diff --git a/lib/fetcher.js b/lib/fetcher.js
index 01058acb..5142bb28 100644
--- a/lib/fetcher.js
+++ b/lib/fetcher.js
@@ -91,18 +91,11 @@ class FetcherBase {
 
     // command to run 'prepare' scripts on directories and git dirs
     // To use pacote with yarn, for example, set npmBin to 'yarn'
-    // and npmInstallCmd to ['add'], and npmCliConfig with yarn's equivalents.
+    // and npmCliConfig with yarn's equivalents.
     this.npmBin = opts.npmBin || 'npm'
 
     // command to install deps for preparing
-    this.npmInstallCmd = opts.npmInstallCmd || [
-      'install',
-      '--only=dev',
-      '--prod',
-      '--ignore-prepublish',
-      '--no-progress',
-      '--no-save',
-    ]
+    this.npmInstallCmd = opts.npmInstallCmd || [ 'install' ]
 
     // XXX fill more of this in based on what we know from this.opts
     // we explicitly DO NOT fill in --tag, though, since we are often
@@ -113,7 +106,10 @@ class FetcherBase {
       `--prefer-offline=${!!this.preferOffline}`,
       `--prefer-online=${!!this.preferOnline}`,
       `--offline=${!!this.offline}`,
-      `--before=${this.before ? this.before.toISOString() : ''}`,
+      ...(this.before ? [`--before=${this.before.toISOString()}`] : []),
+      '--no-progress',
+      '--no-save',
+      '--no-audit',
     ]
   }
 
diff --git a/tap-snapshots/test-fetcher.js-TAP.test.js b/tap-snapshots/test-fetcher.js-TAP.test.js
index d84a85f2..0449898b 100644
--- a/tap-snapshots/test-fetcher.js-TAP.test.js
+++ b/tap-snapshots/test-fetcher.js-TAP.test.js
@@ -12,3 +12,55 @@ Object {
   "resolved": "{CWD}/test/fixtures/bin-object.tgz",
 }
 `
+
+exports[`test/fetcher.js TAP snapshot the npmInstallCmd and npmInstallConfig > customized npmInstallCmd 1`] = `
+Array [
+  "install",
+  "blerg",
+]
+`
+
+exports[`test/fetcher.js TAP snapshot the npmInstallCmd and npmInstallConfig > default install cmd 1`] = `
+Array [
+  "install",
+]
+`
+
+exports[`test/fetcher.js TAP snapshot the npmInstallCmd and npmInstallConfig > default install cmd with before 1`] = `
+Array [
+  "install",
+]
+`
+
+exports[`test/fetcher.js TAP snapshot the npmInstallCmd and npmInstallConfig > default install config 1`] = `
+Array [
+  "--cache={CACHE}",
+  "--prefer-offline=false",
+  "--prefer-online=false",
+  "--offline=false",
+  "--no-progress",
+  "--no-save",
+  "--no-audit",
+]
+`
+
+exports[`test/fetcher.js TAP snapshot the npmInstallCmd and npmInstallConfig > default install config with before 1`] = `
+Array [
+  "--cache={CACHE}",
+  "--prefer-offline=false",
+  "--prefer-online=false",
+  "--offline=false",
+  "--before=1979-07-01T19:10:00.000Z",
+  "--no-progress",
+  "--no-save",
+  "--no-audit",
+]
+`
+
+exports[`test/fetcher.js TAP snapshot the npmInstallCmd and npmInstallConfig > yarn style cli config stuff 1`] = `
+Array [
+  "--some",
+  "--yarn",
+  "--stuff",
+]
+`
diff --git a/tap-snapshots/test-fetcher.js-fake-sudo-TAP.test.js b/tap-snapshots/test-fetcher.js-fake-sudo-TAP.test.js
index 958cae76..9392f178 100644
--- a/tap-snapshots/test-fetcher.js-fake-sudo-TAP.test.js
+++ b/tap-snapshots/test-fetcher.js-fake-sudo-TAP.test.js
@@ -12,3 +12,55 @@ Object {
   "resolved": "{CWD}/test/fixtures/bin-object.tgz",
 }
 `
+
+exports[`test/fetcher.js fake-sudo TAP snapshot the npmInstallCmd and npmInstallConfig > customized npmInstallCmd 1`] = `
+Array [
+  "install",
+  "blerg",
+]
+`
+
+exports[`test/fetcher.js fake-sudo TAP snapshot the npmInstallCmd and npmInstallConfig > default install cmd 1`] = `
+Array [
+  "install",
+]
+`
+
+exports[`test/fetcher.js fake-sudo TAP snapshot the npmInstallCmd and npmInstallConfig > default install cmd with before 1`] = `
+Array [
+  "install",
+]
+`
+
+exports[`test/fetcher.js fake-sudo TAP snapshot the npmInstallCmd and npmInstallConfig > default install config 1`] = `
+Array [
+  "--cache={CACHE}",
+  "--prefer-offline=false",
+  "--prefer-online=false",
+  "--offline=false",
+  "--no-progress",
+  "--no-save",
+  "--no-audit",
+]
+`
+
+exports[`test/fetcher.js fake-sudo TAP snapshot the npmInstallCmd and npmInstallConfig > default install config with before 1`] = `
+Array [
+  "--cache={CACHE}",
+  "--prefer-offline=false",
+  "--prefer-online=false",
+  "--offline=false",
+  "--before=1979-07-01T19:10:00.000Z",
+  "--no-progress",
+  "--no-save",
+  "--no-audit",
+]
+`
+
+exports[`test/fetcher.js fake-sudo TAP snapshot the npmInstallCmd and npmInstallConfig > yarn style cli config stuff 1`] = `
+Array [
+  "--some",
+  "--yarn",
+  "--stuff",
+]
+`
diff --git a/test/fetcher.js b/test/fetcher.js
index 564e3807..7cd32bf7 100644
--- a/test/fetcher.js
+++ b/test/fetcher.js
@@ -60,6 +60,29 @@ t.test('do not mutate opts object passed in', t => {
   t.end()
 })
 
+t.test('snapshot the npmInstallCmd and npmInstallConfig', async t => {
+  t.formatSnapshot = o => !Array.isArray(o) ? ou
+    : o.map(s => s.replace(/^--cache=.*/, '--cache={CACHE}'))
+  const def = new FileFetcher(abbrevspec, {})
+  t.equal(def.npmBin, 'npm', 'use default npm bin')
+  t.matchSnapshot(def.npmInstallCmd, 'default install cmd')
+  t.matchSnapshot(def.npmCliConfig, 'default install config')
+  const bef = new FileFetcher(abbrevspec, {
+    before: new Date('1979-07-01T19:10:00.000Z'),
+  })
+  t.equal(bef.npmBin, 'npm', 'use default npm bin')
+  t.matchSnapshot(bef.npmInstallCmd, 'default install cmd with before')
+  t.matchSnapshot(bef.npmCliConfig, 'default install config with before')
+  const yarn = new FileFetcher(abbrevspec, {
+    npmBin: 'yarn',
+    npmInstallCmd: ['install', 'blerg'],
+    npmCliConfig: ['--some', '--yarn', '--stuff'],
+  })
+  t.equal(yarn.npmBin, 'yarn', 'use default yarn bin')
+  t.matchSnapshot(yarn.npmInstallCmd, 'customized npmInstallCmd')
+  t.matchSnapshot(yarn.npmCliConfig, 'yarn style cli config stuff')
+})
+
 t.test('tarball data', t =>
   new FileFetcher(abbrevspec, { cache }).tarball()
   .then(data => {