diff --git a/javascript/ql/lib/semmle/javascript/AMD.qll b/javascript/ql/lib/semmle/javascript/AMD.qll
index 20b1c26275a..b28dd5b9b72 100644
--- a/javascript/ql/lib/semmle/javascript/AMD.qll
+++ b/javascript/ql/lib/semmle/javascript/AMD.qll
@@ -61,7 +61,13 @@ class AmdModuleDefinition extends CallExpr instanceof AmdModuleDefinition::Range
   }
 
   /** Gets the `i`th dependency of this module definition. */
-  PathExpr getDependency(int i) { result = this.getDependencies().getElement(i) }
+  PathExpr getDependency(int i) {
+    exists(Expr expr |
+      expr = this.getDependencies().getElement(i) and
+      not isPseudoDependency(expr.getStringValue()) and
+      result = expr
+    )
+  }
 
   /** Gets a dependency of this module definition. */
   PathExpr getADependency() {
@@ -102,9 +108,10 @@ class AmdModuleDefinition extends CallExpr instanceof AmdModuleDefinition::Range
   /**
    * Holds if `p` is the parameter corresponding to dependency `dep`.
    */
-  predicate dependencyParameter(PathExpr dep, Parameter p) {
+  predicate dependencyParameter(Expr dep, Parameter p) {
     exists(int i |
-      dep = this.getDependency(i) and
+      // Note: to avoid spurious recursion, do not depend on PathExpr here
+      dep = this.getDependencies().getElement(i) and
       p = this.getFactoryParameter(i)
     )
   }
@@ -122,9 +129,9 @@ class AmdModuleDefinition extends CallExpr instanceof AmdModuleDefinition::Range
    * `dep1` and `dep2`.
    */
   Parameter getDependencyParameter(string name) {
-    exists(PathExpr dep |
+    exists(Expr dep |
       this.dependencyParameter(dep, result) and
-      dep.getValue() = name
+      name = dep.getStringValue()
     )
   }
 
@@ -202,11 +209,15 @@ class AmdModuleDefinition extends CallExpr instanceof AmdModuleDefinition::Range
   }
 }
 
+private predicate isPseudoDependency(string s) { s = ["exports", "require", "module"] }
+
 /** An AMD dependency, considered as a path expression. */
 private class AmdDependencyPath extends PathExprCandidate {
   AmdDependencyPath() {
     exists(AmdModuleDefinition amd |
-      this = amd.getDependencies().getAnElement() or
+      this = amd.getDependencies().getAnElement() and
+      not isPseudoDependency(this.getStringValue())
+      or
       this = amd.getARequireCall().getAnArgument()
     )
   }
diff --git a/javascript/ql/test/library-tests/AMD/tests.expected b/javascript/ql/test/library-tests/AMD/tests.expected
index 265a7f291df..ce9d6f60f5d 100644
--- a/javascript/ql/test/library-tests/AMD/tests.expected
+++ b/javascript/ql/test/library-tests/AMD/tests.expected
@@ -61,7 +61,6 @@ amdModuleDefinition
 | umd.js:4:9:4:43 | define( ... actory) | umd.js:1:18:1:24 | factory |
 | umd.js:4:9:4:43 | define( ... actory) | umd.js:9:9:14:1 | functio ...    };\\n} |
 amdModuleDependencies
-| tst2.js:1:1:3:2 | define( ...  42;\\n}) | tst2.js:1:9:1:17 | 'exports' |
 | tst3.js:1:1:3:2 | define( ...  42;\\n}) | tst3.js:2:21:2:25 | './a' |
 | tst4.js:1:1:11:2 | define( ...   };\\n}) | tst4.js:2:9:2:14 | 'a.js' |
 | tst4.js:1:1:11:2 | define( ...   };\\n}) | tst4.js:3:9:3:13 | 'foo' |