diff --git a/lib/command.js b/lib/command.js
index 35771d6f0..5b891c9b3 100644
--- a/lib/command.js
+++ b/lib/command.js
@@ -167,6 +167,12 @@ class Command {
             checkValidInstall(commandName);
         }
 
+        if (!this.allowRoot) {
+            const checkRootUser = require('./utils/check-root-user');
+            // Check if user is trying to install as `root`
+            checkRootUser();
+        }
+
         // Set process title
         process.title = `ghost ${commandName}`;
         const verbose = argv.verbose;
diff --git a/lib/commands/version.js b/lib/commands/version.js
index 4e0161a93..01038dc30 100644
--- a/lib/commands/version.js
+++ b/lib/commands/version.js
@@ -20,5 +20,6 @@ class VersionCommand extends Command {
 
 VersionCommand.description = 'Prints out Ghost-CLI version (and Ghost version if one exists)';
 VersionCommand.global = true;
+VersionCommand.allowRoot = true;
 
 module.exports = VersionCommand;
diff --git a/lib/utils/check-root-user.js b/lib/utils/check-root-user.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..fa5414ba2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/utils/check-root-user.js
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+'use strict';
+
+const chalk = require('chalk');
+
+function checkRootUser() {
+    if (process.getuid() === 0) {
+        console.error(`${chalk.yellow('Can\'t run command as \'root\' user.')}
+Please create a new user with regular account privileges and use this user to run the command.
+See ${chalk.underline.blue('https://docs.ghost.org/docs/install#section-create-a-new-user')} for more information`);
+
+        process.exit(1);
+    }
+}
+
+module.exports = checkRootUser;
diff --git a/test/unit/command-spec.js b/test/unit/command-spec.js
index d4808310d..b25d79640 100644
--- a/test/unit/command-spec.js
+++ b/test/unit/command-spec.js
@@ -192,6 +192,25 @@ describe('Unit: Command', function () {
             }
         });
 
+        it('will not run command when executed as root user', function () {
+            const checkRootUserStub = sandbox.stub();
+            const Command = proxyquire(modulePath, {
+                './utils/check-root-user': checkRootUserStub
+            });
+
+            const TestCommand = class extends Command {};
+            TestCommand.global = true;
+
+            checkRootUserStub.throws();
+
+            try {
+                TestCommand._run('test');
+            } catch (e) {
+                expect(e).to.exist;
+                expect(checkRootUserStub.calledOnce).to.be.true;
+            }
+        });
+
         it('loads system and ui dependencies, calls run method', function () {
             const uiStub = sandbox.stub().returns({ui: true});
             const setEnvironmentStub = sandbox.stub();
diff --git a/test/unit/utils/check-root-user-spec.js b/test/unit/utils/check-root-user-spec.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6c5824e58
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/unit/utils/check-root-user-spec.js
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+'use strict';
+
+const expect = require('chai').expect;
+const sinon = require('sinon');
+const checkRootUser = require('../../../lib/utils/check-root-user');
+
+describe('checkRootUser', function () {
+    const sandbox = sinon.sandbox.create();
+
+    afterEach(() => {
+        sandbox.restore();
+    })
+
+    it('throws error command run with root', function () {
+        const processStub = sandbox.stub(process, 'getuid').returns(0);
+        const exitStub = sandbox.stub(process, 'exit').throws();
+        const errorStub = sandbox.stub(console, 'error');
+
+        try {
+            checkRootUser('test');
+            throw new Error('should not be thrown');
+        } catch (e) {
+            expect(e.message).to.not.equal('should not be thrown');
+            expect(processStub.calledOnce).to.be.true;
+            expect(errorStub.calledOnce).to.be.true;
+            expect(exitStub.calledOnce).to.be.true;
+            expect(errorStub.args[0][0]).to.match(/Can't run command as 'root' user/);
+        }
+    });
+
+    it('doesn\'t do anything if command run as non root user', function () {
+        const processStub = sandbox.stub(process, 'getuid').returns(501);
+        const exitStub = sandbox.stub(process, 'exit').throws();
+        const errorStub = sandbox.stub(console, 'error');
+
+        checkRootUser('test');
+        expect(processStub.calledOnce).to.be.true;
+        expect(errorStub.calledOnce).to.be.false;
+        expect(exitStub.calledOnce).to.be.false;
+    });
+});