diff --git a/packages/compiler-cli/test/ngtsc/local_compilation_spec.ts b/packages/compiler-cli/test/ngtsc/local_compilation_spec.ts
index 8e2201a79b6..2a8084e797c 100644
--- a/packages/compiler-cli/test/ngtsc/local_compilation_spec.ts
+++ b/packages/compiler-cli/test/ngtsc/local_compilation_spec.ts
@@ -562,5 +562,55 @@ runInEachFileSystem(() => {
            expect(text).toContain('either inline it or move it to a separate file');
          });
     });
+
+    describe('ng module bootstrap def', () => {
+      it('should include the bootstrap definition in ɵɵsetNgModuleScope instead of ɵɵdefineNgModule',
+         () => {
+           env.write('test.ts', `
+        import {NgModule} from '@angular/core';
+        import {App} from './some-where';
+
+        @NgModule({
+          declarations: [App],
+          bootstrap: [App],
+        })
+        export class AppModule {
+        }
+        `);
+
+           env.driveMain();
+           const jsContents = env.getContents('test.js');
+
+           expect(jsContents)
+               .toContain(
+                   'AppModule.ɵmod = /*@__PURE__*/ i0.ɵɵdefineNgModule({ type: AppModule });');
+           expect(jsContents)
+               .toContain(
+                   'ɵɵsetNgModuleScope(AppModule, { declarations: [App], bootstrap: [App] }); })();');
+         });
+
+      it('should include no bootstrap definition in ɵɵsetNgModuleScope if the NgModule has no bootstrap field',
+         () => {
+           env.write('test.ts', `
+        import {NgModule} from '@angular/core';
+        import {App} from './some-where';
+
+        @NgModule({
+          declarations: [App],
+        })
+        export class AppModule {
+        }
+        `);
+
+           env.driveMain();
+           const jsContents = env.getContents('test.js');
+
+           expect(jsContents)
+               .toContain(
+                   'AppModule.ɵmod = /*@__PURE__*/ i0.ɵɵdefineNgModule({ type: AppModule });');
+           expect(jsContents)
+               .toContain('ɵɵsetNgModuleScope(AppModule, { declarations: [App] }); })();');
+         });
+    });
   });
 });
diff --git a/packages/compiler/src/render3/r3_module_compiler.ts b/packages/compiler/src/render3/r3_module_compiler.ts
index 9471c16efec..a1485cb30dd 100644
--- a/packages/compiler/src/render3/r3_module_compiler.ts
+++ b/packages/compiler/src/render3/r3_module_compiler.ts
@@ -204,15 +204,11 @@ export function compileNgModule(meta: R3NgModuleMetadata): R3CompiledExpression
   const definitionMap = new DefinitionMap<R3NgModuleDefMap>();
   definitionMap.set('type', meta.type.value);
 
-  // Assign bootstrap definition
-  if (meta.kind === R3NgModuleMetadataKind.Global) {
-    if (meta.bootstrap.length > 0) {
-      definitionMap.set('bootstrap', refsToArray(meta.bootstrap, meta.containsForwardDecls));
-    }
-  } else {
-    if (meta.bootstrapExpression) {
-      definitionMap.set('bootstrap', meta.bootstrapExpression);
-    }
+  // Assign bootstrap definition. In local compilation mode (i.e., for
+  // `R3NgModuleMetadataKind.LOCAL`) we assign the bootstrap field using the runtime
+  // `ɵɵsetNgModuleScope`.
+  if (meta.kind === R3NgModuleMetadataKind.Global && meta.bootstrap.length > 0) {
+    definitionMap.set('bootstrap', refsToArray(meta.bootstrap, meta.containsForwardDecls));
   }
 
   if (meta.selectorScopeMode === R3SelectorScopeMode.Inline) {
@@ -321,8 +317,12 @@ export function createNgModuleType(meta: R3NgModuleMetadata): o.ExpressionType {
  * symbols to become tree-shakeable.
  */
 function generateSetNgModuleScopeCall(meta: R3NgModuleMetadata): o.Statement|null {
-  const scopeMap = new DefinitionMap<
-      {declarations: o.Expression, imports: o.Expression, exports: o.Expression}>();
+  const scopeMap = new DefinitionMap<{
+    declarations: o.Expression,
+    imports: o.Expression,
+    exports: o.Expression,
+    bootstrap: o.Expression
+  }>();
 
   if (meta.kind === R3NgModuleMetadataKind.Global) {
     if (meta.declarations.length > 0) {
@@ -354,6 +354,10 @@ function generateSetNgModuleScopeCall(meta: R3NgModuleMetadata): o.Statement|nul
     }
   }
 
+  if (meta.kind === R3NgModuleMetadataKind.Local && meta.bootstrapExpression) {
+    scopeMap.set('bootstrap', meta.bootstrapExpression);
+  }
+
   if (Object.keys(scopeMap.values).length === 0) {
     return null;
   }