diff --git a/src/validate-npm-package/validate-npm-package.spec.ts b/src/validate-npm-package/validate-npm-package.spec.ts
index 2ff1eec..3171784 100644
--- a/src/validate-npm-package/validate-npm-package.spec.ts
+++ b/src/validate-npm-package/validate-npm-package.spec.ts
@@ -25,10 +25,11 @@ describe('validate-npm-package', () => {
     await verifyNpmPackage();
   }, 300_000);
 
-  // this test should reject but isn't now
-  // this did work historically
-  // eslint-disable-next-line jest/no-disabled-tests
-  it.skip('bad npm package results in error', async () => {
+  // Test uses a bad version of approval package
+  // and requires skipLibCheck: false in tsconfig.json
+  // we set it manually in validate npm package as
+  // checkdigit/typescript-config is various versions of this setting
+  it('bad npm package results in error', async () => {
     actionsCoreSpy.mockImplementationOnce((name) => {
       if (name === 'betaPackage') {
         return '@checkdigit/approval@2.0.0-PR.196-b041';
diff --git a/src/validate-npm-package/validate-npm-package.ts b/src/validate-npm-package/validate-npm-package.ts
index e66502a..09c49e1 100644
--- a/src/validate-npm-package/validate-npm-package.ts
+++ b/src/validate-npm-package/validate-npm-package.ts
@@ -63,6 +63,9 @@ async function generateProject(workFolder: string, packageJson: PackageJson): Pr
   // create tsconfig.json
   const tsconfigJson = {
     extends: '@checkdigit/typescript-config',
+    compilerOptions: {
+      skipLibCheck: false,
+    },
   };
   await fs.writeFile(`${workFolder}/tsconfig.json`, JSON.stringify(tsconfigJson, null, 2));
 }