diff --git a/doc/cli/npm-pack.md b/doc/cli/npm-pack.md
index 807663ac210fe..0c90995ac2965 100644
--- a/doc/cli/npm-pack.md
+++ b/doc/cli/npm-pack.md
@@ -17,6 +17,9 @@ If the same package is specified multiple times, then the file will be
 overwritten the second time.
 
 If no arguments are supplied, then npm packs the current package folder.
+In that case, `prepack` and `postpack` script hooks are invoked. `postpack` is 
+invoked with the **npm_lifecycle_postpack_archive** environment variable holding the full path of the
+generated archive.
 
 The `--dry-run` argument will do everything that pack usually does without
 actually packing anything. Reports on what would have gone into the tarball.
diff --git a/doc/cli/npm-publish.md b/doc/cli/npm-publish.md
index c582ad8470c2a..412813587b406 100644
--- a/doc/cli/npm-publish.md
+++ b/doc/cli/npm-publish.md
@@ -64,6 +64,11 @@ installs will use the strongest supported algorithm to verify downloads.
 Similar to `--dry-run` see `npm-pack(1)`, which figures out the files to be
 included and packs them into a tarball to be uploaded to the registry.
 
+The following script hooks are invoked : 
+- `prepublishOnly` and then `prepack` before any processing
+- `postpack` after generating the archive (path to the archive is available in the **npm_lifecycle_postpack_archive** environment variable)
+- `publish` and than `postpublish` after uploading
+
 ## SEE ALSO
 
 * npm-registry(7)
@@ -74,3 +79,4 @@ included and packs them into a tarball to be uploaded to the registry.
 * npm-dist-tag(1)
 * npm-pack(1)
 * npm-profile(1)
+* npm-scripts(7)
diff --git a/doc/misc/npm-scripts.md b/doc/misc/npm-scripts.md
index 22ded49001632..306c3a73493f7 100644
--- a/doc/misc/npm-scripts.md
+++ b/doc/misc/npm-scripts.md
@@ -20,11 +20,11 @@ following scripts:
   run BEFORE a tarball is packed (on `npm pack`, `npm publish`, and when
   installing git dependencies)
 * postpack:
-  Run AFTER the tarball has been generated and moved to its final destination.
+  Run AFTER the tarball has been generated and moved to its final local destination (on `npm pack`, `npm publish` in temporaty file just before upload).
 * publish, postpublish:
   Run AFTER the package is published.
 * preinstall:
-  Run BEFORE the package is installed
+  Run BEFORE the package is installed.
 * install, postinstall:
   Run AFTER the package is installed.
 * preuninstall, uninstall:
diff --git a/lib/pack.js b/lib/pack.js
index 78e5bfd174d7b..8ab764b995d59 100644
--- a/lib/pack.js
+++ b/lib/pack.js
@@ -137,6 +137,7 @@ function packDirectory (mani, dir, target, filename, logIt, dryRun) {
   }).then((pkg) => {
     return cacache.tmp.withTmp(npm.tmp, {tmpPrefix: 'packing'}, (tmp) => {
       const tmpTarget = path.join(tmp, path.basename(target))
+      const finalTarget = dryRun ? tmpTarget : path.resolve(target)
 
