diff --git a/src/main/scala/com/typesafe/sbt/packager/universal/Archives.scala b/src/main/scala/com/typesafe/sbt/packager/universal/Archives.scala
index 5aa6ab0c7..f5339d6d0 100644
--- a/src/main/scala/com/typesafe/sbt/packager/universal/Archives.scala
+++ b/src/main/scala/com/typesafe/sbt/packager/universal/Archives.scala
@@ -14,9 +14,10 @@ object Archives {
    * @param name of output (without extension)
    * @param mappings included in the output
    * @param top level directory
+   * @param options  NOT USED
    * @return zip file
    */
-  def makeZip(target: File, name: String, mappings: Seq[(File, String)], top: Option[String]): File = {
+  def makeZip(target: File, name: String, mappings: Seq[(File, String)], top: Option[String], options: Seq[String]): File = {
     val zip = target / (name + ".zip")
 
     // add top level directory if defined
@@ -35,9 +36,10 @@ object Archives {
    * @param name of output (without extension)
    * @param mappings included in the output
    * @param top level directory
+   * @param options  NOT USED
    * @return zip file
    */
-  def makeNativeZip(target: File, name: String, mappings: Seq[(File, String)], top: Option[String]): File = {
+  def makeNativeZip(target: File, name: String, mappings: Seq[(File, String)], top: Option[String], options: Seq[String]): File = {
     val zip = target / (name + ".zip")
 
     // add top level directory if defined
@@ -58,9 +60,10 @@ object Archives {
    *  @param name of output (without extension)
    *  @param mappings included in the output
    *  @param top level directory : NOT USED
+   *  @param options  NOT USED
    *  @return dmg file
    */
-  def makeDmg(target: File, name: String, mappings: Seq[(File, String)], top: Option[String]): File = {
+  def makeDmg(target: File, name: String, mappings: Seq[(File, String)], top: Option[String], options: Seq[String]): File = {
     val t = target / "dmg"
     val dmg = target / (name + ".dmg")
     if (!t.isDirectory) IO.createDirectory(t)
@@ -139,9 +142,9 @@ object Archives {
     }
     file(f.getAbsolutePath + ".xz")
   }
+
   val makeTxz = makeTarball(xz, ".txz") _
   val makeTgz = makeTarball(gzip, ".tgz") _
-  val makeTar = makeTarball(identity, ".tar") _
 
   /**
    * Helper method used to construct tar-related compression functions.
@@ -149,10 +152,11 @@ object Archives {
    * @param name of output (without extension)
    * @param mappings included in the output
    * @param top level directory
+   * @param options for tar command
    * @return tar file
    *
    */
-  def makeTarball(compressor: File => File, ext: String)(target: File, name: String, mappings: Seq[(File, String)], top: Option[String]): File = {
+  def makeTarball(compressor: File => File, ext: String)(target: File, name: String, mappings: Seq[(File, String)], top: Option[String], options: Seq[String]): File = {
     val relname = name
     val tarball = target / (name + ext)
     IO.withTemporaryDirectory { f =>
@@ -179,7 +183,9 @@ object Archives {
 
       val tmptar = f / (relname + ".tar")
 
