diff --git a/configure.py b/configure.py
index 15ea5687cf1cd8..ab7c00b7e49a00 100755
--- a/configure.py
+++ b/configure.py
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@
 # imports in tools/
 sys.path.insert(0, 'tools')
 import getmoduleversion
+import getnapibuildversion
 from gyp_node import run_gyp
 
 # imports in deps/v8/tools/node
@@ -1097,6 +1098,10 @@ def configure_node(o):
   else:
     o['variables']['node_target_type'] = 'executable'
 
+def configure_napi(output):
+  version = getnapibuildversion.get_napi_version()
+  output['variables']['napi_build_version'] = version
+
 def configure_library(lib, output):
   shared_lib = 'shared_' + lib
   output['variables']['node_' + shared_lib] = b(getattr(options, shared_lib))
@@ -1576,6 +1581,7 @@ def make_bin_override():
 flavor = GetFlavor(flavor_params)
 
 configure_node(output)
+configure_napi(output)
 configure_library('zlib', output)
 configure_library('http_parser', output)
 configure_library('libuv', output)
diff --git a/doc/api/process.md b/doc/api/process.md
index c868f01fa1d3e8..3a7971be22b5a3 100644
--- a/doc/api/process.md
+++ b/doc/api/process.md
@@ -666,6 +666,7 @@ An example of the possible output looks like:
   variables:
    {
      host_arch: 'x64',
+     napi_build_version: 4,
      node_install_npm: 'true',
      node_prefix: '',
      node_shared_cares: 'false',
diff --git a/src/js_native_api.h b/src/js_native_api.h
index 0646a2d94cfd28..4f9345a4abf134 100644
--- a/src/js_native_api.h
+++ b/src/js_native_api.h
@@ -12,7 +12,12 @@
 #ifdef NAPI_EXPERIMENTAL
 #define NAPI_VERSION NAPI_VERSION_EXPERIMENTAL
 #else
-// The baseline version for N-API
+// The baseline version for N-API.
+// The NAPI_VERSION controls which version will be used by default when
+// compilling a native addon. If the addon developer specifically wants to use
+// functions available in a new version of N-API that is not yet ported in all
+// LTS versions, they can set NAPI_VERSION knowing that they have specifically
+// depended on that version.
 #define NAPI_VERSION 4
 #endif
 #endif
diff --git a/src/node_version.h b/src/node_version.h
index 448fe507d053db..91ba66bab34a13 100644
--- a/src/node_version.h
+++ b/src/node_version.h
@@ -91,7 +91,8 @@
  */
 #define NODE_MODULE_VERSION 72
 
-// the NAPI_VERSION provided by this version of the runtime
+// The NAPI_VERSION provided by this version of the runtime. This is the version
+// which the Node binary being built supports.
 #define NAPI_VERSION  4
 
 #endif  // SRC_NODE_VERSION_H_
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-process-versions.js b/test/parallel/test-process-versions.js
index 18dffe0cadbe36..83568a30d8074a 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-process-versions.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-process-versions.js
@@ -45,3 +45,6 @@ for (let i = 0; i < expected_keys.length; i++) {
   const descriptor = Object.getOwnPropertyDescriptor(process.versions, key);
   assert.strictEqual(descriptor.writable, false);
 }
+
+assert.strictEqual(process.config.variables.napi_build_version,
+                   process.versions.napi);
diff --git a/tools/getnapibuildversion.py b/tools/getnapibuildversion.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..de1de676d3763e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/getnapibuildversion.py
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+from __future__ import print_function
+import os
+import re
+
+
+def get_napi_version():
+  napi_version_h = os.path.join(
+    os.path.dirname(__file__),
+    '..',
+    'src',
+    'node_version.h')
+
+  f = open(napi_version_h)
+
+  regex = '^#define NAPI_VERSION'
+
+  for line in f:
+    if re.match(regex, line):
+      napi_version = line.split()[2]
+      return napi_version
+
+  raise Exception('Could not find pattern matching %s' % regex)
+
+
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+  print(get_napi_version())