diff --git a/lib/puppet/provider/package/pip.rb b/lib/puppet/provider/package/pip.rb
index 00797563a..5abbc135a 100644
--- a/lib/puppet/provider/package/pip.rb
+++ b/lib/puppet/provider/package/pip.rb
@@ -1,115 +1,109 @@
 # Puppet package provider for Python's `pip` package management frontend.
 # <http://pip.openplans.org/>
 
 require 'puppet/provider/package'
 require 'xmlrpc/client'
 
 Puppet::Type.type(:package).provide :pip,
   :parent => ::Puppet::Provider::Package do
 
   desc "Python packages via `pip`."
 
   has_feature :installable, :uninstallable, :upgradeable, :versionable
 
   # Parse lines of output from `pip freeze`, which are structured as
   # _package_==_version_.
   def self.parse(line)
     if line.chomp =~ /^([^=]+)==([^=]+)$/
       {:ensure => $2, :name => $1, :provider => name}
     else
       nil
     end
   end
 
   # Return an array of structured information about every installed package
   # that's managed by `pip` or an empty array if `pip` is not available.
   def self.instances
     packages = []
-    execpipe "#{command :pip} freeze" do |process|
+    pip_cmd = which('pip') or return []
+    execpipe "#{pip_cmd} freeze" do |process|
       process.collect do |line|
         next unless options = parse(line)
         packages << new(options)
       end
     end
     packages
-  rescue Puppet::DevError
-    []
   end
 
   # Return structured information about a particular package or `nil` if
   # it is not installed or `pip` itself is not available.
   def query
-    execpipe "#{command :pip} freeze" do |process|
-      process.each do |line|
-        options = self.class.parse(line)
-        return options if options[:name] == @resource[:name]
-      end
+    self.class.instances.each do |provider_pip|
+      return provider_pip.properties if @resource[:name] == provider_pip.name
     end
-    nil
-  rescue Puppet::DevError
-    nil
+    return nil
   end
 
   # Ask the PyPI API for the latest version number.  There is no local
   # cache of PyPI's package list so this operation will always have to
   # ask the web service.
   def latest
     client = XMLRPC::Client.new2("http://pypi.python.org/pypi")
     client.http_header_extra = {"Content-Type" => "text/xml"}
     result = client.call("package_releases", @resource[:name])
     result.first
   end
 
   # Install a package.  The ensure parameter may specify installed,
   # latest, a version number, or, in conjunction with the source
   # parameter, an SCM revision.  In that case, the source parameter
   # gives the fully-qualified URL to the repository.
   def install
     args = %w{install -q}
     if @resource[:source]
       args << "-e"
       if String === @resource[:ensure]
         args << "#{@resource[:source]}@#{@resource[:ensure]}#egg=#{
           @resource[:name]}"
       else
         args << "#{@resource[:source]}#egg=#{@resource[:name]}"
       end
     else
       case @resource[:ensure]
       when String
         args << "#{@resource[:name]}==#{@resource[:ensure]}"
       when :latest
         args << "--upgrade" << @resource[:name]
       else
         args << @resource[:name]
       end
     end
     lazy_pip *args
   end
 
   # Uninstall a package.  Uninstall won't work reliably on Debian/Ubuntu
   # unless this issue gets fixed.
   # <http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=562544>
   def uninstall
     lazy_pip "uninstall", "-y", "-q", @resource[:name]
   end
 
   def update
     install
   end
 
   # Execute a `pip` command.  If Puppet doesn't yet know how to do so,
   # try to teach it and if even that fails, raise the error.
   private
   def lazy_pip(*args)
     pip *args
   rescue NoMethodError => e
-    if pathname = `which pip`.chomp
+    if pathname = which('pip')
       self.class.commands :pip => pathname
       pip *args
     else
       raise e
     end
   end
 
 end
diff --git a/spec/unit/provider/package/pip_spec.rb b/spec/unit/provider/package/pip_spec.rb
index ad8201aa0..6809d3f90 100644
--- a/spec/unit/provider/package/pip_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/unit/provider/package/pip_spec.rb
@@ -1,190 +1,176 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env ruby
 
 require File.expand_path(File.dirname(__FILE__) + '/../../../spec_helper')
 
 provider_class = Puppet::Type.type(:package).provider(:pip)
 
