diff --git a/lib/install/actions.js b/lib/install/actions.js
index a34d03ffe2146..e26432b77c86a 100644
--- a/lib/install/actions.js
+++ b/lib/install/actions.js
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ Object.keys(actions).forEach(function (actionName) {
     if (pkg.knownInstallable) {
       actionP = runAction(action, staging, pkg, log)
     } else {
-      actionP = isInstallable(pkg.package).then(() => {
+      actionP = isInstallable(null, pkg.package).then(() => {
         pkg.knownInstallable = true
         return runAction(action, staging, pkg, log)
       })
diff --git a/lib/install/deps.js b/lib/install/deps.js
index bfc94ae504860..dfe30b6c0f38c 100644
--- a/lib/install/deps.js
+++ b/lib/install/deps.js
@@ -665,7 +665,7 @@ function resolveWithNewModule (pkg, tree, log, next) {
   validate('OOOF', arguments)
 
   log.silly('resolveWithNewModule', packageId(pkg), 'checking installable status')
-  return isInstallable(pkg, (err) => {
+  return isInstallable(tree, pkg, (err) => {
     let installable = !err
     addBundled(pkg, (bundleErr) => {
       var parent = earliestInstallable(tree, tree, pkg, log) || tree
diff --git a/lib/install/validate-args.js b/lib/install/validate-args.js
index 65b660417a4ca..b680a1b24ba47 100644
--- a/lib/install/validate-args.js
+++ b/lib/install/validate-args.js
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ module.exports = function (idealTree, args, next) {
     chain([
       [hasMinimumFields, pkg],
       [checkSelf, idealTree, pkg, force],
-      [isInstallable, pkg]
+      [isInstallable, idealTree, pkg]
     ], done)
   }, next)
 }
@@ -31,13 +31,24 @@ function hasMinimumFields (pkg, cb) {
   }
 }
 
-function getWarnings (pkg) {
-  while (pkg.parent) pkg = pkg.parent
-  if (!pkg.warnings) pkg.warnings = []
-  return pkg.warnings
+function setWarnings (idealTree, warn) {
+  function top (tree) {
+    if (tree.parent) return top(tree.parent)
+    return tree
+  }
+
+  var topTree = top(idealTree)
+  if (!topTree.warnings) topTree.warnings = []
+
+  if (topTree.warnings.every(i => (
+    i.code !== warn.code ||
+    i.required !== warn.required ||
+    i.pkgid !== warn.pkgid))) {
+    topTree.warnings.push(warn)
+  }
 }
 
-var isInstallable = module.exports.isInstallable = function (pkg, next) {
+var isInstallable = module.exports.isInstallable = function (idealTree, pkg, next) {
   var force = npm.config.get('force')
   var nodeVersion = npm.config.get('node-version')
   if (/-/.test(nodeVersion)) {
@@ -48,7 +59,7 @@ var isInstallable = module.exports.isInstallable = function (pkg, next) {
   var strict = npm.config.get('engine-strict')
   checkEngine(pkg, npm.version, nodeVersion, force, strict, iferr(next, thenWarnEngineIssues))
   function thenWarnEngineIssues (warn) {
-    if (warn) getWarnings(pkg).push(warn)
+    if (idealTree && warn) setWarnings(idealTree, warn)
     checkPlatform(pkg, force, next)
   }
 }
diff --git a/test/tap/check-engine-reqs.js b/test/tap/check-engine-reqs.js
index 7cbbcd354f997..fa25e28dd60ed 100644
--- a/test/tap/check-engine-reqs.js
+++ b/test/tap/check-engine-reqs.js
@@ -27,7 +27,6 @@ test('setup', function (t) {
 
 var INSTALL_OPTS = ['--loglevel', 'silly']
 var EXEC_OPTS = {cwd: installIn}
-
 test('install bad engine', function (t) {
   common.npm(['install', '--engine-strict', installFrom].concat(INSTALL_OPTS), EXEC_OPTS, function (err, code) {
     t.ifError(err, 'npm ran without issue')
@@ -43,6 +42,18 @@ test('force install bad engine', function (t) {
   })
 })
 
+test('warns on bad engine not strict', function (t) {
+  common.npm(['install', '--json', installFrom], EXEC_OPTS, function (err, code, stdout, stderr) {
+    t.ifError(err, 'npm ran without issue')
+    t.is(code, 0, 'result code')
+    var result = JSON.parse(stdout)
+    t.match(result.warnings[0], /Unsupported engine/, 'reason for optional failure in JSON')
+    t.match(result.warnings[0], /1.0.0-not-a-real-version/, 'should print mismatch version info')
+    t.match(result.warnings[0], /Not compatible with your version of node/, 'incompatibility message')
+    t.done()
+  })
+})
+
 test('cleanup', function (t) {
   cleanup()
   t.end()