diff --git a/docs/make.jl b/docs/make.jl
index 985e0ff..ebfdb3b 100644
--- a/docs/make.jl
+++ b/docs/make.jl
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ end
 for example in ["cholesky", "blur-roberts", "lcs", "sort"]
     println("\n*** Generating $example example")
     @time begin
-        dir = joinpath(DataFlowTasks.PROJECT_ROOT, "docs", "src", "examples", example)
+        dir = joinpath(DataFlowTasks._get_dataflowtasks_root(), "docs", "src", "examples", example)
         src = joinpath(dir, "$(example).jl")
         Literate.markdown(src, dir)
         draft || Literate.notebook(src, dir; preprocess = insert_setup)
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ end
 
 # generate readme
 println("\n*** Generating README")
-@time cd(joinpath(DataFlowTasks.PROJECT_ROOT, "docs", "src", "readme")) do
+@time cd(joinpath(DataFlowTasks._get_dataflowtasks_root(), "docs", "src", "readme")) do
     src = joinpath(pwd(), "README.jl")
 
     # Run code
diff --git a/src/DataFlowTasks.jl b/src/DataFlowTasks.jl
index 69eb4b1..8f151fa 100644
--- a/src/DataFlowTasks.jl
+++ b/src/DataFlowTasks.jl
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+__precompile__()
+
 """
     module DataFlowTask
 
@@ -5,7 +7,12 @@ Create `Task`s which can keep track of how data flows through it.
 """
 module DataFlowTasks
 
-const PROJECT_ROOT = pkgdir(DataFlowTasks)
+dir = pkgdir(DataFlowTasks)
+@static if VERSION > v"1.8"
+    const PROJECT_ROOT::Ref{String} = Ref{String}(dir)
+else
+    const PROJECT_ROOT = Ref{String}(dir)
+end
 
 using OrderedCollections
 using Compat
@@ -16,6 +23,18 @@ using Printf
 
 export @dspawn, @dasync
 
+"""
+    _get_dataflowtasks_root()
+
+Returns the current `PROJECT_ROOT` value.
+
+Does not assume the ref has been set.
+"""
+function _get_dataflowtasks_root()
+    global PROJECT_ROOT
+    return PROJECT_ROOT[]
+end
+
 """
     @enum AccessMode READ WRITE READWRITE
 
@@ -40,6 +59,10 @@ include("dag.jl")
 include("taskgraph.jl")
 include("arrayinterface.jl")
 
+"""
+    __init__()
+
+"""
 function __init__()
     # default scheduler
     capacity = 50
diff --git a/test/Project.toml b/test/Project.toml
index dc3f797..749ee94 100644
--- a/test/Project.toml
+++ b/test/Project.toml
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 [deps]
 Aqua = "4c88cf16-eb10-579e-8560-4a9242c79595"
+DataFlowTasks = "d1549cb6-e9f4-42f8-98cc-ffc8d067ff5b"
 LinearAlgebra = "37e2e46d-f89d-539d-b4ee-838fcccc9c8e"
 SafeTestsets = "1bc83da4-3b8d-516f-aca4-4fe02f6d838f"
 Suppressor = "fd094767-a336-5f1f-9728-57cf17d0bbfb"
diff --git a/test/priorityscheduler_test.jl b/test/priorityscheduler_test.jl
index 53ed9a5..7e9dc48 100644
--- a/test/priorityscheduler_test.jl
+++ b/test/priorityscheduler_test.jl
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ background = false
 sch = DataFlowTasks.PriorityScheduler(100, background)
 DataFlowTasks.setscheduler!(sch)
 
-include(joinpath(DataFlowTasks.PROJECT_ROOT, "test", "testutils.jl"))
+include(joinpath(DataFlowTasks._get_dataflowtasks_root(), "test", "testutils.jl"))
 
 @testset "Priority scheduler" begin
     @testset "Fork-join" begin
diff --git a/test/staticscheduler_test.jl b/test/staticscheduler_test.jl
index 3f797b0..0f9b1f0 100644
--- a/test/staticscheduler_test.jl
+++ b/test/staticscheduler_test.jl
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ using LinearAlgebra
 sch = DataFlowTasks.StaticScheduler()
 DataFlowTasks.setscheduler!(sch)
 
-include(joinpath(DataFlowTasks.PROJECT_ROOT, "test", "testutils.jl"))
+include(joinpath(DataFlowTasks._get_dataflowtasks_root(), "test", "testutils.jl"))
 
 @testset "Static scheduler" begin
     @testset "Fork-join" begin
diff --git a/test/taskgraph_test.jl b/test/taskgraph_test.jl
index e9faa94..13f2bff 100644
--- a/test/taskgraph_test.jl
+++ b/test/taskgraph_test.jl
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ using LinearAlgebra
 using DataFlowTasks
 import DataFlowTasks as DFT
 
-include(joinpath(DFT.PROJECT_ROOT, "test", "testutils.jl"))
+include(joinpath(DFT._get_dataflowtasks_root(), "test", "testutils.jl"))
 
 tg = DFT.TaskGraph(200)
 DFT.set_active_taskgraph!(tg)