diff --git a/r2/r2/controllers/api_docs.py b/r2/r2/controllers/api_docs.py
index 5778fd993..b286d82a1 100644
--- a/r2/r2/controllers/api_docs.py
+++ b/r2/r2/controllers/api_docs.py
@@ -2,9 +2,9 @@ import re
 from collections import defaultdict
 from itertools import chain
 import inspect
-from os.path import relpath
+from os.path import abspath, relpath
 
-from pylons import config
+from pylons import g
 from pylons.i18n import _
 from reddit_base import RedditController
 from r2.lib.utils import Storage
@@ -59,8 +59,13 @@ def api_doc(section, **kwargs):
             kwargs['extends'] = kwargs['extends']._api_doc
         doc.update(kwargs)
         doc['section'] = section
-        doc['filepath'] = api_function.func_code.co_filename
         doc['lineno'] = api_function.func_code.co_firstlineno
+
+        file_path = abspath(api_function.func_code.co_filename)
+        root_dir = g.paths['root']
+        if file_path.startswith(root_dir):
+            doc['relfilepath'] = relpath(file_path, root_dir)
+
         return api_function
     return add_metadata
 
@@ -82,7 +87,6 @@ class ApidocsController(RedditController):
         - `extends`: API method from which to inherit documentation
         """
 
-        root_dir = config['pylons.paths']['root']
         api_docs = defaultdict(lambda: defaultdict(dict))
         for name, func in controller.__dict__.iteritems():
             method, sep, action = name.partition('_')
@@ -108,11 +112,6 @@ class ApidocsController(RedditController):
                         del docs['extensions']
                 docs['uri'] = uri
 
-                # make the file path relative to the module root for use in
-                # github source link generation
-                if docs['filepath'].startswith(root_dir):
-                    docs['relfilepath'] = relpath(docs['filepath'], root_dir)
-
                 # add every variant to the index -- the templates will filter
                 # out variants in the long-form documentation
                 for variant in chain([uri], docs.get('uri_variants', [])):