diff --git a/lib/monitor/watch.js b/lib/monitor/watch.js
index a961825..5b6e38c 100644
--- a/lib/monitor/watch.js
+++ b/lib/monitor/watch.js
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ var chokidar = require('chokidar');
 var undefsafe = require('undefsafe');
 var config = require('../config');
 var path = require('path');
-const fs = require('fs');
 var utils = require('../utils');
 var bus = utils.bus;
 var match = require('./match');
@@ -36,7 +35,6 @@ function watch() {
   const rootIgnored = config.options.ignore;
   debugRoot('ignored', rootIgnored);
 
-  var promises = [];
   var watchedFiles = [];
 
   const promise = new Promise(function (resolve) {
@@ -54,16 +52,6 @@ function watch() {
       ignored.push(dotFilePattern);
     }
 
-    dirs = dirs.map(dir => {
-      // if the directory is a file, it somehow causes
-      // windows to lose the filename upon change
-      if (fs.statSync(dir).isFile()) {
-        dir = path.dirname(dir);
-      }
-
-      return dir;
-    });
-
     var watchOptions = {
       ignorePermissionErrors: true,
       ignored: ignored,
@@ -124,10 +112,12 @@ function watch() {
   });
 
   return promise.catch(e => {
+    // this is a core error and it should break nodemon - so I have to break
+    // out of a promise using the setTimeout
     setTimeout(() => {
       throw e;
     });
-  }).then(function (res) {
+  }).then(function () {
     utils.log.detail(`watching ${watchedFiles.length} file${
       watchedFiles.length === 1 ? '' : 's'}`);
     return watchedFiles;
@@ -138,6 +128,7 @@ function filterAndRestart(files) {
   if (!Array.isArray(files)) {
     files = [files];
   }
+
   if (files.length) {
     var cwd = process.cwd();
     if (this.options && this.options.cwd) {
@@ -147,20 +138,23 @@ function filterAndRestart(files) {
     utils.log.detail(
       'files triggering change check: ' +
       files
-        .map(function (file) {
+        .map(file => {
           const res = path.relative(cwd, file);
           return res;
         })
         .join(', ')
     );
 
-    files = files.map(file => {
+    // make sure the path is right and drop an empty
+    // filenames (sometimes on windows)
+    files = files.filter(Boolean).map(file => {
       return path.relative(process.cwd(), path.relative(cwd, file));
     });
 
     if (utils.isWindows) {
       // ensure the drive letter is in uppercase (c:\foo -> C:\foo)
-      files = files.map(function (f) {
+      files = files.map(f => {
+        if (f.indexOf(':') === -1) { return f; }
         return f[0].toUpperCase() + f.slice(1);
       });
     }
@@ -218,7 +212,7 @@ function filterAndRestart(files) {
 
 function restartBus(matched) {
   utils.log.status('restarting due to changes...');
-  matched.result.map(function (file) {
+  matched.result.map(file => {
     utils.log.detail(path.relative(process.cwd(), file));
   });
 
@@ -232,11 +226,9 @@ function restartBus(matched) {
 function debounce(fn, delay) {
   var timer = null;
   return function () {
-    var context = this;
-    var args = arguments;
+    const context = this;
+    const args = arguments;
     clearTimeout(timer);
-    timer = setTimeout(function () {
-      fn.apply(context, args);
-    }, delay);
+    timer = setTimeout(() =>fn.apply(context, args), delay);
   };
 }
diff --git a/test/monitor/count.test.js b/test/monitor/count.test.js
index 30ff80f..b2d317d 100644
--- a/test/monitor/count.test.js
+++ b/test/monitor/count.test.js
@@ -38,6 +38,27 @@ describe('watch count', function () {
     });
   });
 
+  it('should not watch directory when given a single file', function (done) {
+    process.chdir('test/fixtures/watch-count/');
+    var watching = 0;
+    nodemon({ script: appjs, verbose: true, watch: appjs }).on('start', function () {
+      setTimeout(function () {
+        assert(watching === 1, `got ${watching} files`);
+        nodemon.once('exit', done).emit('quit');
+      }, 200);
+    }).on('watching', file => {
+      watching++;
+    }).on('log', function (data) {
+      var match = null;
+      var count = 0;
+      if (match = data.message.match(watchRe)) {
+        count = match[1].replace(',', '') * 1;
+        assert(count === 1, `log showing ${count} files`);
+      }
+    });
+  });
+
+
   it('should ignore node_modules from any dir', function (done) {
     process.chdir('test/fixtures/watch-count/lib');
     nodemon({ script: appjs, verbose: true, watch: '..' }).on('start', function () {