Review as per @briancavalier comments.

lib/scope.js

@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ define(function(require) {
 
 	var when, defer, sequence, array, object, loader, Map,
 		ComponentFactory, Lifecycle, Resolver, WireProxy, PluginRegistry,
-		undef, specUtils, DirectedGraph, importsGraph, cyclesTracker;
+		undef, specUtils, DirectedGraph, cyclesTracker;
 
 	when = require('when');
 	sequence = require('when/sequence');
@@ -270,9 +270,9 @@ define(function(require) {
 			var self = this;
 
 			// instantiate the imports graph
-			importsGraph = new DirectedGraph();
+			var importsGraph = new DirectedGraph();
 
-			return processImports(self, spec).then(function(importedSpecs){
+			return processImports(self, spec, importsGraph).then(function(importedSpecs){
 				// modules of importing spec overrides modules of imported spec.
 				return processSpec(self, object.mixin(importedSpecs, spec));
 			});
@@ -483,7 +483,7 @@ define(function(require) {
 
 	function noop() {}
 
-	function processImports(scope, spec, importingModuleId) {
+	function processImports(scope, spec, importsGraph, importingModuleId) {
 		if ( ! spec || ! spec.$imports ) {
 			return when({});
 		}
@@ -500,14 +500,14 @@ define(function(require) {
 
 			// go ahead with the import
 			return when(scope.getModule(importedModuleId), function(importedSpec){
-				return processImports(scope, importedSpec, importedModuleId).then(function(importedSpecs){
+				return processImports(scope, importedSpec, importsGraph, importedModuleId).then(function(importedSpecs){
 					// modules of importing spec overrides modules of imported specs.
 					importedSpecs = object.mixin(importedSpecs, importedSpec);
 
 					// modules in the right overrides modules in the left
 					currentImports = object.mixin(currentImports, importedSpecs);
 
-					return when(currentImports);
+					return currentImports;
 				});
 			});
 		}, {});

test/node/context-test.js

@@ -167,7 +167,7 @@ buster.testCase('context', {
 			);
 		},
 		' / should not import circular import of three assemblies': function() {
-			return createContext('./fixtures/imports-test/circular-imports-assembly2-1').then(
+			return createContext('./fixtures/imports-test/circular-imports-assembly3-1').then(
 				fail,
 				function(context) {
 					assert(true);