diff --git a/tools/cdk-build-tools/bin/cdk-build.ts b/tools/cdk-build-tools/bin/cdk-build.ts
index d64a701c9e0a8..b2188680a475c 100644
--- a/tools/cdk-build-tools/bin/cdk-build.ts
+++ b/tools/cdk-build-tools/bin/cdk-build.ts
@@ -4,11 +4,28 @@ import { shell } from '../lib/os';
 import { cdkBuildOptions } from '../lib/package-info';
 import { Timers } from '../lib/timer';
 
+interface Arguments extends yargs.Arguments {
+    force?: boolean;
+    jsii?: string;
+    tsc?: string;
+}
+
 async function main() {
-    const args = yargs
+    const args: Arguments = yargs
+        .env('CDK_BUILD')
         .usage('Usage: cdk-build')
         .option('force', { type: 'boolean', alias: 'f', desc: 'Force a rebuild' })
-        .argv;
+        .option('jsii', {
+            type: 'string',
+            desc: 'Specify a different jsii executable',
+            defaultDescription: 'jsii provided by node dependencies'
+        })
+        .option('tsc', {
+            type: 'string',
+            desc: 'Specify a different tsc executable',
+            defaultDescription: 'tsc provided by node dependencies'
+        })
+        .argv as any;
 
     const options = cdkBuildOptions();
 
@@ -21,7 +38,7 @@ async function main() {
         await shell(['cfn2ts', `--scope=${options.cloudformation}`], timers);
     }
 
-    await compileCurrentPackage(timers, args.force);
+    await compileCurrentPackage(timers, { jsii: args.jsii, tsc: args.tsc }, args.force);
 }
 
 const timers = new Timers();
diff --git a/tools/cdk-build-tools/bin/cdk-package.ts b/tools/cdk-build-tools/bin/cdk-package.ts
index 30162705cbae3..41bc4741abeed 100644
--- a/tools/cdk-build-tools/bin/cdk-package.ts
+++ b/tools/cdk-build-tools/bin/cdk-package.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import fs = require('fs-extra');
-import { ChangeDetector } from "merkle-build";
+import { ChangeDetector } from 'merkle-build';
 import path = require('path');
 import yargs = require('yargs');
 import ignoreList = require('../lib/ignore-list');
@@ -9,11 +9,23 @@ import { Timers } from '../lib/timer';
 const timers = new Timers();
 const buildTimer = timers.start('Total time');
 
+interface Arguments extends yargs.Arguments {
+    verbose: boolean;
+    jsiiPacmak: string;
+}
+
 async function main() {
-    const args = yargs
+    const args: Arguments = yargs
+        .env('CDK_PACKAGE')
         .usage('Usage: cdk-package')
         .option('verbose', { type: 'boolean', default: false, alias: 'v', desc: 'verbose output' })
-        .argv;
+        .option('jsii-pacmak', {
+            type: 'string',
+            desc: 'Specify a different jsii-pacmak executable',
+            default: require.resolve('jsii-pacmak/bin/jsii-pacmak'),
+            defaultDescription: 'jsii-pacmak provided by node dependencies'
+        })
+        .argv as any;
 
     const detector = new ChangeDetector('.', {
         ignore: ignoreList,
@@ -36,8 +48,7 @@ async function main() {
     }
 
     if (pkg.jsii) {
-        const pacmak = require.resolve('jsii-pacmak/bin/jsii-pacmak');
-        await shell([ pacmak, args.verbose ? '-vvv' : '-v', '-o', outdir ], timers);
+        await shell([ args.jsiiPacmak, args.verbose ? '-vvv' : '-v', '-o', outdir ], timers);
     } else {
         // just "npm pack" and deploy to "outdir"
         const tarball = (await shell([ 'npm', 'pack' ], timers)).trim();
diff --git a/tools/cdk-build-tools/bin/cdk-test.ts b/tools/cdk-build-tools/bin/cdk-test.ts
index b15f0cb30d41d..0fc156870a0c7 100644
--- a/tools/cdk-build-tools/bin/cdk-test.ts
+++ b/tools/cdk-build-tools/bin/cdk-test.ts
@@ -1,15 +1,38 @@
 import fs = require('fs');
 import util = require('util');
+import yargs = require('yargs');
 import { compileCurrentPackage } from '../lib/compile';
 import { shell } from '../lib/os';
 import { configFilePath, hasIntegTests, hasOnlyAutogeneratedTests, unitTestFiles } from '../lib/package-info';
 import { Timers } from '../lib/timer';
 
