diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index 218c36dfb8662..a529e3d480836 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -6650,7 +6650,7 @@
         "jsii-reflect": "^0.15.1",
         "jsii-spec": "^0.15.1",
         "log4js": "^5.0.0",
-        "typescript": "^3.5.3",
+        "typescript": "~3.5.3",
         "yargs": "^13.3.0"
       },
       "dependencies": {
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index e2896b7395098..df874a857488b 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
     "nyc": "^14.1.1",
     "ts-jest": "^24.0.2",
     "tslint": "^5.19.0",
-    "typescript": "^3.5.3"
+    "typescript": "~3.5.3"
   },
   "repository": {
     "type": "git",
diff --git a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/init-templates/app/javascript/bin/%name%.template.js b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/init-templates/app/javascript/bin/%name%.template.js
index af77e06727f15..7ef6ca7df55c0 100644
--- a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/init-templates/app/javascript/bin/%name%.template.js
+++ b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/init-templates/app/javascript/bin/%name%.template.js
@@ -1,7 +1,5 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env node
 
-// @ts-ignore: Cannot find declaration file
-require('source-map-support/register');
 const cdk = require('@aws-cdk/core');
 const { %name.PascalCased%Stack } = require('../lib/%name%-stack');
 
diff --git a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/init-templates/app/javascript/package.template.json b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/init-templates/app/javascript/package.template.json
index e34d0a281878f..54cd150a7efc2 100644
--- a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/init-templates/app/javascript/package.template.json
+++ b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/init-templates/app/javascript/package.template.json
@@ -5,17 +5,12 @@
     "%name%": "bin/%name%.js"
   },
   "scripts": {
-    "test": "tsc",
-    "test:watch": "tsc -w",
     "cdk": "cdk"
   },
   "devDependencies": {
-    "@types/node": "8.10.45",
-    "typescript": "^3.3.3333",
     "aws-cdk": "^%cdk-version%"
   },
   "dependencies": {
-    "@aws-cdk/core": "^%cdk-version%",
-    "source-map-support": "^0.5.9"
+    "@aws-cdk/core": "^%cdk-version%"
   }
 }
diff --git a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/init-templates/app/javascript/tsconfig.json b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/init-templates/app/javascript/tsconfig.json
deleted file mode 100644
index 45b40c310fd62..0000000000000
--- a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/init-templates/app/javascript/tsconfig.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,28 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "compilerOptions": {
-    "target": "ES2018",
-    "module": "commonjs",
-    "lib": [
-      "es2016",
-      "es2017.object",
-      "es2017.string"
-    ],
-    "declaration": true,
-    "strict": true,
-    "noImplicitAny": true,
-    "strictNullChecks": true,
-    "noImplicitThis": true,
-    "alwaysStrict": true,
-    "noUnusedLocals": true,
-    "noUnusedParameters": true,
-    "noImplicitReturns": true,
-    "noFallthroughCasesInSwitch": false,
-    "inlineSourceMap": true,
-    "inlineSources": true,
-    "experimentalDecorators": true,
-    "strictPropertyInitialization": false,
-    "allowJs": true,
-    "checkJs": true,
-    "noEmit": true
-  }
-}
diff --git a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/init-templates/app/typescript/package.template.json b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/init-templates/app/typescript/package.template.json
index b85fb951b5228..d54f98609d874 100644
--- a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/init-templates/app/typescript/package.template.json
