diff --git a/goldens/public-api/angular_devkit/core/index.api.md b/goldens/public-api/angular_devkit/core/index.api.md
index fe8b609ccf68..802ed4569719 100644
--- a/goldens/public-api/angular_devkit/core/index.api.md
+++ b/goldens/public-api/angular_devkit/core/index.api.md
@@ -18,6 +18,9 @@ import { ValidateFunction } from 'ajv';
 // @public (undocumented)
 function addUndefinedDefaults(value: JsonValue, _pointer: JsonPointer, schema?: JsonSchema): JsonValue;
 
+// @public (undocumented)
+function addUndefinedObjectDefaults(value: JsonValue, _pointer: JsonPointer, schema?: JsonSchema): JsonValue;
+
 // @public
 class AliasHost<StatsT extends object = {}> extends ResolverHost<StatsT> {
     // (undocumented)
@@ -1297,6 +1300,7 @@ class TransformLogger extends Logger {
 
 declare namespace transforms {
     export {
+        addUndefinedObjectDefaults,
         addUndefinedDefaults
     }
 }
diff --git a/modules/testing/builder/src/builder-harness.ts b/modules/testing/builder/src/builder-harness.ts
index 9fdca970a277..ecee882739d8 100644
--- a/modules/testing/builder/src/builder-harness.ts
+++ b/modules/testing/builder/src/builder-harness.ts
@@ -104,7 +104,11 @@ export class BuilderHarness<T> {
       ...builderInfo,
     };
 
-    this.schemaRegistry.addPostTransform(json.schema.transforms.addUndefinedDefaults);
+    if (builderInfo?.builderName?.startsWith('@angular/build:')) {
+      this.schemaRegistry.addPostTransform(json.schema.transforms.addUndefinedObjectDefaults);
+    } else {
+      this.schemaRegistry.addPostTransform(json.schema.transforms.addUndefinedDefaults);
+    }
   }
 
   private resolvePath(path: string): string {
diff --git a/packages/angular/build/src/builders/application/tests/setup.ts b/packages/angular/build/src/builders/application/tests/setup.ts
index 93a5cda2a1df..ca8a54a0bf31 100644
--- a/packages/angular/build/src/builders/application/tests/setup.ts
+++ b/packages/angular/build/src/builders/application/tests/setup.ts
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ import { Schema } from '../schema';
 export * from '../../../../../../../modules/testing/builder/src';
 
 export const APPLICATION_BUILDER_INFO = Object.freeze({
-  name: '@angular-devkit/build-angular:application',
+  name: '@angular/build:application',
   schemaPath: __dirname + '/../schema.json',
 });
 
diff --git a/packages/angular/cli/src/command-builder/architect-base-command-module.ts b/packages/angular/cli/src/command-builder/architect-base-command-module.ts
index 9ce2230fd5ee..566e0e62b209 100644
--- a/packages/angular/cli/src/command-builder/architect-base-command-module.ts
+++ b/packages/angular/cli/src/command-builder/architect-base-command-module.ts
@@ -52,10 +52,16 @@ export abstract class ArchitectBaseCommandModule<T extends object>
       return this.onMissingTarget(e.message);
     }
 
+    const isAngularBuild = builderName.startsWith('@angular/build:');
+
     const { logger } = this.context;
-    const run = await this.getArchitect().scheduleTarget(target, options as json.JsonObject, {
-      logger,
-    });
+    const run = await this.getArchitect(isAngularBuild).scheduleTarget(
+      target,
+      options as json.JsonObject,
+      {
+        logger,
+      },
+    );
 
     const analytics = isPackageNameSafeForAnalytics(builderName)
       ? await this.getAnalytics()
@@ -150,13 +156,17 @@ export abstract class ArchitectBaseCommandModule<T extends object>
   }
 
   private _architect: Architect | undefined;
-  protected getArchitect(): Architect {
+  protected getArchitect(skipUndefinedArrayTransform: boolean): Architect {
     if (this._architect) {
       return this._architect;
     }
 
     const registry = new json.schema.CoreSchemaRegistry();
-    registry.addPostTransform(json.schema.transforms.addUndefinedDefaults);
+    if (skipUndefinedArrayTransform) {
+      registry.addPostTransform(json.schema.transforms.addUndefinedObjectDefaults);
+    } else {
+      registry.addPostTransform(json.schema.transforms.addUndefinedDefaults);
+    }
     registry.useXDeprecatedProvider((msg) => this.context.logger.warn(msg));
 
     const architectHost = this.getArchitectHost();
diff --git a/packages/angular_devkit/core/src/json/schema/transforms.ts b/packages/angular_devkit/core/src/json/schema/transforms.ts
index d5052a60a966..1c97b7d1e9cc 100644
--- a/packages/angular_devkit/core/src/json/schema/transforms.ts
+++ b/packages/angular_devkit/core/src/json/schema/transforms.ts
@@ -11,10 +11,27 @@ import { JsonPointer } from './interface';
 import { JsonSchema } from './schema';
 import { getTypesOfSchema } from './utility';
 
+export function addUndefinedObjectDefaults(
+  value: JsonValue,
+  _pointer: JsonPointer,
+  schema?: JsonSchema,
+): JsonValue {
+  return transformUndefined(value, _pointer, schema, true);
+}
+
 export function addUndefinedDefaults(
   value: JsonValue,
   _pointer: JsonPointer,
   schema?: JsonSchema,
+): JsonValue {
+  return transformUndefined(value, _pointer, schema, false);
+}
+
+function transformUndefined(
+  value: JsonValue,
+  _pointer: JsonPointer,
+  schema?: JsonSchema,
+  onlyObjects?: boolean,
 ): JsonValue {
   if (typeof schema === 'boolean' || schema === undefined) {
     return value;
@@ -45,7 +62,7 @@ export function addUndefinedDefaults(
     return value;
   }
 
-  if (type === 'array') {
+  if (!onlyObjects && type === 'array') {
     return value == undefined ? [] : value;
   }
 
@@ -94,7 +111,7 @@ export function addUndefinedDefaults(
           });
 
         if (adjustedSchema && isJsonObject(adjustedSchema)) {
-          newValue[propName] = addUndefinedDefaults(value, _pointer, adjustedSchema);
+          newValue[propName] = transformUndefined(value, _pointer, adjustedSchema, onlyObjects);
         }
       }
     }