diff --git a/lib/app/Sails.js b/lib/app/Sails.js
index a7bcd3e8f..b64417d19 100644
--- a/lib/app/Sails.js
+++ b/lib/app/Sails.js
@@ -148,14 +148,5 @@ Sails.prototype.toJSON = require('./private/toJSON');
 // Controller
 Sails.prototype.initializeController = require('./private/controller');
 
-// Utilities
-// Includes lodash, node's `util`, and a few additional
-// static helper methods.
-// (may be deprecated in a future release)
-Sails.prototype.util = require('sails-util');
-
-
-
-
 // Expose Sails constructor
 module.exports = Sails;
diff --git a/lib/app/configuration/load.js b/lib/app/configuration/load.js
index 3f143f128..e5ccd0e4e 100644
--- a/lib/app/configuration/load.js
+++ b/lib/app/configuration/load.js
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ var _ = require('lodash');
 var async = require('async');
 var CaptainsLog = require('captains-log');
 var path = require('path');
+var fs = require('fs');
 
 
 module.exports = function(sails) {
@@ -104,17 +105,13 @@ module.exports = function(sails) {
         versionAndDependencyInfo: function(cb) {
 
           var pathToThisVersionOfSails = path.join(__dirname, '../../..');
-          sails.util.getPackage(pathToThisVersionOfSails, function(err, json) {
-            if (err) return cb(err);
-
-            sails.version = json.version;
-            sails.majorVersion = sails.version.split('.')[0].replace(/[^0-9]/g, '');
-            sails.minorVersion = sails.version.split('.')[1].replace(/[^0-9]/g, '');
-            sails.patchVersion = sails.version.split('.')[2].replace(/[^0-9]/g, '');
-            sails.dependencies = json.dependencies;
-
-            cb();
-          });
+          var json;
+          try {
+            json = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(path.resolve(pathToThisVersionOfSails, 'package.json'), 'utf8'));
+          } catch (e) {
+            return cb(e);
+          }
+          cb();
         },
 
 
diff --git a/lib/app/private/controller/load-modules.js b/lib/app/private/controller/load-modules.js
index 414ba2e0f..7a5c22b4c 100644
--- a/lib/app/private/controller/load-modules.js
+++ b/lib/app/private/controller/load-modules.js
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@
 var path = require('path');
 var _ = require('lodash');
 var includeAll = require('include-all');
-var sailsUtil = require('sails-util');
 
 module.exports = function (results, cb) {
 
@@ -55,7 +54,7 @@ module.exports = function (results, cb) {
         if (match) {
           // If it looks like a traditional controller, but it's not a dictionary,
           // throw it in the can.
-          if (!sailsUtil.isDictionary(module)) {
+          if (!_.isObject(module) || _.isArray(module) || _.isFunction(module)) {
             return garbage.push(filePath);
           }
           // Get the controller identity (e.g. /somefolder/somecontroller)
diff --git a/lib/app/private/isLocalSailsValid.js b/lib/app/private/isLocalSailsValid.js
index 3dda9a718..393cf35db 100644
--- a/lib/app/private/isLocalSailsValid.js
+++ b/lib/app/private/isLocalSailsValid.js
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@
 
 var fs = require('fs');
 var CaptainsLog = require('captains-log');
-var sailsutil = require('sails-util');
 var semver = require('semver');
 var Err = require('../../../errors');
 
@@ -21,20 +20,30 @@ module.exports = function isLocalSailsValid(sailsPath, appPath) {
 
   var sails = this;
 
+  var appPackageJSON, appDependencies;
+
   // Has no package.json file
   if (!fs.existsSync(appPath + '/package.json')) {
     Err.warn.noPackageJSON();
   }
+  else {
+    // Load this app's package.json and dependencies
+    try {
+      appPackageJSON = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(path.resolve(appPath, 'package.json'), 'utf8'));
+    } catch (e) {
+      Err.warn.notSailsApp();
+      return;
+    }
 
-  // Load this app's package.json and dependencies
-  var appPackageJSON = sailsutil.getPackageSync(appPath);
-  var appDependencies = appPackageJSON.dependencies;
+    appDependencies = appPackageJSON.dependencies;
 
 
-  // Package.json exists, but doesn't list Sails as a dependency
-  if (!(appDependencies && appDependencies.sails)) {
-    Err.warn.notSailsApp();
-    return;
+    // Package.json exists, but doesn't list Sails as a dependency
+    if (!(appDependencies && appDependencies.sails)) {
+      Err.warn.notSailsApp();
+      return;
+    }
+
   }
 
   // Ensure the target Sails exists
@@ -43,15 +52,15 @@ module.exports = function isLocalSailsValid(sailsPath, appPath) {
   }
 
