diff --git a/packages/lifecycle/src/runLifecycleHook.ts b/packages/lifecycle/src/runLifecycleHook.ts
index 1432624c16..24f913f252 100644
--- a/packages/lifecycle/src/runLifecycleHook.ts
+++ b/packages/lifecycle/src/runLifecycleHook.ts
@@ -1,13 +1,14 @@
 import { lifecycleLogger } from '@pnpm/core-loggers'
-import { PackageJson } from '@pnpm/types'
+import { DependencyManifest, ImporterManifest } from '@pnpm/types'
 import lifecycle = require('@zkochan/npm-lifecycle')
 
 function noop () {} // tslint:disable-line:no-empty
 
 export default async function runLifecycleHook (
   stage: string,
-  pkg: PackageJson,
+  manifest: ImporterManifest | DependencyManifest,
   opts: {
+    args?: string[],
     depPath: string,
     optional?: boolean,
     pkgRoot: string,
@@ -22,13 +23,22 @@ export default async function runLifecycleHook (
     lifecycleLogger.debug({
       depPath: opts.depPath,
       optional,
-      script: pkg.scripts![stage],
+      script: manifest.scripts![stage],
       stage,
       wd: opts.pkgRoot,
     })
   }
 
-  return lifecycle(pkg, stage, opts.pkgRoot, {
+  const m = { _id: getId(manifest), ...manifest }
+  m.scripts = { ...m.scripts }
+
+  if (stage === 'start' && !m.scripts.start) {
+    m.scripts.start = 'node server.js'
+  }
+  if (opts.args && opts.args.length && m.scripts && m.scripts[stage]) {
+    m.scripts[stage] = `${m.scripts[stage]} ${opts.args.map((arg) => `"${arg}"`).join(' ')}`
+  }
+  return lifecycle(m, stage, opts.pkgRoot, {
     config: opts.rawNpmConfig,
     dir: opts.rootNodeModulesDir,
     log: {
@@ -76,3 +86,13 @@ export default async function runLifecycleHook (
     }
   }
 }
+
+function getId (manifest: ImporterManifest | DependencyManifest) {
+  if (!manifest.name) {
+    return undefined
+  }
+  if (!manifest.version) {
+    return manifest.name
+  }
+  return `${manifest.name}@${manifest.version}`
+}
diff --git a/packages/pnpm/src/bin/pnpm.ts b/packages/pnpm/src/bin/pnpm.ts
index b3d8cfacfb..7117938f20 100755
--- a/packages/pnpm/src/bin/pnpm.ts
+++ b/packages/pnpm/src/bin/pnpm.ts
@@ -43,15 +43,12 @@ if (argv.includes('--help') || argv.includes('-h') || argv.includes('--h')) {
     case 'profile':
     case 'publish':
     case 'repo':
-    case 'restart':
     case 's':
     case 'se':
     case 'search':
     case 'set':
     case 'star':
     case 'stars':
-    case 'start':
-    case 'stop':
     case 'team':
     case 'token':
     case 'unpublish':
@@ -63,17 +60,6 @@ if (argv.includes('--help') || argv.includes('-h') || argv.includes('--h')) {
     case 'xmas':
       await passThruToNpm()
       break
-    case 't':
-    case 'tst':
-    case 'test':
-    case 'run':
-    case 'run-script':
-      if (argv.includes('--filter')) {
-        await runPnpm()
-      } else {
-        await passThruToNpm()
-      }
-      break
     default:
       await runPnpm()
       break
diff --git a/packages/pnpm/src/cmd/help.ts b/packages/pnpm/src/cmd/help.ts
index f3d7137c30..37d0a447da 100644
--- a/packages/pnpm/src/cmd/help.ts
+++ b/packages/pnpm/src/cmd/help.ts
@@ -37,7 +37,8 @@ function getHelpText (command: string) {
           -E, --save-exact                   install exact version
           -g, --global                       install as a global package
           -r                                 run installation recursively in every package found in subdirectories
-                                             or in every workspace package, when executed inside a workspace
+                                             or in every workspace package, when executed inside a workspace.
+                                             For options that may be used with \`-r\`, see "pnpm help recursive"
           --store                            the location where all the packages are saved on the disk.
           --offline                          trigger an error if any required dependencies are not available in local store
           --prefer-offline                   skip staleness checks for cached data, but request missing data from the server
@@ -128,7 +129,8 @@ function getHelpText (command: string) {
 
