diff --git a/NEWS.md b/NEWS.md
index 03b0f50bff..f7c073d0b4 100644
--- a/NEWS.md
+++ b/NEWS.md
@@ -40,6 +40,8 @@
     # 2:     2     6     4     5
     ```
 
+8. `groupingsets()` gets a new argument `enclos` for use together with the `jj` argument in functions wrapping `groupingsets()`, including the existing wrappers `rollup()` and `cube()`. When forwarding a `j`-expression as `groupingsets(jj = substitute(j))`, make sure to pass `enclos = parent.frame()` as well, so that the `j`-expression will be evaluated in the right context. This makes it possible for `j` to refer to variables outside the `data.table`.
+
 ### BUG FIXES
 
 1. Custom binary operators from the `lubridate` package now work with objects of class `IDate` as with a `Date` subclass, [#6839](https://github.com/Rdatatable/data.table/issues/6839). Thanks @emallickhossain for the report and @aitap for the fix.
diff --git a/R/groupingsets.R b/R/groupingsets.R
index 63e94d1b62..8a2eddcde9 100644
--- a/R/groupingsets.R
+++ b/R/groupingsets.R
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ rollup.data.table = function(x, j, by, .SDcols, id = FALSE, label = NULL, ...) {
   sets = lapply(length(by):0L, function(i) by[0L:i])
   # redirect to workhorse function
   jj = substitute(j)
-  groupingsets.data.table(x, by=by, sets=sets, .SDcols=.SDcols, id=id, jj=jj, label=label)
+  groupingsets.data.table(x, by=by, sets=sets, .SDcols=.SDcols, id=id, jj=jj, label=label, enclos = parent.frame())
 }
 
 cube = function(x, ...) {
@@ -35,13 +35,13 @@ cube.data.table = function(x, j, by, .SDcols, id = FALSE, label = NULL, ...) {
   sets = lapply((2L^n):1L, function(jj) by[keepBool[jj, ]])
   # redirect to workhorse function
   jj = substitute(j)
-  groupingsets.data.table(x, by=by, sets=sets, .SDcols=.SDcols, id=id, jj=jj, label=label)
+  groupingsets.data.table(x, by=by, sets=sets, .SDcols=.SDcols, id=id, jj=jj, label=label, enclos = parent.frame())
 }
 
