diff --git a/src/main/java/net/schmizz/sshj/sftp/PathHelper.java b/src/main/java/net/schmizz/sshj/sftp/PathHelper.java
index 4cd139f3..c977f952 100644
--- a/src/main/java/net/schmizz/sshj/sftp/PathHelper.java
+++ b/src/main/java/net/schmizz/sshj/sftp/PathHelper.java
@@ -21,13 +21,18 @@ public class PathHelper {
 
     public static final String DEFAULT_PATH_SEPARATOR = "/";
 
-    private final SFTPEngine engine;
+    private final Canonicalizer canonicalizer;
     private final String pathSep;
 
     private String dotDir;
 
-    public PathHelper(SFTPEngine engine, String pathSep) {
-        this.engine = engine;
+    public interface Canonicalizer {
+        String canonicalize(String path)
+                throws IOException;
+    }
+
+    public PathHelper(Canonicalizer canonicalizer, String pathSep) {
+        this.canonicalizer = canonicalizer;
         this.pathSep = pathSep;
     }
 
@@ -56,14 +61,14 @@ public class PathHelper {
 
         if (lastSlash == -1) // Relative path
             if (path.equals(".."))
-                return getComponents(canon(path));
+                return getComponents(canonicalizer.canonicalize(path));
             else
                 return getComponents(getDotDir(), path);
 
         final String name = path.substring(lastSlash + pathSep.length());
 
         if (name.equals(".") || name.equals(".."))
-            return getComponents(canon(path));
+            return getComponents(canonicalizer.canonicalize(path));
         else {
             final String parent = path.substring(0, lastSlash);
             return getComponents(parent, name);
@@ -72,12 +77,7 @@ public class PathHelper {
 
     private synchronized String getDotDir()
             throws IOException {
-        return (dotDir != null) ? dotDir : (dotDir = canon("."));
-    }
-
-    private String canon(String path)
-            throws IOException {
-        return engine.canonicalize(path);
+        return (dotDir != null) ? dotDir : (dotDir = canonicalizer.canonicalize("."));
     }
 
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/main/java/net/schmizz/sshj/sftp/SFTPEngine.java b/src/main/java/net/schmizz/sshj/sftp/SFTPEngine.java
index 6767de06..e193988f 100644
--- a/src/main/java/net/schmizz/sshj/sftp/SFTPEngine.java
+++ b/src/main/java/net/schmizz/sshj/sftp/SFTPEngine.java
@@ -61,7 +61,13 @@ public class SFTPEngine
         sub = ssh.startSession().startSubsystem("sftp");
         out = sub.getOutputStream();
         reader = new PacketReader(this);
-        pathHelper = new PathHelper(this, pathSep);
+        pathHelper = new PathHelper(new PathHelper.Canonicalizer() {
+            @Override
+            public String canonicalize(String path)
+                    throws IOException {
+                return SFTPEngine.this.canonicalize(path);
+            }
+        }, pathSep);
     }
 
     public SFTPEngine init()
diff --git a/src/test/java/net/schmizz/sshj/sftp/SFTPClientTest.java b/src/test/java/net/schmizz/sshj/sftp/SFTPClientTest.java
index b1054bb9..3b671145 100644
--- a/src/test/java/net/schmizz/sshj/sftp/SFTPClientTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/net/schmizz/sshj/sftp/SFTPClientTest.java
@@ -17,13 +17,20 @@ public class SFTPClientTest {
 
     @Before
     public void setPathHelper() throws Exception {
-        PathHelper helper = new PathHelper(sftpEngine, DEFAULT_PATH_SEPARATOR);
+        PathHelper helper = new PathHelper(new PathHelper.Canonicalizer() {
+            @Override
+            public String canonicalize(String path)
+                    throws IOException {
+                if (path.equals("."))
+                    return "/workingdirectory";
+                return path;
+            }
+        }, DEFAULT_PATH_SEPARATOR);
         when(sftpEngine.getPathHelper()).thenReturn(helper);
     }
 
     @Before
     public void setRemoteWorkingDirectory() throws IOException {
-        when(sftpEngine.canonicalize(".")).thenReturn("/workingdirectory");
         FileAttributes isADirectory = new FileAttributes.Builder().withType(FileMode.Type.DIRECTORY).build();
         when(sftpEngine.stat("/workingdirectory")).thenReturn(isADirectory);
     }