         Options:
           -r                    uninstall from every package found in subdirectories
-                                or from every workspace package, when executed inside a workspace
+                                or from every workspace package, when executed inside a workspace.
+                                For options that may be used with \`-r\`, see "pnpm help recursive"
 
         Discouraged options:
           --shamefully-flatten  attempt to flatten the dependency tree, similar to what npm and Yarn do
@@ -154,7 +156,8 @@ function getHelpText (command: string) {
 
         Options:
           -r  unlink in every package found in subdirectories
-              or in every workspace package, when executed inside a workspace
+              or in every workspace package, when executed inside a workspace.
+              For options that may be used with \`-r\`, see "pnpm help recursive"
       `
 
     case 'update':
@@ -166,7 +169,8 @@ function getHelpText (command: string) {
         Options:
 
           -r                    update in every package found in subdirectories
-                                or every workspace package, when executed inside a workspace
+                                or every workspace package, when executed inside a workspace.
+                                For options that may be used with \`-r\`, see "pnpm help recursive"
           -g, --global          update globally installed packages
           --depth               how deep should levels of dependencies be inspected
                                 0 is default, which means top-level dependencies
@@ -187,7 +191,8 @@ function getHelpText (command: string) {
         Options:
 
           -r                    perform command on every package in subdirectories
-                                or on every workspace package, when executed inside a workspace
+                                or on every workspace package, when executed inside a workspace.
+                                For options that may be used with \`-r\`, see "pnpm help recursive"
           --long                show extended information
           --parseable           show parseable output instead of tree view
           -g, --global          list packages in the global install prefix instead of in the current project
@@ -212,8 +217,12 @@ function getHelpText (command: string) {
 
     case 'install-test':
       return stripIndent`
-        This command runs an \`npm install\` followed immediately by an \`npm test\`.
-        It takes exactly the same arguments as \`npm install\`.
+        pnpm install-test
+
+        Aliases: it
+
+        Runs a \`pnpm install\` followed immediately by a \`pnpm test\`.
+        It takes exactly the same arguments as \`pnpm install\`.
       `
 
     case 'store':
@@ -269,7 +278,8 @@ function getHelpText (command: string) {
 
         Options:
           -r  check for outdated dependencies in every package found in subdirectories
-              or in every workspace package, when executed inside a workspace
+              or in every workspace package, when executed inside a workspace.
+              For options that may be used with \`-r\`, see "pnpm help recursive"
       `
 
     case 'rebuild':
@@ -283,10 +293,62 @@ function getHelpText (command: string) {
         Options:
           -r         rebuild every package found in subdirectories
                      or every workspace package, when executed inside a workspace.
+                     For options that may be used with \`-r\`, see "pnpm help recursive"
           --pending  rebuild packages that were not build during installation.
                      Packages are not build when installing with the --ignore-scripts flag
       `
 
+    case 'run':
+      return stripIndent`
+        pnpm run <command> [-- <args>...]
+
+        Aliases: run-script
+
+        Runs a defined package script.
+
+        Options:
+          -r         run the defined package script in every package found in subdirectories
+                     or every workspace package, when executed inside a workspace.
+                     For options that may be used with \`-r\`, see "pnpm help recursive"
+      `
+
+    case 'test':
+      return stripIndent`
+        pnpm test [-- <args>...]
+
+        Aliases: t, tst
+
+        Runs a package's "test" script, if one was provided.
+
+        Options:
+          -r         run the tests in every package found in subdirectories
+                     or every workspace package, when executed inside a workspace.
+                     For options that may be used with \`-r\`, see "pnpm help recursive"
+      `
+
+    case 'start':
+      return stripIndent`
+        pnpm start [-- <args>...]
+
+        Runs an arbitrary command specified in the package's "start" property of its "scripts" object.
+        If no "start" property is specified on the "scripts" object, it will run node server.js.
+      `
+
+    case 'stop':
+      return stripIndent`
+        pnpm stop [-- <args>...]
+
+        Runs a package's "stop" script, if one was provided.
+      `
+
+    case 'restart':
+      return stripIndent`
+        pnpm restart [-- <args>...]
+
+        Restarts a package.
+        Runs a package's "stop", "restart", and "start" scripts, and associated pre- and post- scripts.
+      `
+
     case 'server':
       return stripIndent`
         pnpm server start
@@ -405,36 +467,42 @@ function getHelpText (command: string) {
 
