diff --git a/CHANGELOG.adoc b/CHANGELOG.adoc
index bb743d078038b89ededfd85266e2ea49948df958..3bdd1cb587205bddb5e487e44b67153fda5a715a 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.adoc
+++ b/CHANGELOG.adoc
@@ -6,6 +6,10 @@ For a detailed view of what's changed, refer to the {url-repo}/commits[commit hi
 
 == Unreleased
 
+=== Added
+
+* Add `build.cwd` to allow current directory for command to be specified (#132)
+
 === Fixed
 
 * integrate Asciidoctor log messages properly when jsonl formatter is not enabled (#133)
diff --git a/docs/assembler/modules/ROOT/pages/configure-build.adoc b/docs/assembler/modules/ROOT/pages/configure-build.adoc
index b94f7a2fbce73197731316113cb3ad277c1117be..62934cb0b5baf81a07a5eea7116746a2099d31cc 100644
--- a/docs/assembler/modules/ROOT/pages/configure-build.adoc
+++ b/docs/assembler/modules/ROOT/pages/configure-build.adoc
@@ -29,6 +29,11 @@ asciidoctor-pdf for the PDF extension
 |Boolean
 |Controls whether the directory specified by the `dir` key should be removed before Assembler runs.
 
+|<<cwd-key,cwd>>
+|./netlify
+|String (absolute path, path relative to start path if starts with ./, or path relative to content source root)
+|The directory in which the command is launched.
+
 |<<dir-key,dir>>
 |./build/assembler-<profile>
 |String (absolute path, path relative to start path if starts with ./, or path relative to content source root)
@@ -183,6 +188,24 @@ build:
 // FIXME this advice is confusing
 This key should only be set when using multiple extension instances since leaving behind generated and staged files from a previous run can lead to unexpected and non-reproducible behavior.
 
+[#cwd-key]
+== cwd key
+
+The `cwd` key specifies the directory in which the command is launched.
+From the perspective of the command, this is its current working directory (CWD).
+
+The `cwd` key accepts a directory path and uses the same path resolution rules as the output directory in the Antora playbook.
+By default, the value is the directory in which the playbook is found.
+
+.antora-assembler.yml
+[,yaml]
+----
+build:
+  cwd: ./ci
+----
+
+Typically, you change this key if the command to run is not installed globally, but also not installed at the root of the playbook project.
+
 [#dir-key]
 == dir key
 
diff --git a/packages/assembler/lib/load-config.js b/packages/assembler/lib/load-config.js
index 5198dd1dbb63630485181e917a8f0009812f60f6..88dad9b4182e8b6266699bac4be2b4c52f3084fa 100644
--- a/packages/assembler/lib/load-config.js
+++ b/packages/assembler/lib/load-config.js
@@ -78,7 +78,8 @@ function loadConfig (playbook, configSource = './antora-assembler.yml') {
       throw new Error('Not implemented')
     }
     build.dir &&= expandPath(build.dir, { dot: playbook.dir })
-    build.cwd = playbook.dir // use playbook.dir for finding and loading require scripts
+    // used as cwd of command (and any scripts it requires)
+    build.cwd = build.cwd == null ? playbook.dir : expandPath(build.cwd, { dot: playbook.dir })
     if (!('clean' in build) && 'output' in playbook) build.clean = playbook.output.clean
     if (!('publish' in build)) build.publish = true
     if ('keepAggregateSource' in build) {
diff --git a/packages/assembler/test/assemble-content-test.js b/packages/assembler/test/assemble-content-test.js
index 715d91eadf635a141331b730b52e8809401af7a3..75fde39a9a68e62ff2c1cfac1b7d7fe97e536c76 100644
--- a/packages/assembler/test/assemble-content-test.js
+++ b/packages/assembler/test/assemble-content-test.js
@@ -490,7 +490,7 @@ describe('assembleContent()', () => {
     const scenario = 'insert-page'
     const playbook = { dir: ospath.join(FIXTURES_DIR, 'project-with-command') }
     const { contentCatalog, assemblerConfig: configSource } = await loadScenario(scenario, __dirname)
-    Object.assign(configSource.build, { command: './convert-to-pdf', mkdirs: true, publish: false })
+    Object.assign(configSource.build, { command: './convert-to-pdf', cwd: playbook.dir, mkdirs: true, publish: false })
     let actualConvertAttributes
     const convert = (doc, convertAttributes, buildConfig) => {
       const { cwd, command } = buildConfig
diff --git a/packages/assembler/test/load-config-test.js b/packages/assembler/test/load-config-test.js
index afc604dc02b9a2fffe66d3897e02ab62ae533f06..f85ff1855081d51d3f99fa368f584c201106e21c 100644
--- a/packages/assembler/test/load-config-test.js
+++ b/packages/assembler/test/load-config-test.js
@@ -193,6 +193,13 @@ describe('loadConfig()', () => {
     assert.equal(actual.build.clean, false)
   })
 
+  it('should not override value of build.cwd key if specified', async () => {
+    const input = { build: { cwd: './netlify' } }
+    const actual = await loadConfig(playbook, input)
+    assertx.instanceOf(actual, Object)
+    assert.equal(actual.build.cwd, ospath.join(playbook.dir, 'netlify'))
+  })
+
   it('should set value of build.processLimit key to Infinity if value is falsy', async () => {
     const input = { build: { processLimit: null } }
     const actual = await loadConfig(playbook, input)