diff --git a/common/tools/dev-tool/src/commands/run/testNodeJSInput.ts b/common/tools/dev-tool/src/commands/run/testNodeJSInput.ts
index c10a6014dcb2..25bb8acc8b65 100644
--- a/common/tools/dev-tool/src/commands/run/testNodeJSInput.ts
+++ b/common/tools/dev-tool/src/commands/run/testNodeJSInput.ts
@@ -5,10 +5,11 @@ import { leafCommand, makeCommandInfo } from "../../framework/command";
 
 import concurrently from "concurrently";
 import { createPrinter } from "../../util/printer";
+import { isModuleProject } from "../../util/resolveProject";
 import { runTestsWithProxyTool } from "../../util/testUtils";
 
 export const commandInfo = makeCommandInfo(
-  "test:node-tsx-js",
+  "test:node-js-input",
   "runs the node tests using mocha with the default and the provided options; starts the proxy-tool in record and playback modes",
   {
     "no-test-proxy": {
@@ -17,13 +18,31 @@ export const commandInfo = makeCommandInfo(
       default: false,
       description: "whether to run with test-proxy",
     },
+    "use-esm-workaround": {
+      shortName: "uew",
+      kind: "boolean",
+      default: false,
+      description:
+        "when true, uses the `esm` npm package for tests. Otherwise uses esm4mocha if needed",
+    },
   },
 );
 
 export default leafCommand(commandInfo, async (options) => {
+  const isModule = await isModuleProject();
+  let esmLoaderArgs = "";
+
+  if (isModule === false) {
+    if (options["use-esm-workaround"] === false) {
+      esmLoaderArgs = "--loader=../../../common/tools/esm4mocha.mjs";
+    } else {
+      esmLoaderArgs = "-r ../../../common/tools/esm-workaround -r esm";
+    }
+  }
+
   const reporterArgs =
     "--reporter ../../../common/tools/mocha-multi-reporter.js --reporter-option output=test-results.xml";
-  const defaultMochaArgs = `-r source-map-support/register.js ${reporterArgs} --full-trace`;
+  const defaultMochaArgs = `${esmLoaderArgs} -r source-map-support/register.js ${reporterArgs} --full-trace`;
   const updatedArgs = options["--"]?.map((opt) =>
     opt.includes("**") && !opt.startsWith("'") && !opt.startsWith('"') ? `"${opt}"` : opt,
   );
@@ -31,7 +50,7 @@ export default leafCommand(commandInfo, async (options) => {
     ? updatedArgs.join(" ")
     : '--timeout 5000000 "dist-esm/test/{,!(browser)/**/}/*.spec.js"';
   const command = {
-    command: `c8 mocha --require tsx ${defaultMochaArgs} ${mochaArgs}`,
+    command: `c8 mocha ${defaultMochaArgs} ${mochaArgs}`,
     name: "node-tests",
   };
 
diff --git a/common/tools/dev-tool/src/commands/run/testNodeTSInput.ts b/common/tools/dev-tool/src/commands/run/testNodeTSInput.ts
index f0cf66c2cbce..a7540bd5568f 100644
--- a/common/tools/dev-tool/src/commands/run/testNodeTSInput.ts
+++ b/common/tools/dev-tool/src/commands/run/testNodeTSInput.ts
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ import { runTestsWithProxyTool } from "../../util/testUtils";
 import { createPrinter } from "../../util/printer";
 
 export const commandInfo = makeCommandInfo(
-  "test:node-tsx-ts",
+  "test:node-ts-input",
   "runs the node tests using mocha with the default and the provided options; starts the proxy-tool in record and playback modes",
   {
     "no-test-proxy": {
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ export default leafCommand(commandInfo, async (options) => {
   const reporterArgs =
     "--reporter ../../../common/tools/mocha-multi-reporter.js --reporter-option output=test-results.xml";
   const defaultMochaArgs = `${
-    isModuleProj ? "--loader=ts-node/esm " : ""
+    isModuleProj ? "--loader=ts-node/esm " : "-r esm "
   }-r ts-node/register ${reporterArgs} --full-trace`;
   const updatedArgs = options["--"]?.map((opt) =>
     opt.includes("**") && !opt.startsWith("'") && !opt.startsWith('"') ? `"${opt}"` : opt,