diff --git a/CODING_STANDARDS.md b/CODING_STANDARDS.md
index 2d8bb2ebf6..d9180f1fd5 100644
--- a/CODING_STANDARDS.md
+++ b/CODING_STANDARDS.md
@@ -50,8 +50,7 @@ Document functions, classes, and types with a single JSDoc block per symbol —
 Run from the repo root with `-w <workspace>`, or from the package directory:
 
 - `npm run lint` to check; `npm run lint:fix` to auto-fix (review its changes).
-- `npm run tsc` to type-check source.
-- `npm run build:tests` to type-check tests — CI compiles them separately from running them.
+- `npm run build:tests` to type-check source and tests without emitting — CI compiles them separately from running them. `npm run build` additionally compiles the CommonJS target.
 
 ## Unit tests
 
diff --git a/tsconfig.cjs.json b/tsconfig.cjs.json
index d9f3bc853f..1e0ade6231 100644
--- a/tsconfig.cjs.json
+++ b/tsconfig.cjs.json
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 {
   "extends": "./tsconfig.json",
+  "files": [],
   "compilerOptions": {
     "module": "commonjs",
     "moduleResolution": "bundler"
diff --git a/tsconfig.json b/tsconfig.json
index ccab8d6e89..16fe6eef5b 100644
--- a/tsconfig.json
+++ b/tsconfig.json
@@ -23,40 +23,8 @@
     "skipLibCheck": true,
     "pretty": true // Enable pretty formatting for output messages.
   },
-  "files": [],
-  "references": [
-    {
-      "path": "./packages/commons"
-    },
-    {
-      "path": "./packages/tracer"
-    },
-    {
-      "path": "./packages/metrics"
-    },
-    {
-      "path": "./packages/logger"
-    },
-    {
-      "path": "./packages/parameters"
-    },
-    {
-      "path": "./packages/idempotency"
-    },
-    {
-      "path": "./packages/batch"
-    },
-    {
-      "path": "./packages/testing"
-    },
-    {
-      "path": "./packages/parser"
-    },
-    {
-      "path": "./packages/event-handler"
-    },
-    {
-      "path": "./packages/validation"
-    }
-  ]
+  // Options base with no program of its own: every project extends this and lists its own
+  // files. Both empty arrays are needed for tsc and TypeDoc to accept a config with no inputs.
+  "include": [],
+  "references": []
 }