+++ b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/init-templates/app/typescript/package.template.json
@@ -10,10 +10,9 @@
     "cdk": "cdk"
   },
   "devDependencies": {
-    "@types/node": "8.10.45",
-    "typescript": "^3.3.3333",
+    "aws-cdk": "^%cdk-version%",
     "ts-node": "^8.1.0",
-    "aws-cdk": "^%cdk-version%"
+    "typescript": "~3.5.3"
   },
   "dependencies": {
     "@aws-cdk/core": "^%cdk-version%",
diff --git a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/init-templates/lib/typescript/package.template.json b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/init-templates/lib/typescript/package.template.json
index 7d540375c6ea9..fe48cfdc9cced 100644
--- a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/init-templates/lib/typescript/package.template.json
+++ b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/init-templates/lib/typescript/package.template.json
@@ -5,13 +5,10 @@
   "types": "lib/index.d.ts",
   "scripts": {
     "build": "tsc",
-    "watch": "tsc -w",
-    "test": "nodeunit test/test.*.js"
+    "watch": "tsc -w"
   },
   "devDependencies": {
-    "@types/nodeunit": "^0.0.30",
-    "nodeunit": "^0.11.2",
-    "typescript": "^3.3.3333"
+    "typescript": "~3.5.3"
   },
   "peerDependencies": {
     "@aws-cdk/core": "^%cdk-version%"
diff --git a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/init-templates/sample-app/typescript/package.template.json b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/init-templates/sample-app/typescript/package.template.json
index dce1fdadd186a..13c3c179d596f 100644
--- a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/init-templates/sample-app/typescript/package.template.json
+++ b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/init-templates/sample-app/typescript/package.template.json
@@ -10,10 +10,9 @@
     "cdk": "cdk"
   },
   "devDependencies": {
-    "@types/node": "8.10.45",
-    "typescript": "^3.3.3333",
+    "aws-cdk": "^%cdk-version%",
     "ts-node": "^8.1.0",
-    "aws-cdk": "^%cdk-version%"
+    "typescript": "~3.5.3"
   },
   "dependencies": {
     "@aws-cdk/aws-sns": "^%cdk-version%",
diff --git a/packages/decdk/package-lock.json b/packages/decdk/package-lock.json
index d681e13a49dcf..99d8928166056 100644
--- a/packages/decdk/package-lock.json
+++ b/packages/decdk/package-lock.json
@@ -3176,7 +3176,7 @@
 				"semver": "^6.3.0",
 				"sort-json": "^2.0.0",
 				"spdx-license-list": "^6.1.0",
-				"typescript": "^3.5.3",
+				"typescript": "~3.5.3",
 				"yargs": "^13.3.0"
 			},
 			"dependencies": {
diff --git a/tools/awslint/package.json b/tools/awslint/package.json
index 42871671356cd..837c9805c30e5 100644
--- a/tools/awslint/package.json
+++ b/tools/awslint/package.json
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@
     "@types/fs-extra": "^8.0.0",
     "@types/yargs": "^13.0.2",
     "tslint": "^5.18.0",
-    "typescript": "^3.5.3"
+    "typescript": "~3.5.3"
   },
   "repository": {
     "type": "git",
diff --git a/tools/cdk-build-tools/package-lock.json b/tools/cdk-build-tools/package-lock.json
index ebbbb2af7be1f..47490b3078a31 100644
--- a/tools/cdk-build-tools/package-lock.json
+++ b/tools/cdk-build-tools/package-lock.json
@@ -3106,7 +3106,7 @@
 				"semver": "^6.3.0",
 				"sort-json": "^2.0.0",
 				"spdx-license-list": "^6.1.0",
-				"typescript": "^3.5.3",
+				"typescript": "~3.5.3",
 				"yargs": "^13.3.0"
 			},
 			"dependencies": {
diff --git a/tools/cdk-build-tools/package.json b/tools/cdk-build-tools/package.json
index a4d9f5d2acaf5..02c71f9d8797a 100644
--- a/tools/cdk-build-tools/package.json
+++ b/tools/cdk-build-tools/package.json
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@
     "nyc": "^14.1.1",
     "ts-jest": "^24.0.2",
     "tslint": "^5.18.0",
-    "typescript": "^3.5.3",
+    "typescript": "~3.5.3",
     "yargs": "^13.3.0"
   },
   "keywords": [