diff --git a/index.js b/index.js
index 11aee40..9061ec4 100644
--- a/index.js
+++ b/index.js
@@ -243,6 +243,10 @@ class Installer {
           ? pkg
           : this.updateFromField(dep, pkg).then(() => pkg)
         )
+        .then(pkg => (pkg.scripts && pkg.scripts.install)
+          ? pkg
+          : this.updateInstallScript(dep, pkg).then(() => pkg)
+        )
         .tap(pkg => { pkgJsons.set(dep, pkg) })
     }, {concurrency: 100, Promise: BB})
       .then(() => pkgJsons)
@@ -311,6 +315,21 @@ class Installer {
       .then(pkg)
   }
 
+  updateInstallScript (dep, pkg) {
+    const depPath = dep.path(this.prefix)
+    return statAsync(path.join(depPath, 'binding.gyp'))
+      .catch(err => { if (err.code !== 'ENOENT') { throw err } })
+      .then(stat => {
+        if (stat) {
+          if (!pkg.scripts) {
+            pkg.scripts = {}
+          }
+          pkg.scripts.install = 'node-gyp rebuild'
+        }
+      })
+      .then(pkg)
+  }
+
   // A cute little mark-and-sweep collector!
   garbageCollect (tree) {
     if (!this.failedDeps.size) { return }
diff --git a/test/specs/index.js b/test/specs/index.js
index 7677ee7..5c01473 100644
--- a/test/specs/index.js
+++ b/test/specs/index.js
@@ -20,6 +20,9 @@ const pkgVersion = '1.0.0'
 const writeEnvScript = process.platform === 'win32'
   ? 'echo %npm_lifecycle_event% > %npm_lifecycle_event%'
   : 'echo $npm_lifecycle_event > $npm_lifecycle_event'
+const binarySuffix = process.platform === 'win32'
+  ? '.exe'
+  : ''
 
 const prefix = require('../lib/test-dir')(__filename)
 
@@ -654,6 +657,78 @@ test('skips lifecycle scripts with ignoreScripts is set', t => {
   })
 })
 
+test('adds install script when binding.gyp is present', t => {
+  const originalConsoleLog = console.log
+  console.log = () => {}
+
+  const fixture = new Tacks(Dir({
+    'package.json': File({
+      name: pkgName,
+      version: pkgVersion,
+      dependencies: {
+        a: '^1',
+        b: '^1'
+      }
+    }),
+    'package-lock.json': File({
+      dependencies: {
+        a: { version: '1.0.0' },
+        b: { version: '1.0.0' }
+      },
+      lockfileVersion: 1
+    })
+  }))
+  fixture.create(prefix)
+
+  extract = (name, child, childPath, opts) => {
+    const pkg = (child.name === 'a')
+      ? {
+        name: 'a',
+        version: '1.0.0'
+      }
+      : {
+        name: 'b',
+        version: '1.0.0',
+        scripts: {
+          install: 'exit 0'
+        }
+      }
+    const files = new Tacks(Dir({
+      'package.json': File(pkg),
+      'binding.gyp': File({
+        'targets': [
+          {
+            'target_name': 'hello',
+            'type': 'executable',
+            'sources': [
+              'hello.cc'
+            ]
+          }
+        ]
+      }),
+      'hello.cc': File(
+        '#include <iostream>\n' +
+        'int main() {\n' +
+        'std::cout << "hello";\n' +
+        'return 0;\n' +
+        '}\n'
+      )
+    }))
+    files.create(childPath)
+  }
+
+  return run().then(details => {
+    t.equal(details.pkgCount, 2)
+    t.ok(fs.statSync(path.join(prefix, 'node_modules', 'a', 'build', 'Release', 'hello' + binarySuffix)), 'dep a binary is built')
+    t.throws(() => {
+      fs.statSync(path.join(prefix, 'node_modules', 'b', 'build', 'Release', 'hello' + binarySuffix))
+    }, 'dep b binary is not built')
+
+    fixtureHelper.teardown()
+    console.log = originalConsoleLog
+  })
+})
+
 test('handles JSON docs that contain a BOM', t => {
   t.plan(2)
   const Installer = requireInject('../../index.js', {/* just don't want to cache */})