diff -u b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Config/Entity/ConfigDependencyManager.php b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Config/Entity/ConfigDependencyManager.php
--- b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Config/Entity/ConfigDependencyManager.php
+++ b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Config/Entity/ConfigDependencyManager.php
@@ -15,6 +15,16 @@
  */
 class ConfigDependencyManager {
 
+  /**
+   * @todo
+   */
+  const DIRECTION_DEPENDENTS = 'reverse_paths';
+
+  /**
+   * @todo
+   */
+  const DIRECTION_REQUIREMENTS = 'paths';
+
   protected $storage;
 
   protected $allTheThingies;
@@ -49,9 +59,13 @@
    * Creates a graph of config entity dependencies.
    *
    * @param array $entities_to_check
-   *   The entities to supply dependencies for
+   *   The entities to supply dependencies for.
+   * @param string $direction
+   *   The direction of the dependencies to check. Defaults to
+   *   ConfigDependencyManager::DIRECTION_DEPENDENTS, alternate value is
+   *   ConfigDependencyManager::DIRECTION_REQUIREMENTS.
    */
-  protected function graphConfigEntityDependencies($entities_to_check) {
+  protected function graphConfigEntityDependencies($entities_to_check, $direction = ConfigDependencyManager::DIRECTION_DEPENDENTS) {
     $dependent_entities = array();
     // Load all the things.
     $all_the_thingies = $this->loadAllTheThingies();
@@ -68,8 +82,8 @@
     $graph_object = new Graph($graph);
     $graph = $graph_object->searchAndSort();
     foreach ($entities_to_check as $entity) {
-      if (isset($graph[$entity]) && !empty($graph[$entity]['paths'])){
-        foreach ($graph[$entity]['paths'] as $dependency_name => $value) {
+      if (isset($graph[$entity]) && !empty($graph[$entity][$direction])){
+        foreach ($graph[$entity][$direction] as $dependency_name => $value) {
           $config_name = substr($dependency_name, 0, strpos($dependency_name, ':'));
           $dependent_entities[$config_name] = $all_the_thingies[$config_name];
         }
diff -u b/core/modules/config/lib/Drupal/config/Tests/ConfigEntityUnitTest.php b/core/modules/config/lib/Drupal/config/Tests/ConfigEntityUnitTest.php
--- b/core/modules/config/lib/Drupal/config/Tests/ConfigEntityUnitTest.php
+++ b/core/modules/config/lib/Drupal/config/Tests/ConfigEntityUnitTest.php
@@ -122,36 +122,37 @@
 
     $config_manager = \Drupal::service('config.manager');
 
-    // Test getting $entity3's dependencies as configuration dependency objects.
-    $dependents = $config_manager->findConfigEntityDependents('entity', array($entity3->getConfigDependencyName()));
-    $this->assertTrue(isset($dependents['config_test.dynamic.entity1']), 'config_test.dynamic.entity3 has a dependency on config_test.dynamic.entity1.');
-    $this->assertTrue(isset($dependents['config_test.dynamic.entity2']), 'config_test.dynamic.entity3 has a dependency on config_test.dynamic.entity2.');
-    $this->assertFalse(isset($dependents['config_test.dynamic.entity3']), 'config_test.dynamic.entity3 does not have a dependency on itself.');
-    $this->assertFalse(isset($dependents['config_test.dynamic.entity4']), 'config_test.dynamic.entity3 does not have a dependency on config_test.dynamic.entity4.');
-
-    // Test getting $entity4's dependencies as entities.
-    $dependents = $config_manager->findConfigEntityDependentsAsEntities('entity', array($entity4->getConfigDependencyName()));
-    $this->assertTrue(isset($dependents['entity1']), 'config_test.dynamic.entity4 has a dependency on config_test.dynamic.entity1.');
-    $this->assertTrue(isset($dependents['entity2']), 'config_test.dynamic.entity4 has a dependency on config_test.dynamic.entity2.');
-    $this->assertTrue(isset($dependents['entity3']), 'config_test.dynamic.entity4 has a dependency on config_test.dynamic.entity3.');
-    $this->assertFalse(isset($dependents['entity4']), 'config_test.dynamic.entity4 does not have a dependency on itself.');
+    // Test getting $entity1's dependencies as configuration dependency objects.
+    $dependents = $config_manager->findConfigEntityDependents('entity', array($entity1->getConfigDependencyName()));
+    $this->assertFalse(isset($dependents['config_test.dynamic.entity1']), 'config_test.dynamic.entity1 does not have a dependency on itself.');
+    $this->assertTrue(isset($dependents['config_test.dynamic.entity2']), 'config_test.dynamic.entity1 has a dependency on config_test.dynamic.entity1.');
+    $this->assertTrue(isset($dependents['config_test.dynamic.entity3']), 'config_test.dynamic.entity1 has a dependency on config_test.dynamic.entity1.');
+    $this->assertTrue(isset($dependents['config_test.dynamic.entity4']), 'config_test.dynamic.entity1 has a dependency on config_test.dynamic.entity1.');
+
+    // Test getting $entity2's dependencies as entities.
+    $dependents = $config_manager->findConfigEntityDependentsAsEntities('entity', array($entity2->getConfigDependencyName()));
+    $this->assertFalse(isset($dependents['entity1']), 'config_test.dynamic.entity2 does not have a dependency on config_test.dynamic.entity1.');
+    $this->assertFalse(isset($dependents['entity2']), 'config_test.dynamic.entity2 does not have a dependency on itself.');
+    $this->assertTrue(isset($dependents['entity3']), 'config_test.dynamic.entity2 has a dependency on config_test.dynamic.entity3.');
+    $this->assertTrue(isset($dependents['entity4']), 'config_test.dynamic.entity2 has a dependency on config_test.dynamic.entity3.');
 
