diff --git a/.changeset/light-sheep-trade.md b/.changeset/light-sheep-trade.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..480ffc973e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/light-sheep-trade.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@backstage/cli': patch
+---
+
+Updated the ESLint plugin configuration that is enabled through `yarn start --check` to only pick up valid source files.
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/lib/bundler/config.ts b/packages/cli/src/lib/bundler/config.ts
index a6d757028f..01f323a082 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/lib/bundler/config.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/lib/bundler/config.ts
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ export async function createConfig(
       }),
       new ESLintPlugin({
         context: paths.targetPath,
-        files: ['**', '!**/__tests__/**', '!**/?(*.)(spec|test).*'],
+        files: ['**/*.(ts|tsx|mts|cts|js|jsx|mjs|cjs)'],
       }),
     );
   }
@@ -330,7 +330,7 @@ export async function createBackendConfig(
               typescript: { configFile: paths.targetTsConfig },
             }),
             new ESLintPlugin({
-              files: ['**', '!**/__tests__/**', '!**/?(*.)(spec|test).*'],
+              files: ['**/*.(ts|tsx|mts|cts|js|jsx|mjs|cjs)'],
             }),
           ]
         : []),