diff --git a/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go b/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go
index 2559e9fb54..691e8a537b 100644
--- a/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go
+++ b/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go
@@ -1755,8 +1755,12 @@ func LoadPackage(arg string, stk *ImportStack) *Package {
 	// This lets you run go test ./ioutil in package io and be
 	// referring to io/ioutil rather than a hypothetical import of
 	// "./ioutil".
-	if build.IsLocalImport(arg) {
-		bp, _ := cfg.BuildContext.ImportDir(filepath.Join(base.Cwd, arg), build.FindOnly)
+	if build.IsLocalImport(arg) || filepath.IsAbs(arg) {
+		dir := arg
+		if !filepath.IsAbs(arg) {
+			dir = filepath.Join(base.Cwd, arg)
+		}
+		bp, _ := cfg.BuildContext.ImportDir(dir, build.FindOnly)
 		if bp.ImportPath != "" && bp.ImportPath != "." {
 			arg = bp.ImportPath
 		}
diff --git a/src/cmd/go/internal/modload/load.go b/src/cmd/go/internal/modload/load.go
index b7dbc39b05..9c550445ee 100644
--- a/src/cmd/go/internal/modload/load.go
+++ b/src/cmd/go/internal/modload/load.go
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import (
 	"go/build"
 	"io/ioutil"
 	"os"
+	"path"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"sort"
 	"strings"
@@ -60,17 +61,26 @@ func ImportPaths(args []string) []string {
 		paths = nil
 		for _, pkg := range cleaned {
 			switch {
-			case build.IsLocalImport(pkg):
+			case build.IsLocalImport(pkg) || filepath.IsAbs(pkg):
 				list := []string{pkg}
 				if strings.Contains(pkg, "...") {
 					// TODO: Where is the go.mod cutoff?
 					list = warnPattern(pkg, search.AllPackagesInFS(pkg))
 				}
 				for _, pkg := range list {
-					dir := filepath.Join(cwd, pkg)
+					dir := pkg
+					if !filepath.IsAbs(dir) {
+						dir = filepath.Join(cwd, pkg)
+					} else {
+						dir = filepath.Clean(dir)
+					}
+
+					// Note: The checks for @ here are just to avoid misinterpreting
+					// the module cache directories (formerly GOPATH/src/mod/foo@v1.5.2/bar).
+					// It's not strictly necessary but helpful to keep the checks.
 					if dir == ModRoot {
 						pkg = Target.Path
-					} else if strings.HasPrefix(dir, ModRoot+string(filepath.Separator)) {
+					} else if strings.HasPrefix(dir, ModRoot+string(filepath.Separator)) && !strings.Contains(dir[len(ModRoot):], "@") {
 						suffix := filepath.ToSlash(dir[len(ModRoot):])
 						if strings.HasPrefix(suffix, "/vendor/") {
 							// TODO getmode vendor check
@@ -78,8 +88,12 @@ func ImportPaths(args []string) []string {
 						} else {
 							pkg = Target.Path + suffix
 						}
+					} else if sub := search.InDir(dir, cfg.GOROOTsrc); sub != "" && !strings.Contains(sub, "@") {
+						pkg = filepath.ToSlash(sub)
+					} else if path := pathInModuleCache(dir); path != "" {
+						pkg = path
 					} else {
-						base.Errorf("go: package %s outside module root", pkg)
+						base.Errorf("go: directory %s outside available modules", base.ShortPath(dir))
 						continue
 					}
 					roots = append(roots, pkg)
@@ -156,6 +170,24 @@ func ImportPaths(args []string) []string {
 	return final
 }
 
+// pathInModuleCache returns the import path of the directory dir,
+// if dir is in the module cache copy of a module in our build list.
+func pathInModuleCache(dir string) string {
+	for _, m := range buildList[1:] {
+		root, err := modfetch.DownloadDir(m)
+		if err != nil {
+			continue
+		}
+		if sub := search.InDir(dir, root); sub != "" {
+			sub = filepath.ToSlash(sub)
+			if !strings.Contains(sub, "/vendor/") && !strings.HasPrefix(sub, "vendor/") && !strings.Contains(sub, "@") {
+				return path.Join(m.Path, filepath.ToSlash(sub))
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	return ""
+}
+
 // warnPattern returns list, the result of matching pattern,
 // but if list is empty then first it prints a warning about
 // the pattern not matching any packages.
diff --git a/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/mod_list_dir.txt b/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/mod_list_dir.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9b3ee14d1b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/mod_list_dir.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+# go list with path to directory should work
+
+env GO111MODULE=off
+go list -f '{{.ImportPath}}' $GOROOT/src/math
+stdout ^math$
+
+env GO111MODULE=on
+go list -f '{{.ImportPath}}' $GOROOT/src/math
+stdout ^math$
+go list -f '{{.ImportPath}}' .
+stdout ^x$
+go list -f '{{.ImportPath}}' $GOPATH/src/mod/rsc.io/quote@v1.5.2
+stdout '^rsc.io/quote$'
+go list -f '{{.ImportPath}}' $GOPATH/src/mod/rsc.io/sampler@v1.3.0
+stdout '^rsc.io/sampler$'
+go get rsc.io/sampler@v1.3.1
+go list -f '{{.ImportPath}}' $GOPATH/src/mod/rsc.io/sampler@v1.3.1
+stdout '^rsc.io/sampler$'
+! go list -f '{{.ImportPath}}' $GOPATH/src/mod/rsc.io/sampler@v1.3.0
+stderr 'outside available modules'
+
+-- go.mod --
+module x
+require rsc.io/quote v1.5.2
+
+-- x.go --
+package x