diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 0736d89bada..a6d2674b3ca 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -2,6 +2,14 @@
 
 ## Unreleased
 
+* Attempt to fix an install script issue on Ubuntu Linux ([#1711](https://github.com/evanw/esbuild/issues/1711))
+
+    There have been some reports of esbuild failing to install on Ubuntu Linux for a while now. I haven't been able to reproduce this myself due to lack of reproduction instructions until today, when I learned that the issue only happens when you install node from the [Snap Store](https://snapcraft.io/) instead of downloading the [official version of node](https://nodejs.org/dist/).
+
+    The problem appears to be that when node is installed from the Snap Store, install scripts are run with stderr not being writable? This then appears to cause a problem for esbuild's install script when it uses `execFileSync` to validate that the esbuild binary is working correctly. This throws the error `EACCES: permission denied, write` even though this particular command never writes to stderr.
+
+    Node's documentation says that stderr for `execFileSync` defaults to that of the parent process. Forcing it to `'pipe'` instead appears to fix the issue, although I still don't fully understand what's happening or why. I'm publishing this small change regardless to see if it fixes this install script edge case.
+
 * Avoid a syntax error due to `--mangle-props=.` and `super()` ([#1976](https://github.com/evanw/esbuild/issues/1976))
 
     This release fixes an issue where passing `--mangle-props=.` (i.e. telling esbuild to mangle every single property) caused a syntax error with code like this:
diff --git a/lib/npm/node-install.ts b/lib/npm/node-install.ts
index 5fa8eca9356..b5067cd327a 100644
--- a/lib/npm/node-install.ts
+++ b/lib/npm/node-install.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env node
 import { downloadedBinPath, ESBUILD_BINARY_PATH, pkgAndSubpathForCurrentPlatform } from './node-platform';
 
 import fs = require('fs');
@@ -14,7 +13,20 @@ let isToPathJS = true;
 
 function validateBinaryVersion(...command: string[]): void {
   command.push('--version');
-  const stdout = child_process.execFileSync(command.shift()!, command).toString().trim();
+  const stdout = child_process.execFileSync(command.shift()!, command, {
+    // Without this, this install script strangely crashes with the error
+    // "EACCES: permission denied, write" but only on Ubuntu Linux when node is
+    // installed from the Snap Store. This is not a problem when you download
+    // the official version of node. The problem appears to be that stderr
+    // (i.e. file descriptor 2) isn't writable?
+    //
+    // More info:
+    // - https://snapcraft.io/ (what the Snap Store is)
+    // - https://nodejs.org/dist/ (download the official version of node)
+    // - https://github.com/evanw/esbuild/issues/1711#issuecomment-1027554035
+    //
+    stdio: 'pipe',
+  }).toString().trim();
   if (stdout !== ESBUILD_VERSION) {
     throw new Error(`Expected ${JSON.stringify(ESBUILD_VERSION)} but got ${JSON.stringify(stdout)}`);
   }