diff --git a/modules/swagger-parser-v3/src/main/java/io/swagger/v3/parser/reference/DereferencerContext.java b/modules/swagger-parser-v3/src/main/java/io/swagger/v3/parser/reference/DereferencerContext.java
index 1a4e23ef35..bcb5eb1073 100644
--- a/modules/swagger-parser-v3/src/main/java/io/swagger/v3/parser/reference/DereferencerContext.java
+++ b/modules/swagger-parser-v3/src/main/java/io/swagger/v3/parser/reference/DereferencerContext.java
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ public class DereferencerContext {
     protected final OpenAPI openApi;
 
     protected final List<AuthorizationValue> auths;
-    protected final String rootUri;
+    protected String rootUri;
     protected final ParseOptions parseOptions;
     protected String providedBaseUri;
     protected SwaggerParseResult swaggerParseResult;
@@ -114,4 +114,9 @@ public DereferencerContext referenceSet(Map<String, Reference> referenceSet) {
         this.referenceSet = referenceSet;
         return this;
     }
+
+    public DereferencerContext rootUri(String rootUri) {
+        this.rootUri = rootUri;
+        return this;
+    }
 }
diff --git a/modules/swagger-parser-v3/src/main/java/io/swagger/v3/parser/reference/OpenAPIDereferencer31.java b/modules/swagger-parser-v3/src/main/java/io/swagger/v3/parser/reference/OpenAPIDereferencer31.java
index a3e5f373d8..197ccbd650 100644
--- a/modules/swagger-parser-v3/src/main/java/io/swagger/v3/parser/reference/OpenAPIDereferencer31.java
+++ b/modules/swagger-parser-v3/src/main/java/io/swagger/v3/parser/reference/OpenAPIDereferencer31.java
@@ -1,7 +1,10 @@
 package io.swagger.v3.parser.reference;
 
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.JsonNode;
+import io.swagger.v3.core.util.Json31;
 import io.swagger.v3.oas.models.OpenAPI;
 import io.swagger.v3.parser.core.models.SwaggerParseResult;
+import org.apache.commons.lang3.StringUtils;
 
 import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.HashSet;
@@ -42,12 +45,27 @@ public void dereference(DereferencerContext context, Iterator<OpenAPIDereference
             return;
         }
 
-        // Set<Object> visitedSet = new HashSet<>();
+        LinkedHashMap<String, Reference> refSet = new LinkedHashMap<>();
+        LinkedHashSet<String> msgs = new LinkedHashSet<>();
+        if (StringUtils.isBlank(context.getRootUri())) {
+            context.rootUri("local");
+            context.currentUri("local");
+        }
+        if (context.getRootUri().equals("local")) {
+            Reference localReference = new Reference()
+                    .referenceSet(refSet)
+                    .uri(context.getCurrentUri())
+                    .messages(msgs)
+                    .jsonNode(Json31.mapper().convertValue(openAPI, JsonNode.class))
+                    .auths(context.getAuths());
+
+            refSet.put("local", localReference);
+        }
+
         Reference reference = new Reference()
-                .referenceSet(new LinkedHashMap<>())
+                .referenceSet(refSet)
                 .uri(context.getCurrentUri())
-                .messages(new LinkedHashSet<>())
-                // .visitedSet(visitedSet)
+                .messages(msgs)
                 .auths(context.getAuths());
 
         Traverser traverser = buildTraverser(context);
diff --git a/modules/swagger-parser-v3/src/test/java/io/swagger/v3/parser/test/OpenAPIV31ParserPathItemResolveFullyTest.java b/modules/swagger-parser-v3/src/test/java/io/swagger/v3/parser/test/OpenAPIV31ParserPathItemResolveFullyTest.java
index 98a38cddea..87c85fb7b8 100644
--- a/modules/swagger-parser-v3/src/test/java/io/swagger/v3/parser/test/OpenAPIV31ParserPathItemResolveFullyTest.java
+++ b/modules/swagger-parser-v3/src/test/java/io/swagger/v3/parser/test/OpenAPIV31ParserPathItemResolveFullyTest.java
@@ -214,6 +214,17 @@ private void setUpWireMockServer() throws IOException {
                         .withHeader("Content-type", "application/yaml")
                         .withBody(pathFile
                                 .getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8))));
+
+        pathFile = FileUtils.readFileToString(new File("src/test/resources/3.1.0/dereference/pathItem/internal-indirections/root.json"));
+        pathFile = pathFile.replace("${dynamicPort}", String.valueOf(this.serverPort));
+
+        WireMock.stubFor(get(urlPathMatching("/internal-indirections/root.json"))
+                .willReturn(aResponse()
+                        .withStatus(HttpURLConnection.HTTP_OK)
+                        .withHeader("Content-type", "application/json")
+                        .withBody(pathFile
+                                .getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8))));
+
     }
 
     @AfterClass
@@ -450,4 +461,47 @@ public void testPathItemInternalExternalRef() throws Exception {
                 "    description: path item description\n" +
                 "    get: {}\n");
     }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testPathItemInternalNoLocation() throws Exception {
+        ParseOptions p = new ParseOptions();
+        p.setResolve(true);
+        p.setResolveFully(true);
+
+        String con = "{\n" +
+                "  \"openapi\": \"3.1.0\",\n" +
+                "  \"paths\": {\n" +
+                "    \"/path1\": {\n" +
+                "      \"$ref\": \"#/paths/~1path2\"\n" +
+                "    },\n" +
+                "    \"/path2\": {\n" +
+                "      \"$ref\": \"#/paths/~1path3\"\n" +
+                "    },\n" +
+                "    \"/path3\": {\n" +
+                "      \"summary\": \"path item summary\",\n" +
+                "      \"description\": \"path item description\",\n" +
+                "      \"get\": {}\n" +
+                "    }\n" +
+                "  }\n" +
+                "}\n";
+        SwaggerParseResult swaggerParseResult = new OpenAPIV3Parser().readContents(con, null, p);
+        assertNotNull(swaggerParseResult.getOpenAPI());
+        assertFalse(swaggerParseResult.getMessages().isEmpty());
+        assertEquals(Yaml31.pretty(swaggerParseResult.getOpenAPI()), "openapi: 3.1.0\n" +
+                "servers:\n" +
+                "- url: /\n" +
+                "paths:\n" +
+                "  /path1:\n" +
+                "    summary: path item summary\n" +
+                "    description: path item description\n" +
+                "    get: {}\n" +
+                "  /path2:\n" +
+                "    summary: path item summary\n" +
+                "    description: path item description\n" +
+                "    get: {}\n" +
+                "  /path3:\n" +
+                "    summary: path item summary\n" +
+                "    description: path item description\n" +
+                "    get: {}\n");
+    }
 }