     // Test getting node module's dependencies as configuration dependency
     // objects.
     $dependents = $config_manager->findConfigEntityDependents('module', array('node'));
     $this->assertTrue(isset($dependents['config_test.dynamic.entity1']), 'config_test.dynamic.entity1 has a dependency on the Node module.');
-    $this->assertFalse(isset($dependents['config_test.dynamic.entity2']), 'config_test.dynamic.entity2 does not have a dependency on thew Node module.');
-    $this->assertFalse(isset($dependents['config_test.dynamic.entity3']), 'config_test.dynamic.entity3 does not have a dependency on thew Node module.');
-    $this->assertFalse(isset($dependents['config_test.dynamic.entity4']), 'config_test.dynamic.entity4 does not have a dependency on thew Node module.');
+    $this->assertTrue(isset($dependents['config_test.dynamic.entity2']), 'config_test.dynamic.entity2 has a dependency on the Node module.');
+    $this->assertTrue(isset($dependents['config_test.dynamic.entity3']), 'config_test.dynamic.entity3 has a dependency on the Node module.');
+    $this->assertTrue(isset($dependents['config_test.dynamic.entity4']), 'config_test.dynamic.entity4 has a dependency on the Node module.');
 
     // Test getting node module's dependencies as configuration dependency
     // objects after making $entity3 also dependent on node.
+    $entity1->removeDependency('module', 'node')->save();
     $entity3->createDependency('module', 'node')->save();
     $dependents = $config_manager->findConfigEntityDependents('module', array('node'));
-    $this->assertTrue(isset($dependents['config_test.dynamic.entity1']), 'config_test.dynamic.entity1 has a dependency on the Node module.');
-    $this->assertTrue(isset($dependents['config_test.dynamic.entity2']), 'config_test.dynamic.entity2 has a dependency on thew Node module.');
-    $this->assertTrue(isset($dependents['config_test.dynamic.entity3']), 'config_test.dynamic.entity3 has a dependency on thew Node module.');
-    $this->assertFalse(isset($dependents['config_test.dynamic.entity4']), 'config_test.dynamic.entity4 does not have a dependency on thew Node module.');
+    $this->assertFalse(isset($dependents['config_test.dynamic.entity1']), 'config_test.dynamic.entity1 does not have a dependency on the Node module.');
+    $this->assertFalse(isset($dependents['config_test.dynamic.entity2']), 'config_test.dynamic.entity2 does not have a dependency on the Node module.');
+    $this->assertTrue(isset($dependents['config_test.dynamic.entity3']), 'config_test.dynamic.entity3 has a dependency on the Node module.');
+    $this->assertTrue(isset($dependents['config_test.dynamic.entity4']), 'config_test.dynamic.entity4 has a dependency on the Node module.');
 
   }