diff --git a/source/dub/packagemanager.d b/source/dub/packagemanager.d
index 179a81a..3b071b8 100644
--- a/source/dub/packagemanager.d
+++ b/source/dub/packagemanager.d
@@ -464,13 +464,19 @@
 		string gitReference = repo.ref_.chompPrefix("~");
 		NativePath destination = this.getPackagePath(PlacementLocation.user, name, repo.ref_);
 
-		foreach (p; getPackageIterator(name.toString())) {
-			if (p.path == destination) {
-				return p;
-			}
-		}
-
-		if (!this.gitClone(repo.remote, gitReference, destination))
+		// Before doing a git clone, let's see if the package exists locally
+		if (this.existsDirectory(destination)) {
+			// It exists, check if we already loaded it.
+			// Either we loaded it on refresh and it's in PlacementLocation.user,
+			// or we just added it and it's in m_internal.
+			foreach (p; this.m_internal.fromPath)
+				if (p.path == destination)
+					return p;
+			if (this.m_repositories.length)
+				foreach (p; this.m_repositories[PlacementLocation.user].fromPath)
+					if (p.path == destination)
+						return p;
+		} else if (!this.gitClone(repo.remote, gitReference, destination))
 			return null;
 
 		Package result = this.load(destination);
diff --git a/source/dub/test/base.d b/source/dub/test/base.d
index 89c0624..d61dc66 100644
--- a/source/dub/test/base.d
+++ b/source/dub/test/base.d
@@ -784,6 +784,11 @@
     {
         auto entry = this.lookup(path);
         enforce(entry.attributes.type == Type.File, "Trying to read a directory");
+        // This is a hack to make poisoning a file possible.
+        // However, it is rather crude and doesn't allow to poison directory.
+        // Consider introducing a derived type to allow it.
+        assert(entry.content != "poison".representation,
+            "Trying to access poisoned path: " ~ path.toNativeString());
         return entry.content.dup;
     }
 
@@ -792,11 +797,11 @@
     {
         import std.utf : validate;
 
-        auto entry = this.lookup(path);
-        enforce(entry.attributes.type == Type.File, "Trying to read a directory");
+        const content = this.readFile(path);
         // Ignore BOM: If it's needed for a test, add support for it.
-        validate(cast(const(char[])) entry.content);
-        return cast(string) entry.content.idup();
+        validate(cast(const(char[])) content);
+        // `readFile` just `dup` the content, so it's safe to cast.
+        return cast(string) content;
     }
 
     /// Write to this file
diff --git a/source/dub/test/other.d b/source/dub/test/other.d
index 241fb0f..e3a17db 100644
--- a/source/dub/test/other.d
+++ b/source/dub/test/other.d
@@ -79,3 +79,26 @@
     const actualDir = newDub.project.getDependency("b", true).path();
     assert(actualDir == BDir, actualDir.toNativeString());
 }
+
+// Check that SCM-only dependencies don't lead to a scan of the FS
+unittest
+{
+    const ValidURL = `git+https://example.com/dlang/dub`;
+    // Taken from a commit in the dub repository
+    const ValidHash = "54339dff7ce9ec24eda550f8055354f712f15800";
+    const Template = `{"name": "%s", "version": "1.0.0", "dependencies": {
+"dep1": { "repository": "%s", "version": "%s" }}}`;
+
+    scope dub = new TestDub((scope FSEntry fs) {
+        // This should never be read
+        fs.writePackageFile("poison", "1.0.0", `poison`);
+        fs.writeFile(TestDub.ProjectPath ~ "dub.json",
+             `{ "name": "a", "dependencies": {"b": { "repository": "` ~
+             ValidURL ~ `", "version": "` ~ ValidHash ~ `" }} }`);
+    });
+    dub.packageManager.addTestSCMPackage(
+        Repository(ValidURL, ValidHash), `{"name":"b"}`);
+
+    dub.loadPackage();
+    assert(dub.project.hasAllDependencies());
+}