         Commands:
 
+          - import
           - install
-          - update
-          - uninstall
+          - install-test
           - link
-          - unlink
           - list
           - outdated
           - prune
-          - install-test
-          - store add
-          - store status
-          - store prune
-          - root
           - rebuild
-          - import
+          - restart
+          - root
+          - run
+          - start
+          - stop
+          - test
+          - uninstall
+          - unlink
+          - update
 
-          - recursive unlink
+          - recursive exec
           - recursive install
-          - recursive update
-          - recursive uninstall
           - recursive list
           - recursive outdated
+          - recursive rebuild
           - recursive run
           - recursive test
-          - recursive rebuild
-          - recursive exec
+          - recursive uninstall
+          - recursive unlink
+          - recursive update
 
           - server start
-          - server stop
           - server status
+          - server stop
+
+          - store add
+          - store prune
+          - store status
 
         Other commands are passed through to npm
       `
diff --git a/packages/pnpm/src/cmd/index.ts b/packages/pnpm/src/cmd/index.ts
index a404e5eb49..dca31e5742 100644
--- a/packages/pnpm/src/cmd/index.ts
+++ b/packages/pnpm/src/cmd/index.ts
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import prune from './prune'
 import rebuild from './rebuild'
 import recursive from './recursive'
 import root from './root'
+import run, { restart, start, stop, test } from './run'
 import server from './server'
 import store from './store'
 import uninstall from './uninstall'
@@ -26,9 +27,14 @@ export default {
   prune,
   rebuild,
   recursive,
+  restart,
   root,
+  run,
   server,
+  start,
+  stop,
   store,
+  test,
   uninstall,
   unlink,
   update,
diff --git a/packages/pnpm/src/cmd/installTest.ts b/packages/pnpm/src/cmd/installTest.ts
index 14cd04c65e..ffab8b62fd 100644
--- a/packages/pnpm/src/cmd/installTest.ts
+++ b/packages/pnpm/src/cmd/installTest.ts
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 import { PnpmOptions } from '../types'
 import install from './install'
-import runNpm from './runNpm'
+import { test } from './run'
 
