diff --git a/lib/help.js b/lib/help.js
index 5f9563e1cfe06..171c52704df6c 100644
--- a/lib/help.js
+++ b/lib/help.js
@@ -133,7 +133,12 @@ function viewMan (man, cb) {
       break
 
     case 'browser':
-      openUrl(htmlMan(man), 'help available at the following URL', cb)
+      try {
+        var url = htmlMan(man)
+      } catch (err) {
+        return cb(err)
+      }
+      openUrl(url, 'help available at the following URL', cb)
       break
 
     default:
diff --git a/test/lib/help.js b/test/lib/help.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..17018acc61620
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/lib/help.js
@@ -0,0 +1,362 @@
+const { test } = require('tap')
+const requireInject = require('require-inject')
+const { EventEmitter } = require('events')
+
+let npmUsageArg = null
+const npmUsage = (arg) => {
+  npmUsageArg = arg
+}
+
+const npmConfig = {
+  usage: false,
+  viewer: undefined,
+  loglevel: undefined,
+}
+
+let helpSearchArgs = null
+const npm = {
+  config: {
+    get: (key) => npmConfig[key],
+    set: (key, value) => {
+      npmConfig[key] = value
+    },
+    parsedArgv: {
+      cooked: [],
+    },
+  },
+  commands: {
+    'help-search': (args, cb) => {
+      helpSearchArgs = args
+      return cb()
+    },
+    help: {
+      usage: 'npm help <term>',
+    },
+  },
+  deref: (cmd) => {},
+}
+
+const OUTPUT = []
+const output = (msg) => {
+  OUTPUT.push(msg)
+}
+
+const globDefaults = [
+  '/root/man/man1/npm-whoami.1',
+  '/root/man/man5/npmrc.5',
+  '/root/man/man7/disputes.7',
+]
+
+let globErr = null
+let globResult = globDefaults
+const glob = (p, cb) => {
+  return cb(globErr, globResult)
+}
+
+let spawnBin = null
+let spawnArgs = null
+const spawn = (bin, args) => {
+  spawnBin = bin
+  spawnArgs = args
+  const spawnEmitter = new EventEmitter()
+  process.nextTick(() => {
+    spawnEmitter.emit('close', 0)
+  })
+  return spawnEmitter
+}
+
+let openUrlArg = null
+const openUrl = (url, msg, cb) => {
+  openUrlArg = url
+  return cb()
+}
+
+const help = requireInject('../../lib/help.js', {
+  '../../lib/npm.js': npm,
+  '../../lib/utils/npm-usage.js': npmUsage,
+  '../../lib/utils/open-url.js': openUrl,
+  '../../lib/utils/output.js': output,
+  '../../lib/utils/spawn.js': spawn,
+  glob,
+})
+
+test('npm help', t => {
+  t.teardown(() => {
+    npmUsageArg = null
+  })
+
+  return help([], (err) => {
+    if (err)
+      throw err
+
+    t.equal(npmUsageArg, false, 'called npmUsage')
+    t.end()
+  })
+})
+
+test('npm help completion', async t => {
+  t.teardown(() => {
+    globErr = null
+  })
+  const completion = (opts) => new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+    help.completion(opts, (err, res) => {
+      if (err)
+        return reject(err)
+      return resolve(res)
+    })
+  })
+
+  const noArgs = await completion({ conf: { argv: { remain: [] } } })
+  t.strictSame(noArgs, ['help', 'whoami', 'npmrc', 'disputes'], 'outputs available help pages')
+  const threeArgs = await completion({ conf: { argv: { remain: ['one', 'two', 'three'] } } })
+  t.strictSame(threeArgs, [], 'outputs no results when more than 2 args are provided')
+  globErr = new Error('glob failed')
+  t.rejects(completion({ conf: { argv: { remain: [] } } }), /glob failed/, 'glob errors propagate')
+})
+
+test('npm help -h', t => {
+  npmConfig.usage = true
+  t.teardown(() => {
+    npmConfig.usage = false
+    OUTPUT.length = 0
+  })
+
+  return help(['help'], (err) => {
+    if (err)
+      throw err
+
+    t.strictSame(OUTPUT, ['npm help <term>'], 'outputs usage information for command')
+    t.end()
+  })
+})
+
+test('npm help multiple args calls search', t => {
+  t.teardown(() => {
+    helpSearchArgs = null
+  })
+
+  return help(['run', 'script'], (err) => {
+    if (err)
+      throw err
+
+    t.strictSame(helpSearchArgs, ['run', 'script'], 'passed the args to help-search')
+    t.end()
+  })
+})
+
+test('npm help no matches calls search', t => {
+  globResult = []
+  t.teardown(() => {
+    helpSearchArgs = null
+    globResult = globDefaults
+  })
+
+  return help(['asdfasdf'], (err) => {
+    if (err)
+      throw err
+
+    t.strictSame(helpSearchArgs, ['asdfasdf'], 'passed the args to help-search')
+    t.end()
+  })
+})
+
+test('npm help glob errors propagate', t => {
+  globErr = new Error('glob failed')
+  t.teardown(() => {
+    globErr = null
+    spawnBin = null
+    spawnArgs = null
+  })
+
+  return help(['whoami'], (err) => {
