diff --git a/.changeset/green-olives-visit.md b/.changeset/green-olives-visit.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c73f6edcce
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/green-olives-visit.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"@pnpm/default-reporter": minor
+---
+
+Color the different output prefixes differently.
diff --git a/packages/default-reporter/src/reporterForClient/reportLifecycleScripts.ts b/packages/default-reporter/src/reporterForClient/reportLifecycleScripts.ts
index 019eec67aa..db21f4dc64 100644
--- a/packages/default-reporter/src/reporterForClient/reportLifecycleScripts.ts
+++ b/packages/default-reporter/src/reporterForClient/reportLifecycleScripts.ts
@@ -13,6 +13,15 @@ import formatPrefix, { formatPrefixNoTrim } from './utils/formatPrefix'
 
 const NODE_MODULES = `${path.sep}node_modules${path.sep}`
 
+// When streaming processes are spawned, use this color for prefix
+const colorWheel = ['cyan', 'magenta', 'blue', 'yellow', 'green', 'red']
+const NUM_COLORS = colorWheel.length
+
+// Ever-increasing index ensures colors are always sequential
+let currentColor = 0
+
+type ColorByPkg = Map<string, (txt: string) => string>
+
 export default (
   log$: {
     lifecycle: most.Stream<LifecycleLog>,
@@ -26,8 +35,11 @@ export default (
   // When the reporter is not append-only, the length of output is limited
   // in order to reduce flickering
   if (opts.appendOnly) {
+    const streamLifecycleOutput = createStreamLifecycleOutput(opts.cwd)
     return log$.lifecycle
-      .map((log: LifecycleLog) => most.of({ msg: formatLifecycleHideOverflowForAppendOnly(opts.cwd, log) }))
+      .map((log: LifecycleLog) => most.of({
+        msg: streamLifecycleOutput(log),
+      }))
   }
   const lifecycleMessages: {
     [depPath: string]: {
@@ -161,7 +173,7 @@ function updateMessageCache (
   }
 ) {
   if (log['script']) {
-    const prefix = formatLifecycleScriptPrefix(opts.cwd, log.wd, log.stage)
+    const prefix = `${formatPrefix(opts.cwd, log.wd)} ${hlValue(log.stage)}`
     const maxLineWidth = opts.maxWidth - prefix.length - 2 + ANSI_ESCAPES_LENGTH_OF_PREFIX
     messageCache.script = `${prefix}$ ${cutLine(log['script'], maxLineWidth)}`
   } else if (opts.exit) {
@@ -187,11 +199,18 @@ function highlightLastFolder (p: string) {
 
 const ANSI_ESCAPES_LENGTH_OF_PREFIX = hlValue(' ').length - 1
 
-function formatLifecycleHideOverflowForAppendOnly (
+function createStreamLifecycleOutput (cwd: string) {
+  currentColor = 0
+  const colorByPrefix: ColorByPkg = new Map()
+  return streamLifecycleOutput.bind(null, colorByPrefix, cwd)
+}
+
+function streamLifecycleOutput (
+  colorByPkg: ColorByPkg,
   cwd: string,
   logObj: LifecycleLog
 ) {
-  const prefix = formatLifecycleScriptPrefix(cwd, logObj.wd, logObj.stage)
+  const prefix = formatLifecycleScriptPrefix(colorByPkg, cwd, logObj.wd, logObj.stage)
   if (typeof logObj['exitCode'] === 'number') {
     if (logObj['exitCode'] === 0) {
       return `${prefix}: Done`
@@ -210,8 +229,20 @@ function formatIndentedOutput (maxWidth: number, logObj: LifecycleLog) {
   return `${chalk.magentaBright('│')} ${formatLine(maxWidth - 2, logObj)}`
 }
 
