diff --git a/.buildkite/pipelines/pull_request/base.yml b/.buildkite/pipelines/pull_request/base.yml
index 158c22c0bb0c5..9c2527fcdd413 100644
--- a/.buildkite/pipelines/pull_request/base.yml
+++ b/.buildkite/pipelines/pull_request/base.yml
@@ -136,12 +136,13 @@ steps:
         - exit_status: '-1'
           limit: 3
 
-  - command: .buildkite/scripts/steps/check_types.sh
-    label: 'Check Types'
-    agents:
-      queue: n2-16-spot
-    timeout_in_minutes: 60
-    retry:
-      automatic:
-        - exit_status: '-1'
-          limit: 3
+# TODO: Enable in #166813 after fixing types
+#  - command: .buildkite/scripts/steps/check_types.sh
+#    label: 'Check Types'
+#    agents:
+#      queue: n2-16-spot
+#    timeout_in_minutes: 60
+#    retry:
+#      automatic:
+#        - exit_status: '-1'
+#          limit: 3
diff --git a/.buildkite/pipelines/pull_request/type_check.yml b/.buildkite/pipelines/pull_request/type_check.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..dc6f8471ff1b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.buildkite/pipelines/pull_request/type_check.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+steps:
+  - command: .buildkite/scripts/steps/check_types.sh
+    label: 'Check Types'
+    agents:
+      queue: n2-16-spot
+    timeout_in_minutes: 60
+    retry:
+      automatic:
+        - exit_status: '-1'
+          limit: 3
diff --git a/.buildkite/pipelines/pull_request/type_check_selective.yml b/.buildkite/pipelines/pull_request/type_check_selective.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..7d01f128aac3c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.buildkite/pipelines/pull_request/type_check_selective.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+steps:
+  - command: .buildkite/scripts/steps/check_types_commits.sh
+    label: 'Check Types Commit Diff'
+    agents:
+      queue: n2-16-spot
+    timeout_in_minutes: 60
+    retry:
+      automatic:
+        - exit_status: '-1'
+          limit: 3
diff --git a/.buildkite/scripts/pipelines/pull_request/pipeline.ts b/.buildkite/scripts/pipelines/pull_request/pipeline.ts
index 80d1312af6e64..37bd89f2a75a7 100644
--- a/.buildkite/scripts/pipelines/pull_request/pipeline.ts
+++ b/.buildkite/scripts/pipelines/pull_request/pipeline.ts
@@ -59,6 +59,12 @@ const uploadPipeline = (pipelineContent: string | object) => {
       pipeline.push(getPipeline('.buildkite/pipelines/pull_request/kbn_handlebars.yml'));
     }
 
+    if (GITHUB_PR_LABELS.includes('ci:hard-typecheck')) {
+      pipeline.push(getPipeline('.buildkite/pipelines/pull_request/type_check.yml'));
+    } else {
+      pipeline.push(getPipeline('.buildkite/pipelines/pull_request/type_check_selective.yml'));
+    }
+
     if (
       (await doAnyChangesMatch([
         /^src\/plugins\/controls/,
diff --git a/.buildkite/scripts/steps/build_api_docs.sh b/.buildkite/scripts/steps/build_api_docs.sh
index f86032c902d1a..ba1c2ec7ec94d 100755
--- a/.buildkite/scripts/steps/build_api_docs.sh
+++ b/.buildkite/scripts/steps/build_api_docs.sh
@@ -4,8 +4,9 @@ set -euo pipefail
 