+    t.match(err, /glob failed/, 'glob error propagates')
+    t.end()
+  })
+})
+
+test('npm help whoami', t => {
+  globResult = ['/root/man/man1/npm-whoami.1.xz']
+  t.teardown(() => {
+    globResult = globDefaults
+    spawnBin = null
+    spawnArgs = null
+  })
+
+  return help(['whoami'], (err) => {
+    if (err)
+      throw err
+
+    t.equal(spawnBin, 'man', 'calls man by default')
+    t.strictSame(spawnArgs, ['1', 'npm-whoami'], 'passes the correct arguments')
+    t.end()
+  })
+})
+
+test('npm help 1 install', t => {
+  npmConfig.viewer = 'browser'
+  globResult = [
+    '/root/man/man5/install.5',
+    '/root/man/man1/npm-install.1',
+  ]
+
+  t.teardown(() => {
+    npmConfig.viewer = undefined
+    globResult = globDefaults
+    spawnBin = null
+    spawnArgs = null
+  })
+
+  return help(['1', 'install'], (err) => {
+    if (err)
+      throw err
+
+    t.match(openUrlArg, /commands(\/|\\)npm-install.html$/, 'attempts to open the correct url')
+    t.end()
+  })
+})
+
+test('npm help 5 install', t => {
+  npmConfig.viewer = 'browser'
+  globResult = [
+    '/root/man/man5/install.5',
+    '/root/man/man1/npm-install.1',
+  ]
+
+  t.teardown(() => {
+    npmConfig.viewer = undefined
+    globResult = globDefaults
+    spawnBin = null
+    spawnArgs = null
+  })
+
+  return help(['5', 'install'], (err) => {
+    if (err)
+      throw err
+
+    t.match(openUrlArg, /configuring-npm(\/|\\)install.html$/, 'attempts to open the correct url')
+    t.end()
+  })
+})
+
+test('npm help 7 config', t => {
+  npmConfig.viewer = 'browser'
+  globResult = [
+    '/root/man/man1/npm-config.1',
+    '/root/man/man7/config.7',
+  ]
+  t.teardown(() => {
+    npmConfig.viewer = undefined
+    globResult = globDefaults
+    spawnBin = null
+    spawnArgs = null
+  })
+
+  return help(['7', 'config'], (err) => {
+    if (err)
+      throw err
+
+    t.match(openUrlArg, /using-npm(\/|\\)config.html$/, 'attempts to open the correct url')
+    t.end()
+  })
+})
+
+test('npm help with browser viewer and invalid section throws', t => {
+  npmConfig.viewer = 'browser'
+  globResult = [
+    '/root/man/man1/npm-config.1',
+    '/root/man/man7/config.7',
+    '/root/man/man9/config.9',
+  ]
+  t.teardown(() => {
+    npmConfig.viewer = undefined
+    globResult = globDefaults
+    spawnBin = null
+    spawnArgs = null
+  })
+
+  return help(['9', 'config'], (err) => {
+    t.match(err, /invalid man section: 9/, 'throws appropriate error')
+    t.end()
+  })
+})
+
+test('npm help global redirects to folders', t => {
+  globResult = ['/root/man/man5/folders.5']
+  t.teardown(() => {
+    globResult = globDefaults
+    spawnBin = null
+    spawnArgs = null
+  })
+
+  return help(['global'], (err) => {
+    if (err)
+      throw err
+
+    t.equal(spawnBin, 'man', 'calls man by default')
+    t.strictSame(spawnArgs, ['5', 'folders'], 'passes the correct arguments')
+    t.end()
+  })
+})
+
+test('npm help package.json redirects to package-json', t => {
+  globResult = ['/root/man/man5/package-json.5']
+  t.teardown(() => {
+    globResult = globDefaults
+    spawnBin = null
+    spawnArgs = null
+  })
+
+  return help(['package.json'], (err) => {
+    if (err)
+      throw err
+
+    t.equal(spawnBin, 'man', 'calls man by default')
+    t.strictSame(spawnArgs, ['5', 'package-json'], 'passes the correct arguments')
+    t.end()
+  })
+})
+
+test('npm help ?(un)star', t => {
+  npmConfig.viewer = 'woman'
+  globResult = [
+    '/root/man/man1/npm-star.1',
+    '/root/man/man1/npm-unstar.1',
+  ]
+  t.teardown(() => {
+    npmConfig.viewer = undefined
+    globResult = globDefaults
+    spawnBin = null
+    spawnArgs = null
+  })
+
+  return help(['?(un)star'], (err) => {
+    if (err)
+      throw err
+
+    t.equal(spawnBin, 'emacsclient', 'maps woman to emacs correctly')
+    t.strictSame(spawnArgs, ['-e', `(woman-find-file '/root/man/man1/npm-unstar.1')`], 'passes the correct arguments')
+    t.end()
+  })
+})
+
+test('npm help un*', t => {
+  globResult = [
+    '/root/man/man1/npm-unstar.1',
+    '/root/man/man1/npm-uninstall.1',
+    '/root/man/man1/npm-unpublish.1',
+  ]
+  t.teardown(() => {
+    globResult = globDefaults
+    spawnBin = null
+    spawnArgs = null
+  })
+
+  return help(['un*'], (err) => {
+    if (err)
+      throw err
+
+    t.equal(spawnBin, 'man', 'calls man by default')
+    t.strictSame(spawnArgs, ['1', 'npm-unstar'], 'passes the correct arguments')
+    t.end()
+  })
+})