diff --git a/backend/src/hatchling/builders/wheel.py b/backend/src/hatchling/builders/wheel.py
index 88ccb8054..ad68194b3 100644
--- a/backend/src/hatchling/builders/wheel.py
+++ b/backend/src/hatchling/builders/wheel.py
@@ -203,8 +203,10 @@ def set_default_file_selection(self) -> None:
                 self.__packages.append(namespace)
                 break
         else:
-            self.__include.append('*.py')
-            self.__exclude.append('test*')
+            message = (
+                'At least one file selection option must be defined, see: https://hatch.pypa.io/latest/config/build/'
+            )
+            raise ValueError(message)
 
     def default_include(self) -> list[str]:
         if not self.__include_defined:
diff --git a/docs/history/hatchling.md b/docs/history/hatchling.md
index ee0d35381..7ddafbab0 100644
--- a/docs/history/hatchling.md
+++ b/docs/history/hatchling.md
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/),
 ***Changed:***
 
 - An error will now be raised if a force-included path does not exist
+- An error will now be raised for the `wheel` target if no file selection options are defined
 
 ***Added:***
 
diff --git a/docs/plugins/builder/wheel.md b/docs/plugins/builder/wheel.md
index 83f822999..027566cb1 100644
--- a/docs/plugins/builder/wheel.md
+++ b/docs/plugins/builder/wheel.md
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ The builder plugin name is `wheel`.
 | Version | Description |
 | --- | --- |
 | `standard` (default) | The latest standardized format |
-| `editable`           | A wheel that only ships `.pth` files or import hooks for real-time development |
+| `editable` | A wheel that only ships `.pth` files or import hooks for real-time development |
 
 ## Default file selection
 
@@ -37,7 +37,8 @@ When the user has not set any [file selection](../../config/build.md#file-select
 2. `src/<NAME>/__init__.py`
 3. `<NAME>.py`
 4. `<NAMESPACE>/<NAME>/__init__.py`
-5. Otherwise, every Python package and file that does not start with the word `test` will be included
+
+If none of these heuristics are satisfied, an error will be raised.
 
 ## Reproducibility
 
diff --git a/tests/backend/builders/test_wheel.py b/tests/backend/builders/test_wheel.py
index 4fd7014d3..7fce25a4e 100644
--- a/tests/backend/builders/test_wheel.py
+++ b/tests/backend/builders/test_wheel.py
@@ -111,15 +111,20 @@ def test_default(self, temp_dir):
         config = {'project': {'name': 'my-app', 'version': '0.0.1'}}
         builder = WheelBuilder(str(temp_dir), config=config)
 
-        for i in range(2):
-            namespace_root = temp_dir / f'ns{i}' / 'my_app' / '__init__.py'
-            namespace_root.ensure_parent_dir_exists()
-            namespace_root.touch()
-
-        assert builder.config.default_include() == ['*.py']
-        assert builder.config.default_exclude() == ['test*']
-        assert builder.config.default_packages() == []
-        assert builder.config.default_only_include() == []
+        for method in (
+            builder.config.default_include,
+            builder.config.default_exclude,
+            builder.config.default_packages,
+            builder.config.default_only_include,
+        ):
+            with pytest.raises(
+                ValueError,
+                match=(
+                    'At least one file selection option must be defined, see: '
+                    'https://hatch.pypa.io/latest/config/build/'
+                ),
+            ):
+                _ = method()
 
     def test_unnormalized_name_with_unnormalized_directory(self, temp_dir):
         config = {'project': {'name': 'MyApp', 'version': '0.0.1'}}