diff --git a/e2e/schematics/tslint.test.ts b/e2e/schematics/tslint.test.ts
index 34fdd2fbbf246..2b6b5c60a3f10 100644
--- a/e2e/schematics/tslint.test.ts
+++ b/e2e/schematics/tslint.test.ts
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ describe('Lint', () => {
       );
 
       const out = runCLI('lint --type-check', { silenceError: true });
-      expect(out).toContain('relative imports of libraries are forbidden');
+      expect(out).toContain('library imports must start with @nrwl/');
       expect(out).toContain('import of lazy-loaded libraries are forbidden');
       expect(out).toContain('deep imports into libraries are forbidden');
     },
diff --git a/packages/schematics/src/tslint/nxEnforceModuleBoundariesRule.spec.ts b/packages/schematics/src/tslint/nxEnforceModuleBoundariesRule.spec.ts
index 4bff2555fe91c..2670c53620da5 100644
--- a/packages/schematics/src/tslint/nxEnforceModuleBoundariesRule.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/schematics/src/tslint/nxEnforceModuleBoundariesRule.spec.ts
@@ -21,7 +21,14 @@ describe('Enforce Module Boundaries', () => {
     const failures = runRule({}, `import '../../../libs/mylib';`);
 
     expect(failures.length).toEqual(1);
-    expect(failures[0].getFailure()).toEqual('relative imports of libraries are forbidden');
+    expect(failures[0].getFailure()).toEqual('library imports must start with @mycompany/');
+  });
+
+  it('should error on absolute imports into libraries without using the npm scope', () => {
+    const failures = runRule({}, `import 'libs/mylib';`);
+
+    expect(failures.length).toEqual(1);
+    expect(failures[0].getFailure()).toEqual('library imports must start with @mycompany/');
   });
 
   it('should error about deep imports into libraries', () => {
diff --git a/packages/schematics/src/tslint/nxEnforceModuleBoundariesRule.ts b/packages/schematics/src/tslint/nxEnforceModuleBoundariesRule.ts
index dffe5ccbaa20b..feb8ce135293e 100644
--- a/packages/schematics/src/tslint/nxEnforceModuleBoundariesRule.ts
+++ b/packages/schematics/src/tslint/nxEnforceModuleBoundariesRule.ts
@@ -58,8 +58,8 @@ class EnforceModuleBoundariesWalker extends Lint.RuleWalker {
       return;
     }
 
-    if (this.isRelative(imp) && this.isRelativeImportIntoAnotherProject(imp)) {
-      this.addFailureAt(node.getStart(), node.getWidth(), 'relative imports of libraries are forbidden');
+    if (this.isRelativeImportIntoAnotherProject(imp) || this.isAbsoluteImportIntoAnotherProject(imp)) {
+      this.addFailureAt(node.getStart(), node.getWidth(), `library imports must start with @${this.npmScope}/`);
       return;
     }
 
@@ -73,6 +73,7 @@ class EnforceModuleBoundariesWalker extends Lint.RuleWalker {
   }
 
   private isRelativeImportIntoAnotherProject(imp: string): boolean {
+    if (!this.isRelative(imp)) return false;
     const sourceFile = this.getSourceFile().fileName.substring(this.projectPath.length);
     const targetFile = path.resolve(path.dirname(sourceFile), imp);
     if (this.workspacePath(sourceFile) && this.workspacePath(targetFile)) {
@@ -83,6 +84,10 @@ class EnforceModuleBoundariesWalker extends Lint.RuleWalker {
     return false;
   }
 
+  private isAbsoluteImportIntoAnotherProject(imp: string): boolean {
+    return imp.startsWith('libs/') || (imp.startsWith('/libs/') && imp.startsWith('apps/')) || imp.startsWith('/apps/');
+  }
+
   private workspacePath(s: string): boolean {
     return s.startsWith('/apps/') || s.startsWith('/libs/');
   }