diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,11 +1,16 @@
 # Revision history for directory-contents
 
+## 0.2.0.1
+
+* Create test data rather than relying on fixtures, since it's hard to include these fixtures when using cabal sdist.
+
 ## 0.2.0.0
 
 * Add `Data.Data` instance for `DirTree` and `Symlink`
 * Add `System.Directory.Contents.Zipper` for convenient navigation and modification of directory contents
 * Add more examples to readme
 * Breaking change: `DirTree_Dir` and `Symlink_External` child nodes are now stored as a `Map`
+* Fix: buildDirTree fails as a file gets deleted quickly.
 
 ## 0.1.0.0
 
diff --git a/directory-contents.cabal b/directory-contents.cabal
--- a/directory-contents.cabal
+++ b/directory-contents.cabal
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 cabal-version:      >=1.10
 name:               directory-contents
-version:            0.2.0.0
+version:            0.2.0.1
 synopsis:           Recursively build, navigate, and operate on a tree of directory contents.
 description:
   Like the linux tree command, this library recursively constructs a tree of directory contents while detecting and avoiding symlink cycles. It also provides functions for operating on and navigating the contents.
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@
     , filepath     >=1.4  && <1.5
     , text         >=1.2  && <1.3
     , transformers >=0.5  && <0.6
-    , witherable   >=0.3  && <0.4
+    , witherable   >=0.3  && <0.5
 
   hs-source-dirs:   src
   default-language: Haskell2010
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@
 
 test-suite directory-contents-test
   type: exitcode-stdio-1.0
-  build-depends: base, directory-contents, filepath
+  build-depends: base, directory-contents, filepath, process, coquina, directory, text, here
   default-language: Haskell2010
   hs-source-dirs: test
   main-is: Test.hs
diff --git a/src/System/Directory/Contents.hs b/src/System/Directory/Contents.hs
--- a/src/System/Directory/Contents.hs
+++ b/src/System/Directory/Contents.hs
@@ -128,7 +128,8 @@
       canon <- canonicalizePath path
       isPath <- doesPathExist path
       isDir <- doesDirectoryExist path
-      isSym <- pathIsSymbolicLink path
+      let pathExists = isPath || isDir
+      isSym <- if pathExists then fmap Just (pathIsSymbolicLink path) else pure Nothing
       subpaths <- if isDir then listDirectory path else pure []
       subcanons <- mapM canonicalizePath <=<
         filterM (fmap not . pathIsSymbolicLink) $ (path </>) <$> subpaths
@@ -136,7 +137,7 @@
           buildSubpaths = catMaybes <$> mapM
             (build (Map.insert canon path seen') . (path </>)) subpaths
       if | not isPath -> pure Nothing
-         | isSym -> case Map.lookup canon seen' of
+         | isSym == Just True -> case Map.lookup canon seen' of
              Nothing -> do
                s <- getSymbolicLinkTarget path
                Just . DirTree_Symlink path . Symlink_External s . fileNameMap <$> buildSubpaths
diff --git a/test/Test.hs b/test/Test.hs
--- a/test/Test.hs
+++ b/test/Test.hs
@@ -1,14 +1,77 @@
+{-# Language QuasiQuotes #-}
+import Control.Monad.IO.Class
+import Coquina
 import Data.Maybe
+import Data.String.Here
+import Data.Text (Text)
+import System.Directory
 import System.Directory.Contents
 import System.Directory.Contents.Zipper
 import System.Exit
 import System.FilePath
+import System.Process
 
 main :: IO ()
 main = do
+  _ <- setup test1
+  return ()
+
+readme_md = [here|
+This test directory tree has the following structure:
+```
+.
+├── a -> A/a
+├── A
+│   ├── a
+│   ├── A -> ../A  [recursive, not followed]
+│   └── B -> ../B
+│       ├── A -> ../A  [recursive, not followed]
+│       └── b
+├── B
+│   ├── A -> ../A  [recursive, not followed]
+│   └── b
+└── README.md
+
+6 directories, 5 files
+```
+|]
+
+-- | Annoying that we have to set it up this way, but there doesn't seem
+-- to be any good way to include the symlinks we want as test fixtures
+-- in cabal.
+--
+-- This function will manually recreate the contents of test/fixtures
+setup :: (FilePath -> IO ()) -> IO (Text, Text, Either Int ())
+setup testRunner = runShell $ do
+  inTempDirectory "directory-contents-test" $ \fp -> do
+    let fixtures = fp </> "test" </> "fixtures"
+        test1 = fixtures </> "test-1"
+        test2 = fixtures </> "test-2"
+    run $ proc "mkdir" ["-p", fixtures]
+    run $ proc "mkdir" ["-p", test1]
+    run $ proc "mkdir" ["-p", test2]
+    liftIO $ do
+      writeFile (fixtures </> "test-1" </> "README.md") readme_md
+      writeFile (fixtures </> "test-2" </> "rocket") "🚀"
+    run $ proc "mkdir" ["-p", test1 </> "A"]
+    run $ proc "touch" [test1 </> "A" </> "a"]
+    run $ proc "mkdir" ["-p", test1 </> "B"]
+    run $ proc "touch" [test1 </> "B" </> "b"]
+    run $ proc "mkdir" ["-p", test1 </> "C"]
+    run $ proc "ln" ["-s", "../A", test1 </> "A" </> "A"]
+    run $ proc "ln" ["-s", "../B", test1 </> "A" </> "B"]
+    run $ proc "ln" ["-s", "../A", test1 </> "B" </> "A"]
+    run $ proc "ln" ["-s", "../README.md", test1 </> "C" </> "info.md"]
+    run $ proc "ln" ["-s", "../test-2", test1 </> "D"]
+    run $ proc "ln" ["-s", "D/rocket", test1 </> "d_rocket"]
+    run $ proc "ln" ["-s", "../test-2/rocket", test1 </> "rocket"]
+    liftIO $ testRunner test1
+
+test1 :: FilePath -> IO ()
+test1 fp = do
   p <- test
     "Build DirTree in the presence of recursive symlinks"
-    (buildDirTree "test/fixtures/test-1")
+    (buildDirTree fp)
   test
     "Navigate to a directory that should exist"
     (pure $ walkContents "C" p)