diff --git a/jest.config.js b/jest.config.js
index 8a1e80a66..c39fb5316 100644
--- a/jest.config.js
+++ b/jest.config.js
@@ -4,5 +4,7 @@ module.exports = {
   testPathIgnorePatterns: [
     '/node_modules/', // default
     '<rootDir>/templates/', // don't run tests in the templates
+    '<rootDir>/test/.*/fixtures/', // don't run tests in fixtures
+    '<rootDir>/stage-.*/', // don't run tests in auto-generated (and auto-removed) test dirs
   ],
 };
diff --git a/templates/basic/tsconfig.json b/templates/basic/tsconfig.json
index a63b7e132..a502b91b6 100644
--- a/templates/basic/tsconfig.json
+++ b/templates/basic/tsconfig.json
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 {
-  "include": ["src", "types", "test"],
+  "include": ["src", "types"],
   "compilerOptions": {
     "module": "esnext",
     "lib": ["dom", "esnext"],
diff --git a/templates/react-with-storybook/tsconfig.json b/templates/react-with-storybook/tsconfig.json
index e0b677e59..06ffbb74c 100644
--- a/templates/react-with-storybook/tsconfig.json
+++ b/templates/react-with-storybook/tsconfig.json
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 {
-  "include": ["src", "types", "test"],
+  "include": ["src", "types"],
   "compilerOptions": {
     "module": "esnext",
     "lib": ["dom", "esnext"],
diff --git a/templates/react/tsconfig.json b/templates/react/tsconfig.json
index a63b7e132..a502b91b6 100644
--- a/templates/react/tsconfig.json
+++ b/templates/react/tsconfig.json
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 {
-  "include": ["src", "types", "test"],
+  "include": ["src", "types"],
   "compilerOptions": {
     "module": "esnext",
     "lib": ["dom", "esnext"],
diff --git a/test/e2e/fixtures/build-default/test/some-test.test.ts b/test/e2e/fixtures/build-default/test/some-test.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..613c100b4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/e2e/fixtures/build-default/test/some-test.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+// this is to test .test/.spec files in the test/ dir are excluded
+
+// and that rootDir: './src' doesn't error with test/ files
diff --git a/test/e2e/fixtures/build-default/test/testUtil.ts b/test/e2e/fixtures/build-default/test/testUtil.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d5c76f081
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/e2e/fixtures/build-default/test/testUtil.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+// this is to test that test helper files in the test/ dir are excluded
+// i.e. files in test/ that don't have a .spec/.test suffix
+
+// and that rootDir: './src' doesn't error with test/ files
diff --git a/test/e2e/fixtures/build-default/types/blar.d.ts b/test/e2e/fixtures/build-default/types/blar.d.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a93bfc167
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/e2e/fixtures/build-default/types/blar.d.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+// this is to test that rootDir: './src' doesn't error with types/ files
+
+// and that declaration files aren't re-output in dist/
diff --git a/test/e2e/tsdx-build-default.test.js b/test/e2e/tsdx-build-default.test.js
index 7ce8bca5d..0f2798536 100644
--- a/test/e2e/tsdx-build-default.test.js
+++ b/test/e2e/tsdx-build-default.test.js
@@ -31,6 +31,15 @@ describe('tsdx build :: zero-config defaults', () => {
     expect(output.code).toBe(0);
   });
 
+  it("shouldn't compile files in test/ or types/", () => {
+    const output = execWithCache('node ../dist/index.js build');
+
+    expect(shell.test('-f', 'dist/test/')).toBeFalsy();
+    expect(shell.test('-f', 'dist/types/')).toBeFalsy();
+
+    expect(output.code).toBe(0);
+  });
+
   it('should create the library correctly', () => {
     const output = execWithCache('node ../dist/index.js build');