diff --git a/common.gypi b/common.gypi
index a9f067bcc54e..1088beb1b7b8 100644
--- a/common.gypi
+++ b/common.gypi
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
     'openssl_fips': '',
     'openssl_no_asm': 1,
     'node_release_urlbase': 'https://atom.io/download/atom-shell',
-    'node_byteorder': '<!(python -c "import sys; print sys.byteorder")',
+    'node_byteorder': '<!(node <(DEPTH)/tools/get-endianness.js)',
     'node_target_type': 'shared_library',
     'node_install_npm': 'false',
     'node_prefix': '',
diff --git a/script/bootstrap.py b/script/bootstrap.py
index 1efea3c28973..54f59c68f90f 100755
--- a/script/bootstrap.py
+++ b/script/bootstrap.py
@@ -168,7 +168,8 @@ def download_sysroot(target_arch):
     target_arch = 'i386'
   if target_arch == 'x64':
     target_arch = 'amd64'
-  execute_stdout([os.path.join(SOURCE_ROOT, 'script', 'install-sysroot.py'),
+  execute_stdout([sys.executable,
+                  os.path.join(SOURCE_ROOT, 'script', 'install-sysroot.py'),
                   '--arch', target_arch])
 
 def create_chrome_version_h():
diff --git a/toolchain.gypi b/toolchain.gypi
index 7c3cd0d05833..11da28f70233 100644
--- a/toolchain.gypi
+++ b/toolchain.gypi
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
       'arm_neon%': 1,
 
       # Abosulte path to source root.
-      'source_root%': '<!(python <(DEPTH)/tools/atom_source_root.py)',
+      'source_root%': '<!(node <(DEPTH)/tools/atom_source_root.js)',
     },
 
     # Copy conditionally-set variables out one scope.
diff --git a/tools/atom_source_root.js b/tools/atom_source_root.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..457b4f1a0310
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/atom_source_root.js
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+var path = require('path')
+
+console.log(path.resolve(path.dirname(__dirname)))
diff --git a/tools/atom_source_root.py b/tools/atom_source_root.py
deleted file mode 100755
index 93de124a9339..000000000000
--- a/tools/atom_source_root.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,9 +0,0 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env python
-
-import os
-
-"""Prints the absolute path of the root of atom-shell's source tree.
-"""
-
-
-print os.path.abspath(os.path.dirname(os.path.dirname(__file__)))
diff --git a/tools/get-endianness.js b/tools/get-endianness.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..a910e664b052
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/get-endianness.js
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+var os = require('os')
+if (os.endianness) {
+  console.log(require('os').endianness() === 'BE' ? 'big' : 'little')
+} else {  // Your Node is rather old, but I don't care.
+  console.log('little')
+}
diff --git a/tools/linux/pkg-config-wrapper b/tools/linux/pkg-config-wrapper
index 2512b3883739..84b57a8fe58e 100755
--- a/tools/linux/pkg-config-wrapper
+++ b/tools/linux/pkg-config-wrapper
@@ -31,6 +31,11 @@ then
   exit 1
 fi
 
+python2=$(which python2)
+if [ ! -x "$python2" ] ; then
+  python2=python
+fi
+
 rewrite=`dirname $0`/rewrite_dirs.py
 package=${!#}
 
@@ -46,4 +51,4 @@ set -e
 # pkg-config's |prefix| variable.
 prefix=`PKG_CONFIG_LIBDIR=$libdir pkg-config --variable=prefix "$package" | sed -e 's|/usr$||'`
 result=`PKG_CONFIG_LIBDIR=$libdir pkg-config "$@"`
-echo "$result"| $rewrite --sysroot "$root" --strip-prefix "$prefix"
+echo "$result"| $python2 $rewrite --sysroot "$root" --strip-prefix "$prefix"