diff --git a/extensions/npm/README.md b/extensions/npm/README.md
index f4b85999742a23b85f035d1b16b7d20aaa5fb157..a24a7d69d6e00ffa80ddaf5841bb6a5225f2c5cf 100644
--- a/extensions/npm/README.md
+++ b/extensions/npm/README.md
@@ -19,7 +19,8 @@ The Npm Script Explorer shows the npm scripts found in your workspace. The explo
 
 ### Run Scripts from the Editor
 
-The extension provides code lense actions to run or debug a script from the editor.
+The extension supports to run the selected script as a task when editing the `package.json`file. You can either run a script from
+the hover shown on a script or using the command `Run Selected Npm Script`.
 
 ### Others
 
diff --git a/extensions/npm/package.json b/extensions/npm/package.json
index d5647618a81e4e5cad2be67cb761a14fa23894b1..2052b7a8228fd3c14e94fd5a111e851810ff20ab 100644
--- a/extensions/npm/package.json
+++ b/extensions/npm/package.json
@@ -82,6 +82,10 @@
           "light": "resources/light/refresh.svg",
           "dark": "resources/dark/refresh.svg"
         }
+      },
+      {
+        "command": "npm.runSelectedScript",
+        "title": "%command.runSelectedScript%"
       }
     ],
     "menus": {
diff --git a/extensions/npm/package.nls.json b/extensions/npm/package.nls.json
index 3a59c27cad1daac60a23764fc4859d67b84a8e1d..b3800cd96e40fa46559f991a044dcfc17f1ac990 100644
--- a/extensions/npm/package.nls.json
+++ b/extensions/npm/package.nls.json
@@ -16,5 +16,6 @@
 	"command.run": "Run",
 	"command.debug": "Debug",
 	"command.openScript": "Open",
-	"command.runInstall": "Run Install"
+	"command.runInstall": "Run Install",
+	"command.runSelectedScript": "Run Selected Npm Script"
 }
diff --git a/extensions/npm/src/commands.ts b/extensions/npm/src/commands.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..509d536db92c2f271dabd26b0e2c61bcdcb9c1fa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/extensions/npm/src/commands.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+/*---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ *  Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
+ *  Licensed under the MIT License. See License.txt in the project root for license information.
+ *--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
+'use strict';
+
+import * as vscode from 'vscode';
+import {
+	runScript, findScriptAtPosition
+} from './tasks';
+import * as nls from 'vscode-nls';
+
+const localize = nls.loadMessageBundle();
+
+export function runSelectedScript() {
+	let editor = vscode.window.activeTextEditor;
+	if (!editor) {
+		return;
+	}
+	let document = editor.document;
+	let contents = document.getText();
+	let selection = editor.selection;
+	let offset = document.offsetAt(selection.anchor);
+
+	let script = findScriptAtPosition(contents, offset);
+	if (script) {
+		runScript(script, document);
+	} else {
+		let message = localize('noScriptFound', 'Could not find an npm script at the selection.');
+		vscode.window.showErrorMessage(message);
+	}
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/extensions/npm/src/main.ts b/extensions/npm/src/main.ts
index 116852100dc992519ddca70958b754e7dac251f9..02e22490fd765e056a1cc1278aaa50055590dce6 100644
--- a/extensions/npm/src/main.ts
+++ b/extensions/npm/src/main.ts
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import { addJSONProviders } from './features/jsonContributions';
 import { NpmScriptsTreeDataProvider } from './npmView';
 import { invalidateTasksCache, NpmTaskProvider } from './tasks';
 import { invalidateHoverScriptsCache, NpmScriptHoverProvider } from './scriptHover';
+import { runSelectedScript } from './commands';
 
 export async function activate(context: vscode.ExtensionContext): Promise<void> {
 	const taskProvider = registerTaskProvider(context);
@@ -37,7 +38,7 @@ export async function activate(context: vscode.ExtensionContext): Promise<void>
 		invalidateHoverScriptsCache(e.document);
 	});
 	context.subscriptions.push(d);
-
+	context.subscriptions.push(vscode.commands.registerCommand('npm.runSelectedScript', runSelectedScript));
 	context.subscriptions.push(addJSONProviders(httpRequest.xhr));
 }
 
diff --git a/extensions/npm/src/tasks.ts b/extensions/npm/src/tasks.ts
index 3060cce1ed6fee099eaf6824e2902c56ef30b0d2..189fd98baec195387ebfc8f9bb3b84bbae5039cd 100644
--- a/extensions/npm/src/tasks.ts
+++ b/extensions/npm/src/tasks.ts
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 
 import {
 	TaskDefinition, Task, TaskGroup, WorkspaceFolder, RelativePattern, ShellExecution, Uri, workspace,
-	DebugConfiguration, debug, TaskProvider, ExtensionContext
+	DebugConfiguration, debug, TaskProvider, ExtensionContext, TextDocument, tasks
 } from 'vscode';
 import * as path from 'path';
 import * as fs from 'fs';
@@ -288,6 +288,15 @@ async function readFile(file: string): Promise<string> {
 	});
 }
 
+export function runScript(script: string, document: TextDocument) {
+	let uri = document.uri;
+	let folder = workspace.getWorkspaceFolder(uri);
+	if (folder) {
+		let task = createTask(script, `run ${script}`, folder, uri);
+		tasks.executeTask(task);
+	}
+}
+
 export function extractDebugArgFromScript(scriptValue: string): [string, number] | undefined {
 	// matches --debug, --debug=1234, --debug-brk, debug-brk=1234, --inspect,
 	// --inspect=1234, --inspect-brk, --inspect-brk=1234,
@@ -405,6 +414,42 @@ export function findAllScriptRanges(buffer: string): Map<string, [number, number
 	return scripts;
 }
 
+export function findScriptAtPosition(buffer: string, offset: number): string | undefined {
+	let script: string | undefined = undefined;
+	let inScripts = false;
+	let scriptStart: number | undefined;
+	let visitor: JSONVisitor = {
+		onError(_error: ParseErrorCode, _offset: number, _length: number) {
+		},
+		onObjectEnd() {
+			if (inScripts) {
+				inScripts = false;
+				scriptStart = undefined;
+			}
+		},
+		onLiteralValue(value: any, nodeOffset: number, nodeLength: number) {
+			if (inScripts && scriptStart) {
+				if (offset >= scriptStart && offset < nodeOffset + nodeLength) {
+					// found the script
+					inScripts = false;
+				} else {
+					script = undefined;
+				}
+			}
+		},
+		onObjectProperty(property: string, nodeOffset: number, nodeLength: number) {
+			if (property === 'scripts') {
+				inScripts = true;
+			}
+			else if (inScripts) {
+				scriptStart = nodeOffset;
+				script = property;
+			}
+		}
+	};
+	visit(buffer, visitor);
+	return script;
+}
 
 export async function getScripts(packageJsonUri: Uri): Promise<StringMap | undefined> {