 export default async function (input: string[], opts: PnpmOptions) {
   await install(input, opts)
-  runNpm(['test'])
+  await test(input, opts)
 }
diff --git a/packages/pnpm/src/cmd/run.ts b/packages/pnpm/src/cmd/run.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..bd964214f9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/pnpm/src/cmd/run.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,103 @@
+import runLifecycleHooks from '@pnpm/lifecycle'
+import { readImporterManifestOnly } from '@pnpm/read-importer-manifest'
+import { realNodeModulesDir } from '@pnpm/utils'
+
+export default async function run (
+  args: string[],
+  opts: {
+    prefix: string,
+    rawNpmConfig: object,
+    argv: {
+      cooked: string[],
+      original: string[],
+      remain: string[],
+    },
+  },
+) {
+  const manifest = await readImporterManifestOnly(opts.prefix)
+  const scriptName = args[0]
+  if (scriptName !== 'start' && (!manifest.scripts || !manifest.scripts[scriptName])) {
+    const err = new Error(`Missing script: ${scriptName}`)
+    err['code'] = 'ERR_PNPM_NO_SCRIPT'
+    throw err
+  }
+  const dashDashIndex = opts.argv.cooked.indexOf('--')
+  const lifecycleOpts = {
+    args: dashDashIndex === -1 ? [] : opts.argv.cooked.slice(dashDashIndex + 1),
+    depPath: opts.prefix,
+    pkgRoot: opts.prefix,
+    rawNpmConfig: opts.rawNpmConfig,
+    rootNodeModulesDir: await realNodeModulesDir(opts.prefix),
+    stdio: 'inherit',
+    unsafePerm: true, // when running scripts explicitly, assume that they're trusted.
+  }
+  if (manifest.scripts && manifest.scripts[`pre${scriptName}`]) {
+    await runLifecycleHooks(`pre${scriptName}`, manifest, lifecycleOpts)
+  }
+  await runLifecycleHooks(scriptName, manifest, lifecycleOpts)
+  if (manifest.scripts && manifest.scripts[`post${scriptName}`]) {
+    await runLifecycleHooks(`post${scriptName}`, manifest, lifecycleOpts)
+  }
+}
+
+export async function start (
+  args: string[],
+  opts: {
+    prefix: string,
+    rawNpmConfig: object,
+    argv: {
+      cooked: string[],
+      original: string[],
+      remain: string[],
+    },
+  },
+) {
+  return run(['start', ...args], opts)
+}
+
+export async function stop (
+  args: string[],
+  opts: {
+    prefix: string,
+    rawNpmConfig: object,
+    argv: {
+      cooked: string[],
+      original: string[],
+      remain: string[],
+    },
+  },
+) {
+  return run(['stop', ...args], opts)
+}
+
+export async function test (
+  args: string[],
+  opts: {
+    prefix: string,
+    rawNpmConfig: object,
+    argv: {
+      cooked: string[],
+      original: string[],
+      remain: string[],
+    },
+  },
+) {
+  return run(['test', ...args], opts)
+}
+
+export async function restart (
+  args: string[],
+  opts: {
+    prefix: string,
+    rawNpmConfig: object,
+    argv: {
+      cooked: string[],
+      original: string[],
+      remain: string[],
+    },
+  },
+) {
+  await stop(args, opts)
+  await run(['restart', ...args], opts)
+  await start(args, opts)
+}
diff --git a/packages/pnpm/src/main.ts b/packages/pnpm/src/main.ts
index af2f1070c2..095e0cddaf 100644
--- a/packages/pnpm/src/main.ts
+++ b/packages/pnpm/src/main.ts
@@ -40,16 +40,19 @@ type CANONICAL_COMMAND_NAMES = 'help'
   | 'prune'
   | 'rebuild'
   | 'recursive'
+  | 'restart'
   | 'root'
   | 'run'
   | 'server'
+  | 'start'
+  | 'stop'
   | 'store'
   | 'test'
   | 'uninstall'
   | 'unlink'
   | 'update'
 
-const COMMANDS_WITH_NO_DASHDASH_FILTER = new Set(['run', 'exec', 'test'])
+const COMMANDS_WITH_NO_DASHDASH_FILTER = new Set(['run', 'exec', 'restart', 'start', 'stop', 'test'])
 
 const supportedCmds = new Set<CANONICAL_COMMAND_NAMES>([
   'install',
@@ -58,7 +61,10 @@ const supportedCmds = new Set<CANONICAL_COMMAND_NAMES>([
   'link',
   'prune',
   'install-test',
+  'restart',
   'server',
+  'start',
+  'stop',
   'store',
   'list',
   'unlink',
@@ -181,6 +187,7 @@ export default async function run (argv: string[]) {
       optionalDependencies: opts.optional !== false,
     }
     opts.forceSharedLockfile = typeof opts.workspacePrefix === 'string' && opts.sharedWorkspaceLockfile === true
+    opts.argv = cliConf.argv
     if (opts.filter) {
       Array.prototype.push.apply(opts.filter, filterArgs)
     } else {
diff --git a/packages/pnpm/src/types.ts b/packages/pnpm/src/types.ts
index 4d1b01245c..26a7adabd0 100644
--- a/packages/pnpm/src/types.ts
+++ b/packages/pnpm/src/types.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,11 @@ import {
 export type ReadPackageHook = (pkg: PackageManifest) => PackageManifest
 