+interface Arguments extends yargs.Arguments {
+    force?: boolean;
+    jsii?: string;
+    tsc?: string;
+}
+
 async function main() {
+    const args: Arguments = yargs
+        .env('CDK_TEST')
+        .usage('Usage: cdk-test')
+        .option('force', { type: 'boolean', alias: 'f', desc: 'Force a rebuild' })
+        .option('jsii', {
+            type: 'string',
+            desc: 'Specify a different jsii executable',
+            defaultDescription: 'jsii provided by node dependencies'
+        })
+        .option('tsc', {
+            type: 'string',
+            desc: 'Specify a different tsc executable',
+            defaultDescription: 'tsc provided by node dependencies'
+        })
+        .argv as any;
+
     // Always recompile before running tests, so it's impossible to forget.
     // During a normal build, this means we'll compile twice, but the
     // hash calculation makes that cheaper on CPU (if not on disk).
-    await compileCurrentPackage(timers);
+    await compileCurrentPackage(timers, { jsii: args.jsii, tsc: args.tsc });
 
     const testFiles = await unitTestFiles();
     if (testFiles.length > 0) {
diff --git a/tools/cdk-build-tools/bin/cdk-watch.ts b/tools/cdk-build-tools/bin/cdk-watch.ts
index 0c2d7bdf00073..d631f8e0fc162 100644
--- a/tools/cdk-build-tools/bin/cdk-watch.ts
+++ b/tools/cdk-build-tools/bin/cdk-watch.ts
@@ -1,11 +1,32 @@
+import yargs = require('yargs');
 import { shell } from '../lib/os';
 import { packageCompiler } from '../lib/package-info';
 
+interface Arguments extends yargs.Arguments {
+    jsii?: string;
+    tsc?: string;
+}
+
 async function main() {
-    await shell([packageCompiler(), '-w']);
+    const args: Arguments = yargs
+        .env('CDK_WATCH')
+        .usage('Usage: cdk-watch')
+        .option('jsii', {
+            type: 'string',
+            desc: 'Specify a different jsii executable',
+            defaultDescription: 'jsii provided by node dependencies'
+        })
+        .option('tsc', {
+            type: 'string',
+            desc: 'Specify a different tsc executable',
+            defaultDescription: 'tsc provided by node dependencies'
+        })
+        .argv as any;
+
+    await shell([packageCompiler({ jsii: args.jsii, tsc: args.tsc }), '-w']);
 }
 
 main().catch(e => {
     process.stderr.write(`${e.toString()}\n`);
     process.exit(1);
-});
\ No newline at end of file
+});
diff --git a/tools/cdk-build-tools/lib/compile.ts b/tools/cdk-build-tools/lib/compile.ts
index d22ac827d55f9..161a3505b077d 100644
--- a/tools/cdk-build-tools/lib/compile.ts
+++ b/tools/cdk-build-tools/lib/compile.ts
@@ -1,13 +1,13 @@
 import { ChangeDetector } from "merkle-build";
 import ignoreList = require('./ignore-list');
 import { makeExecutable, shell } from "./os";
-import { currentPackageJson, packageCompiler } from "./package-info";
+import { CompilerOverrides, currentPackageJson, packageCompiler } from "./package-info";
 import { Timers } from "./timer";
 
 /**
  * Run the compiler on the current package
  */
-export async function compileCurrentPackage(timers: Timers, force?: boolean): Promise<void> {
+export async function compileCurrentPackage(timers: Timers, compilers: CompilerOverrides = {}, force?: boolean): Promise<void> {
     // We don't need to do the rest if the folder hash didn't change
     // NOTE: This happens post-cfn2ts on purpose, since a change in cfn2ts or the spec might lead
     // to different generated sources, in which case we DO need to recompile.
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ export async function compileCurrentPackage(timers: Timers, force?: boolean): Pr
         return;
     }
 
-    await shell([packageCompiler()], timers);
+    await shell([packageCompiler(compilers)], timers);
 
     // Find files in bin/ that look like they should be executable, and make them so.
     const scripts = currentPackageJson().bin || {};
diff --git a/tools/cdk-build-tools/lib/package-info.ts b/tools/cdk-build-tools/lib/package-info.ts
index 94fa450db1a10..92bdc7dd0cff8 100644
--- a/tools/cdk-build-tools/lib/package-info.ts
+++ b/tools/cdk-build-tools/lib/package-info.ts
@@ -88,12 +88,17 @@ export async function hasIntegTests(): Promise<boolean> {
     return files.length > 0;
 }
 
+export interface CompilerOverrides {
+    jsii?: string;
+    tsc?: string;
+}
+
 /**
  * Return the compiler for this package (either tsc or jsii)
  */
-export function packageCompiler() {
-    return isJsii() ? require.resolve(`jsii/bin/jsii`)
-                    : require.resolve(`typescript/bin/tsc`);
+export function packageCompiler(compilers: CompilerOverrides) {
+    return isJsii() ? compilers.jsii || require.resolve('jsii/bin/jsii')
+                    : compilers.tsc || require.resolve('typescript/bin/tsc');
 }
 
 export interface CDKBuildOptions {