diff --git a/components/gitpod-db/mocha.opts b/components/gitpod-db/mocha.opts
deleted file mode 100644
index 33dbfa810d1530..00000000000000
--- a/components/gitpod-db/mocha.opts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,6 +0,0 @@
---require ts-node/register
---require reflect-metadata/Reflect
---require source-map-support/register
---reporter spec
---watch-extensions ts
---exit
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/components/gitpod-db/package.json b/components/gitpod-db/package.json
index 2e6480a8d55fea..cf55ce61ec5458 100644
--- a/components/gitpod-db/package.json
+++ b/components/gitpod-db/package.json
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
     "test": "yarn db-test",
     "watch": "leeway exec --package .:lib --transitive-dependencies --filter-type yarn --components --parallel -- tsc -w --preserveWatchOutput",
     "db-test": "r(){ . $(leeway run components/gitpod-db:db-test-env); yarn db-test-run; };r",
-    "db-test-run": "mocha --opts mocha.opts '**/*.spec.db.ts' --exclude './node_modules/**'",
+    "db-test-run": "mocha '**/*.spec.db.ts'",
     "wait-for-db": "node ./lib/wait-for-db.js",
     "typeorm": "typeorm -f lib/typeorm/ormconfig",
     "migrate-migrations": "node ./lib/migrate-migrations.js",
@@ -20,6 +20,20 @@
     "clean:node": "yarn run rimraf node_modules",
     "purge": "yarn clean && yarn clean:node && yarn run rimraf yarn.lock"
   },
+  "mocha": {
+    "require": [
+      "ts-node/register",
+      "reflect-metadata/Reflect",
+      "source-map-support/register"
+    ],
+    "spec": [
+      "src/**/*.spec.ts"
+    ],
+    "recursive": true,
+    "extensions": [
+      "ts"
+    ]
+  },
   "files": [
     "/lib"
   ],
diff --git a/components/gitpod-protocol/mocha.opts b/components/gitpod-protocol/mocha.opts
deleted file mode 100644
index 33dbfa810d1530..00000000000000
--- a/components/gitpod-protocol/mocha.opts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,6 +0,0 @@
---require ts-node/register
---require reflect-metadata/Reflect
---require source-map-support/register
---reporter spec
---watch-extensions ts
---exit
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/components/gitpod-protocol/package.json b/components/gitpod-protocol/package.json
index b25dfcccf453f2..2f2b504ba3d0f1 100644
--- a/components/gitpod-protocol/package.json
+++ b/components/gitpod-protocol/package.json
@@ -41,10 +41,24 @@
         "build": "yarn lint && tsc",
         "lint": "yarn eslint src/*.ts src/**/*.ts",
         "lint:fix": "yarn eslint src/*.ts src/**/*.ts --fix",
-        "test": "mocha --opts mocha.opts './**/*.spec.ts' --exclude './node_modules/**'",
-        "test-debug": "mocha --opts mocha.opts --inspect-brk './**/*.spec.ts' --exclude './node_modules/**'",
+        "test": "mocha './**/*.spec.ts'",
+        "test-debug": "mocha --inspect-brk './**/*.spec.ts'",
         "watch": "leeway exec --package .:lib --transitive-dependencies --filter-type yarn --components --parallel -- tsc -w --preserveWatchOutput"
     },
+    "mocha": {
+        "require": [
+            "ts-node/register",
+            "reflect-metadata/Reflect",
+            "source-map-support/register"
+        ],
+        "spec": [
+            "src/**/*.spec.ts"
+        ],
+        "recursive": true,
+        "extensions": [
+            "ts"
+        ]
+    },
     "dependencies": {
         "@types/react": "17.0.32",
         "abort-controller-x": "^0.4.0",
diff --git a/components/public-api/typescript/mocha.opts b/components/public-api/typescript/mocha.opts
deleted file mode 100644
index 33dbfa810d1530..00000000000000
--- a/components/public-api/typescript/mocha.opts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,6 +0,0 @@
---require ts-node/register
---require reflect-metadata/Reflect
---require source-map-support/register
---reporter spec
---watch-extensions ts
---exit
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/components/public-api/typescript/package.json b/components/public-api/typescript/package.json
index 5a768aeb7a5eb0..3795d90e2a1991 100644
--- a/components/public-api/typescript/package.json
+++ b/components/public-api/typescript/package.json
@@ -10,9 +10,23 @@
   "scripts": {
     "build": "mkdir -p lib; tsc",
     "watch": "leeway exec --package .:lib --transitive-dependencies --filter-type yarn --components --parallel -- tsc -w --preserveWatchOutput",
-    "test": "mocha --opts mocha.opts './**/*.spec.ts' --exclude './node_modules/**'",
+    "test": "mocha './**/*.spec.ts'",
     "test:brk": "yarn test --inspect-brk"
   },
+  "mocha": {
+    "require": [
+      "ts-node/register",
+      "reflect-metadata/Reflect",
+      "source-map-support/register"
+    ],
+    "spec": [
+      "src/**/*.spec.ts"
+    ],
+    "recursive": true,