 export interface PnpmOptions {
+  argv: {
+    cooked: string[],
+    original: string[],
+    remain: string[],
+  },
   bail: boolean,
   cliArgs: object,
   filter: string[],
diff --git a/packages/pnpm/test/run.ts b/packages/pnpm/test/run.ts
index 6ccb70d507..e48cfcffcd 100644
--- a/packages/pnpm/test/run.ts
+++ b/packages/pnpm/test/run.ts
@@ -1,12 +1,18 @@
-import prepare from '@pnpm/prepare'
+import prepare, {
+  prepareWithJson5Manifest,
+  prepareWithYamlManifest,
+} from '@pnpm/prepare'
+import fs = require('mz/fs')
+import path = require('path')
 import tape = require('tape')
 import promisifyTape from 'tape-promise'
-import { execPnpmSync } from './utils'
+import { execPnpm, execPnpmSync } from './utils'
 
 const test = promisifyTape(tape)
+const testOnly = promisifyTape(tape.only)
 
 test('pnpm run: returns correct exit code', async (t: tape.Test) => {
-  const project = prepare(t, {
+  prepare(t, {
     scripts: {
       exit0: 'exit 0',
       exit1: 'exit 1',
@@ -17,14 +23,128 @@ test('pnpm run: returns correct exit code', async (t: tape.Test) => {
   t.equal(execPnpmSync('run', 'exit1').status, 1)
 })
 
-test('pass the args to the command that is specfied in the build script', async t => {
+test('run: pass the args to the command that is specfied in the build script', async (t: tape.Test) => {
   prepare(t, {
+    scripts: {
+      foo: 'ts-node test'
+    },
+  })
+
+  const result = execPnpmSync('run', 'foo', '--', '--flag=true')
+
+  t.ok((result.stdout as Buffer).toString('utf8').match(/ts-node test "--flag=true"/), 'command was successful')
+})
+
+test('run: pass the args to the command that is specfied in the build script of a package.yaml manifest', async (t: tape.Test) => {
+  prepareWithYamlManifest(t, {
+    scripts: {
+      foo: 'ts-node test'
+    },
+  })
+
+  const result = execPnpmSync('run', 'foo', '--', '--flag=true')
+
+  t.ok((result.stdout as Buffer).toString('utf8').match(/ts-node test "--flag=true"/), 'command was successful')
+})
+
+test('test: pass the args to the command that is specfied in the build script of a package.yaml manifest', async (t: tape.Test) => {
+  prepareWithYamlManifest(t, {
     scripts: {
       test: 'ts-node test'
     },
   })
 
-  const result = execPnpmSync('run', 'test', '--', '--flag=true')
+  const result = execPnpmSync('test', '--', '--flag=true')
 