       const tarOpt = {
         file: tmpTarget,
@@ -154,8 +155,6 @@ function packDirectory (mani, dir, target, filename, logIt, dryRun) {
       //       specifically with @ signs, so we just neutralize that one
       //       and any such future "features" by prepending `./`
         .then((files) => tar.create(tarOpt, files.map((f) => `./${f}`)))
-        .then(() => getContents(pkg, tmpTarget, filename, logIt))
-        // thread the content info through
         .tap(() => {
           if (dryRun) {
             log.verbose('pack', '--dry-run mode enabled. Skipping write.')
@@ -163,7 +162,13 @@ function packDirectory (mani, dir, target, filename, logIt, dryRun) {
             return move(tmpTarget, target, {Promise: BB, fs})
           }
         })
-        .tap(() => lifecycle(pkg, 'postpack', dir))
+        .tap(() => {
+          const env = { npm_lifecycle_postpack_archive: finalTarget }
+          lifecycle(pkg, 'postpack', dir, { env })
+        })
+        // compute pkg stats after postpack, in case postpack modifies
+        // the archive
+        .then(() => getContents(pkg, finalTarget, filename, logIt))
     })
   })
 }
diff --git a/node_modules/npm-lifecycle/index.js b/node_modules/npm-lifecycle/index.js
index 0972870b18c97..95ecd0d7ed016 100644
--- a/node_modules/npm-lifecycle/index.js
+++ b/node_modules/npm-lifecycle/index.js
@@ -437,6 +437,11 @@ function makeEnv (data, opts, prefix, env) {
     }
   }
 
+  // assign script specific environnement variables
+  if (typeof opts.env === "object") {
+    Object.assign(env, opts.env)
+  }
+
   if (prefix !== 'npm_package_') return env
 
   prefix = 'npm_config_'
diff --git a/test/broken-under-nyc-and-travis/lifecycle-path.js b/test/broken-under-nyc-and-travis/lifecycle-path.js
index 6209319b412f6..0cfa5d3d62c5e 100644
--- a/test/broken-under-nyc-and-travis/lifecycle-path.js
+++ b/test/broken-under-nyc-and-travis/lifecycle-path.js
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ var path = require('path')
 var mkdirp = require('mkdirp')
 var osenv = require('osenv')
 var rimraf = require('rimraf')
+var which = require('which')
 var test = require('tap').test
 
 var common = require('../common-tap.js')
@@ -21,6 +22,9 @@ if (isWindows) {
   PATH = '/bin:/usr/bin'
 }
 
+var systemNode = which.sync('node', { nothrow: true, path: PATH })
+// the path to the system wide node (null if none)
+
 test('setup', function (t) {
   cleanup()
   mkdirp.sync(pkg)
@@ -183,6 +187,12 @@ function checkPath (testconfig, t) {
             'The node binary used for scripts is.*' +
             process.execPath.replace(/[/\\]/g, '.'))
           t.match(stderr, regex, 'reports the current binary vs conflicting')
+        } else if (systemNode !== null) {
+          var regexSystemNode = new RegExp(
+            'The node binary used for scripts is.*' +
+            systemNode.replace(/[/\\]/g, '.')
+          )
+          t.match(stderr, regexSystemNode, 'reports the system binary vs conflicting')
         } else {
           t.match(stderr, /there is no node binary in the current PATH/, 'informs user that there is no node binary in PATH')
         }
diff --git a/test/tap/pack.js b/test/tap/pack.js
index 23c8296d003cd..59963df1e6bb1 100644
--- a/test/tap/pack.js
+++ b/test/tap/pack.js
@@ -197,3 +197,32 @@ test('postpack', (t) => {
     })
     .then(() => rimraf(testDir))
 })
+
+test('postpack-env', (t) => {
+  const fixture = new Tacks(new Dir({
+    'package.json': new File({
+      name: 'generic-package',
+      version: '90000.100001.5',
+      scripts: {
+        postpack: 'node -e "var fs = require(\'fs\'); fs.writeFileSync(\'../myenv.json\',JSON.stringify(process.env,null,2)); if (!fs.existsSync(process.env.npm_lifecycle_postpack_archive)) { throw new Error(\'tar archive does not exist on postpack\') }"'
+      }
+    })
+  }))
+
+  return rimraf(testDir)
+    .then(() => fixture.create(testDir))
+    .then(() => common.npm([
+      'pack',
+      '--loglevel', 'notice',
+      '--cache', cache,
+      '--tmp', tmp,
+      '--prefix', testDir,
+      '--no-global'
+    ], {
+      cwd: testDir
+    }))
+    .spread((code, stdout, stderr) => {
+      t.equal(code, 0, 'npm pack exited ok')
+    })
+    .then(() => rimraf(testDir))
+})