diff --git a/internal-packages/billing/src/index.ts b/internal-packages/billing/src/index.ts
index 321609445dc..3d38bb25f66 100644
--- a/internal-packages/billing/src/index.ts
+++ b/internal-packages/billing/src/index.ts
@@ -103,8 +103,11 @@ export class LazyController implements BillingController {
     const code = (error as NodeJS.ErrnoException | undefined)?.code;
     const message = error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error);
     const isModuleNotFound = code === "ERR_MODULE_NOT_FOUND" || code === "MODULE_NOT_FOUND";
+    const isPluginItselfMissing =
+      isModuleNotFound &&
+      (message.includes(MODULE_NAME) || message.includes("'@triggerdotdev/plugins'"));
 
-    if (!isModuleNotFound || !message.includes(MODULE_NAME)) {
+    if (!isPluginItselfMissing) {
       console.error(
         "Billing: plugin found but failed to load; falling back to default implementation",
         error
diff --git a/internal-packages/billing/src/loader.test.ts b/internal-packages/billing/src/loader.test.ts
index 4aeb7c4b9e7..b620afd7f93 100644
--- a/internal-packages/billing/src/loader.test.ts
+++ b/internal-packages/billing/src/loader.test.ts
@@ -130,16 +130,34 @@ describe("billing loader", () => {
   });
 
   it("falls back when the plugin is not installed", async () => {
-    const controller = new LazyController({
-      importer: async () => {
-        throw moduleNotFound("@triggerdotdev/plugins/billing");
-      },
-    });
+    const consoleError = vi.spyOn(console, "error").mockImplementation(() => {});
+    try {
+      const controller = new LazyController({
+        importer: async () => {
+          throw moduleNotFound("@triggerdotdev/plugins/billing");
+        },
+      });
 
-    await expect(controller.isUsingPlugin()).resolves.toBe(false);
+      await expect(controller.isUsingPlugin()).resolves.toBe(false);
 
-    const result = await controller.provisionCustomer({ organizationId: "org_1", name: "Acme" });
-    expect(result._unsafeUnwrapErr()).toBe("feature_disabled");
+      const result = await controller.provisionCustomer({ organizationId: "org_1", name: "Acme" });
+      expect(result._unsafeUnwrapErr()).toBe("feature_disabled");
+      expect(consoleError).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+
+      const barePkgController = new LazyController({
+        importer: async () => {
+          const error: NodeJS.ErrnoException = new Error(
+            "Cannot find package '@triggerdotdev/plugins' imported from /triggerdotdev/apps/webapp/build/server/index.js"
+          );
+          error.code = "ERR_MODULE_NOT_FOUND";
+          throw error;
+        },
+      });
+      await expect(barePkgController.isUsingPlugin()).resolves.toBe(false);
+      expect(consoleError).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    } finally {
+      consoleError.mockRestore();
+    }
   });
 
   it("falls back loudly when the plugin is present but fails to initialise", async () => {
diff --git a/internal-packages/rbac/src/index.ts b/internal-packages/rbac/src/index.ts
index cf46c5d0907..969cbf859b8 100644
--- a/internal-packages/rbac/src/index.ts
+++ b/internal-packages/rbac/src/index.ts
@@ -194,7 +194,9 @@ class LazyController implements RoleBaseAccessController {
       const code = (err as NodeJS.ErrnoException | undefined)?.code;
       const message = err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err);
       const isModuleNotFound = code === "ERR_MODULE_NOT_FOUND" || code === "MODULE_NOT_FOUND";
-      const isPluginItselfMissing = isModuleNotFound && message.includes(moduleName);
+      const isPluginItselfMissing =
+        isModuleNotFound &&
+        (message.includes(moduleName) || message.includes("'@triggerdotdev/plugins'"));
 
       if (!isPluginItselfMissing) {
         // Either the error wasn't a missing-module error at all, or the
diff --git a/internal-packages/rbac/src/require-plugins.test.ts b/internal-packages/rbac/src/require-plugins.test.ts
index 0b81674f536..56e9a4a4581 100644
--- a/internal-packages/rbac/src/require-plugins.test.ts
+++ b/internal-packages/rbac/src/require-plugins.test.ts
@@ -20,8 +20,15 @@ describe("LazyController plugin loading", () => {
 
   it("falls back silently when REQUIRE_PLUGINS is unset and the plugin is missing", async () => {
     vi.stubEnv("REQUIRE_PLUGINS", "");
-    const controller = loader.create(prismaPlaceholder);
-    await expect(controller.isUsingPlugin()).resolves.toBe(false);
+    vi.stubEnv("RBAC_LOG_FALLBACK", "");
+    const errorSpy = vi.spyOn(console, "error").mockImplementation(() => {});
+    try {
+      const controller = loader.create(prismaPlaceholder);
+      await expect(controller.isUsingPlugin()).resolves.toBe(false);
+      expect(errorSpy).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    } finally {
+      errorSpy.mockRestore();
+    }
   });
 
   it("throws when REQUIRE_PLUGINS=1 and the plugin is missing", async () => {
diff --git a/internal-packages/sso/src/index.ts b/internal-packages/sso/src/index.ts
index b4c27e70263..101a44d8bf3 100644
--- a/internal-packages/sso/src/index.ts
+++ b/internal-packages/sso/src/index.ts
@@ -82,7 +82,9 @@ export class LazyController implements SsoController {
       const code = (err as NodeJS.ErrnoException | undefined)?.code;
       const message = err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err);
       const isModuleNotFound = code === "ERR_MODULE_NOT_FOUND" || code === "MODULE_NOT_FOUND";
-      const isPluginItselfMissing = isModuleNotFound && message.includes(moduleName);
+      const isPluginItselfMissing =
+        isModuleNotFound &&
+        (message.includes(moduleName) || message.includes("'@triggerdotdev/plugins'"));
 
       if (!isPluginItselfMissing) {
         console.error(
diff --git a/internal-packages/sso/src/loader.test.ts b/internal-packages/sso/src/loader.test.ts
index d5e75b4d59d..1f747fe4b23 100644
--- a/internal-packages/sso/src/loader.test.ts
+++ b/internal-packages/sso/src/loader.test.ts
@@ -167,6 +167,31 @@ describe("SSO LazyController", () => {
       }
     });
 
+    it("stays silent when Node ESM reports the missing bare package '@triggerdotdev/plugins'", async () => {
+      const previous = process.env.SSO_LOG_FALLBACK;
+      delete process.env.SSO_LOG_FALLBACK;
+      const importer = vi.fn(async () => {
+        const err = