diff --git a/includes/bootstrap.inc b/includes/bootstrap.inc
index c13db27..bd2bd0d 100644
--- a/includes/bootstrap.inc
+++ b/includes/bootstrap.inc
@@ -583,6 +583,7 @@ function _drush_bootstrap_select_drupal_site() {
     // Create an alias '@self'
     _drush_sitealias_cache_alias('self', array('root' => $drupal_root, 'uri' => $uri));
   }
+  drush_sitealias_create_sites_alias($drupal_root);
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/includes/sitealias.inc b/includes/sitealias.inc
index c2ded8f..1afcc8b 100644
--- a/includes/sitealias.inc
+++ b/includes/sitealias.inc
@@ -563,22 +563,6 @@ function _drush_sitealias_find_and_load_alias($aliasname, $alias_path_context =
   $result = array();
   $result_names = array();
 
-  // Special checking for '@sites' alias
-  if ($aliasname == 'sites') {
-    $drupal_root = NULL;
-    if ($alias_path_context != null) {
-      if (array_key_exists('root', $alias_path_context) && !array_key_exists('remote-host', $alias_path_context)) {
-        $drupal_root = $alias_path_context['root'];
-      }
-    }
-    else {
-      $drupal_root = drush_get_context('DRUSH_SELECTED_DRUPAL_ROOT');
-    }
-    if (isset($drupal_root) && !is_array($drupal_root)) {
-      drush_sitealias_create_sites_alias($drupal_root);
-    }
-  }
-
   $alias_files_to_consider = _drush_sitealias_find_alias_files($aliasname, $alias_path_context);
   // For every file that matches, check inside it for
   // an alias with a matching name.
@@ -1244,7 +1228,7 @@ function _drush_find_local_sites_at_root($a_drupal_root = '', $search_depth = 1)
       // all of the sites found inside the 'sites' folder of this drupal instance.
       $site_list = _drush_find_local_sites_in_sites_folder($base_path);
     }
-    else {
+    elseif (defined('DRUSH_DRUPAL_SIGNATURE')) {
       $bootstrap_files = drush_scan_directory($base_path, '/' . basename(DRUSH_DRUPAL_SIGNATURE) . '/' , array('.', '..', 'CVS', 'examples'), 0, drush_get_option('search-depth', $search_depth) + 1, 'filename', 1);
       foreach ($bootstrap_files as $one_bootstrap => $info) {
         $includes_dir = dirname($one_bootstrap);