diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index eeb0c2266..bc097e466 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -71,6 +71,7 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: verify go modules and vendor directory
         run: |
+          sudo apt-get install -y jq
           make verify-vendor
         working-directory: src/github.com/containerd/containerd
 
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 7c109067c..20141d458 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -425,6 +425,8 @@ verify-vendor: ## verify if all the go.mod/go.sum files are up-to-date
 	@(cd ${TMPDIR}/containerd/integration/client && ${GO} mod tidy)
 	@diff -r -u -q ${ROOTDIR} ${TMPDIR}/containerd
 	@rm -rf ${TMPDIR}
+	@${ROOTDIR}/script/verify-go-modules.sh api
+	@${ROOTDIR}/script/verify-go-modules.sh integration/client
 
 
 help: ## this help
diff --git a/api/go.mod b/api/go.mod
index c5f49d136..389a6a07e 100644
--- a/api/go.mod
+++ b/api/go.mod
@@ -13,5 +13,7 @@ require (
 
 replace (
 	github.com/gogo/googleapis => github.com/gogo/googleapis v1.3.2
+	// urfave/cli must be <= v1.22.1 due to a regression: https://github.com/urfave/cli/issues/1092
+	github.com/urfave/cli => github.com/urfave/cli v1.22.1
 	google.golang.org/genproto => google.golang.org/genproto v0.0.0-20200224152610-e50cd9704f63
 )
diff --git a/script/verify-go-modules.sh b/script/verify-go-modules.sh
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..62e8db585
--- /dev/null
+++ b/script/verify-go-modules.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,112 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+#   Copyright The containerd Authors.
+
+#   Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+#   you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+#   You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+#       http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+#   Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+#   distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+#   WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+#   See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+#   limitations under the License.
+
+#
+# verifies if the require and replace directives for two go.mod files are in sync
+#
+set -eu -o pipefail
+
+ROOT=$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE}")/..
+
+if [ "$#" -ne 1 ]; then
+  echo "Usage: $0 dir-for-second-go-mod"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+if ! command -v jq &> /dev/null ; then
+  echo Please install jq
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+# Load the requires and replaces section in the root go.mod file
+declare -A map_requires_1
+declare -A map_replaces_1
+pushd "${ROOT}" > /dev/null
+while IFS='#' read -r key value
+do
+  map_requires_1[$key]="$value"
+done<<<$(go mod edit -json | jq -r '.Require[] | .Path +  " # " + .Version')
+while IFS='#' read -r key value
+do
+  map_replaces_1[$key]="$value"
+done<<<$(go mod edit -json | jq -r '.Replace[] | .Old.Path + " # " + .New.Path + " : " + .New.Version')
+popd > /dev/null
+
+# Load the requires and replaces section in the other go.mod file
+declare -A map_requires_2
+declare -A map_replaces_2
+pushd "${ROOT}/$1" > /dev/null
+while IFS='#' read -r key value
+do
+  map_requires_2[$key]="$value"
+done<<<$(go mod edit -json | jq -r '.Require[] | .Path +  " # " + .Version')
+while IFS='#' read -r key value
+do
+  map_replaces_2[$key]="$value"
+done<<<$(go mod edit -json | jq -r '.Replace[] | .Old.Path + " # " + .New.Path + " : " + .New.Version')
+popd > /dev/null
+
+# signal for errors later
+ERRORS=0
+
+# iterate through the second go.mod's require section and ensure that all items
+# have the same values in the root go.mod replace section
+for k in "${!map_requires_2[@]}"
+do
+  if [ -v "map_requires_1[$k]" ]; then
+    if [ "${map_requires_2[$k]}" != "${map_requires_1[$k]}" ]; then
+      echo "${k} has different values in the go.mod files require section:" \
+        "${map_requires_1[$k]} in root go.mod ${map_requires_2[$k]} in $1/go.mod"
+      ERRORS=$(( ERRORS + 1 ))
+    fi
+  fi
+done
+
+# iterate through the second go.mod's replace section and ensure that all items
+# have the same values in the root go.mod's replace section. Except for the
+# containerd/containerd which we know will be different
+for k in "${!map_replaces_2[@]}"
+do
+  if [[ "${k}" == "github.com/containerd/containerd"* ]]; then
+    continue
+  fi
+  if [ -v "map_replaces_1[$k]" ]; then
+    if [ "${map_replaces_2[$k]}" != "${map_replaces_1[$k]}" ]; then
+      echo "${k} has different values in the go.mod files replace section:" \
+        "${map_replaces_1[$k]} in root go.mod ${map_replaces_2[$k]} in $1/go.mod"
+      ERRORS=$(( ERRORS + 1 ))
+    fi
+  fi
+done
+
+# iterate through the root go.mod's replace section and ensure that all the
+# same items are present in the second go.mod's replace section and nothing is missing
+for k in "${!map_replaces_1[@]}"
+do
+  if [[ "${k}" == "github.com/containerd/containerd"* ]]; then
+    continue
+  fi
+  if [ ! -v "map_replaces_2[$k]" ]; then
+    echo "${k} has an entry in root go.mod replace section, but is missing from" \
+      " replace section in $1/go.mod"
+    ERRORS=$(( ERRORS + 1 ))
+  fi
+done
+
+if [ "$ERRORS" -ne 0 ]; then
+  echo "Found $ERRORS error(s)."
+  exit 1
+fi