 describe provider_class do
 
   before do
-    @resource = stub("resource")
-    @provider = provider_class.new
-    @provider.instance_variable_set(:@resource, @resource)
+    @resource = Puppet::Resource.new(:package, "sdsfdssdhdfyjymdgfcjdfjxdrssf")
+    @provider = provider_class.new(@resource)
   end
 
   describe "parse" do
 
     it "should return a hash on valid input" do
       provider_class.parse("Django==1.2.5").should == {
-        :ensure => "1.2.5",
-        :name => "Django",
+        :ensure   => "1.2.5",
+        :name     => "Django",
         :provider => :pip,
       }
     end
 
     it "should return nil on invalid input" do
       provider_class.parse("foo").should == nil
     end
 
   end
 
   describe "instances" do
 
     it "should return an array when pip is present" do
-      provider_class.expects(:command).with(:pip).returns("/fake/bin/pip")
+      provider_class.expects(:which).with('pip').returns("/fake/bin/pip")
       p = stub("process")
       p.expects(:collect).yields("Django==1.2.5")
       provider_class.expects(:execpipe).with("/fake/bin/pip freeze").yields(p)
       provider_class.instances
     end
 
     it "should return an empty array when pip is missing" do
-      provider_class.expects(:command).with(:pip).raises(
-        Puppet::DevError.new("Pretend pip isn't installed."))
+      provider_class.expects(:which).with('pip').returns nil
       provider_class.instances.should == []
     end
 
   end
 
   describe "query" do
 
     before do
-      @resource.stubs(:[]).with(:name).returns("Django")
+      @resource[:name] = "Django"
     end
 
     it "should return a hash when pip and the package are present" do
-      @provider.expects(:command).with(:pip).returns("/fake/bin/pip")
-      p = stub("process")
-      p.expects(:each).yields("Django==1.2.5")
-      @provider.expects(:execpipe).with("/fake/bin/pip freeze").yields(p)
+      provider_class.expects(:instances).returns [provider_class.new({
+        :ensure   => "1.2.5",
+        :name     => "Django",
+        :provider => :pip,
+      })]
+
       @provider.query.should == {
-        :ensure => "1.2.5",
-        :name => "Django",
+        :ensure   => "1.2.5",
+        :name     => "Django",
         :provider => :pip,
       }
     end
 
-    it "should return nil when pip is missing" do
-      @provider.expects(:command).with(:pip).raises(
-        Puppet::DevError.new("Pretend pip isn't installed."))
-      @provider.query.should == nil
-    end
-
     it "should return nil when the package is missing" do
-      @provider.expects(:command).with(:pip).returns("/fake/bin/pip")
-      p = stub("process")
-      p.expects(:each).yields("sdsfdssdhdfyjymdgfcjdfjxdrssf==0.0.0")
-      @provider.expects(:execpipe).with("/fake/bin/pip freeze").yields(p)
+      provider_class.expects(:instances).returns []
       @provider.query.should == nil
     end
 
   end
 
   describe "latest" do
 
     it "should find a version number for Django" do
-      @resource.stubs(:[]).with(:name).returns "Django"
+      @resource[:name] = "Django"
       @provider.latest.should_not == nil
     end
 
     it "should not find a version number for sdsfdssdhdfyjymdgfcjdfjxdrssf" do
-      @resource.stubs(:[]).with(:name).returns "sdsfdssdhdfyjymdgfcjdfjxdrssf"
+      @resource[:name] = "sdsfdssdhdfyjymdgfcjdfjxdrssf"
       @provider.latest.should == nil
     end
 
   end
 
   describe "install" do
 
     before do
-      @resource.stubs(:[]).with(:name).returns("sdsfdssdhdfyjymdgfcjdfjxdrssf")
+      @resource[:name] = "sdsfdssdhdfyjymdgfcjdfjxdrssf"
       @url = "git+https://example.com/sdsfdssdhdfyjymdgfcjdfjxdrssf.git"
     end
 
     it "should install" do
-      @resource.stubs(:[]).with(:ensure).returns(:installed)
-      @resource.stubs(:[]).with(:source).returns(nil)
-      @provider.expects(:lazy_pip).with do |*args|
-        "install" == args[0] && "sdsfdssdhdfyjymdgfcjdfjxdrssf" == args[-1]
-      end.returns nil
+      @resource[:ensure] = :installed
+      @resource[:source] = nil
+      @provider.expects(:lazy_pip).
+        with("install", '-q', "sdsfdssdhdfyjymdgfcjdfjxdrssf")
       @provider.install
     end
 