-function formatLifecycleScriptPrefix (cwd: string, wd: string, stage: string) {
-  return `${formatPrefix(cwd, wd)} ${hlValue(stage)}`
+function formatLifecycleScriptPrefix (
+  colorByPkg: ColorByPkg,
+  cwd: string,
+  wd: string,
+  stage: string
+) {
+  if (!colorByPkg.has(wd)) {
+    const colorName = colorWheel[currentColor % NUM_COLORS]
+    colorByPkg.set(wd, chalk[colorName])
+    currentColor += 1
+  }
+
+  const color = colorByPkg.get(wd)!
+  return `${color(formatPrefix(cwd, wd))} ${hlValue(stage)}`
 }
 
 function formatLine (maxWidth: number, logObj: LifecycleLog) {
diff --git a/packages/default-reporter/test/reportingLifecycleScripts.ts b/packages/default-reporter/test/reportingLifecycleScripts.ts
index 2a46093ce6..6f03a75952 100644
--- a/packages/default-reporter/test/reportingLifecycleScripts.ts
+++ b/packages/default-reporter/test/reportingLifecycleScripts.ts
@@ -240,17 +240,17 @@ test('groups lifecycle output when append-only is used', t => {
   output$.take(11).map(normalizeNewline).subscribe({
     complete: () => {
       t.equal(allOutputs.join(EOL), stripIndents`
-        packages/foo ${PREINSTALL}$ node foo
-        packages/foo ${PREINSTALL}: foo 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
-        packages/foo ${PREINSTALL}: Failed
-        packages/foo ${POSTINSTALL}$ node foo
-        packages/foo ${POSTINSTALL}: foo I
-        packages/bar ${POSTINSTALL}$ node bar
-        packages/bar ${POSTINSTALL}: bar I
-        packages/foo ${POSTINSTALL}: foo II
-        packages/foo ${POSTINSTALL}: foo III
-        packages/qar ${INSTALL}$ node qar
-        packages/qar ${INSTALL}: Done
+        ${chalk.cyan('packages/foo')} ${PREINSTALL}$ node foo
+        ${chalk.cyan('packages/foo')} ${PREINSTALL}: foo 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
+        ${chalk.cyan('packages/foo')} ${PREINSTALL}: Failed
+        ${chalk.cyan('packages/foo')} ${POSTINSTALL}$ node foo
+        ${chalk.cyan('packages/foo')} ${POSTINSTALL}: foo I
+        ${chalk.magenta('packages/bar')} ${POSTINSTALL}$ node bar
+        ${chalk.magenta('packages/bar')} ${POSTINSTALL}: bar I
+        ${chalk.cyan('packages/foo')} ${POSTINSTALL}: foo II
+        ${chalk.cyan('packages/foo')} ${POSTINSTALL}: foo III
+        ${chalk.blue('packages/qar')} ${INSTALL}$ node qar
+        ${chalk.blue('packages/qar')} ${INSTALL}: Done
       `)
       t.end()
     },
@@ -361,18 +361,18 @@ test('groups lifecycle output when streamLifecycleOutput is used', t => {
     error: t.end,
     next: (output: string) => {
       t.equal(output, stripIndents`
-        packages/foo ${PREINSTALL}$ node foo
-        packages/foo ${PREINSTALL}: foo 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
-        packages/foo ${PREINSTALL}: Failed
-        packages/foo ${POSTINSTALL}$ node foo
-        packages/foo ${POSTINSTALL}: foo I
-        packages/bar ${POSTINSTALL}$ node bar
-        packages/bar ${POSTINSTALL}: bar I
-        packages/foo ${POSTINSTALL}: foo II
-        packages/foo ${POSTINSTALL}: foo III
-        packages/qar ${INSTALL}$ node qar
-        packages/qar ${INSTALL}: Done
-        packages/foo ${POSTINSTALL}: Done
+        ${chalk.cyan('packages/foo')} ${PREINSTALL}$ node foo
+        ${chalk.cyan('packages/foo')} ${PREINSTALL}: foo 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
+        ${chalk.cyan('packages/foo')} ${PREINSTALL}: Failed
+        ${chalk.cyan('packages/foo')} ${POSTINSTALL}$ node foo
+        ${chalk.cyan('packages/foo')} ${POSTINSTALL}: foo I
+        ${chalk.magenta('packages/bar')} ${POSTINSTALL}$ node bar
+        ${chalk.magenta('packages/bar')} ${POSTINSTALL}: bar I
+        ${chalk.cyan('packages/foo')} ${POSTINSTALL}: foo II
+        ${chalk.cyan('packages/foo')} ${POSTINSTALL}: foo III
+        ${chalk.blue('packages/qar')} ${INSTALL}$ node qar
+        ${chalk.blue('packages/qar')} ${INSTALL}: Done
+        ${chalk.cyan('packages/foo')} ${POSTINSTALL}: Done
       `)
     },
   })