Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communications are described. A first user equipment (UE) may communicate with a base station to measure cross-link interference (CLI) from an aggressor UE. The first UE may receive a CLI measurement configuration which provides a CLI measurement resource for the first UE to use for measurement of CLI from an aggressor UE. The first UE may select, based on a selection priority, a reference cell for estimation of a CLI measurement resource timing. The first may determine a reference cell timing based on a reference signal of the reference cell, and the first UE may estimate the CLI measurement resource timing based on the reference cell timing. The first UE may measure CLI from the aggressor UE in accordance with the CLI measurement resource timing.