     it "should install from SCM" do
-      @resource.stubs(:[]).with(:ensure).returns(:installed)
-      @resource.stubs(:[]).with(:source).returns(@url)
-      @provider.expects(:lazy_pip).with do |*args|
-        "#{@url}#egg=sdsfdssdhdfyjymdgfcjdfjxdrssf" == args[-1]
-      end.returns nil
+      @resource[:ensure] = :installed
+      @resource[:source] = @url
+      @provider.expects(:lazy_pip).
+        with("install", '-q', '-e', "#{@url}#egg=sdsfdssdhdfyjymdgfcjdfjxdrssf")
       @provider.install
     end
 
-    it "should install a particular revision" do
-      @resource.stubs(:[]).with(:ensure).returns("0123456")
-      @resource.stubs(:[]).with(:source).returns(@url)
-      @provider.expects(:lazy_pip).with do |*args|
-        "#{@url}@0123456#egg=sdsfdssdhdfyjymdgfcjdfjxdrssf" == args[-1]
-      end.returns nil
+    it "should install a particular SCM revision" do
+      @resource[:ensure] = "0123456"
+      @resource[:source] = @url
+      @provider.expects(:lazy_pip).
+        with("install", "-q", "-e", "#{@url}@0123456#egg=sdsfdssdhdfyjymdgfcjdfjxdrssf")
       @provider.install
     end
 
     it "should install a particular version" do
-      @resource.stubs(:[]).with(:ensure).returns("0.0.0")
-      @resource.stubs(:[]).with(:source).returns(nil)
-      @provider.expects(:lazy_pip).with do |*args|
-        "sdsfdssdhdfyjymdgfcjdfjxdrssf==0.0.0" == args[-1]
-      end.returns nil
+      @resource[:ensure] = "0.0.0"
+      @resource[:source] = nil
+      @provider.expects(:lazy_pip).with("install", "-q", "sdsfdssdhdfyjymdgfcjdfjxdrssf==0.0.0")
       @provider.install
     end
 
     it "should upgrade" do
-      @resource.stubs(:[]).with(:ensure).returns(:latest)
-      @resource.stubs(:[]).with(:source).returns(nil)
-      @provider.expects(:lazy_pip).with do |*args|
-        "--upgrade" == args[-2] && "sdsfdssdhdfyjymdgfcjdfjxdrssf" == args[-1]
-      end.returns nil
+      @resource[:ensure] = :latest
+      @resource[:source] = nil
+      @provider.expects(:lazy_pip).
+        with("install", "-q", "--upgrade", "sdsfdssdhdfyjymdgfcjdfjxdrssf")
       @provider.install
     end
 
   end
 
   describe "uninstall" do
 
     it "should uninstall" do
-      @resource.stubs(:[]).with(:name).returns("sdsfdssdhdfyjymdgfcjdfjxdrssf")
-      @provider.expects(:lazy_pip).returns(nil)
+      @resource[:name] = "sdsfdssdhdfyjymdgfcjdfjxdrssf"
+      @provider.expects(:lazy_pip).
+        with('uninstall', '-y', '-q', 'sdsfdssdhdfyjymdgfcjdfjxdrssf')
       @provider.uninstall
     end
 
   end
 
   describe "update" do
 
     it "should just call install" do
       @provider.expects(:install).returns(nil)
       @provider.update
     end
 
   end
 
   describe "lazy_pip" do
 
     it "should succeed if pip is present" do
       @provider.stubs(:pip).returns(nil)
       @provider.method(:lazy_pip).call "freeze"
     end
 
     it "should retry if pip has not yet been found" do
       @provider.stubs(:pip).raises(NoMethodError).returns("/fake/bin/pip")
       @provider.method(:lazy_pip).call "freeze"
     end
 
     it "should fail if pip is missing" do
       @provider.stubs(:pip).twice.raises(NoMethodError)
       expect { @provider.method(:lazy_pip).call("freeze") }.to \
         raise_error(NoMethodError)
     end
 
   end
 
 end