diff --git a/deps.ts b/deps.ts
index c65f49b..e8ea477 100644
--- a/deps.ts
+++ b/deps.ts
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ export {
   resolve,
   toFileUrl,
 } from "https://deno.land/std@0.173.0/path/mod.ts";
-export { copy } from "https://deno.land/std@0.173.0/fs/mod.ts";
+export { copy, exists, move } from "https://deno.land/std@0.173.0/fs/mod.ts";
 export { basename, extname } from "https://deno.land/std@0.173.0/path/mod.ts";
 export * as JSONC from "https://deno.land/std@0.173.0/encoding/jsonc.ts";
 export { encode as base32Encode } from "https://deno.land/std@0.173.0/encoding/base32.ts";
diff --git a/src/loader_native.ts b/src/loader_native.ts
index 4f17619..fc3ee8b 100644
--- a/src/loader_native.ts
+++ b/src/loader_native.ts
@@ -3,8 +3,10 @@ import {
   DenoDir,
   dirname,
   esbuild,
+  exists,
   fromFileUrl,
   join,
+  move,
 } from "../deps.ts";
 import * as deno from "./deno.ts";
 import {
@@ -120,21 +122,16 @@ export class NativeLoader implements Loader {
 
     // check if the package is already linked, if so, return the link and skip
     // a bunch of work
-    try {
-      await Deno.stat(linkDir);
-      this.#linkDirCache.set(npmPackageId, linkDir);
-      return linkDir;
-    } catch {
-      // directory does not yet exist
-    }
+    if (await exists(linkDir)) return linkDir;
 
     // create a temporary directory, recursively hardlink the package contents
     // into it, and then rename it to the final location
     const tmpDir = await Deno.makeTempDir();
+
     await linkRecursive(packageDir, tmpDir);
     try {
       await Deno.mkdir(linkDirParent, { recursive: true });
-      await Deno.rename(tmpDir, linkDir);
+      await move(tmpDir, linkDir);
     } catch (err) {
       if (err instanceof Deno.errors.AlreadyExists) {
         // ignore