diff --git a/doc/articles/scripts.md b/doc/articles/scripts.md
index 3efaccc32..359020cd5 100644
--- a/doc/articles/scripts.md
+++ b/doc/articles/scripts.md
@@ -6,19 +6,24 @@
 
 ## What is a script?
 
-A script is a callback (defined as a static method) that will be called
-when the event it listens on is triggered.
+A script, in Composer's terms, can either be a PHP callback (defined as a
+static method) or any command-line executable command. Scripts are useful
+for executing a package's custom code or package-specific commands during
+the Composer execution process.
 
-**Scripts are only executed on the root package, not on the dependencies
-that are installed.**
+**NOTE: Only scripts defined in the root package's `composer.json` are
+executed. If a dependency of the root package specifies its own scripts,
+Composer does not execute those additional scripts.**
 
 
-## Event types
+## Event names
 
-- **pre-install-cmd**: occurs before the install command is executed.
-- **post-install-cmd**: occurs after the install command is executed.
-- **pre-update-cmd**: occurs before the update command is executed.
-- **post-update-cmd**: occurs after the update command is executed.
+Composer fires the following named events during its execution process:
+
+- **pre-install-cmd**: occurs before the `install` command is executed.
+- **post-install-cmd**: occurs after the `install` command is executed.
+- **pre-update-cmd**: occurs before the `update` command is executed.
+- **post-update-cmd**: occurs after the `update` command is executed.
 - **pre-package-install**: occurs before a package is installed.
 - **post-package-install**: occurs after a package is installed.
 - **pre-package-update**: occurs before a package is updated.
@@ -29,12 +34,18 @@ that are installed.**
 
 ## Defining scripts
 
-Scripts are defined by adding the `scripts` key to a project's `composer.json`.
+The root JSON object in `composer.json` should have a member called `"scripts"`,
+which contains pairs of named events and each event's corresponding
+scripts. An event's scripts can be defined as either as a string (only for
+a single script) or an array (for single or multiple scripts.)
 
-They are specified as an array of classes and static method names.
+For any given event:
 
-The classes used as scripts must be autoloadable via Composer's autoload
-functionality.
+- Scripts execute in the order defined when their corresponding event is fired.
+- An array of scripts wired to a single event can contain both PHP callbacks
+and command-line executables commands.
+- PHP classes containing defined callbacks must be autoloadable via Composer's
+autoload functionality.
 
 Script definition example:
 
@@ -44,14 +55,15 @@ Script definition example:
             "post-package-install": [
                 "MyVendor\\MyClass::postPackageInstall"
             ]
+            "post-install-cmd": [
+                "MyVendor\\MyClass::warmCache",
+                "phpunit -c app/"
+            ]
         }
     }
 
-The event handler receives a `Composer\Script\Event` object as an argument,
-which gives you access to the `Composer\Composer` instance through the
-`getComposer` method.
-
-Using the previous example, here's an event listener example :
+Using the previous definition example, here's the class `MyVendor\MyClass`
+that might be used to execute the PHP callbacks:
 
     <?php
 
@@ -72,4 +84,18 @@ Using the previous example, here's an event listener example :
             $installedPackage = $event->getOperation()->getPackage();
             // do stuff
         }
+
+        public static function warmCache(Event $event)
+        {
+            // make cache toasty
+        }
     }
+
+When an event is fired, Composer's internal event handler receives a
+`Composer\Script\Event` object, which is passed as the first argument to your
+PHP callback. This `Event` object has getters for other contextual objects:
+
+- `getComposer()`: returns the current instance of `Composer\Composer`
+- `getName()`: returns the name of the event being fired as a string
+- `getIO()`: returns the current input/output stream which implements
+`Composer\IO\IOInterface` for writing to the console
diff --git a/src/Composer/Script/EventDispatcher.php b/src/Composer/Script/EventDispatcher.php
index b4537ed62..31589bf7b 100644
--- a/src/Composer/Script/EventDispatcher.php
+++ b/src/Composer/Script/EventDispatcher.php
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ use Composer\Autoload\AutoloadGenerator;
 use Composer\IO\IOInterface;
 use Composer\Composer;
 use Composer\DependencyResolver\Operation\OperationInterface;
+use Composer\Util\ProcessExecutor;
 
 /**
  * The Event Dispatcher.
@@ -34,6 +35,7 @@ class EventDispatcher
     protected $composer;
     protected $io;
     protected $loader;
+    protected $process;
 
     /**
      * Constructor.
@@ -41,10 +43,11 @@ class EventDispatcher
      * @param Composer    $composer The composer instance
      * @param IOInterface $io       The IOInterface instance
      */
-    public function __construct(Composer $composer, IOInterface $io)
+    public function __construct(Composer $composer, IOInterface $io, ProcessExecutor $process = null)
     {
         $this->composer = $composer;
         $this->io = $io;
+        $this->process = $process ?: new ProcessExecutor();
     }
 
     /**
@@ -78,28 +81,51 @@ class EventDispatcher
         $listeners = $this->getListeners($event);
 
         foreach ($listeners as $callable) {
-            $className = substr($callable, 0, strpos($callable, '::'));
-            $methodName = substr($callable, strpos($callable, '::') + 2);
+            if ($this->isPhpScript($callable)) {
+                $className = substr($callable, 0, strpos($callable, '::'));
+                $methodName = substr($callable, strpos($callable, '::') + 2);
 
