diff --git a/src/Stryker.Abstractions/Exceptions/InvalidProjectsException.cs b/src/Stryker.Abstractions/Exceptions/InvalidProjectsException.cs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..53838efcd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Stryker.Abstractions/Exceptions/InvalidProjectsException.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+using System;
+
+namespace Stryker.Abstractions.Exceptions;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Represents error when no test projects are found in the solution or configured for stryker.
+/// </summary>
+public class InvalidProjectsException : Exception
+{
+    public InvalidProjectsException(string message)
+        : base(message)
+    {
+    }
+
+    public static InvalidProjectsException NoTestProjectsFound()
+    {
+        return new InvalidProjectsException("No test projects found. Please add a test project to your solution or fix your stryker config.");
+    }
+
+    public static InvalidProjectsException OnlyTestProjectsFound()
+    {
+        return new InvalidProjectsException("Only test projects found. Please ensure that your solution contains non-test projects.");
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/Stryker.Abstractions/Exceptions/NoTestProjectsException.cs b/src/Stryker.Abstractions/Exceptions/NoTestProjectsException.cs
deleted file mode 100644
index b75aea338..000000000
--- a/src/Stryker.Abstractions/Exceptions/NoTestProjectsException.cs
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,9 +0,0 @@
-using System;
-
-namespace Stryker.Abstractions.Exceptions;
-
-/// <summary>
-/// Represents error when no test projects are found in the solution or configured for stryker.
-/// </summary>
-public class NoTestProjectsException()
-    : Exception("No test projects found. Please add a test project to your solution or fix your stryker config.");
diff --git a/src/Stryker.CLI/Stryker.CLI/Program.cs b/src/Stryker.CLI/Stryker.CLI/Program.cs
index 4dcd06b2d..628030e8f 100644
--- a/src/Stryker.CLI/Stryker.CLI/Program.cs
+++ b/src/Stryker.CLI/Stryker.CLI/Program.cs
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ public static int Main(string[] args)
             var app = new StrykerCli();
             return app.Run(args);
         }
-        catch (NoTestProjectsException exception)
+        catch (InvalidProjectsException exception)
         {
             AnsiConsole.WriteLine(exception.Message);
             return ExitCodes.Success;
diff --git a/src/Stryker.Core/Stryker.Core.UnitTest/StrykerRunnerTests.cs b/src/Stryker.Core/Stryker.Core.UnitTest/StrykerRunnerTests.cs
index fd2cde8f8..a13e78b05 100644
--- a/src/Stryker.Core/Stryker.Core.UnitTest/StrykerRunnerTests.cs
+++ b/src/Stryker.Core/Stryker.Core.UnitTest/StrykerRunnerTests.cs
@@ -181,7 +181,50 @@ public void ShouldThrow_WhenNoProjectsFound()
 
         var target = new StrykerRunner(reporterFactory: reporterFactoryMock.Object);
 
-        Should.Throw<NoTestProjectsException>(() => target.RunMutationTest(inputsMock.Object, new LoggerFactory(), projectOrchestratorMock.Object));
+        Should.Throw<InvalidProjectsException>(() => target.RunMutationTest(inputsMock.Object, new LoggerFactory(), projectOrchestratorMock.Object));
+
+        reporterMock.Verify(x => x.OnStartMutantTestRun(It.IsAny<IList<IMutant>>()), Times.Never);
+        reporterMock.Verify(x => x.OnMutantTested(It.IsAny<IMutant>()), Times.Never);
+        reporterMock.Verify(x => x.OnAllMutantsTested(It.IsAny<IReadOnlyProjectComponent>(), It.IsAny<TestProjectsInfo>()), Times.Never);
+    }
+
+    [TestMethod]
+    public void ShouldThrow_WhenOnlyTestProjectsFound()
+    {
+        var projectOrchestratorMock = new Mock<IProjectOrchestrator>(MockBehavior.Strict);
+        var reporterFactoryMock = new Mock<IReporterFactory>(MockBehavior.Strict);
+        var reporterMock = new Mock<IReporter>(MockBehavior.Strict);
+        var inputsMock = new Mock<IStrykerInputs>(MockBehavior.Strict);
+        var fileSystemMock = new MockFileSystem();
+
+        var folder = new CsharpFolderComposite();
+        folder.Add(new CsharpFileLeaf
+        {
+            Mutants = new Collection<IMutant>() { new Mutant() { Id = 1, ResultStatus = MutantStatus.Ignored } }
+        });
+        var mutationTestInput = new MutationTestInput()
+        {
+            SourceProjectInfo = new SourceProjectInfo()
+            {
+                ProjectContents = folder
+            }
+        };
+
+        inputsMock.Setup(x => x.ValidateAll()).Returns(new StrykerOptions
+        {
+            ProjectPath = "C:/test",
+            OptimizationMode = OptimizationModes.None,
+            LogOptions = new LogOptions()
+        });
+
+        projectOrchestratorMock.Setup(x => x.MutateProjects(It.IsAny<StrykerOptions>(), It.IsAny<IReporter>(), It.IsAny<ITestRunner>()))
+            .Returns(new List<IMutationTestProcess>() { });
+
+        reporterFactoryMock.Setup(x => x.Create(It.IsAny<StrykerOptions>(), It.IsAny<IGitInfoProvider>())).Returns(reporterMock.Object);
+
+        var target = new StrykerRunner(reporterFactory: reporterFactoryMock.Object);
+
+        Should.Throw<InvalidProjectsException>(() => target.RunMutationTest(inputsMock.Object, new LoggerFactory(), projectOrchestratorMock.Object));
 
         reporterMock.Verify(x => x.OnStartMutantTestRun(It.IsAny<IList<IMutant>>()), Times.Never);
         reporterMock.Verify(x => x.OnMutantTested(It.IsAny<IMutant>()), Times.Never);
diff --git a/src/Stryker.Core/Stryker.Core/StrykerRunner.cs b/src/Stryker.Core/Stryker.Core/StrykerRunner.cs
index 0a17f8fd0..8045db822 100644
--- a/src/Stryker.Core/Stryker.Core/StrykerRunner.cs
+++ b/src/Stryker.Core/Stryker.Core/StrykerRunner.cs
@@ -181,7 +181,12 @@ private IReadOnlyProjectComponent AddRootFolderIfMultiProject(IEnumerable<IReadO
     {
         if (!projectComponents.Any())
         {
-            throw new NoTestProjectsException();
+            throw InvalidProjectsException.NoTestProjectsFound();
+        }
+
+        if (projectComponents.All(pc => pc is TestProject))
+        {
+            throw InvalidProjectsException.OnlyTestProjectsFound();
         }
 
         if (projectComponents.Count() > 1)