+    "extensions": [
+      "ts"
+    ]
+  },
   "dependencies": {
     "@bufbuild/connect-web": "^0.2.1",
     "@bufbuild/protobuf": "^0.1.1",
diff --git a/components/server/mocha.opts b/components/server/mocha.opts
deleted file mode 100644
index b7cf9f62da526d..00000000000000
--- a/components/server/mocha.opts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,5 +0,0 @@
---require reflect-metadata/Reflect
---require source-map-support/register
---reporter spec
---watch-extensions js
---exit
diff --git a/components/server/package.json b/components/server/package.json
index 275441a353afc8..9b707e6323b42f 100644
--- a/components/server/package.json
+++ b/components/server/package.json
@@ -18,8 +18,8 @@
     "purge": "yarn clean && yarn clean:node && yarn run rimraf yarn.lock",
     "test:leeway": "yarn build && yarn test",
     "test": "yarn test:unit && yarn test:db",
-    "test:unit": "mocha --opts mocha.opts './**/*.spec.js' --exclude './node_modules/**'",
-    "test:db": "cleanup() { echo 'Cleanup started'; yarn stop-services; }; trap cleanup EXIT; . $(leeway run components/gitpod-db:db-test-env) && yarn start-services && mocha --opts mocha.opts './**/*.spec.db.js'  --exclude './node_modules/**'",
+    "test:unit": "mocha './**/*.spec.js' --exclude './node_modules/**'",
+    "test:db": "cleanup() { echo 'Cleanup started'; yarn stop-services; }; trap cleanup EXIT; . $(leeway run components/gitpod-db:db-test-env) && yarn start-services && mocha './**/*.spec.db.js'  --exclude './node_modules/**'",
     "start-services": "yarn start-testdb && yarn start-redis && yarn start-spicedb",
     "stop-services": "yarn stop-redis && yarn stop-spicedb",
     "start-testdb": "leeway run components/gitpod-db:init-testdb",
@@ -29,6 +29,19 @@
     "stop-redis": "docker stop test-redis || true",
     "telepresence": "telepresence --swap-deployment server --method inject-tcp --run yarn start-inspect"
   },
+  "mocha": {
+    "require": [
+      "reflect-metadata/Reflect",
+      "source-map-support/register"
+    ],
+    "spec": [
+      "dist/**/*.spec.js"
+    ],
+    "recursive": true,
+    "extensions": [
+      "js"
+    ]
+  },
   "files": [
     "/dist",
     "/src"
diff --git a/components/ws-manager-api/typescript/package.json b/components/ws-manager-api/typescript/package.json
index 56728636eb4400..365c1a623b1dce 100644
--- a/components/ws-manager-api/typescript/package.json
+++ b/components/ws-manager-api/typescript/package.json
@@ -10,9 +10,23 @@
   "scripts": {
     "build": "mkdir -p lib && cp -f src/*.js src/*d.ts lib && tsc",
     "watch": "leeway exec --package .:lib --transitive-dependencies --filter-type yarn --components --parallel -- tsc -w --preserveWatchOutput",
-    "test": "mocha --opts mocha.opts './**/*.spec.ts' --exclude './node_modules/**'",
+    "test": "mocha './**/*.spec.ts' --exclude './node_modules/**'",
     "test:brk": "yarn test --inspect-brk"
   },
+  "mocha": {
+    "require": [
+      "ts-node/register",
+      "reflect-metadata/Reflect",
+      "source-map-support/register"
+    ],
+    "spec": [
+      "src/**/*.spec.ts"
+    ],
+    "recursive": true,
+    "extensions": [
+      "ts"
+    ]
+  },
   "dependencies": {
     "@gitpod/content-service": "0.1.5",
     "@gitpod/gitpod-protocol": "0.1.5",
diff --git a/components/ws-manager-bridge/mocha.opts b/components/ws-manager-bridge/mocha.opts
deleted file mode 100644
index 972579ee21ef81..00000000000000
--- a/components/ws-manager-bridge/mocha.opts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,6 +0,0 @@
---require ts-node/register
---require reflect-metadata/Reflect
---require source-map-support/register
---reporter spec
---watch-extensions ts
---exit
diff --git a/components/ws-manager-bridge/package.json b/components/ws-manager-bridge/package.json
index 4e0f655bb79f75..bdf8e746e953c2 100644
--- a/components/ws-manager-bridge/package.json
+++ b/components/ws-manager-bridge/package.json
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
   "license": "UNLICENSED",
   "scripts": {
     "start": "node ./dist/index.js",
-    "test": "mocha --opts mocha.opts './**/*.spec.ts' --exclude './node_modules/**'",
+    "test": "mocha './**/*.spec.ts'",
     "lint": "yarn eslint src/*.ts src/**/*.ts",
     "lint:fix": "yarn eslint src/*.ts src/**/*.ts --fix",
     "build": "yarn lint && npx tsc",
@@ -19,6 +19,20 @@
     "debug": "nodemon -w ./dist --inspect=9300 ./dist/index.js",
     "telepresence": "leeway run .:telepresence"
   },
+  "mocha": {
+    "require": [
+      "ts-node/register",
+      "reflect-metadata/Reflect",
+      "source-map-support/register"
+    ],
+    "spec": [
+      "src/**/*.spec.ts"
+    ],
+    "recursive": true,
+    "extensions": [
+      "ts"
+    ]
+  },
   "files": [
     "/dist"
   ],