diff --git a/configure.py b/configure.py
index e98801f2279f6b..eb60e3ab99ec63 100755
--- a/configure.py
+++ b/configure.py
@@ -641,6 +641,12 @@
     default=False,
     help='node will load builtin modules from disk instead of from binary')
 
+parser.add_option('--default-package-type',
+    action='store',
+    dest='node_default_package_type',
+    default=False,
+    help='node will treat files outside of package boundaries as this type')
+
 # Create compile_commands.json in out/Debug and out/Release.
 parser.add_option('-C',
     action='store_true',
@@ -1185,6 +1191,11 @@ def configure_node(o):
     print('Warning! Loading builtin modules from disk is for development')
     o['variables']['node_builtin_modules_path'] = options.node_builtin_modules_path
 
+  if options.node_default_package_type:
+    if not ( options.node_default_package_type in ['module', 'commonjs'] ):
+      raise Exception('--default-package-type must be either "module" or "commonjs"');
+    o['variables']['node_default_package_type'] = options.node_default_package_type
+
 def configure_napi(output):
   version = getnapibuildversion.get_napi_version()
   output['variables']['napi_build_version'] = version
diff --git a/lib/internal/modules/esm/get_format.js b/lib/internal/modules/esm/get_format.js
index 616b2cf52309ea..951a12f5e83c6b 100644
--- a/lib/internal/modules/esm/get_format.js
+++ b/lib/internal/modules/esm/get_format.js
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ const experimentalWasmModules = getOptionValue('--experimental-wasm-modules');
 const { getPackageType } = require('internal/modules/esm/resolve');
 const { URL, fileURLToPath } = require('internal/url');
 const { ERR_UNKNOWN_FILE_EXTENSION } = require('internal/errors').codes;
+const { defaultPackageType } = internalBinding('config');
 
 const extensionFormatMap = {
   '__proto__': null,
@@ -51,7 +52,8 @@ function defaultGetFormat(url, context, defaultGetFormatUnused) {
     const ext = extname(parsed.pathname);
     let format;
     if (ext === '.js') {
-      format = getPackageType(parsed.href) === 'module' ? 'module' : 'commonjs';
+      const type = getPackageType(parsed.href);
+      format = type !== 'none' ? type : defaultPackageType;
     } else {
       format = extensionFormatMap[ext];
     }
diff --git a/lib/internal/modules/run_main.js b/lib/internal/modules/run_main.js
index 5f8b1f53d33768..f3b6cad32d0285 100644
--- a/lib/internal/modules/run_main.js
+++ b/lib/internal/modules/run_main.js
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ const CJSLoader = require('internal/modules/cjs/loader');
 const { Module, toRealPath, readPackageScope } = CJSLoader;
 const { getOptionValue } = require('internal/options');
 const path = require('path');
+const { defaultPackageType } = internalBinding('config');
 
 function resolveMainPath(main) {
   // Note extension resolution for the main entry point can be deprecated in a
@@ -33,8 +34,11 @@ function shouldUseESMLoader(mainPath) {
     return true;
   if (!mainPath || mainPath.endsWith('.cjs'))
     return false;
-  const pkg = readPackageScope(mainPath);
-  return pkg && pkg.data.type === 'module';
+  const pkgType = readPackageScope(mainPath)?.data?.type ?? 'none';
+  return pkgType === 'module' || (
+    pkgType === 'none' &&
+    defaultPackageType === 'module'
+  );
 }
 
 function runMainESM(mainPath) {
diff --git a/node.gyp b/node.gyp
index c8e7387c2a8cf1..a56770971b300b 100644
--- a/node.gyp
+++ b/node.gyp
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@
     'node_lib_target_name%': 'libnode',
     'node_intermediate_lib_type%': 'static_library',
     'node_builtin_modules_path%': '',
+    'node_default_package_type%': '',
     'library_files': [
       'lib/internal/bootstrap/environment.js',
       'lib/internal/bootstrap/loaders.js',
@@ -748,6 +749,9 @@
         [ 'node_builtin_modules_path!=""', {
           'defines': [ 'NODE_BUILTIN_MODULES_PATH="<(node_builtin_modules_path)"' ]
         }],
+        [ 'node_default_package_type!=""', {
+          'defines': [ 'NODE_DEFAULT_PACKAGE_TYPE="<(node_default_package_type)"' ]
+        }],
         [ 'node_shared=="true"', {
           'sources': [
             'src/node_snapshot_stub.cc',
diff --git a/src/node_config.cc b/src/node_config.cc
index 6ee3164a134fe8..06e94f87a05d02 100644
--- a/src/node_config.cc
+++ b/src/node_config.cc
@@ -85,6 +85,16 @@ static void Initialize(Local<Object> target,
   READONLY_TRUE_PROPERTY(target, "hasDtrace");
 #endif
 
+#if defined NODE_DEFAULT_PACKAGE_TYPE
+  READONLY_PROPERTY(target,
+                    "defaultPackageType",
+                    FIXED_ONE_BYTE_STRING(isolate, NODE_DEFAULT_PACKAGE_TYPE));
+#else
+  READONLY_PROPERTY(target,
+                    "defaultPackageType",
+                    FIXED_ONE_BYTE_STRING(isolate, "commonjs"));
+#endif
+
   READONLY_PROPERTY(target, "hasCachedBuiltins",
      v8::Boolean::New(isolate, native_module::has_code_cache));
 }  // InitConfig