   t.ok((result.stdout as Buffer).toString('utf8').match(/ts-node test "--flag=true"/), 'command was successful')
 })
+
+test('start: pass the args to the command that is specfied in the build script of a package.yaml manifest', async (t: tape.Test) => {
+  prepareWithYamlManifest(t, {
+    scripts: {
+      start: 'ts-node test'
+    },
+  })
+
+  const result = execPnpmSync('start', '--', '--flag=true')
+
+  t.ok((result.stdout as Buffer).toString('utf8').match(/ts-node test "--flag=true"/), 'command was successful')
+})
+
+test('start: run "node server.js" by default', async (t: tape.Test) => {
+  prepareWithYamlManifest(t)
+
+  await fs.writeFile('server.js', 'console.log("Hello world!")', 'utf8')
+
+  const result = execPnpmSync('start')
+
+  t.ok((result.stdout as Buffer).toString('utf8').match(/Hello world!/), 'command was successful')
+})
+
+test('stop: pass the args to the command that is specfied in the build script', async (t: tape.Test) => {
+  prepare(t, {
+    scripts: {
+      stop: 'ts-node test'
+    },
+  })
+
+  const result = execPnpmSync('stop', '--', '--flag=true')
+
+  t.ok((result.stdout as Buffer).toString('utf8').match(/ts-node test "--flag=true"/), 'command was successful')
+})
+
+test('restart: run stop, restart and start', async (t: tape.Test) => {
+  prepare(t, {
+    scripts: {
+      poststop: `node -e "process.stdout.write('poststop')" | json-append ./output.json`,
+      prestop: `node -e "process.stdout.write('prestop')" | json-append ./output.json`,
+      stop: `node -e "process.stdout.write('stop')" | json-append ./output.json`,
+
+      postrestart: `node -e "process.stdout.write('postrestart')" | json-append ./output.json`,
+      prerestart: `node -e "process.stdout.write('prerestart')" | json-append ./output.json`,
+      restart: `node -e "process.stdout.write('restart')" | json-append ./output.json`,
+
+      poststart: `node -e "process.stdout.write('poststart')" | json-append ./output.json`,
+      prestart: `node -e "process.stdout.write('prestart')" | json-append ./output.json`,
+      start: `node -e "process.stdout.write('start')" | json-append ./output.json`,
+    },
+  })
+
+  await execPnpm('add', 'json-append@1')
+  await execPnpm('restart')
+
+  const scriptsRan = await import(path.resolve('output.json'))
+  t.deepEqual(scriptsRan, [
+    'prestop',
+    'stop',
+    'poststop',
+    'prerestart',
+    'restart',
+    'postrestart',
+    'prestart',
+    'start',
+    'poststart',
+  ])
+})
+
+test('install-test: install dependencies and runs tests', async (t: tape.Test) => {
+  prepareWithJson5Manifest(t, {
+    dependencies: {
+      'json-append': '1',
+    },
+    scripts: {
+      posttest: `node -e "process.stdout.write('posttest')" | json-append ./output.json`,
+      pretest: `node -e "process.stdout.write('pretest')" | json-append ./output.json`,
+      test: `node -e "process.stdout.write('test')" | json-append ./output.json`,
+    },
+  })
+
+  await execPnpm('install-test')
+
+  const scriptsRan = await import(path.resolve('output.json'))
+  t.deepEqual(scriptsRan, [
+    'pretest',
+    'test',
+    'posttest',
+  ])
+})
diff --git a/pnpm-lock.yaml b/pnpm-lock.yaml
index 3be8bf45b4..630aa9d63d 100644
--- a/pnpm-lock.yaml
+++ b/pnpm-lock.yaml
@@ -2407,13 +2407,16 @@ importers:
     dependencies:
       '@pnpm/assert-project': 'link:../assert-project'
       '@pnpm/modules-yaml': 'link:../../packages/modules-yaml'
+      '@pnpm/types': 'link:../../packages/types'
       '@types/mkdirp': 0.5.2
       '@types/node': 11.13.8
       '@types/tape': 4.2.33
       '@types/write-pkg': 3.1.0
       mkdirp: 0.5.1
       tape: 4.10.1
+      write-json5-file: 2.0.0
       write-pkg: 4.0.0
+      write-yaml-file: 2.0.0
     devDependencies:
       rimraf: 2.6.3
       tslint: 5.16.0_typescript@3.4.5
@@ -2423,6 +2426,7 @@ importers:
     specifiers:
       '@pnpm/assert-project': 2.0.0
       '@pnpm/modules-yaml': 3.0.2
+      '@pnpm/types': 3.2.0
       '@types/mkdirp': 0.5.2
       '@types/node': '*'
       '@types/tape': 4.2.33
@@ -2434,7 +2438,9 @@ importers:
       tslint-config-standard: 8.0.1
       tslint-eslint-rules: 5.4.0
       typescript: 3.4.5
+      write-json5-file: 2.0.0
       write-pkg: 4.0.0
+      write-yaml-file: 2.0.0
   tools:
     devDependencies:
       '@commitlint/cli': 7.5.2
diff --git a/privatePackages/prepare/package.json b/privatePackages/prepare/package.json
index d8466825b2..683d832528 100644
--- a/privatePackages/prepare/package.json
+++ b/privatePackages/prepare/package.json
@@ -7,13 +7,16 @@
   "dependencies": {
     "@pnpm/assert-project": "2.0.0",
     "@pnpm/modules-yaml": "3.0.2",
+    "@pnpm/types": "3.2.0",
     "@types/mkdirp": "0.5.2",
     "@types/node": "*",
     "@types/tape": "4.2.33",
     "@types/write-pkg": "3.1.0",
     "mkdirp": "0.5.1",
     "tape": "4.10.1",
-    "write-pkg": "4.0.0"
+    "write-json5-file": "2.0.0",
+    "write-pkg": "4.0.0",
+    "write-yaml-file": "2.0.0"
   },
   "devDependencies": {
     "rimraf": "2.6.3",
diff --git a/privatePackages/prepare/src/index.ts b/privatePackages/prepare/src/index.ts
index b2ed604445..4b2db26f0c 100644
--- a/privatePackages/prepare/src/index.ts
+++ b/privatePackages/prepare/src/index.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,12 @@
 import assertProject from '@pnpm/assert-project'
 import { Modules } from '@pnpm/modules-yaml'
+import { ImporterManifest } from '@pnpm/types'
 import mkdirp = require('mkdirp')
 import path = require('path')
 import { Test } from 'tape'
 import writePkg = require('write-pkg')
+import { sync as writeYamlFile } from 'write-yaml-file'
+import { sync as writeJson5File } from 'write-json5-file'
 
