diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index 3d40388..d038f60 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -1,3 +1,16 @@
-script: ./run_tests.sh
+os:
+  - linux
+  - osx
+
+env:
+  - TEST_SHELLS=bash
+  - TEST_SHELLS=zsh
+
+install:
+  - ./test/support/travisci_deps.sh
+
 before_script:
-  - sudo apt-get install zsh
+  - echo -e "test_repo_11\ntest_repo_1" | sort
+
+script:
+  - ./run_tests.sh
diff --git a/lib/design.sh b/lib/design.sh
index e0e2091..125175e 100644
--- a/lib/design.sh
+++ b/lib/design.sh
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@
 
 # Add ignore rule to .git/info/exclude if not already present
 _design_add_git_exclude(){
-  local git_dir="$(cd $1 && readlink -m $(git rev-parse --git-dir))"
+  local git_dir="$(cd $1 && cd `git rev-parse --git-dir` && pwd -P)"
   if [ -e "$git_dir/info/exclude" ] && ! $(grep -q "$project_design_dir" "$git_dir/info/exclude"); then
     echo "$project_design_dir" >> "$git_dir/info/exclude"
   fi
diff --git a/run_tests.sh b/run_tests.sh
index 9aebd4c..e25c5eb 100755
--- a/run_tests.sh
+++ b/run_tests.sh
@@ -3,8 +3,15 @@
 
 failed=false
 
+# allow list of shells to run tests in to be overriden by environment variable
+# if empty or null, use defaults
+if [ -z "$TEST_SHELLS" ]; then
+  TEST_SHELLS="bash zsh"
+fi
+
+echo "== Will run all tests with following shells: ${TEST_SHELLS}"
 for test in $(find test/lib -name *_test.sh); do
-  for shell in bash zsh; do
+  for shell in $TEST_SHELLS; do
     echo "== Running tests with [$shell]: $test"
     $shell $test || failed=true
   done
diff --git a/test/lib/git/shell_shortcuts_test.sh b/test/lib/git/shell_shortcuts_test.sh
index b4664f3..37281d4 100755
--- a/test/lib/git/shell_shortcuts_test.sh
+++ b/test/lib/git/shell_shortcuts_test.sh
@@ -32,11 +32,15 @@ oneTimeSetUp() {
 
   # Test functions
   function ln() { ln $@; }
-  # Test aliases
+
+  # Before aliasing, get original locations so we can compare them in the test
+  unalias mv rm sed cat 2>/dev/null
   export mv_path="$(which mv)"
   export rm_path="$(which rm)"
   export sed_path="$(which sed)"
-  export cat_pathj="$(which cat)"
+  export cat_path="$(which cat)"
+
+  # Test aliases
   alias mv="nocorrect $mv_path"
   alias rm="$rm_path --option"
   alias sed="$sed_path"
@@ -67,7 +71,7 @@ test_shell_command_wrapping() {
   assertAliasEquals "exec_scmb_expand_args nocorrect $mv_path" "mv"
   assertAliasEquals "exec_scmb_expand_args $sed_path"          "sed"
   assertAliasEquals "exec_scmb_expand_args $cat_path"          "cat"
-  assertAliasEquals "exec_scmb_expand_args builtin cd"            "cd"
+  assertAliasEquals "exec_scmb_expand_args builtin cd"         "cd"
   assertIncludes    "$(declare -f ln)" "ln ()"
   assertIncludes    "$(declare -f ln)" "exec_scmb_expand_args __original_ln"
 }
@@ -76,7 +80,15 @@ test_ls_with_file_shortcuts() {
   export git_env_char="e"
 
