diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index da05c9928cf4..62bb30830e01 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 
 ### Fixes
 
+- `[jest-config]` Add config validation for `projects` option ([#13565](https://github.com/facebook/jest/pull/13565))
 - `[jest-mock]` Treat cjs modules as objects so they can be mocked ([#13513](https://github.com/facebook/jest/pull/13513))
 - `[jest-worker]` Throw an error instead of hanging when jest workers terminate unexpectedly ([#13566](https://github.com/facebook/jest/pull/13566))
 
diff --git a/packages/jest-config/src/ValidConfig.ts b/packages/jest-config/src/ValidConfig.ts
index 5239ffd8709d..a5b9ebbf4386 100644
--- a/packages/jest-config/src/ValidConfig.ts
+++ b/packages/jest-config/src/ValidConfig.ts
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ import {NODE_MODULES} from './constants';
 
 const NODE_MODULES_REGEXP = replacePathSepForRegex(NODE_MODULES);
 
-const initialOptions: Config.InitialOptions = {
+export const initialOptions: Config.InitialOptions = {
   automock: false,
   bail: multipleValidOptions(false, 0),
   cache: true,
@@ -188,4 +188,115 @@ const initialOptions: Config.InitialOptions = {
   workerIdleMemoryLimit: multipleValidOptions(0.2, '50%'),
 };
 
-export default initialOptions;
+export const initialProjectOptions: Config.InitialProjectOptions = {
+  automock: false,
+  cache: true,
+  cacheDirectory: '/tmp/user/jest',
+  clearMocks: false,
+  coveragePathIgnorePatterns: [NODE_MODULES_REGEXP],
+  dependencyExtractor: '<rootDir>/dependencyExtractor.js',
+  detectLeaks: false,
+  detectOpenHandles: false,
+  displayName: multipleValidOptions('test-config', {
+    color: 'blue',
+    name: 'test-config',
+  } as const),
+  errorOnDeprecated: false,
+  extensionsToTreatAsEsm: [],
+  fakeTimers: {
+    advanceTimers: multipleValidOptions(40, true),
+    doNotFake: [
+      'Date',
+      'hrtime',
+      'nextTick',
+      'performance',
+      'queueMicrotask',
+      'requestAnimationFrame',
+      'cancelAnimationFrame',
+      'requestIdleCallback',
+      'cancelIdleCallback',
+      'setImmediate',
+      'clearImmediate',
+      'setInterval',
+      'clearInterval',
+      'setTimeout',
+      'clearTimeout',
+    ],
+    enableGlobally: true,
+    legacyFakeTimers: false,
+    now: 1483228800000,
+    timerLimit: 1000,
+  },
+  filter: '<rootDir>/filter.js',
+  forceCoverageMatch: ['**/*.t.js'],
+  globalSetup: 'setup.js',
+  globalTeardown: 'teardown.js',
+  globals: {__DEV__: true},
+  haste: {
+    computeSha1: true,
+    defaultPlatform: 'ios',
+    enableSymlinks: false,
+    forceNodeFilesystemAPI: true,
+    hasteImplModulePath: '<rootDir>/haste_impl.js',
+    hasteMapModulePath: '',
+    platforms: ['ios', 'android'],
+    retainAllFiles: false,
+    throwOnModuleCollision: false,
+  },
+  id: 'string',
+  injectGlobals: true,
+  moduleDirectories: ['node_modules'],
+  moduleFileExtensions: [
+    'js',
+    'mjs',
+    'cjs',
+    'json',
+    'jsx',
+    'ts',
+    'tsx',
+    'node',
+  ],
+  moduleNameMapper: {
+    '^React$': '<rootDir>/node_modules/react',
+  },
+  modulePathIgnorePatterns: ['<rootDir>/build/'],
+  modulePaths: ['/shared/vendor/modules'],
+  prettierPath: '<rootDir>/node_modules/prettier',
+  resetMocks: false,
+  resetModules: false,
+  resolver: '<rootDir>/resolver.js',
+  restoreMocks: false,
+  rootDir: '/',
+  roots: ['<rootDir>'],
+  runner: 'jest-runner',
+  runtime: '<rootDir>',
+  sandboxInjectedGlobals: [],
+  setupFiles: ['<rootDir>/setup.js'],
+  setupFilesAfterEnv: ['<rootDir>/testSetupFile.js'],
+  skipFilter: false,
+  skipNodeResolution: false,
+  slowTestThreshold: 5,
+  snapshotFormat: PRETTY_FORMAT_DEFAULTS,
+  snapshotResolver: '<rootDir>/snapshotResolver.js',
+  snapshotSerializers: ['my-serializer-module'],
+  testEnvironment: 'jest-environment-node',
+  testEnvironmentOptions: {
+    url: 'http://localhost',
+    userAgent: 'Agent/007',
+  },
+  testLocationInResults: false,
+  testMatch: ['**/__tests__/**/*.[jt]s?(x)', '**/?(*.)+(spec|test).[jt]s?(x)'],
+  testPathIgnorePatterns: [NODE_MODULES_REGEXP],
+  testRegex: multipleValidOptions(
+    '(/__tests__/.*|(\\.|/)(test|spec))\\.[jt]sx?$',
+    ['/__tests__/\\.test\\.[jt]sx?$', '/__tests__/\\.spec\\.[jt]sx?$'],
+  ),
+  testRunner: 'circus',
+  transform: {
+    '\\.js$': '<rootDir>/preprocessor.js',
+  },
+  transformIgnorePatterns: [NODE_MODULES_REGEXP],
+  unmockedModulePathPatterns: ['mock'],
+  watchPathIgnorePatterns: ['<rootDir>/e2e/'],
+  workerIdleMemoryLimit: multipleValidOptions(0.2, '50%'),
+};
diff --git a/packages/jest-config/src/__tests__/normalize.test.ts b/packages/jest-config/src/__tests__/normalize.test.ts
index 9e70d96dd220..31a067d6e181 100644
--- a/packages/jest-config/src/__tests__/normalize.test.ts
+++ b/packages/jest-config/src/__tests__/normalize.test.ts
@@ -101,6 +101,23 @@ it('keeps custom project id based on the projects rootDir', async () => {
   );
 });
 