   // Read the package.json in the local installation of Sails
-  var sailsPackageJSON = sailsutil.getPackageSync(sailsPath);
-
-  // Local Sails has a corrupted package.json
-  if (!sailsPackageJSON) {
+  var sailsPackageJSON;
+  try {
+    sailsPackageJSON = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(path.resolve(sailsPath, 'package.json'), 'utf8'));
+  } catch (e) {
+    // Local Sails has a missing or corrupted package.json
     Err.warn.badLocalDependency(sailsPath, appDependencies.sails);
     return;
   }
 
-
   // Lookup sails dependency requirement in app's package.json
   var requiredSailsVersion = appDependencies.sails;
 
diff --git a/lib/app/private/isSailsAppSync.js b/lib/app/private/isSailsAppSync.js
index 9eb5b4f6f..fc2fcb62b 100644
--- a/lib/app/private/isSailsAppSync.js
+++ b/lib/app/private/isSailsAppSync.js
@@ -2,10 +2,8 @@
  * Module dependencies
  */
 
-var fs = require('fs'),
-  path = require('path'),
-  sailsutil = require('sails-util');
-
+var fs = require('fs');
+var path = require('path');
 
 
 /**
@@ -22,7 +20,12 @@ module.exports = function isSailsAppSync(appPath) {
   }
 
   // Package.json exists, but doesn't list Sails as a dependency
-  var appPackageJSON = sailsutil.getPackageSync(appPath);
+  var appPackageJSON;
+  try {
+    appPackageJSON = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(path.resolve(appPath, 'package.json'), 'utf8'));
+  } catch (e) {
+    return false;
+  }
   var appDependencies = appPackageJSON.dependencies;
   if (!(appDependencies && appDependencies.sails)) {
     return false;
diff --git a/lib/hooks/policies/index.js b/lib/hooks/policies/index.js
index 4a28e5554..fc4b23f05 100644
--- a/lib/hooks/policies/index.js
+++ b/lib/hooks/policies/index.js
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 var _ = require('lodash');
-var util = require('sails-util');
 var Err = require('../../../errors');
 
 module.exports = function(sails) {
@@ -26,9 +25,6 @@ module.exports = function(sails) {
      */
     initialize: function(cb) {
 
-      // Callback is optional
-      cb = util.optional(cb);
-
       // Grab policies config & policy modules and trigger callback
       this.loadMiddleware(function (err) {
         if (err) { return cb(err); }
diff --git a/lib/hooks/request/locals.js b/lib/hooks/request/locals.js
index ef1cf50c7..b1003d2ce 100644
--- a/lib/hooks/request/locals.js
+++ b/lib/hooks/request/locals.js
@@ -1,22 +1,20 @@
 /**
  * Module dependencies
  */
-var _ = require('lodash'),
-  util = require('sails-util');
-
+var _ = require('lodash');
 
 /**
  * default locals
  *
  * Always share some basic metadata with views.
  * Roughly analogous to `app.locals` in Express.
- * 
+ *
  * > Application local variables are provided to all templates rendered
  * > within the application. This is useful for providing helper functions
  * > to templates, as well as app-level data.
  * >
  * > http://expressjs.com/api.html#app.locals
- * 
+ *
  * @param {Request} req
  * @param {Response} res
  * @api private
@@ -35,16 +33,10 @@ module.exports = function _mixinLocals(req, res) {
 
   _.extend(res.locals, {
     _: _,
-    util: util,
     session: req.session,
     req: req,
     res: res,
     sails: req._sails
   });
 
-  // May be deprecated in an upcoming release:
-  res.locals.title = req._sails.config.appName;
-  if (req.options.action) {
-    ' | ' + util.str.capitalize(req.param('action'));
-  }
 };
diff --git a/lib/hooks/security/csrf/index.js b/lib/hooks/security/csrf/index.js
index 0f33fa299..e9318b226 100644
--- a/lib/hooks/security/csrf/index.js
+++ b/lib/hooks/security/csrf/index.js
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ module.exports = function(sails) {
    */
 
   var _ = require('lodash');
-  var util = require('sails-util');
   var pathToRegexp = require('path-to-regexp');
 
   var grantCsrfToken = require('./grant-csrf-token');
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 4035dad37..2acda1571 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -78,7 +78,6 @@
     "sails-hook-orm": "~1.0.6",
     "sails-hook-sockets": "^1.0.0",
     "sails-stringfile": "~0.3.2",
-    "sails-util": "~0.11.0",
     "semver": "4.3.6",
     "serve-favicon": "2.3.0",
     "serve-static": "1.10.2",