diff --git a/src/server/session.ts b/src/server/session.ts
index 4ae5282a743..7e6bca66c04 100644
--- a/src/server/session.ts
+++ b/src/server/session.ts
@@ -42,6 +42,11 @@ namespace ts.server {
         return false;
     }
 
+
+    function dtsChangeCanAffectEmit(compilationSettings: CompilerOptions) {
+        return getEmitDeclarations(compilationSettings) || !!compilationSettings.emitDecoratorMetadata;
+    }
+
     function formatDiag(fileName: NormalizedPath, project: Project, diag: Diagnostic): protocol.Diagnostic {
         const scriptInfo = project.getScriptInfoForNormalizedPath(fileName)!; // TODO: GH#18217
         return {
@@ -1606,15 +1611,22 @@ namespace ts.server {
                 path => this.projectService.getScriptInfoForPath(path)!,
                 projects,
                 (project, info) => {
-                    let result: protocol.CompileOnSaveAffectedFileListSingleProject | undefined;
-                    if (project.compileOnSaveEnabled && project.languageServiceEnabled && !project.isOrphan() && !project.getCompilationSettings().noEmit) {
-                        result = {
-                            projectFileName: project.getProjectName(),
-                            fileNames: project.getCompileOnSaveAffectedFileList(info),
-                            projectUsesOutFile: !!project.getCompilationSettings().outFile || !!project.getCompilationSettings().out
-                        };
+                    if (!project.compileOnSaveEnabled || !project.languageServiceEnabled || project.isOrphan()) {
+                        return undefined;
                     }
-                    return result;
+
+                    const compilationSettings = project.getCompilationSettings();
+
+                    if (!!compilationSettings.noEmit || fileExtensionIs(info.fileName, Extension.Dts) && !dtsChangeCanAffectEmit(compilationSettings)) {
+                        // avoid triggering emit when a change is made in a .d.ts when declaration emit and decorator metadata emit are disabled
+                        return undefined;
+                    }
+
+                    return {
+                        projectFileName: project.getProjectName(),
+                        fileNames: project.getCompileOnSaveAffectedFileList(info),
+                        projectUsesOutFile: !!compilationSettings.outFile || !!compilationSettings.out
+                    };
                 }
             );
         }
diff --git a/src/testRunner/unittests/tsserver/compileOnSave.ts b/src/testRunner/unittests/tsserver/compileOnSave.ts
index 7dc9ea0497c..b129c8ecdfc 100644
--- a/src/testRunner/unittests/tsserver/compileOnSave.ts
+++ b/src/testRunner/unittests/tsserver/compileOnSave.ts
@@ -503,6 +503,112 @@ namespace ts.projectSystem {
             });
         });
 
+        describe("for changes in declaration files", () => {
+            function testDTS(dtsFileContents: string, tsFileContents: string, opts: CompilerOptions, expectDTSEmit: boolean) {
+                const dtsFile = {
+                    path: "/a/runtime/a.d.ts",
+                    content: dtsFileContents
+                };
+                const f2 = {
+                    path: "/a/b.ts",
+                    content: tsFileContents
+                };
+                const config = {
+                    path: "/a/tsconfig.json",
+                    content: JSON.stringify({
+                        compilerOptions: opts,
+                        compileOnSave: true
+                    })
+                };
+                const host = createServerHost([dtsFile, f2, config]);
+                const session = projectSystem.createSession(host);
+                session.executeCommand(<protocol.OpenRequest>{
+                    seq: 1,
+                    type: "request",
+                    command: "open",
+                    arguments: { file: dtsFile.path }
+                });
+                const projectService = session.getProjectService();
+                checkNumberOfProjects(projectService, { configuredProjects: 1 });
+                const project = projectService.configuredProjects.get(config.path)!;
+                checkProjectRootFiles(project, [dtsFile.path, f2.path]);
+                session.executeCommand(<protocol.OpenRequest>{
+                    seq: 2,
+                    type: "request",
+                    command: "open",
+                    arguments: { file: f2.path }
+                });
+                checkNumberOfProjects(session.getProjectService(), { configuredProjects: 1 });
+                const { response } = session.executeCommand(<protocol.CompileOnSaveAffectedFileListRequest>{
+                    seq: 3,
+                    type: "request",
+                    command: "compileOnSaveAffectedFileList",
+                    arguments: { file: dtsFile.path }
+                });
+                if (expectDTSEmit) {
+                    assert.equal((response as protocol.CompileOnSaveAffectedFileListSingleProject[]).length, 1, "expected output from 1 project");
+                    assert.equal((response as protocol.CompileOnSaveAffectedFileListSingleProject[])[0].fileNames.length, 2, "expected to affect 2 files");
+                }
+                else {
+                    assert.equal((response as protocol.CompileOnSaveAffectedFileListSingleProject[]).length, 0, "expected no output");
+                }
+
+
+                const { response: response2 } = session.executeCommand(<protocol.CompileOnSaveAffectedFileListRequest>{
+                    seq: 4,
+                    type: "request",
+                    command: "compileOnSaveAffectedFileList",
+                    arguments: { file: f2.path }
+                });
+                assert.equal((response2 as protocol.CompileOnSaveAffectedFileListSingleProject[]).length, 1, "expected output from 1 project");
+            }
+
+            it("should return empty array if change is made in a global declaration file", () => {
+                testDTS(
+                /*dtsFileContents*/ "declare const x: string;",
+                /*tsFileContents*/ "var y = 1;",
+                /*opts*/ {},
+                /*expectDTSEmit*/ false
+                );
+            });
+
+            it("should return empty array if change is made in a module declaration file", () => {
+                testDTS(
+                /*dtsFileContents*/ "export const x: string;",
+                /*tsFileContents*/  "import { x } from './runtime/a;",
+                /*opts*/ {},
+                /*expectDTSEmit*/ false
+                );
+            });
+
+            it("should return results if change is made in a global declaration file with declaration emit", () => {
+                testDTS(
+                /*dtsFileContents*/ "declare const x: string;",
+                /*tsFileContents*/ "var y = 1;",
+                /*opts*/ { declaration: true },
+                /*expectDTSEmit*/ true
+                );
+            });
+
+            it("should return results if change is made in a global declaration file with composite enabled", () => {
+                testDTS(
+                /*dtsFileContents*/ "declare const x: string;",
+                /*tsFileContents*/ "var y = 1;",
+                /*opts*/ { composite: true },
+                /*expectDTSEmit*/ true
+                );
+            });
+
+            it("should return results if change is made in a global declaration file with decorator emit enabled", () => {
+                testDTS(
+                /*dtsFileContents*/ "declare const x: string;",
+                /*tsFileContents*/ "var y = 1;",
+                /*opts*/ { experimentalDecorators: true, emitDecoratorMetadata: true },
+                /*expectDTSEmit*/ true
+                );
+            });
+        });
+
         describe("tsserverProjectSystem emit with outFile or out setting", () => {
             function test(opts: CompilerOptions, expectedUsesOutFile: boolean) {
                 const f1 = {