/file8b');
 make_link('stow2/pkg8b', '../stow/pkg8a/stow2/pkg8b');
 
-unstow_contents('stow/pkg8a', './');
+unstow_contents('stow/pkg8a', '.');
 stderr_like(
   sub { process_tasks(); },
   qr/There are no outstanding operations to perform/,
@@ -220,7 +220,7 @@ make_link('man9/man1/file9.1' => '../../../stow/pkg9a/man9/man1/file9.1'); # emu
 
 make_dir('../stow/pkg9b/man9/man1');
 make_file('../stow/pkg9b/man9/man1/file9.1');
-unstow_contents('../stow/pkg9b', './');
+unstow_contents('../stow/pkg9b', '.');
 process_tasks();
 ok( 
     scalar(@Conflicts) == 0 &&
@@ -248,7 +248,7 @@ make_link('man10/man1/file10b.1'  => '../../../stow/pkg10b/man10/man1/file10b.1'
 
 make_dir('../stow/pkg10c/man10/man1');
 make_file('../stow/pkg10c/man10/man1/file10a.1');
-unstow_contents('../stow/pkg10c', './');
+unstow_contents('../stow/pkg10c', '.');
 stderr_like(
   sub { process_tasks(); },
   qr/There are no outstanding operations to perform/,
@@ -274,7 +274,7 @@ make_file('../stow/pkg12/man12/man1/.#file12.1');
 make_dir('man12/man1');
 make_link('man12/man1/file12.1'  => '../../../stow/pkg12/man12/man1/file12.1');
 
-unstow_contents('../stow/pkg12', './');
+unstow_contents('../stow/pkg12', '.');
 process_tasks();
 ok( 
     scalar(@Conflicts) == 0 &&
diff --git a/t/unstow_contents_orig.t b/t/unstow_contents_orig.t
index 90575f6..ebed239 100755
--- a/t/unstow_contents_orig.t
+++ b/t/unstow_contents_orig.t
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ make_dir('../stow/pkg1/bin1');
 make_file('../stow/pkg1/bin1/file1');
 make_link('bin1','../stow/pkg1/bin1');
 
-unstow_contents_orig('../stow/pkg1','./');
+unstow_contents_orig('../stow/pkg1','.');
 process_tasks();
 ok(
     scalar(@Conflicts) == 0 &&
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ make_dir('lib2');
 make_dir('../stow/pkg2/lib2');
 make_file('../stow/pkg2/lib2/file2');
 make_link('lib2/file2', '../../stow/pkg2/lib2/file2');
-unstow_contents_orig('../stow/pkg2','./');
+unstow_contents_orig('../stow/pkg2','.');
 process_tasks();
 ok(
     scalar(@Conflicts) == 0 &&
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ make_link('bin3/file3a' => '../../stow/pkg3a/bin3/file3a'); # emulate stow
 make_dir('../stow/pkg3b/bin3');
 make_file('../stow/pkg3b/bin3/file3b');
 make_link('bin3/file3b' => '../../stow/pkg3b/bin3/file3b'); # emulate stow
-unstow_contents_orig('../stow/pkg3b', './');
+unstow_contents_orig('../stow/pkg3b', '.');
 process_tasks();
 ok( 
     scalar(@Conflicts) == 0 &&
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ make_dir('../stow/pkg4/bin4');
 make_file('../stow/pkg4/bin4/file4');
 make_link('bin4/file4', '../../stow/pkg4/bin4/does-not-exist');
 
-unstow_contents_orig('../stow/pkg4', './');
+unstow_contents_orig('../stow/pkg4', '.');
 process_tasks();
 ok(
     scalar(@Conflicts) == 0 &&
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ $Option{'verbose'} = 0;
 make_dir('../stow/pkg5/bin5');
 make_link('bin5', '../not-stow');
 
-unstow_contents_orig('../stow/pkg5', './');
+unstow_contents_orig('../stow/pkg5', '.');
 #like(
 #    $Conflicts[-1], qr(CONFLICT:.*can't unlink.*not owned by stow)
 #    => q(existing link not owned by stow)
@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@ make_link('bin6/file6', '../../stow/pkg6a/bin6/file6');
 make_dir('../stow/pkg6b/bin6');
 make_file('../stow/pkg6b/bin6/file6');
 
-unstow_contents_orig('../stow/pkg6b', './');
+unstow_contents_orig('../stow/pkg6b', '.');
 ok(
     -l 'bin6/file6' && readlink('bin6/file6') eq '../../stow/pkg6a/bin6/file6'
     => q(existing link owned by stow but points to a different package)
@@ -164,7 +164,7 @@ make_dir('stow/pkg7a/stow/pkg7b');
 make_file('stow/pkg7a/stow/pkg7b/file7b');
 make_link('stow/pkg7b', '../stow/pkg7a/stow/pkg7b');
 
-unstow_contents_orig('stow/pkg7b', './');
+unstow_contents_orig('stow/pkg7b', '.');
 stderr_like(
   sub { process_tasks(); },
   qr/There are no outstanding operations to perform/,
@@ -194,7 +194,7 @@ make_dir('stow/pkg8a/stow2/pkg8b');
 make_file('stow/pkg8a/stow2/pkg8b/file8b');
 make_link('stow2/pkg8b', '../stow/pkg8a/stow2/pkg8b');
 
-unstow_contents_orig('stow/pkg8a', './');
+unstow_contents_orig('stow/pkg8a', '.');
 stderr_like(
   sub { process_tasks(); },
   qr/There are no outstanding operations to perform/,
@@ -222,7 +222,7 @@ make_link('man9/man1/file9.1' => '../../../stow/pkg9a/man9/man1/file9.1'); # emu
 
 make_dir('../stow/pkg9b/man9/man1');
 make_file('../stow/pkg9b/man9/man1/file9.1');
-unstow_contents_orig('../stow/pkg9b', './');
+unstow_contents_orig('../stow/pkg9b', '.');
 process_tasks();
 ok( 
     scalar(@Conflicts) == 0 &&
@@ -250,7 +250,7 @@ make_link('man10/man1/file10b.1'  => '../../../stow/pkg10b/man10/man1/file10b.1'
 
 make_dir('../stow/pkg10c/man10/man1');
 make_file('../stow/pkg10c/man10/man1/file10a.1');
-unstow_contents_orig('../stow/pkg10c', './');
+unstow_contents_orig('../stow/pkg10c', '.');
 stderr_like(
   sub { process_tasks(); },
   qr/There are no outstanding operations to perform/,
@@ -276,7 +276,7 @@ make_file('../stow/pkg12/man12/man1/.#file12.1');
 make_dir('man12/man1');
 make_link('man12/man1/file12.1'  => '../../../stow/pkg12/man12/man1/file12.1');
 
-unstow_contents_orig('../stow/pkg12', './');
+unstow_contents_orig('../stow/pkg12', '.');
 process_tasks();
 ok( 
     scalar(@Conflicts) == 0 &&