diff --git a/lib/run-script.js b/lib/run-script.js
index 4d27e8eed965e..568a5712f6ac7 100644
--- a/lib/run-script.js
+++ b/lib/run-script.js
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 const run = require('@npmcli/run-script')
+const { isServerPackage } = run
 const npm = require('./npm.js')
 const readJson = require('read-package-json-fast')
 const { resolve } = require('path')
@@ -45,7 +46,7 @@ const runScript = async (args) => {
 
   pkg.scripts = scripts
 
-  if (!scripts[event]) {
+  if (!scripts[event] && !(event === 'start' && await isServerPackage(path))) {
     if (npm.config.get('if-present'))
       return
 
diff --git a/test/lib/run-script.js b/test/lib/run-script.js
index 7a034aff01561..7ddb6ff6f63a5 100644
--- a/test/lib/run-script.js
+++ b/test/lib/run-script.js
@@ -25,9 +25,11 @@ const output = []
 
 const npmlog = { level: 'warn' }
 const getRS = windows => requireInject('../../lib/run-script.js', {
-  '@npmcli/run-script': async opts => {
+  '@npmcli/run-script': Object.assign(async opts => {
     RUN_SCRIPTS.push(opts)
-  },
+  }, {
+    isServerPackage: require('@npmcli/run-script').isServerPackage,
+  }),
   npmlog,
   '../../lib/npm.js': npm,
   '../../lib/utils/is-windows-shell.js': windows,
@@ -90,10 +92,29 @@ t.test('fail if no package.json', async t => {
   await runScript(['test'], er => t.match(er, { code: 'ENOENT' }))
 })
 
-t.test('default env and restart scripts', async t => {
+t.test('default env, start, and restart scripts', async t => {
   npm.localPrefix = t.testdir({
-    'package.json': JSON.stringify({ name: 'x', version: '1.2.3' })
+    'package.json': JSON.stringify({ name: 'x', version: '1.2.3' }),
+    'server.js': 'console.log("hello, world")',
+  })
+
+  await runScript(['start'], er => {
+    if (er) {
+      throw er
+    }
+    t.match(RUN_SCRIPTS, [
+      {
+        path: npm.localPrefix,
+        args: [],
+        scriptShell: undefined,
+        stdio: 'inherit',
+        stdioString: true,
+        pkg: { name: 'x', version: '1.2.3', _id: 'x@1.2.3', scripts: {}},
+        event: 'start'
+      }
+    ])
   })
+  RUN_SCRIPTS.length = 0
 
   await runScript(['env'], er => {
     if (er) {