-      Process(Seq("tar", "--force-local", "-pcvf", tmptar.getAbsolutePath) ++ distdirs, Some(rdir)).! match {
+      val cmd = Seq("tar") ++ options ++ Seq(tmptar.getAbsolutePath) ++ distdirs
+      println("Running with " + cmd.mkString(" "))
+      Process(cmd, Some(rdir)).! match {
         case 0 => ()
         case n => sys.error("Error tarballing " + tarball + ". Exit code: " + n)
       }
diff --git a/src/main/scala/com/typesafe/sbt/packager/universal/Keys.scala b/src/main/scala/com/typesafe/sbt/packager/universal/Keys.scala
index 8e7bfdb64..0348a5f90 100644
--- a/src/main/scala/com/typesafe/sbt/packager/universal/Keys.scala
+++ b/src/main/scala/com/typesafe/sbt/packager/universal/Keys.scala
@@ -12,4 +12,5 @@ trait UniversalKeys {
   val dist = TaskKey[File]("dist", "Creates the distribution packages.")
   val stagingDirectory = SettingKey[File]("stagingDirectory", "Directory where we stage distributions/releases.")
   val topLevelDirectory = SettingKey[Option[String]]("topLevelDirectory", "Top level dir in compressed output file.")
+  val universalArchiveOptions = SettingKey[Seq[String]]("universal-archive-options", "Options passed to the tar/zip command. Scope by task")
 }
diff --git a/src/main/scala/com/typesafe/sbt/packager/universal/UniversalPlugin.scala b/src/main/scala/com/typesafe/sbt/packager/universal/UniversalPlugin.scala
index 84aa154b6..5f9188518 100644
--- a/src/main/scala/com/typesafe/sbt/packager/universal/UniversalPlugin.scala
+++ b/src/main/scala/com/typesafe/sbt/packager/universal/UniversalPlugin.scala
@@ -70,7 +70,8 @@ object UniversalPlugin extends AutoPlugin {
   ) ++
     makePackageSettingsForConfig(Universal) ++
     makePackageSettingsForConfig(UniversalDocs) ++
-    makePackageSettingsForConfig(UniversalSrc)
+    makePackageSettingsForConfig(UniversalSrc) ++
+    defaultUniversalArchiveOptions
 
   /** Creates all package types for a given configuration */
   private[this] def makePackageSettingsForConfig(config: Configuration): Seq[Setting[_]] =
@@ -89,6 +90,11 @@ object UniversalPlugin extends AutoPlugin {
         target in config <<= target apply (_ / config.name)
       )
 
+  private[this] def defaultUniversalArchiveOptions: Seq[Setting[_]] = Seq(
+    universalArchiveOptions in (Universal, packageZipTarball) := Seq("-pcvf"),
+    universalArchiveOptions in (Universal, packageXzTarball) := Seq("-pcvf")
+  )
+
   private[this] def printDist(dist: File, streams: TaskStreams): File = {
     streams.log.info("")
     streams.log.info("Your package is ready in " + dist.getCanonicalPath)
@@ -96,12 +102,13 @@ object UniversalPlugin extends AutoPlugin {
     dist
   }
 
-  private type Packager = (File, String, Seq[(File, String)], Option[String]) => File
+  private type Packager = (File, String, Seq[(File, String)], Option[String], Seq[String]) => File
   /** Creates packaging settings for a given package key, configuration + archive type. */
   private[this] def makePackageSettings(packageKey: TaskKey[File], config: Configuration)(packager: Packager): Seq[Setting[_]] =
     inConfig(config)(Seq(
+      universalArchiveOptions in packageKey := Nil,
       mappings in packageKey <<= mappings map checkMappings,
-      packageKey <<= (target, packageName, mappings in packageKey, topLevelDirectory) map packager
+      packageKey <<= (target, packageName, mappings in packageKey, topLevelDirectory, universalArchiveOptions in packageKey) map packager
     ))
 
   /** check that all mapped files actually exist */
diff --git a/src/sphinx/formats/universal.rst b/src/sphinx/formats/universal.rst
index c72bbd92c..ffc1d0f22 100644
--- a/src/sphinx/formats/universal.rst
+++ b/src/sphinx/formats/universal.rst
@@ -170,6 +170,25 @@ Tasks
 Customize
 ---------
 
+Universal Archive Options
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+You can customize the commandline options (if used) for the different zip formats.
+If you want to force local for the `tgz` output add this line:
+
+.. code-block:: scala
+
+  universalArchiveOptions in (Universal, packageZipTarball) := Seq("--force-local", "-pcvf")
+  
+This will set the cli options for the `packageZipTarball` task in the `Universal` plugin to the following sequence.
+Currently these task can be customized
+
+  ``universal:package-zip-tarball``
+    `universalArchiveOptions in (Universal, packageZipTarball)` 
+    
+  ``universal:package-xz-tarball``
+    `universalArchiveOptions in (Universal, packageXzTarball)`
+
 Getting Started with Universal Packaging
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 By default, all files found in the ``src/universal`` directory are included in the distribution.  So, the first step