diff --git a/lib/ex_doc/formatter/html/autolink.ex b/lib/ex_doc/formatter/html/autolink.ex
index 5fad0c2df..7d6bded0d 100644
--- a/lib/ex_doc/formatter/html/autolink.ex
+++ b/lib/ex_doc/formatter/html/autolink.ex
@@ -542,27 +542,38 @@ defmodule ExDoc.Formatter.HTML.Autolink do
     case Application.fetch_env(:ex_doc, :elixir_lib_dirs) do
       {:ok, lib_dirs} ->
         lib_dirs
-      :error ->
-        lib_dir =
-          case :code.where_is_file('Elixir.Kernel.beam') do
-            :non_existing ->
-              [0]
-            path ->
-              path
-              |> Path.dirname()
-              |> Path.dirname()
-              |> Path.dirname()
-          end
 
+      :error ->
         lib_dirs =
           for app <- ~w(elixir eex iex logger mix ex_unit) do
-            {lib_dir <> "/" <> app <> "/ebin", @elixir_docs <> app <> "/"}
+            {elixir_lib_dir(app), @elixir_docs <> app <> "/"}
           end
+
         Application.put_env(:ex_doc, :elixir_lib_dirs, lib_dirs)
         lib_dirs
     end
   end
 
+  defp elixir_lib_dir(app) do
+    path =
+      case :code.where_is_file('Elixir.Kernel.beam') do
+        :non_existing -> ""
+        path -> List.to_string(path)
+      end
+
+    if File.exists?(path) do
+      path =
+        path
+        |> Path.dirname()
+        |> Path.dirname()
+        |> Path.dirname()
+      path <> "/" <> app <> "/ebin"
+    else
+      # if beam file doesn't exists it's likely an escript
+      Path.dirname(path)
+    end
+  end
+
   defp erlang_lib_dirs do
     case Application.fetch_env(:ex_doc, :erlang_lib_dirs) do
       {:ok, lib_dirs} ->
diff --git a/test/ex_doc/formatter/html/autolink_test.exs b/test/ex_doc/formatter/html/autolink_test.exs
index a48ee3cc3..c36fb9f3d 100644
--- a/test/ex_doc/formatter/html/autolink_test.exs
+++ b/test/ex_doc/formatter/html/autolink_test.exs
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ defmodule ExDoc.Formatter.HTML.AutolinkTest do
     # links to types without arity don't work
     assert Autolink.local_doc("`t:my_type`", ["t:my_type/0"]) == "`t:my_type`"
   end
+
   test "autolink to basic and built-in types" do
     assert Autolink.local_doc("`t:atom/0`", []) ==
       "[`atom/0`](#{@elixir_docs}elixir/typespecs.html#basic-types)"