-            if (!class_exists($className)) {
-                $this->io->write('<warning>Class '.$className.' is not autoloadable, can not call '.$event->getName().' script</warning>');
-                continue;
-            }
-            if (!is_callable($callable)) {
-                $this->io->write('<warning>Method '.$callable.' is not callable, can not call '.$event->getName().' script</warning>');
-                continue;
-            }
+                if (!class_exists($className)) {
+                    $this->io->write('<warning>Class '.$className.' is not autoloadable, can not call '.$event->getName().' script</warning>');
+                    continue;
+                }
+                if (!is_callable($callable)) {
+                    $this->io->write('<warning>Method '.$callable.' is not callable, can not call '.$event->getName().' script</warning>');
+                    continue;
+                }
 
-            try {
-                $className::$methodName($event);
-            } catch (\Exception $e) {
-                $message = "Script %s handling the %s event terminated with an exception";
-                $this->io->write('<error>'.sprintf($message, $callable, $event->getName()).'</error>');
-                throw $e;
+                try {
+                    $this->executeEventPhpScript($className, $methodName, $event);
+                } catch (\Exception $e) {
+                    $message = "Script %s handling the %s event terminated with an exception";
+                    $this->io->write('<error>'.sprintf($message, $callable, $event->getName()).'</error>');
+                    throw $e;
+                }
+            } else {
+                $callback = function ($type, $buffer) use ($event, $callable) {
+                    $io = $event->getIO();
+                    if ('err' === $type) {
+                        $message = 'Script %s handling the %s event returned an error: %s';
+                        $io->write(sprintf('<error>'.$message.'</error>', $callable, $event->getName(), $buffer));
+                    } else {
+                        $io->write($buffer, false);
+                    }
+                };
+                $this->process->execute($callable, $callback);
             }
         }
     }
 
+    /**
+     * @param string $className
+     * @param string $methodName
+     * @param Event $event          Event invoking the PHP callable
+     */
+    protected function executeEventPhpScript($className, $methodName, Event $event)
+    {
+        $className::$methodName($event);
+    }
+
     /**
      * @param  Event $event Event object
      * @return array Listeners
@@ -126,4 +152,15 @@ class EventDispatcher
 
         return $scripts[$event->getName()];
     }
+
+    /**
+     * Checks if string given references a class path and method
+     *
+     * @param string $callable
+     * @return boolean
+     */
+    protected function isPhpScript($callable)
+    {
+        return false === strpos($callable, ' ') && false !== strpos($callable, '::');
+    }
 }
diff --git a/tests/Composer/Test/Script/EventDispatcherTest.php b/tests/Composer/Test/Script/EventDispatcherTest.php
index e23dccf8a..15a7ff172 100644
--- a/tests/Composer/Test/Script/EventDispatcherTest.php
+++ b/tests/Composer/Test/Script/EventDispatcherTest.php
@@ -35,6 +35,69 @@ class EventDispatcherTest extends TestCase
         $dispatcher->dispatchCommandEvent("post-install-cmd");
     }
 
+    /**
+     * @dataProvider getValidCommands
+     * @param string $command
+     */
+    public function testDispatcherCanExecuteSingleCommandLineScript($command)
+    {
+        $process = $this->getMock('Composer\Util\ProcessExecutor');
+        $dispatcher = $this->getMockBuilder('Composer\Script\EventDispatcher')
+            ->setConstructorArgs(array(
+                $this->getMock('Composer\Composer'),
+                $this->getMock('Composer\IO\IOInterface'),
+                $process,
+            ))
+            ->setMethods(array('getListeners'))
+            ->getMock();
+
+        $listener = array($command);
+        $dispatcher->expects($this->atLeastOnce())
+            ->method('getListeners')
+            ->will($this->returnValue($listener));
+
+        $process->expects($this->once())
+            ->method('execute')
+            ->with($command);
+
+        $dispatcher->dispatchCommandEvent("post-install-cmd");
+    }
+
+    public function testDispatcherCanExecuteCliAndPhpInSameEventScriptStack()
+    {
+        $process = $this->getMock('Composer\Util\ProcessExecutor');
+        $dispatcher = $this->getMockBuilder('Composer\Script\EventDispatcher')
+            ->setConstructorArgs(array(
+                $this->getMock('Composer\Composer'),
+                $this->getMock('Composer\IO\IOInterface'),
+                $process,
+            ))
+            ->setMethods(array(
+                'getListeners',
+                'executeEventPhpScript',
+            ))
+            ->getMock();
+
+        $process->expects($this->exactly(2))
+            ->method('execute');
+
+        $listeners = array(
+            'echo -n foo',
+            'Composer\\Test\\Script\\EventDispatcherTest::someMethod',
+            'echo -n bar',
+        );
+        $dispatcher->expects($this->atLeastOnce())
+            ->method('getListeners')
+            ->will($this->returnValue($listeners));
+
+        $dispatcher->expects($this->once())
+            ->method('executeEventPhpScript')
+            ->with('Composer\Test\Script\EventDispatcherTest', 'someMethod')
+            ->will($this->returnValue(true));
+
+        $dispatcher->dispatchCommandEvent("post-install-cmd");
+    }
+
     private function getDispatcherStubForListenersTest($listeners, $io)
     {
         $dispatcher = $this->getMockBuilder('Composer\Script\EventDispatcher')
@@ -52,8 +115,22 @@ class EventDispatcherTest extends TestCase
         return $dispatcher;
     }
 
+    public function getValidCommands()
+    {
+        return array(
+            array('phpunit'),
+            array('echo foo'),
+            array('echo -n foo'),
+        );
+    }
+
     public static function call()
     {
         throw new \RuntimeException();
     }
+
+    public static function someMethod()
+    {
+        return true;
+    }
 }