diff --git a/api.js b/api.js
index 6cb688777..ea0060ee5 100644
--- a/api.js
+++ b/api.js
@@ -232,11 +232,14 @@ class Api extends Emittery {
 			filename => {
 				throw new Error(`Cannot apply full precompilation, possible bad usage: ${filename}`);
 			};
-		const precompileEnhancementsOnly = compileEnhancements && this.options.extensions.enhancementsOnly.length > 0 ?
-			babelPipeline.build(projectDir, cacheDir, null, compileEnhancements) :
-			filename => {
-				throw new Error(`Cannot apply enhancement-only precompilation, possible bad usage: ${filename}`);
-			};
+		let precompileEnhancementsOnly = () => null;
+		if (compileEnhancements) {
+			precompileEnhancementsOnly = this.options.extensions.enhancementsOnly.length > 0 ?
+				babelPipeline.build(projectDir, cacheDir, null, compileEnhancements) :
+				filename => {
+					throw new Error(`Cannot apply enhancement-only precompilation, possible bad usage: ${filename}`);
+				};
+		}
 
 		this._precompiler = {
 			cacheDir,
diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index f27306ead..a625e1607 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -5267,6 +5267,12 @@
         }
       }
     },
+    "make-error": {
+      "version": "1.3.4",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/make-error/-/make-error-1.3.4.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-0Dab5btKVPhibSalc9QGXb559ED7G7iLjFXBaj9Wq8O3vorueR5K5jaE3hkG6ZQINyhA/JgG6Qk4qdFQjsYV6g==",
+      "dev": true
+    },
     "map-cache": {
       "version": "0.2.2",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/map-cache/-/map-cache-0.2.2.tgz",
@@ -10269,6 +10275,29 @@
       "integrity": "sha1-N21NKdlR1jaKb3oK6FwvTV4GWPM=",
       "dev": true
     },
+    "ts-node": {
+      "version": "6.1.1",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/ts-node/-/ts-node-6.1.1.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-79FnymLGDBd/nXoiak1L6w6fd9Zz9Ge/x8/Aglaeh31KkqRLDzbfT1vBGlO5dqc76WzufTlW4IYl7e01CVUF5A==",
+      "dev": true,
+      "requires": {
+        "arrify": "^1.0.0",
+        "diff": "^3.1.0",
+        "make-error": "^1.1.1",
+        "minimist": "^1.2.0",
+        "mkdirp": "^0.5.1",
+        "source-map-support": "^0.5.6",
+        "yn": "^2.0.0"
+      },
+      "dependencies": {
+        "minimist": {
+          "version": "1.2.0",
+          "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/minimist/-/minimist-1.2.0.tgz",
+          "integrity": "sha1-o1AIsg9BOD7sH7kU9M1d95omQoQ=",
+          "dev": true
+        }
+      }
+    },
     "tsame": {
       "version": "2.0.0",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/tsame/-/tsame-2.0.0.tgz",
@@ -10922,6 +10951,12 @@
         "camelcase": "^4.1.0"
       }
     },
+    "yn": {
+      "version": "2.0.0",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/yn/-/yn-2.0.0.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha1-5a2ryKz0CPY4X8dklWhMiOavaJo=",
+      "dev": true
+    },
     "zen-observable": {
       "version": "0.8.8",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/zen-observable/-/zen-observable-0.8.8.tgz",
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 98136dfde..b86663940 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -161,6 +161,7 @@
 		"tap": "^12.0.1",
 		"temp-write": "^3.4.0",
 		"touch": "^3.1.0",
+		"ts-node": "^6.1.1",
 		"typescript": "^2.8.3",
 		"xo": "^0.21.1",
 		"zen-observable": "^0.8.8"
diff --git a/test/fixture/ts-node/package.json b/test/fixture/ts-node/package.json
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ae2b2e819
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixture/ts-node/package.json
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+{
+	"ava": {
+		"compileEnhancements": false,
+		"extensions": ["ts"],
+		"require": ["ts-node/register"]
+	}
+}
diff --git a/test/fixture/ts-node/test.ts b/test/fixture/ts-node/test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3d087bb5f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixture/ts-node/test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+import test from '../../../';
+
+test('pass', t => {
+	t.pass();
+});
diff --git a/test/integration/compilation.js b/test/integration/compilation.js
index aa7319fb1..f385bea96 100644
--- a/test/integration/compilation.js
+++ b/test/integration/compilation.js
@@ -68,3 +68,10 @@ test('workers load compiled helpers if in the require configuration', t => {
 		t.end();
 	});
 });
+
+test('skips babel compilation for custom extensions, with disabled enhancement compilation', t => {
+	execCli(['test.ts'], {dirname: 'fixture/ts-node'}, err => {
+		t.ifError(err);
+		t.end();
+	});
+});