 .buildkite/scripts/bootstrap.sh
 
-echo "--- Run scripts/type_check to ensure that all build available"
-node scripts/type_check
+# TODO: Enable in #166813 after fixing types
+# echo "--- Run scripts/type_check to ensure that all build available"
+# node scripts/type_check
 
 echo "--- Build API Docs"
 node --max-old-space-size=12000 scripts/build_api_docs
diff --git a/.buildkite/scripts/steps/check_types_commits.sh b/.buildkite/scripts/steps/check_types_commits.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..0b76d3d8e089a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.buildkite/scripts/steps/check_types_commits.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,114 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+
+if [[ "${CI-}" == "true" ]]; then
+  .buildkite/scripts/bootstrap.sh
+  
+  sha1="${GITHUB_PR_TARGET_BRANCH-}"
+  sha2="${GITHUB_PR_TRIGGERED_SHA-}"
+else
+  # Script take between 0 and 2 arguments representing two commit SHA's:
+  # If 0, it will diff HEAD and HEAD^
+  # If 1 (SHA1), it will diff SHA1 and SHA1^
+  # If 2 (SHA1, SHA2), it will diff SHA1 and SHA2
+  sha1="${1-HEAD}"
+  sha2="${2-$sha1^}"
+fi
+
+uniq_dirs=()
+uniq_tsconfigs=()
+
+echo "Detecting files changed between $sha1 and $sha2..."
+
+files=($(git diff --name-only $sha1 $sha2))
+
+add_dir () {
+  new_dir=$1
+
+  if [ ${#uniq_dirs[@]} -gt 0 ]; then
+    for dir in "${uniq_dirs[@]}"
+    do
+      if [[ "$new_dir" == "$dir" ]]; then
+        return
+      fi
+    done
+  fi
+
+  uniq_dirs+=($new_dir)
+}
+
+add_tsconfig () {
+  new_tsconfig=$1
+
+  if [ ${#uniq_tsconfigs[@]} -gt 0 ]; then
+    for tsconfig in "${uniq_tsconfigs[@]}"
+    do
+      if [[ "$new_tsconfig" == "$tsconfig" ]]; then
+        return
+      fi
+    done
+  fi
+
+  echo "  $new_tsconfig"
+  uniq_tsconfigs+=($new_tsconfig)
+}
+
+contains_tsconfig () {
+  dir=$1
+  tsconfig="$dir/tsconfig.json"
+  if [ -f "$tsconfig" ]; then
+    true
+  else
+    false
+  fi
+}
+
+find_tsconfig () {
+  dir=$1
+
+  if [[ "$dir" == "." ]]; then
+    return
+  fi
+
+  if contains_tsconfig $dir; then
+    add_tsconfig "$dir/tsconfig.json"
+  else
+    find_tsconfig $(dirname -- "$dir")
+  fi
+}
+
+if [ ${#files[@]} -eq 0 ]; then
+  echo "No files found!"
+  exit
+fi
+
+for file in "${files[@]}"
+do
+  dir=$(dirname -- "$file")
+
+  # Ignore buildkite dir because it traverses many kbn packages and emits incorrect results
+  if [[ "$dir" != .buildkite* ]]; then
+    add_dir $dir
+  fi
+done
+
+echo "Looking for related tsconfig.json files..."
+
+for dir in "${uniq_dirs[@]}"
+do
+  find_tsconfig $dir
+done
+
+if [ ${#uniq_tsconfigs[@]} -eq 0 ]; then
+  echo "No tsconfig.json files found for changes in $sha1 $sha2"
+  exit
+fi
+
+echo "Running scripts/type_check for each found tsconfig.json file..."
+
+for tsconfig in "${uniq_tsconfigs[@]}"
+do
+  node scripts/type_check --project $tsconfig
+done
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 54123db6f2eb7..2749e9b2143c4 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -66,7 +66,8 @@
     "test:ftr:runner": "node scripts/functional_test_runner",
     "test:ftr:server": "node scripts/functional_tests_server",
     "test:jest": "node scripts/jest",
-    "test:jest_integration": "node scripts/jest_integration"
+    "test:jest_integration": "node scripts/jest_integration",
+    "test:type_check": "node scripts/type_check"
   },
   "repository": {
     "type": "git",
diff --git a/packages/kbn-dev-proc-runner/src/proc.ts b/packages/kbn-dev-proc-runner/src/proc.ts
index d30a893ae4c75..472d43d66e70d 100644
--- a/packages/kbn-dev-proc-runner/src/proc.ts
+++ b/packages/kbn-dev-proc-runner/src/proc.ts
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ import stripAnsi from 'strip-ansi';
 
