diff --git a/src/tests/Common/helixpublishwitharcade.proj b/src/tests/Common/helixpublishwitharcade.proj
index c129179b999b7..522d147daff80 100644
--- a/src/tests/Common/helixpublishwitharcade.proj
+++ b/src/tests/Common/helixpublishwitharcade.proj
@@ -358,7 +358,7 @@
     <ItemGroup>
       <_MergedWrapperRunScript Include="$([System.IO.Path]::ChangeExtension('%(_MergedWrapperMarker.Identity)', '.$(TestScriptExtension)'))" />
     </ItemGroup>
-    <PropertyGroup>
+    <PropertyGroup Condition="'@(_MergedWrapperMarker)' != ''" >
       <_MergedWrapperDirectory>$([System.IO.Path]::GetDirectoryName('%(_MergedWrapperRunScript.Identity)'))</_MergedWrapperDirectory>
       <_MergedWrapperParentDirectory>$([System.IO.Path]::GetDirectoryName('$(_MergedWrapperDirectory)'))</_MergedWrapperParentDirectory>
       <_MergedWrapperName>%(_MergedWrapperRunScript.FileName)</_MergedWrapperName>
@@ -366,14 +366,11 @@
       <!-- On Windows, you need to "call" a script or else the cmd.exe instance it is running in will exit, and the HelixPostCommands will not execute. -->
       <_MergedWrapperRunScriptPrefix Condition="'$(TestWrapperTargetsWindows)' == 'true'">call </_MergedWrapperRunScriptPrefix>
     </PropertyGroup>
-    <ItemGroup>
+    <ItemGroup Condition="'@(_MergedWrapperMarker)' != ''" >
       <_MergedWrapperOutOfProcessTestMarkers Include="$(_MergedWrapperParentDirectory)/**/*.OutOfProcessTest" />
       <_MergedWrapperOutOfProcessTestFiles
         Include="%(_MergedWrapperOutOfProcessTestMarkers.RootDir)%(_MergedWrapperOutOfProcessTestMarkers.Directory)/**"
         Condition="'@(_MergedWrapperOutOfProcessTestMarkers)' != ''" />
-    </ItemGroup>
-
-    <ItemGroup Condition="'@(_MergedWrapperMarker)' != ''" >
       <_MergedPayloadGroups Include="$(_MergedWrapperName)" />
       <_MergedPayloadFiles Include="$(_MergedWrapperDirectory)/**" />
       <_MergedPayloadFiles Include="@(_MergedWrapperOutOfProcessTestFiles)" />
@@ -476,7 +473,8 @@
     <WriteLinesToFile File="$(MergedPayloadsRootDirectory)\$(_MergedWrapperName)\HelixCommand.txt" Lines="@(HelixCommandLines)" />
     <!-- Write the real test exclusion list instead of the placeholder. -->
     <WriteLinesToFile File="@(_TestExclusionListPlaceholder->'$(MergedPayloadsRootDirectory)\$(_MergedWrapperName)\%(FileRelativeToPayloadsRootDirectory)')"
-                      Lines="@(FilteredTestExclusionList)" />
+                      Lines="@(FilteredTestExclusionList)"
+                      Condition="'@(_TestExclusionListPlaceholder)' != ''" />
   </Target>
 
   <Target Name="PrepareMergedTestPayloadDirectoryForAppleMobile"
@@ -514,7 +512,8 @@
     <Copy SourceFiles="@(_MergedPayloadFiles)" DestinationFiles="@(_MergedPayloadFiles->'$(MergedPayloadsRootDirectory)\$(_MergedWrapperName)\%(FileRelativeToPayloadsRootDirectory)')" />
     <!-- Write the real test exclusion list instead of the placeholder. -->
     <WriteLinesToFile File="@(_TestExclusionListPlaceholder->'$(MergedPayloadsRootDirectory)\$(_MergedWrapperName)\%(FileRelativeToPayloadsRootDirectory)')"
-      Lines="@(FilteredTestExclusionList)" />
+      Lines="@(FilteredTestExclusionList)"
+      Condition="'@(_TestExclusionListPlaceholder)' != ''" />
     </Target>
 
   <Target Name="PrepareMergedTestPayloadDirectory" DependsOnTargets="DiscoverMergedTestWrappers;PrepareMergedTestPayloadDirectoryForDesktop;PrepareMergedTestPayloadDirectoryForAndroid;PrepareMergedTestPayloadDirectoryForWasm;PrepareMergedTestPayloadDirectoryForAppleMobile" />