diff --git a/fs/copy_linux.go b/fs/copy_linux.go
index 40e401797..efa924861 100644
--- a/fs/copy_linux.go
+++ b/fs/copy_linux.go
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/containerd/continuity/sysx"
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
+	"golang.org/x/sys/unix"
 )
 
 func copyFileInfo(fi os.FileInfo, name string) error {
@@ -21,7 +22,8 @@ func copyFileInfo(fi os.FileInfo, name string) error {
 		}
 	}
 
-	if err := syscall.UtimesNano(name, []syscall.Timespec{st.Atim, st.Mtim}); err != nil {
+	timespec := []unix.Timespec{unix.Timespec(st.Atim), unix.Timespec(st.Mtim)}
+	if err := unix.UtimesNanoAt(unix.AT_FDCWD, name, timespec, unix.AT_SYMLINK_NOFOLLOW); err != nil {
 		return errors.Wrapf(err, "failed to utime %s", name)
 	}
 
diff --git a/fs/copy_test.go b/fs/copy_test.go
index 475e76fdf..2a51bf60e 100644
--- a/fs/copy_test.go
+++ b/fs/copy_test.go
@@ -32,6 +32,20 @@ func TestCopyDirectory(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// This test used to fail because link-no-nothing.txt would be copied first,
+// then file operations in dst during the CopyDir would follow the symlink and
+// fail.
+func TestCopyDirectoryWithLocalSymlink(t *testing.T) {
+	apply := fstest.Apply(
+		fstest.CreateFile("nothing.txt", []byte{0x00, 0x00}, 0755),
+		fstest.Symlink("nothing.txt", "link-no-nothing.txt"),
+	)
+
+	if err := testCopy(apply); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Copy test failed: %+v", err)
+	}
+}
+
 func testCopy(apply fstest.Applier) error {
 	t1, err := ioutil.TempDir("", "test-copy-src-")
 	if err != nil {