+it('validation warning occurs when options not for projects is set', async () => {
+  const mockWarn = jest.mocked(console.warn).mockImplementation(() => {});
+  const rootDir = '/root/path/foo';
+  await normalize(
+    {
+      bail: true, // an option not for projects
+      rootDir,
+    },
+    {} as Config.Argv,
+    rootDir,
+    1,
+    true, // isProjectOptions
+  );
+
+  expect(mockWarn).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+});
+
 it('keeps custom ids based on the rootDir', async () => {
   const {options} = await normalize(
     {
diff --git a/packages/jest-config/src/index.ts b/packages/jest-config/src/index.ts
index 8a8142c502be..74585bad5d9b 100644
--- a/packages/jest-config/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/jest-config/src/index.ts
@@ -53,11 +53,16 @@ export async function readConfig(
     },
   );
 
+  const packageRoot =
+    typeof packageRootOrConfig === 'string'
+      ? path.resolve(packageRootOrConfig)
+      : undefined;
   const {options, hasDeprecationWarnings} = await normalize(
     initialOptions,
     argv,
     configPath,
     projectIndex,
+    skipArgvConfigOption && !(packageRoot === parentConfigDirname),
   );
 
   const {globalConfig, projectConfig} = groupOptions(options);
diff --git a/packages/jest-config/src/normalize.ts b/packages/jest-config/src/normalize.ts
index c69dfac5c61c..74d37be0cff0 100644
--- a/packages/jest-config/src/normalize.ts
+++ b/packages/jest-config/src/normalize.ts
@@ -31,7 +31,10 @@ import {ValidationError, validate} from 'jest-validate';
 import DEFAULT_CONFIG from './Defaults';
 import DEPRECATED_CONFIG from './Deprecated';
 import {validateReporters} from './ReporterValidationErrors';
-import VALID_CONFIG from './ValidConfig';
+import {
+  initialOptions as VALID_CONFIG,
+  initialProjectOptions as VALID_PROJECT_CONFIG,
+} from './ValidConfig';
 import {getDisplayNameColor} from './color';
 import {DEFAULT_JS_PATTERN} from './constants';
 import getMaxWorkers from './getMaxWorkers';
@@ -487,6 +490,7 @@ export default async function normalize(
   argv: Config.Argv,
   configPath?: string | null,
   projectIndex = Infinity,
+  isProjectOptions?: boolean,
 ): Promise<{
   hasDeprecationWarnings: boolean;
   options: AllOptions;
@@ -494,7 +498,7 @@ export default async function normalize(
   const {hasDeprecationWarnings} = validate(initialOptions, {
     comment: DOCUMENTATION_NOTE,
     deprecatedConfig: DEPRECATED_CONFIG,
-    exampleConfig: VALID_CONFIG,
+    exampleConfig: isProjectOptions ? VALID_PROJECT_CONFIG : VALID_CONFIG,
     recursiveDenylist: [
       // 'coverageThreshold' allows to use 'global' and glob strings on the same
       // level, there's currently no way we can deal with such config