diff --git a/src/cli-validator/runValidator.js b/src/cli-validator/runValidator.js
index c19cba720..e09e62d54 100644
--- a/src/cli-validator/runValidator.js
+++ b/src/cli-validator/runValidator.js
@@ -242,11 +242,27 @@ const processInput = async function(program) {
       process.chdir(originalWorkingDirectory);
     }
 
-    // run validator & spectral, print the results, and determine if validator passed
-    let results;
+    // run spectral and save the results
+    let spectralResults;
     try {
+      process.chdir(path.dirname(validFile));
       // let spectral handle the parsing of the original swagger/oa3 document
-      const spectralResults = await spectral.run(originalFile);
+      spectralResults = await spectral.run(originalFile);
+    } catch (err) {
+      printError(chalk, 'There was a problem with spectral.', getError(err));
+      if (debug) {
+        console.log(err.stack);
+      }
+      exitCode = 1;
+      continue;
+    } finally {
+      // return the working directory to its original location
+      process.chdir(originalWorkingDirectory);
+    }
+
+    // run validator, print the results, and determine if validator passed
+    let results;
+    try {
       results = validator(swagger, configObject, spectralResults, debug);
     } catch (err) {
       printError(chalk, 'There was a problem with a validator.', getError(err));
diff --git a/test/spectral/mockFiles/oas3/file-resolver/subdir/main.yaml b/test/spectral/mockFiles/oas3/file-resolver/subdir/main.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b2074027f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/spectral/mockFiles/oas3/file-resolver/subdir/main.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+openapi: 3.0.0
+info:
+  version: 1.0.0
+  title: main
+paths:
+  /example:
+    get:
+      summary: Summary
+      responses:
+        "200":
+          description: OK
+          content:
+            application/json:
+              schema:
+                $ref: "./schema.yaml#/components/schemas/SchemaDef"
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/spectral/mockFiles/oas3/file-resolver/subdir/schema.yaml b/test/spectral/mockFiles/oas3/file-resolver/subdir/schema.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7f8cdcd82
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/spectral/mockFiles/oas3/file-resolver/subdir/schema.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+openapi: 3.0.0
+paths: {}
+components:
+  schemas:
+    SchemaDef:
+      type: object
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/spectral/mockFiles/oas3/url-reference-resolver/main.yaml b/test/spectral/mockFiles/oas3/url-reference-resolver/main.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..0558300a7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/spectral/mockFiles/oas3/url-reference-resolver/main.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+openapi: 3.0.0
+info:
+  version: 1.0.0
+  title: main
+paths:
+  /example:
+    get:
+      summary: Summary
+      responses:
+        "200":
+          description: OK
+          content:
+            application/json:
+              schema:
+                $ref: 'http://json-schema.org/draft-04/schema#/properties/title'
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/spectral/mockFiles/swagger/file-resolver/subdir/main.yaml b/test/spectral/mockFiles/swagger/file-resolver/subdir/main.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7179f3fe4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/spectral/mockFiles/swagger/file-resolver/subdir/main.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+---
+swagger: '2.0'
+info:
+  title: main
+  version: 1.0.0
+paths:
+  "/example":
+    get:
+      produces:
+      - application/json
+      parameters: []
+      responses:
+        '200':
+          description: OK
+          schema:
+            $ref: "./schema.yaml#/definitions/SchemaDef"
+      summary: Summary
diff --git a/test/spectral/mockFiles/swagger/file-resolver/subdir/schema.yaml b/test/spectral/mockFiles/swagger/file-resolver/subdir/schema.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..598509643
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/spectral/mockFiles/swagger/file-resolver/subdir/schema.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+---
+swagger: '2.0'
+paths: {}
+definitions:
+  SchemaDef:
+    type: object
+x-components: {}
diff --git a/test/spectral/mockFiles/swagger/url-reference-resolver/main.yaml b/test/spectral/mockFiles/swagger/url-reference-resolver/main.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f9021d2c8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/spectral/mockFiles/swagger/url-reference-resolver/main.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+---