 groupingsets = function(x, ...) {
   UseMethod("groupingsets")
 }
-groupingsets.data.table = function(x, j, by, sets, .SDcols, id = FALSE, jj, label = NULL, ...) {
+groupingsets.data.table = function(x, j, by, sets, .SDcols, id = FALSE, jj, label = NULL, enclos = parent.frame(), ...) {
   # input data type basic validation
   if (!is.data.table(x))
     stopf("Argument 'x' must be a data.table object")
@@ -112,7 +112,10 @@ groupingsets.data.table = function(x, j, by, sets, .SDcols, id = FALSE, jj, labe
     .SDcols = if (".SD" %chin% av) setdiff(names(x), by) else NULL
   if (length(names(by))) by = unname(by)
   # 0 rows template data.table to keep colorder and type
-  empty = if (length(.SDcols)) x[0L, eval(jj), by, .SDcols=.SDcols] else x[0L, eval(jj), by]
+  # inline all arguments that might clash with enclosing environment
+  pcall = substitute(x[0L, jj, by], list(x = x, jj = jj, by = by))
+  if (length(.SDcols)) pcall$.SDcols = .SDcols
+  empty = eval(pcall, list(.datatable.aware = TRUE), enclos)
   if (id && "grouping" %chin% names(empty)) # `j` could have been evaluated to `grouping` field
     stopf("When using `id=TRUE` the 'j' expression must not evaluate to a column named 'grouping'.")
   if (anyDuplicated(names(empty)) > 0L)
@@ -150,8 +153,12 @@ groupingsets.data.table = function(x, j, by, sets, .SDcols, id = FALSE, jj, labe
     stopf("Using integer64 class columns require to have 'bit64' package installed.") # nocov
   int64.by.cols = intersect(int64.cols, by)
   # aggregate function called for each grouping set
+  # inline all arguments that might clash with enclosing environment
+  pcall = substitute(x[, jj], list(x = x, jj = jj))
+  if (length(.SDcols)) pcall$.SDcols = .SDcols
   aggregate.set = function(by.set) {
-    r = if (length(.SDcols)) x[, eval(jj), by.set, .SDcols=.SDcols] else x[, eval(jj), by.set]
+    pcall$by = by.set
+    r = eval(pcall, list(.datatable.aware = TRUE), enclos)
     if (id) {
       # integer bit mask of aggregation levels: http://www.postgresql.org/docs/9.5/static/functions-aggregate.html#FUNCTIONS-GROUPING-TABLE
       # 3267: strtoi("", base = 2L) output apparently unstable across platforms
diff --git a/inst/tests/tests.Rraw b/inst/tests/tests.Rraw
index 9ffcb01fce..8de433dc05 100644
--- a/inst/tests/tests.Rraw
+++ b/inst/tests/tests.Rraw
@@ -21252,3 +21252,27 @@ it <- as.ITime('00:00:00')
 test(2323.1, names(data.frame(COL = it)), "COL")
 test(2323.2, names(data.frame(b = 1, COL = it)), c("b", "COL"))
 test(2323.3, names(as.data.frame(it, optional=TRUE)), NULL)
+
+# 'sets' is a local variable in groupingsets(), cube(), rollup() and shouldn't leak into the 'j' expression
+n = 24L
+set.seed(25)
+DT = data.table(
+    color = sample(c("green","yellow","red"), n, TRUE),
+    year = as.Date(sample(paste0(2011:2015,"-01-01"), n, TRUE)),
+    status = as.factor(sample(c("removed","active","inactive","archived"), n, TRUE)),
+    amount = sample(1:5, n, TRUE),
+    value = sample(c(3, 3.5, 2.5, 2), n, TRUE)
+)
+sets = 0
+test(2324.0,
+  groupingsets(DT, j = c(list(count=.N + ..sets)), by = c("color","year","status"), sets = list("color", c("year","status"), character()), id=TRUE),
+  groupingsets(DT, j = c(list(count=.N + 0)), by = c("color","year","status"), sets = list("color", c("year","status"), character()), id=TRUE)
+)
+test(2324.1,
+  cube(DT, j = sum(value) + ..sets, by = c("color","year","status"), id=TRUE),
+  cube(DT, j = sum(value), by = c("color","year","status"), id=TRUE)
+)
+test(2324.2,
+  rollup(DT, j = sum(value) + ..sets, by=c("color","year","status"), label="total"),
+  rollup(DT, j = sum(value), by=c("color","year","status"), label="total")
+)
diff --git a/man/groupingsets.Rd b/man/groupingsets.Rd
index 5d8a309548..7d87175dec 100644
--- a/man/groupingsets.Rd
+++ b/man/groupingsets.Rd
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ rollup(x, \dots)
 cube(x, \dots)
 \method{cube}{data.table}(x, j, by, .SDcols, id = FALSE, label = NULL, \dots)
 groupingsets(x, \dots)
-\method{groupingsets}{data.table}(x, j, by, sets, .SDcols, id = FALSE, jj, label = NULL, \dots)
+\method{groupingsets}{data.table}(x, j, by, sets, .SDcols, id = FALSE, jj, label = NULL, enclos = parent.frame(), \dots)
 }
 \arguments{
 	\item{x}{\code{data.table}.}
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ groupingsets(x, \dots)
 	\item{id}{logical default \code{FALSE}. If \code{TRUE} it will add leading column with bit mask of grouping sets.}
 	\item{jj}{quoted version of \code{j} argument, for convenience. When provided function will ignore \code{j} argument.}
 	\item{label}{label(s) to be used in the 'total' rows in the grouping variable columns of the output, that is, in rows where the grouping variable has been aggregated. Can be a named list of scalars, or a scalar, or \code{NULL}. Defaults to \code{NULL}, which results in the grouping variables having \code{NA} in their 'total' rows. See Details.}
+	\item{enclos}{the environment containing the symbols referenced by \code{jj}. When writing functions that accept a \code{j} environment for non-standard evaluation by \pkg{data.table}, \code{\link[base]{substitute}()} it and forward it to \code{groupingsets} using the \code{jj} argument, set this to the \code{\link[base]{parent.frame}()} of the function that captures \code{j}.}
 }
 \details{
     All three functions \code{rollup, cube, groupingsets} are generic methods, \code{data.table} methods are provided.