diff --git a/merge-check-typescript.sh b/merge-check-typescript.sh
index b6885c42..de5aa5a0 100644
--- a/merge-check-typescript.sh
+++ b/merge-check-typescript.sh
@@ -63,24 +63,27 @@ for m in $touched; do
 		cp -r "$p" "$copy/node_modules/"
 	done
 	sources=$(cd "$copy" && find . -name '*.ts' ! -name '*.d.ts' ! -path './test/*' ! -path './node_modules/*' ! -path './dist/*' | sort)
-	if [ -z "$sources" ]; then
-		continue
-	fi
-	echo "type-checking $d (TypeScript)"
-	# shellcheck disable=SC2086 # the module's sources, none with a space in its name
-	if ! (cd "$copy" && node "$tsc" --noEmit --module NodeNext --moduleResolution NodeNext --target ES2022 \
-		--types node $sources); then
-		failed="$failed $m"
-		continue
+	if [ -n "$sources" ]; then
+		echo "type-checking $d (TypeScript)"
+		# shellcheck disable=SC2086 # the module's sources, none with a space in its name
+		if ! (cd "$copy" && node "$tsc" --noEmit --module NodeNext --moduleResolution NodeNext --target ES2022 \
+			--types node $sources); then
+			failed="$failed $m"
+			continue
+		fi
+	else
+		echo "$d has no TypeScript sources of its own to type-check: its tests read its files"
 	fi
 	if ! ls "$copy"/test/*.test.ts >/dev/null 2>&1; then
 		echo "NOT TESTED: $d is TypeScript and has no tests of its own"
 		continue
 	fi
-	# shellcheck disable=SC2086
-	(cd "$copy" && node "$tsc" --module NodeNext --moduleResolution NodeNext --target ES2022 --types node \
-		--rootDir . --outDir dist $sources && node "$tsc" --module NodeNext --moduleResolution NodeNext \
-		--target ES2022 --types node --rootDir . --outDir . $sources)
+	if [ -n "$sources" ]; then
+		# shellcheck disable=SC2086
+		(cd "$copy" && node "$tsc" --module NodeNext --moduleResolution NodeNext --target ES2022 --types node \
+			--rootDir . --outDir dist $sources && node "$tsc" --module NodeNext --moduleResolution NodeNext \
+			--target ES2022 --types node --rootDir . --outDir . $sources)
+	fi
 	echo "testing $d (TypeScript)"
 	if ! (cd "$copy" && node --test --test-reporter=spec --experimental-strip-types \
 		--no-warnings=ExperimentalWarning test/*.test.ts); then