+swagger: '2.0'
+info:
+  title: main
+  version: 1.0.0
+paths:
+  "/example":
+    get:
+      produces:
+      - application/json
+      parameters: []
+      responses:
+        '200':
+          description: OK
+          schema:
+            $ref: 'http://json-schema.org/draft-04/schema#/properties/title'
+      summary: Summary
diff --git a/test/spectral/tests/path-resolve.test.js b/test/spectral/tests/path-resolve.test.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..bd23a444b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/spectral/tests/path-resolve.test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,122 @@
+const commandLineValidator = require('../../../src/cli-validator/runValidator');
+const { getCapturedText } = require('../../test-utils');
+
+describe('spectral - test file resolve - OAS3', function() {
+  let consoleSpy;
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    consoleSpy = jest.spyOn(console, 'log').mockImplementation(() => {});
+  });
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    consoleSpy.mockRestore();
+  });
+
+  it('test no file read error using mockFiles/oas3/file-resolver/subdir/main.yaml', async function() {
+    // set up mock user input
+    const program = {};
+    program.default_mode = true;
+    program.print_validator_modules = true;
+    program.args = [
+      './test/spectral/mockFiles/oas3/file-resolver/subdir/main.yaml'
+    ];
+
+    const exitCode = await commandLineValidator(program);
+    const capturedText = getCapturedText(consoleSpy.mock.calls);
+    const allOutput = capturedText.join('');
+
+    // No errors should be triggered
+    expect(exitCode).toEqual(0);
+    expect(allOutput).not.toContain('ENOENT: no such file or directory');
+  });
+});
+
+describe('spectral - test file resolve - Swagger', function() {
+  let consoleSpy;
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    consoleSpy = jest.spyOn(console, 'log').mockImplementation(() => {});
+  });
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    consoleSpy.mockRestore();
+  });
+
+  it('test no file read error using mockFiles/swagger/file-resolver/subdir/main.yaml', async function() {
+    // set up mock user input
+    const program = {};
+    program.default_mode = true;
+    program.print_validator_modules = true;
+    program.args = [
+      './test/spectral/mockFiles/swagger/file-resolver/subdir/main.yaml'
+    ];
+
+    const exitCode = await commandLineValidator(program);
+    const capturedText = getCapturedText(consoleSpy.mock.calls);
+    const allOutput = capturedText.join('');
+
+    // No errors should be triggered
+    expect(exitCode).toEqual(0);
+    expect(allOutput).not.toContain('ENOENT: no such file or directory');
+  });
+});
+
+describe('spectral - test url resolve - OAS3', function() {
+  let consoleSpy;
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    consoleSpy = jest.spyOn(console, 'log').mockImplementation(() => {});
+  });
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    consoleSpy.mockRestore();
+  });
+
+  it('test no file read error using mockFiles/oas3/url-reference-resolver/main.yaml', async function() {
+    // set up mock user input
+    const program = {};
+    program.default_mode = true;
+    program.print_validator_modules = true;
+    program.args = [
+      './test/spectral/mockFiles/oas3/url-reference-resolver/main.yaml'
+    ];
+
+    const exitCode = await commandLineValidator(program);
+    const capturedText = getCapturedText(consoleSpy.mock.calls);
+    const allOutput = capturedText.join('');
+
+    // No errors should be triggered
+    expect(exitCode).toEqual(0);
+    expect(allOutput).not.toContain('Error resolving $ref pointer');
+  });
+});
+
+describe('spectral - test url resolve - Swagger', function() {
+  let consoleSpy;
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    consoleSpy = jest.spyOn(console, 'log').mockImplementation(() => {});
+  });
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    consoleSpy.mockRestore();
+  });
+
+  it('test no file read error using mockFiles/swagger/url-reference-resolver/main.yaml', async function() {
+    // set up mock user input
+    const program = {};
+    program.default_mode = true;
+    program.print_validator_modules = true;
+    program.args = [
+      './test/spectral/mockFiles/swagger/url-reference-resolver/main.yaml'
+    ];
+
+    const exitCode = await commandLineValidator(program);
+    const capturedText = getCapturedText(consoleSpy.mock.calls);
+    const allOutput = capturedText.join('');
+
+    // No errors should be triggered
+    expect(exitCode).toEqual(0);
+    expect(allOutput).not.toContain('Error resolving $ref pointer');
+  });
+});