diff --git a/tools/ts-api-guardian/lib/cli.ts b/tools/ts-api-guardian/lib/cli.ts
index 72f6fbcf07..ac26ab4242 100644
--- a/tools/ts-api-guardian/lib/cli.ts
+++ b/tools/ts-api-guardian/lib/cli.ts
@@ -24,9 +24,9 @@ export function startCli() {
   const options: SerializationOptions = {
     stripExportPattern: [].concat(argv['stripExportPattern']),
     allowModuleIdentifiers: [].concat(argv['allowModuleIdentifiers']),
-    exportTags: {required: [], banned: [], toCopy: ['deprecated', 'experimental']},
-    memberTags: {required: [], banned: [], toCopy: ['deprecated', 'experimental']},
-    paramTags: {required: [], banned: [], toCopy: ['deprecated', 'experimental']}
+    exportTags: {required: ['publicApi'], banned: ['experimental'], toCopy: ['deprecated']},
+    memberTags: {required: [], banned: ['experimental', 'publicApi'], toCopy: ['deprecated']},
+    paramTags: {required: [], banned: ['experimental', 'publicApi'], toCopy: ['deprecated']}
   };
 
   for (const error of errors) {
diff --git a/tools/ts-api-guardian/test/fixtures/module_identifier.d.ts b/tools/ts-api-guardian/test/fixtures/module_identifier.d.ts
index fa50910435..f8af6eedf4 100644
--- a/tools/ts-api-guardian/test/fixtures/module_identifier.d.ts
+++ b/tools/ts-api-guardian/test/fixtures/module_identifier.d.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import * as foo from './somewhere';
 
+/** @publicApi */
 export declare class A extends foo.Bar {
 }
diff --git a/tools/ts-api-guardian/test/fixtures/simple.d.ts b/tools/ts-api-guardian/test/fixtures/simple.d.ts
index 191760e7a0..b3c07b7e77 100644
--- a/tools/ts-api-guardian/test/fixtures/simple.d.ts
+++ b/tools/ts-api-guardian/test/fixtures/simple.d.ts
@@ -1,2 +1,4 @@
+/** @publicApi */
 export declare const A: string;
+/** @publicApi */
 export declare var B: string;
diff --git a/tools/ts-api-guardian/test/fixtures/sorting.d.ts b/tools/ts-api-guardian/test/fixtures/sorting.d.ts
index 58b42c6515..59daef5b7b 100644
--- a/tools/ts-api-guardian/test/fixtures/sorting.d.ts
+++ b/tools/ts-api-guardian/test/fixtures/sorting.d.ts
@@ -1,11 +1,17 @@
+/** @publicApi */
 export declare type E = string;
+/** @publicApi */
 export interface D {
     e: number;
 }
+/** @publicApi */
 export declare var e: C;
+/** @publicApi */
 export declare class C {
     e: number;
     d: string;
 }
+/** @publicApi */
 export declare function b(): boolean;
+/** @publicApi */
 export declare const a: string;
diff --git a/tools/ts-api-guardian/test/fixtures/stripped_alias.d.ts b/tools/ts-api-guardian/test/fixtures/stripped_alias.d.ts
index df39a7eb0d..b3ba8b7a40 100644
--- a/tools/ts-api-guardian/test/fixtures/stripped_alias.d.ts
+++ b/tools/ts-api-guardian/test/fixtures/stripped_alias.d.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
 export {original_symbol as __private_symbol} from './stripped_alias_original';
+/** @publicApi */
 export class B {
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tools/ts-api-guardian/test/fixtures/underscored.d.ts b/tools/ts-api-guardian/test/fixtures/underscored.d.ts
index ee6bfd8eab..8ff7249036 100644
--- a/tools/ts-api-guardian/test/fixtures/underscored.d.ts
+++ b/tools/ts-api-guardian/test/fixtures/underscored.d.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
 export const __a__: string;
+/** @publicApi */
 export class B {
 }
diff --git a/tools/ts-api-guardian/test/fixtures/verify_entrypoint.d.ts b/tools/ts-api-guardian/test/fixtures/verify_entrypoint.d.ts
index 07a6c15ae8..6c5d1c5cff 100644
--- a/tools/ts-api-guardian/test/fixtures/verify_entrypoint.d.ts
+++ b/tools/ts-api-guardian/test/fixtures/verify_entrypoint.d.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+/** @publicApi */
 export interface A {
     c: number;
     a(arg: any[]): {[name: string]: number};
diff --git a/tools/ts-api-guardian/test/fixtures/verify_submodule.d.ts b/tools/ts-api-guardian/test/fixtures/verify_submodule.d.ts
index a9f8f857a2..ae7a488d4b 100644
--- a/tools/ts-api-guardian/test/fixtures/verify_submodule.d.ts
+++ b/tools/ts-api-guardian/test/fixtures/verify_submodule.d.ts
@@ -1 +1,2 @@
+/** @publicApi */
 export declare const b: boolean;