 import execa from 'execa';
 import * as Rx from 'rxjs';
-import { tap, share, take, mergeMap, map, ignoreElements } from 'rxjs/operators';
+import { tap, share, take, mergeMap, map, ignoreElements, filter } from 'rxjs/operators';
 import chalk from 'chalk';
 import treeKill from 'tree-kill';
 import { ToolingLog } from '@kbn/tooling-log';
@@ -87,13 +87,23 @@ export function startProc(name: string, options: ProcOptions, log: ToolingLog) {
 
   const outcome$: Rx.Observable<number | null> = Rx.race(
     // observe first exit event
-    Rx.fromEvent<[number]>(childProcess, 'exit').pipe(
+    Rx.fromEvent<[number, string]>(childProcess, 'exit').pipe(
+      filter(([code]) => {
+        if (stopCalled) {
+          // when stop was already called, that's a graceful exit, let those events pass.
+          return true;
+        } else {
+          // filtering out further interruption events to prevent `take()` from closing the stream.
+          return code !== null;
+        }
+      }),
       take(1),
       map(([code]) => {
         if (stopCalled) {
           return null;
         }
-        // JVM exits with 143 on SIGTERM and 130 on SIGINT, dont' treat then as errors
+
+        // JVM exits with 143 on SIGTERM and 130 on SIGINT, don't treat them as errors
         if (code > 0 && !(code === 143 || code === 130)) {
           throw createFailError(`[${name}] exited with code ${code}`, {
             exitCode: code,
@@ -108,6 +118,12 @@ export function startProc(name: string, options: ProcOptions, log: ToolingLog) {
     Rx.fromEvent(childProcess, 'error').pipe(
       take(1),
       mergeMap((err) => Rx.throwError(err))
+    ),
+
+    // observe a promise rejection
+    Rx.from(childProcess).pipe(
+      take(1),
+      mergeMap((err) => Rx.throwError(err))
     )
   ).pipe(share());
 
@@ -132,7 +148,7 @@ export function startProc(name: string, options: ProcOptions, log: ToolingLog) {
     share()
   );
 
-  const outcomePromise = Rx.merge(lines$.pipe(ignoreElements()), outcome$).toPromise();
+  const outcomePromise = Rx.firstValueFrom(Rx.merge(lines$.pipe(ignoreElements()), outcome$));
 
   async function stop(signal: NodeJS.Signals) {
     if (stopCalled) {
diff --git a/packages/kbn-dev-proc-runner/src/proc_runner.ts b/packages/kbn-dev-proc-runner/src/proc_runner.ts
index 1226cbeb3eef1..510a96dc043be 100644
--- a/packages/kbn-dev-proc-runner/src/proc_runner.ts
+++ b/packages/kbn-dev-proc-runner/src/proc_runner.ts
@@ -135,6 +135,9 @@ export class ProcRunner {
         // wait for process to complete
         await proc.outcomePromise;
       }
+    } catch (e) {
+      this.log.error(e);
+      throw e;
     } finally {
       // while the procRunner closes promises will resolve/reject because
       // processes and stopping, but consumers of run() shouldn't have to
diff --git a/packages/kbn-ts-type-check-cli/run_type_check_cli.ts b/packages/kbn-ts-type-check-cli/run_type_check_cli.ts
index 0295525578952..3f4385118c9c6 100644
--- a/packages/kbn-ts-type-check-cli/run_type_check_cli.ts
+++ b/packages/kbn-ts-type-check-cli/run_type_check_cli.ts
@@ -124,6 +124,9 @@ run(
           '--pretty',
           ...(flagsReader.boolean('verbose') ? ['--verbose'] : []),
         ],
+        env: {
+          NODE_OPTIONS: '--max-old-space-size=8192',
+        },
         cwd: REPO_ROOT,
         wait: true,
       });