 // the testing folder should be outside of the project to avoid lookup in the project's node_modules
 const tmpPath = path.join(__dirname, '..', '..', '..', '..', '.tmp')
@@ -26,7 +29,7 @@ export function tempDir (t: Test) {
 
 export function preparePackages (
   t: Test,
-  pkgs: Array<{ location: string, package: Object } | Object>,
+  pkgs: Array<{ location: string, package: ImporterManifest } | ImporterManifest>,
   pkgTmpPath?: string,
 ): {
   [name: string]: {
@@ -52,18 +55,22 @@ export function preparePackages (
     if (typeof aPkg['location'] === 'string') {
       result[aPkg['package']['name']] = prepare(t, aPkg['package'], path.join(dirname, aPkg['location']))
     } else {
-      result[aPkg['name']] = prepare(t, aPkg, path.join(dirname, aPkg['name']))
+      result[aPkg['name']] = prepare(t, aPkg as ImporterManifest, path.join(dirname, aPkg['name']))
     }
   }
   process.chdir('..')
   return result
 }
 
-export default function prepare (t: Test, pkg?: Object, pkgTmpPath?: string) {
+export default function prepare (
+  t: Test,
+  manifest?: ImporterManifest,
+  pkgTmpPath?: string,
+) {
   pkgTmpPath = pkgTmpPath || path.join(tempDir(t), 'project')
 
   mkdirp.sync(pkgTmpPath)
-  writePkg.sync(pkgTmpPath, Object.assign({ name: 'project', version: '0.0.0' }, pkg))
+  writePkg.sync(pkgTmpPath, { name: 'project', version: '0.0.0', ...manifest } as any) // tslint:disable-line
   process.chdir(pkgTmpPath)
 
   return assertProject(t, pkgTmpPath)
@@ -77,3 +84,29 @@ export function prepareEmpty (t: Test) {
 
   return assertProject(t, pkgTmpPath)
 }
+
+export function prepareWithYamlManifest (
+  t: Test,
+  manifest?: ImporterManifest,
+) {
+  const pkgTmpPath = path.join(tempDir(t), 'project')
+
+  mkdirp.sync(pkgTmpPath)
+  writeYamlFile(path.join(pkgTmpPath, 'package.yaml'), { name: 'project', version: '0.0.0', ...manifest } as any) // tslint:disable-line
+  process.chdir(pkgTmpPath)
+
+  return assertProject(t, pkgTmpPath)
+}
+
+export function prepareWithJson5Manifest (
+  t: Test,
+  manifest?: ImporterManifest,
+) {
+  const pkgTmpPath = path.join(tempDir(t), 'project')
+
+  mkdirp.sync(pkgTmpPath)
+  writeJson5File(path.join(pkgTmpPath, 'package.json5'), { name: 'project', version: '0.0.0', ...manifest } as any) // tslint:disable-line
+  process.chdir(pkgTmpPath)
+
+  return assertProject(t, pkgTmpPath)
+}