diff --git a/workspaces/arborist/lib/override-resolves.js b/workspaces/arborist/lib/override-resolves.js
index 794b2c335dc62..f991e6d962389 100644
--- a/workspaces/arborist/lib/override-resolves.js
+++ b/workspaces/arborist/lib/override-resolves.js
@@ -1,10 +1,51 @@
-function overrideResolves (resolved, opts = {}) {
-  const { omitLockfileRegistryResolved = false } = opts
+const npa = require('npm-package-arg')
 
-  if (omitLockfileRegistryResolved) {
+function overrideResolves (node, resolved, opts = {}) {
+  const {
+    omitLockfileRegistryResolved = false,
+    recordDefaultRegistry = false,
+  } = opts
+
+  const isRegistryDependency = node.isRegistryDependency
+
+  // omit the resolved url of registry dependencies. this makes installs slower
+  // because npm must resolve the url for each package version but it allows
+  // users to use a lockfile across registries that host tarballs at different
+  // paths.
+  if (isRegistryDependency && omitLockfileRegistryResolved) {
     return undefined
   }
 
+  // replace the configured registry with the default registry. the default
+  // registry is a magic value meaning the current registry, so recording
+  // resolved with the default registry allows users to switch to a
+  // different registry without removing their lockfile. The path portion
+  // of the resolved url is preserved so this trick only works when the
+  // different registries host tarballs at the same relative paths.
+  if (isRegistryDependency && recordDefaultRegistry) {
+    const scope = npa(node.packageName).scope
+    const registry = scope && opts[`${scope}:registry`]
+      ? opts[`${scope}:registry`]
+      : opts.registry
+
+    // normalize registry url - strip trailing slash.
+    // TODO improve normalization for both the configured registry and resolved
+    // url. consider port, protocol, more path normalization.
+    const normalized = registry.endsWith('/')
+      ? registry.slice(0, -1)
+      : registry
+
+    // only replace the host if the resolved url is for the configured
+    // registry. registries may host tarballs on another server. return
+    // undefined so npm will re-resolve the url from the current registry when
+    // it reads the lockfile.
+    if (resolved.startsWith(normalized)) {
+      return 'https://registry.npmjs.org' + resolved.slice(normalized.length)
+    } else {
+      return undefined
+    }
+  }
+
   return resolved
 }
 
diff --git a/workspaces/arborist/lib/shrinkwrap.js b/workspaces/arborist/lib/shrinkwrap.js
index b1ea2cacb360e..f8dd056d62bee 100644
--- a/workspaces/arborist/lib/shrinkwrap.js
+++ b/workspaces/arborist/lib/shrinkwrap.js
@@ -300,13 +300,8 @@ class Shrinkwrap {
     })
 
     const resolved = consistentResolve(node.resolved, node.path, path, true)
-    // hide resolved from registry dependencies.
-    if (!resolved) {
-      // no-op
-    } else if (node.isRegistryDependency) {
-      meta.resolved = overrideResolves(resolved, options)
-    } else {
-      meta.resolved = resolved
+    if (resolved) {
+      meta.resolved = overrideResolves(node, resolved, options)
     }
 
     if (node.extraneous) {
@@ -1027,7 +1022,7 @@ class Shrinkwrap {
         spec.type !== 'git' &&
         spec.type !== 'file' &&
         spec.type !== 'remote') {
-      lock.resolved = overrideResolves(node.resolved, this.resolveOptions)
+      lock.resolved = overrideResolves(node, node.resolved, this.resolveOptions)
     }
 
     if (node.integrity) {
diff --git a/workspaces/arborist/test/shrinkwrap.js b/workspaces/arborist/test/shrinkwrap.js
index 5d23904fcaee2..daa661ee38e08 100644
--- a/workspaces/arborist/test/shrinkwrap.js
+++ b/workspaces/arborist/test/shrinkwrap.js
@@ -247,7 +247,7 @@ t.only('resolveOptions', async t => {
         dependencies: {
           registry: '^1.0.0',
           'some-other-registry': '^1.0.0',
-          '@scoped/some-other-registry': '^1.0.0',
+          '@scope/some-package': '^1.0.0',
           tar: url,
         },
       },
@@ -271,7 +271,7 @@ t.only('resolveOptions', async t => {
     })
 
     const scopedOtherRegistry = new Node({
-      pkg: { name: '@scope/some-other-registry', version: '1.2.3' },
+      pkg: { name: '@scope/some-package', version: '1.2.3' },
       resolved: someOtherRegistry,
       integrity: 'sha512-registry',
       parent: root,
@@ -312,6 +312,33 @@ t.only('resolveOptions', async t => {
     t.strictSame(data.dependencies.tar.resolved, undefined)
   })
 
+  await t.test('recordDefaultRegistry: true', async t => {
+    const { data } = await getData({
+      recordDefaultRegistry: true,
+      registry: 'https://private.registry.org/deadbeef',
+      '@scope:registry': 'https://someother.registry.org',
+    })
+
+    // unscoped packages that resolve to their configured registry should be
+    // record the default registry
+    t.strictSame(data.packages['node_modules/registry'].resolved,
+      'https://registry.npmjs.org/registry/-/registry-1.2.3.tgz')
+    t.strictSame(data.dependencies.registry.resolved,
+      'https://registry.npmjs.org/registry/-/registry-1.2.3.tgz')
+
+    // scoped packages that resolve to their configured registry should be
+    // record the default registry
+    t.strictSame(data.packages['node_modules/@scope/some-package'].resolved,
+      'https://registry.npmjs.org/registry/-/registry-1.2.3.tgz')
+    t.strictSame(data.dependencies['@scope/some-package'].resolved,
+      'https://registry.npmjs.org/registry/-/registry-1.2.3.tgz')
+
+    // packages with resolved urls that don't match the configured registry
+    // should record undefined so npm resolves their url again.
+    t.strictSame(data.packages['node_modules/some-other-registry'].resolved, undefined)
+    t.strictSame(data.dependencies['some-other-registry'].resolved, undefined)
+  })
+
   t.test('metaFromNode default', async t => {
     // test to cover options default.
     const { registry } = await getData(undefined)