diff --git a/beets/ui/completion_base.sh b/beets/ui/completion_base.sh
index bcc066041..23887e715 100644
--- a/beets/ui/completion_base.sh
+++ b/beets/ui/completion_base.sh
@@ -60,8 +60,7 @@ _beet_dispatch() {
   local cur prev
 
   COMPREPLY=()
-  cur="${COMP_WORDS[COMP_CWORD]}"
-  prev="${COMP_WORDS[COMP_CWORD-1]}"
+  _get_comp_words_by_ref cur prev
 
   # Look for the beets subcommand
   local arg cmd=
@@ -103,7 +102,7 @@ _beet_complete() {
     completions="${flags___common} ${opts} ${flags}"
     COMPREPLY+=( $(compgen -W "$completions"  -- $cur) )
   else
-    _beet_complete_filedir
+    _filedir
   fi
 }
 
@@ -118,12 +117,12 @@ _beet_complete_global() {
       ;;
     -l|--library|-c|--config)
       # Filename completion
-      _beet_complete_filedir
+      _filedir
       return
       ;;
     -d|--directory)
       # Directory completion
-      _beet_complete_filedir -d
+      _filedir -d
       return
       ;;
   esac
@@ -140,63 +139,6 @@ _beet_complete_global() {
   fi
 }
 
-# This function performs file and directory completion. It's better than
-# simply using 'compgen -f', because it honours spaces in filenames.
-# @param $1  If `-d', complete only on directories.  Otherwise filter/pick only
-#            completions with `.$1' and the uppercase version of it as file
-#            extension.
-#
-# This function is based on code from debian's bash-completion package.
-#     <http://bash-completion.alioth.debian.org>
-# Copyright the Bash Completion Maintainers
-#     <bash-completion-devel@lists.alioth.debian.org>
-#
-_beet_complete_filedir() {
-  local IFS=$'\n'
-  local tmp quoted_cur opt="$1"
-
-  _beet_quote_for_readline "$cur" quoted_cur
-
-  if [[ "$opt" != -d ]]; then
-    opt=-f
-  fi
-
-  while read -r tmp; do
-    COMPREPLY+=( "$tmp" )
-  done <<< "$(compgen "$opt" -- "$quoted_cur")"
-}
-
-# This function quotes the argument in a way so that readline dequoting
-# results in the original argument.  This is necessary for at least
-# `compgen' which requires its arguments quoted/escaped:
-#     $ ls "a'b/"
-#     c
-#     $ compgen -f "a'b/"       # Wrong, doesn't return output
-#     $ compgen -f "a\'b/"      # Good
-#     a\'b/c
-#
-# @param $1  Argument to quote
-# @param $2  Name of variable to return result to
-#
-# This function was copied from debian's bash-completion package.
-#     <http://bash-completion.alioth.debian.org>
-# Copyright the Bash Completion Maintainers
-#     <bash-completion-devel@lists.alioth.debian.org>
-#
-_beet_quote_for_readline()
-{
-    if [[ $1 == \'* ]]; then
-      # Leave out first character
-      printf -v $2 %s "${1:1}"
-    elif [[ -z $1 ]]; then
-      # Do not quote the empty string
-      printf -v $2 %s "$1"
-    else
-      printf -v $2 %q "$1"
-    fi
-    [[ ${!2} == \$* ]] && eval $2=${!2}
-}
-
 # Returns true if the space separated list $1 includes $2
 _list_include_item() {
   [[ " $1 " == *[[:space:]]$2[[:space:]]* ]]
diff --git a/test/test_completion.sh b/test/test_completion.sh
index 442d77810..6576adb04 100644
--- a/test/test_completion.sh
+++ b/test/test_completion.sh
@@ -1,10 +1,8 @@
-#!/bin/bash
-
-. /etc/bash_completion
-
 initcli() {
   COMP_WORDS=( "beet" "$@" )
   let COMP_CWORD=${#COMP_WORDS[@]}-1
+  COMP_LINE="${COMP_WORDS[@]}"
+  let COMP_POINT=${#COMP_LINE}
   _beet
 }
 
@@ -64,17 +62,20 @@ test_global_opts() {
 
 
 test_global_file_opts() {
+  # FIXME somehow file completion only works when the completion
+  # function is called by the shell completion utilities. So we can't
+  # test it here
   initcli --library '' &&
-  completes $(compgen -f) &&
+  completes $(compgen -d) &&
 
   initcli -l '' &&
-  completes $(compgen -f) &&
+  completes $(compgen -d) &&
 
   initcli --config '' &&
-  completes $(compgen -f) &&
+  completes $(compgen -d) &&
 
   initcli -c '' &&
-  completes $(compgen -f) &&
+  completes $(compgen -d) &&
   true
 }
 
@@ -94,20 +95,20 @@ test_fields_command() {
   completes -h --help &&
 
   initcli fields '' &&
-  completes $(compgen -f) &&
+  completes $(compgen -d) &&
   true
 }
 
 
 test_import_files() {
   initcli import '' &&
-  completes $(compgen -f) &&
+  completes $(compgen -d) &&
 
   initcli import --copy -P '' &&
-  completes $(compgen -f) &&
+  completes $(compgen -d) &&
 
   initcli import --log '' &&
-  completes $(compgen -f) &&
+  completes $(compgen -d) &&
   true
 }
 
diff --git a/test/test_ui.py b/test/test_ui.py
index efe0f0dee..d8b34d529 100644
--- a/test/test_ui.py
+++ b/test/test_ui.py
@@ -748,12 +748,17 @@ class CompletionTest(_common.TestCase):
     def test_completion(self):
         test_script = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__),
                 'test_completion.sh')
+        bash_completion = '/etc/bash_completion'
 
         # Tests run in bash
         shell = os.environ.get('BEETS_TEST_SHELL', '/bin/bash --norc')
         tester = subprocess.Popen(shell.split(' '), stdin=subprocess.PIPE,
                                   stdout=subprocess.PIPE)
 
+        # Load bash_completion
+        with open(bash_completion, 'r') as bash_completion:
+            tester.stdin.writelines(bash_completion)
+
         # Load complection script
         self.io.install()
         ui._raw_main(['completion'])
@@ -765,8 +770,9 @@ class CompletionTest(_common.TestCase):
         with open(test_script, 'r') as test_script:
             tester.stdin.writelines(test_script)
         (out, err) = tester.communicate()
-        self.assertEqual(tester.returncode, 0)
-        self.assertEqual(out, "completion tests passed\n")
+        if tester.returncode != 0 or out != "completion tests passed\n":
+            print(out)
+            self.fail('test/test_completion.sh did not execute properly')
 
 def suite():
     return unittest.TestLoader().loadTestsFromName(__name__)