diff --git a/compiler/importer.nim b/compiler/importer.nim
index 07f42a1472509..a5ac421a9a033 100644
--- a/compiler/importer.nim
+++ b/compiler/importer.nim
@@ -78,15 +78,15 @@ proc getModuleName*(n: PNode): string =
     result = ""
 
 proc checkModuleName*(n: PNode; doLocalError=true): int32 =
-  # This returns the full canonical path for a given module import
+  # This returns the path for a given module import
   let modulename = n.getModuleName
-  let fullPath = findModule(modulename, n.info.toFullPath)
-  if fullPath.len == 0:
+  let path = findModule(modulename, n.info.toPath)
+  if path.len == 0:
     if doLocalError:
       localError(n.info, errCannotOpenFile, modulename)
     result = InvalidFileIDX
   else:
-    result = fullPath.fileInfoIdx
+    result = path.fileInfoIdx
 
 proc importPureEnumField*(c: PContext; s: PSym) =
   var check = strTableGet(c.importTable.symbols, s.name)
diff --git a/compiler/msgs.nim b/compiler/msgs.nim
index 8d43103dbe908..9d2372f8146a8 100644
--- a/compiler/msgs.nim
+++ b/compiler/msgs.nim
@@ -476,6 +476,7 @@ type
   TFileInfo* = object
     fullPath: string           # This is a canonical full filesystem path
     projPath*: string          # This is relative to the project's root
+    path*: string              # The original path when it was first encountered
     shortName*: string         # short name of the module
     quotedName*: Rope          # cached quoted short name for codegen
                                # purposes
@@ -566,7 +567,8 @@ proc makeCString*(s: string): Rope =
   add(result, rope(res))
 
 
-proc newFileInfo(fullPath, projPath: string): TFileInfo =
+proc newFileInfo(path, fullPath, projPath: string): TFileInfo =
+  result.path = path
   result.fullPath = fullPath
   #shallow(result.fullPath)
   result.projPath = projPath
@@ -606,8 +608,8 @@ proc fileInfoIdx*(filename: string; isKnownFile: var bool): int32 =
   else:
     isKnownFile = false
     result = fileInfos.len.int32
-    fileInfos.add(newFileInfo(canon, if pseudoPath: filename
-                                     else: canon.shortenDir))
+    fileInfos.add(newFileInfo(filename, canon, if pseudoPath: filename
+                                     else: filename.shortenDir))
     filenameToIndexTbl[canon] = result
 
 proc fileInfoIdx*(filename: string): int32 =
@@ -622,10 +624,10 @@ proc newLineInfo*(fileInfoIdx: int32, line, col: int): TLineInfo =
 proc newLineInfo*(filename: string, line, col: int): TLineInfo {.inline.} =
   result = newLineInfo(filename.fileInfoIdx, line, col)
 
-fileInfos.add(newFileInfo("", "command line"))
+fileInfos.add(newFileInfo("", "", "command line"))
 var gCmdLineInfo* = newLineInfo(int32(0), 1, 1)
 
-fileInfos.add(newFileInfo("", "compilation artifact"))
+fileInfos.add(newFileInfo("", "", "compilation artifact"))
 var gCodegenLineInfo* = newLineInfo(int32(1), 1, 1)
 
 proc raiseRecoverableError*(msg: string) {.noinline, noreturn.} =
@@ -713,6 +715,10 @@ proc toFullPath*(fileIdx: int32): string =
   if fileIdx < 0: result = "???"
   else: result = fileInfos[fileIdx].fullPath
 
+proc toPath*(fileIdx: int32): string =
+  if fileIdx < 0: result = "???"
+  else: result = fileInfos[fileIdx].path
+
 proc setDirtyFile*(fileIdx: int32; filename: string) =
   assert fileIdx >= 0
   fileInfos[fileIdx].dirtyFile = filename
@@ -731,6 +737,9 @@ template toFilename*(info: TLineInfo): string =
 template toFullPath*(info: TLineInfo): string =
   info.fileIndex.toFullPath
 
+template toPath*(info: TLineInfo): string =
+  info.fileIndex.toPath
+
 proc toMsgFilename*(info: TLineInfo): string =
   if info.fileIndex < 0:
     result = "???"