diff --git a/gulpfile.js b/gulpfile.js
index 597141b6d4..36b5833023 100644
--- a/gulpfile.js
+++ b/gulpfile.js
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
 'use strict'
 
 const gulp = require('gulp')
-const async = require('async')
+const parallel = require('run-parallel')
+const series = require('run-series')
 const createTempNode = require('./test/utils/temp-node')
 const API = require('./src/http-api')
 
@@ -18,7 +19,7 @@ function startNode (num, done) {
 }
 
 gulp.task('libnode:start', (done) => {
-  async.parallel([
+  parallel([
     (cb) => startNode(7, cb),
     (cb) => startNode(8, cb),
     (cb) => startNode(9, cb)
@@ -26,9 +27,9 @@ gulp.task('libnode:start', (done) => {
 })
 
 gulp.task('libnode:stop', (done) => {
-  async.eachSeries(nodes, (node, cb) => {
+  series(nodes.map((node) => (cb) => {
     setTimeout(() => node.stop(cb), 500)
-  }, done)
+  }), done)
 })
 
 gulp.task('test:browser:before', ['libnode:start'])
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index d711f79b3e..afcb210858 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -38,7 +38,6 @@
   "homepage": "https://github.com/ipfs/js-ipfs#readme",
   "devDependencies": {
     "aegir": "^3.0.1",
-    "async": "^2.0.0-rc.4",
     "buffer-loader": "0.0.1",
     "chai": "^3.5.0",
     "expose-loader": "^0.7.1",
@@ -84,6 +83,10 @@
     "peer-info": "^0.6.2",
     "readable-stream": "1.1.13",
     "ronin": "^0.3.11",
+    "run-parallel": "^1.1.6",
+    "run-parallel-limit": "^1.0.3",
+    "run-series": "^1.1.4",
+    "run-waterfall": "^1.1.3",
     "temp": "^0.8.3"
   },
   "aegir": {
diff --git a/src/cli/commands/config/edit.js b/src/cli/commands/config/edit.js
index 5bcfde40cc..b510f1e640 100644
--- a/src/cli/commands/config/edit.js
+++ b/src/cli/commands/config/edit.js
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ const Command = require('ronin').Command
 const spawn = require('child_process').spawn
 const fs = require('fs')
 const temp = require('temp')
-const async = require('async')
+const waterfall = require('run-waterfall')
 const debug = require('debug')
 const log = debug('cli:config')
 log.error = debug('cli:config:error')
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ module.exports = Command.extend({
         })
       }
 
-      async.waterfall([
+      waterfall([
         getConfig,
         saveTempConfig,
         openEditor,
diff --git a/src/cli/commands/files/add.js b/src/cli/commands/files/add.js
index 080ed22be3..f69a8b700f 100644
--- a/src/cli/commands/files/add.js
+++ b/src/cli/commands/files/add.js
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ const log = debug('cli:version')
 log.error = debug('cli:version:error')
 const bs58 = require('bs58')
 const fs = require('fs')
-const async = require('async')
+const parallelLimit = require('run-parallel-limit')
 const path = require('path')
 const glob = require('glob')
 
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ module.exports = Command.extend({
         })
         if (res.length !== 0) {
           const index = inPath.lastIndexOf('/')
-          async.eachLimit(res, 10, (element, callback) => {
+          parallelLimit(res.map((element) => (callback) => {
             if (!fs.statSync(element).isDirectory()) {
               i.write({
                 path: element.substring(index + 1, element.length),
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ module.exports = Command.extend({
               })
             }
             callback()
-          }, (err) => {
+          }), 10, (err) => {
             if (err) {
               throw err
             }
diff --git a/src/core/ipfs/go-online.js b/src/core/ipfs/go-online.js
index 94d80b98fe..236359b466 100644
--- a/src/core/ipfs/go-online.js
+++ b/src/core/ipfs/go-online.js
@@ -1,11 +1,11 @@
 'use strict'
 
-const async = require('async')
+const series = require('run-series')
 const Bitswap = require('ipfs-bitswap')
 
 module.exports = function goOnline (self) {
   return (cb) => {
-    async.series([
+    series([
       self.load,
       self.libp2p.start
     ], (err) => {
diff --git a/src/core/ipfs/init.js b/src/core/ipfs/init.js
index 2c108ccf83..e0a020919e 100644
--- a/src/core/ipfs/init.js
+++ b/src/core/ipfs/init.js
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ const BlockService = require('ipfs-block-service')
 const DagService = require('ipfs-merkle-dag').DAGService
 const path = require('path')
 const glob = require('glob')
-const async = require('async')
+const parallelLimit = require('run-parallel-limit')
 const Readable = require('stream').Readable
 const fs = require('fs')
 const Importer = require('ipfs-unixfs-engine').importer
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ module.exports = function init (self) {
           throw err
         }
         const index = __dirname.lastIndexOf('/')
-        async.eachLimit(res, 10, (element, callback) => {
+        parallelLimit(res.map((element) => (callback) => {
           const addPath = element.substring(index + 1, element.length)
           if (!fs.statSync(element).isDirectory()) {
             const rs = new Readable()
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ module.exports = function init (self) {
             i.write(filePair)
           }
           callback()
-        }, (err) => {
+        }), 10, (err) => {
           if (err) {
             throw err
           }
diff --git a/src/http-api/index.js b/src/http-api/index.js
index ce233654d8..b9b5c98b9a 100644
--- a/src/http-api/index.js
+++ b/src/http-api/index.js
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 'use strict'
 