   TEST_DIR=$(mktemp -d -t scm_breeze.XXXXXXXXXX)
+
+  # Darwin actually symlinks /var inside /private, but mktemp reports back the
+  # logical pathat time of file creation.  So make sure we always get the
+  # full physical path to be absolutely certain when doing comparisons later,
+  # because thats how the Ruby status_shortcuts.rb script is going to obtain
+  # them.
   cd $TEST_DIR
+  TEST_DIR=$(pwd -P)
+
   touch 'test file' 'test_file'
   mkdir -p "a [b]" 'a "b"' "a 'b'"
   touch "a \"b\"/c"
@@ -87,7 +99,7 @@ test_ls_with_file_shortcuts() {
   ls_with_file_shortcuts > $temp_file
   ls_output=$(<$temp_file strip_colors)
 
-  # Compare as fixed strings (F), instead of regex (P)
+  # Compare as fixed strings (F), instead of normal grep behavior
   assertIncludes "$ls_output" '[1]  a "b"' F
   assertIncludes "$ls_output" "[2]  a 'b'" F
   assertIncludes "$ls_output" '[3]  a [b]' F
diff --git a/test/lib/git/status_shortcuts_test.sh b/test/lib/git/status_shortcuts_test.sh
index 71eb5d5..d83d9ca 100755
--- a/test/lib/git/status_shortcuts_test.sh
+++ b/test/lib/git/status_shortcuts_test.sh
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ oneTimeSetUp() {
   export ga_auto_remove="yes"
 
   testRepo=$(mktemp -d -t scm_breeze.XXXXXXXXXX)
+  testRepo=$(cd $testRepo && pwd -P)
 }
 
 oneTimeTearDown() {
diff --git a/test/support/test_helper.sh b/test/support/test_helper.sh
index 7407b59..ba9e472 100644
--- a/test/support/test_helper.sh
+++ b/test/support/test_helper.sh
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ fi
 
 # Strip color codes from a string
 strip_colors() {
-  sed -r "s/\x1B\[([0-9]{1,2}(;[0-9]{1,2})?)?[m|K]//g"
+  perl -pe 's/\e\[[\d;]*m//g'
 }
 
 # Print space separated tab completion options
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ verboseGitCommands() {
 #-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 _includes() {
-  if [ -n "$3" ]; then regex="$3"; else regex=P; fi
+  if [ -n "$3" ]; then regex="$3"; else regex=''; fi
   if echo "$1" | grep -q$regex "$2"; then echo 0; else echo 1; fi
 }
 
@@ -46,4 +46,3 @@ assertIncludes() {
 assertNotIncludes() {
   assertFalse "'$1' should not have contained '$2'" $(_includes "$@")
 }
-
diff --git a/test/support/travisci_deps.sh b/test/support/travisci_deps.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..83cc32e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/support/travisci_deps.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Installs dependencies for travis-ci environments.
+
+# Install dependencies, which looks to be just bash & zsh.
+#
+# Darwin has zsh preinstalled already, so only need to install on Ubuntu.
+#
+# Note: $TRAVIS_OS_NAME will only be set on text boxes with multi-os enabled,
+# so use negation test so it will fail gracefully on normal Travis linux setup.
+if [[ "$TRAVIS_OS_NAME" != "osx" ]]; then
+
+  # okay, so we know we're probably on a linux box (or at least not an osx box)
+  # at this point. do we need to install zsh? let's say the default case is no:
+  needs_zsh=false
+
+  # check if zsh is listed in the TEST_SHELLS environment variable, set by
+  # our travis-ci build matrix.
+  if [[ $TEST_SHELLS =~ zsh ]]; then needs_zsh=true; fi
+
+  # if there is NO $TEST_SHELLS env variable persent (which should never happen,
+  # but maybe someone has been monkeying with the .travis.yml), run_tests.sh is
+  # going to fall back onto the default of testing everything, so we need zsh.
+  if [[ -z "$TEST_SHELLS" ]]; then needs_zsh=true; fi
+
+  # finally, we install zsh if needed!
+  if $needs_zsh ; then
+    sudo apt-get install zsh
+  else
+    echo "No deps required."
+  fi
+
+fi