diff --git a/lib/config.js b/lib/config.js
index 86ad9fb4..a3912cc0 100644
--- a/lib/config.js
+++ b/lib/config.js
@@ -169,7 +169,8 @@ const getFullConfig = async ({
     cjsExt: esm ? 'cjs' : 'js',
     deleteJsExt: esm ? 'js' : 'cjs',
     // tap
-    tap18: semver.coerce(pkg.pkgJson?.devDependencies?.tap)?.major === 18,
+    // 18 and up doesn't like nyc-arg
+    tap18: semver.coerce(pkg.pkgJson?.devDependencies?.tap)?.major >= 18,
     tap16: semver.coerce(pkg.pkgJson?.devDependencies?.tap)?.major === 16,
     // booleans to control application of updates
     isForce,