-const async = require('async')
+const parallel = require('run-parallel')
 const Hapi = require('hapi')
 const debug = require('debug')
 const fs = require('fs')
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ exports = module.exports = function HttpApi (repo) {
 
     console.log('Stopping server')
 
-    async.parallel([
+    parallel([
       (cb) => this.server.stop(cb),
       (cb) => this.ipfs.goOffline(cb)
     ], (err) => {
diff --git a/test/core-tests/browser.js b/test/core-tests/browser.js
index cd9b91b9e9..52a62e1368 100644
--- a/test/core-tests/browser.js
+++ b/test/core-tests/browser.js
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 /* eslint-env mocha */
 'use strict'
 
-const async = require('async')
+const series = require('run-series')
 const store = require('idb-plus-blob-store')
 const _ = require('lodash')
 
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ describe('IPFS Repo Tests on the Browser', function () {
     const mainBlob = store('ipfs')
     const blocksBlob = store('ipfs/blocks')
 
-    async.eachSeries(repoData, (file, cb) => {
+    series(repoData.map((file) => (cb) => {
       if (_.startsWith(file.key, 'datastore/')) {
         return cb()
       }
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ describe('IPFS Repo Tests on the Browser', function () {
       blob.createWriteStream({
         key: key
       }).end(file.value, cb)
-    }, done)
+    }), done)
   })
 
   it('--', () => {
diff --git a/test/core-tests/test-bitswap.js b/test/core-tests/test-bitswap.js
index 381463be30..1fed64ec25 100644
--- a/test/core-tests/test-bitswap.js
+++ b/test/core-tests/test-bitswap.js
@@ -3,7 +3,9 @@
 
 const expect = require('chai').expect
 const _ = require('lodash')
-const async = require('async')
+const series = require('run-series')
+const waterfall = require('run-waterfall')
+const parallel = require('run-parallel')
 const Block = require('ipfs-block')
 const bs58 = require('bs58')
 const bl = require('bl')
@@ -16,7 +18,7 @@ function makeBlock () {
   return new Block(`IPFS is awesome ${Math.random()}`)
 }
 
-describe('bitswap', () => {
+describe.only('bitswap', () => {
   let ipfs
 
   beforeEach((done) => {
@@ -43,7 +45,7 @@ describe('bitswap', () => {
     }
 
     function connectNodes (node1, node2, done) {
-      async.series([
+      series([
         (cb) => connectNodesSingle(node1, node2, cb),
         (cb) => setTimeout(() => {
           // need timeout so we wait for identify to happen
@@ -74,7 +76,7 @@ describe('bitswap', () => {
       it('2 peers', (done) => {
         const block = makeBlock()
         let node
-        async.series([
+        series([
           // 0. Start node
           (cb) => addNode(9, (err, _ipfs) => {
             node = _ipfs
@@ -97,7 +99,7 @@ describe('bitswap', () => {
         const blocks = _.range(6).map((i) => makeBlock())
         const keys = blocks.map((b) => b.key)
         const nodes = []
-        async.series([
+        series([
           (cb) => addNode(8, (err, _ipfs) => {
             nodes.push(_ipfs)
             cb(err)
@@ -114,7 +116,7 @@ describe('bitswap', () => {
           (cb) => ipfs.block.put(blocks[4], cb),
           (cb) => ipfs.block.put(blocks[5], cb),
           // 3. Fetch blocks on all nodes
-          (cb) => async.each(_.range(6), (i, cbI) => {
+          (cb) => parallel(_.range(6).map((i) => (cbI) => {
             const toMh = (k) => bs58.encode(k).toString()
             const check = (n, k, callback) => {
               n.block.get(k, (err, b) => {
@@ -128,12 +130,12 @@ describe('bitswap', () => {
               })
             }
 
-            async.series([
+            series([
               (cbJ) => check(nodes[0], toMh(keys[i]), cbJ),
               (cbJ) => check(nodes[1], toMh(keys[i]), cbJ),
               (cbJ) => check(ipfs, keys[i], cbJ)
             ], cbI)
-          }, cb)
+          }), cb)
         ], done)
       })
     })
@@ -148,7 +150,7 @@ describe('bitswap', () => {
         const file = new Buffer('I love IPFS <3')
 
         let node
-        async.waterfall([
+        waterfall([
           // 0. Start node
           (cb) => addNode(9, (err, _ipfs) => {
             node = _ipfs