diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index 36a9c3bc..7eec3439 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -5765,6 +5765,75 @@
         }
       }
     },
+    "execa-wrap": {
+      "version": "1.4.0",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/execa-wrap/-/execa-wrap-1.4.0.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-iIbG2DlxcO9frSpGJVNlsgSxK3JRkqUilE68UlCKDwPyNuOl2/bvI8urMRhsudEwPnngM9/I5bKKEA56tZ+2iA==",
+      "dev": true,
+      "requires": {
+        "common-tags": "1.7.2",
+        "debug": "3.1.0",
+        "execa": "0.10.0",
+        "indent-string": "3.2.0",
+        "ramda": "0.25.0",
+        "strip-ansi": "4.0.0",
+        "strip-indent": "2.0.0"
+      },
+      "dependencies": {
+        "common-tags": {
+          "version": "1.7.2",
+          "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/common-tags/-/common-tags-1.7.2.tgz",
+          "integrity": "sha512-joj9ZlUOjCrwdbmiLqafeUSgkUM74NqhLsZtSqDmhKudaIY197zTrb8JMl31fMnCUuxwFT23eC/oWvrZzDLRJQ==",
+          "dev": true,
+          "requires": {
+            "babel-runtime": "^6.26.0"
+          }
+        },
+        "cross-spawn": {
+          "version": "6.0.5",
+          "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/cross-spawn/-/cross-spawn-6.0.5.tgz",
+          "integrity": "sha512-eTVLrBSt7fjbDygz805pMnstIs2VTBNkRm0qxZd+M7A5XDdxVRWO5MxGBXZhjY4cqLYLdtrGqRf8mBPmzwSpWQ==",
+          "dev": true,
+          "requires": {
+            "nice-try": "^1.0.4",
+            "path-key": "^2.0.1",
+            "semver": "^5.5.0",
+            "shebang-command": "^1.2.0",
+            "which": "^1.2.9"
+          }
+        },
+        "debug": {
+          "version": "3.1.0",
+          "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/debug/-/debug-3.1.0.tgz",
+          "integrity": "sha512-OX8XqP7/1a9cqkxYw2yXss15f26NKWBpDXQd0/uK/KPqdQhxbPa994hnzjcE2VqQpDslf55723cKPUOGSmMY3g==",
+          "dev": true,
+          "requires": {
+            "ms": "2.0.0"
+          }
+        },
+        "execa": {
+          "version": "0.10.0",
+          "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/execa/-/execa-0.10.0.tgz",
+          "integrity": "sha512-7XOMnz8Ynx1gGo/3hyV9loYNPWM94jG3+3T3Y8tsfSstFmETmENCMU/A/zj8Lyaj1lkgEepKepvd6240tBRvlw==",
+          "dev": true,
+          "requires": {
+            "cross-spawn": "^6.0.0",
+            "get-stream": "^3.0.0",
+            "is-stream": "^1.1.0",
+            "npm-run-path": "^2.0.0",
+            "p-finally": "^1.0.0",
+            "signal-exit": "^3.0.0",
+            "strip-eof": "^1.0.0"
+          }
+        },
+        "semver": {
+          "version": "5.7.0",
+          "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/semver/-/semver-5.7.0.tgz",
+          "integrity": "sha512-Ya52jSX2u7QKghxeoFGpLwCtGlt7j0oY9DYb5apt9nPlJ42ID+ulTXESnt/qAQcoSERyZ5sl3LDIOw0nAn/5DA==",
+          "dev": true
+        }
+      }
+    },
     "exit-hook": {
       "version": "1.1.1",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/exit-hook/-/exit-hook-1.1.1.tgz",
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 4b404b06..2170bbe3 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@
     "pretty": "prettier-standard 'src/**/*.js'",
     "size": "t=\"$(npm pack .)\"; wc -c \"${t}\"; tar tvf \"${t}\"; rm \"${t}\";",
     "test": "npm run unit",
-    "unit": "mocha src/*-spec.js",
+    "unit": "mocha --timeout 30000 'src/*-spec.js' 'test/*spec.js'",
     "unused-deps": "dependency-check --unused --no-dev .",
     "semantic-release": "semantic-release",
     "start": "node test/server.js",
@@ -97,6 +97,7 @@
     "dependency-check": "3.4.1",
     "deps-ok": "1.4.1",
     "dont-crack": "1.2.1",
+    "execa-wrap": "1.4.0",
     "git-issues": "1.3.1",
     "got": "9.6.0",
     "license-checker": "24.1.0",
diff --git a/test/spec.js b/test/spec.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e1e49cda
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/spec.js
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+/* eslint-env mocha */
+const la = require('lazy-ass')
+const execaWrap = require('execa-wrap')
+const path = require('path')
+
+describe('test-node-env', () => {
+  // for https://github.com/bahmutov/start-server-and-test/issues/184
+  it('passes NODE_ENV to the server process', () => {
+    const cwd = path.join(__dirname, 'test-node-env')
+    return execaWrap('npm', ['run', 'demo'], {
+      env: {
+        NODE_ENV: 'test'
+      },
+      cwd,
+      filter: ['stdout']
+    }).then(result => {
+      la(
+        result.includes('server has NODE_ENV=test'),
+        'result does not pass the right NODE_ENV to the server process',
+        result
+      )
+    })
+  })
+})
diff --git a/test/test-node-env/package.json b/test/test-node-env/package.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..746f0feb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/test-node-env/package.json
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+{
+  "name": "test-node-env",
+  "scripts": {
+    "start": "node ../server",
+    "test": "echo server has NODE_ENV=$NODE_ENV",
+    "demo": "node ../../src/bin/start.js 9000"
+  }
+}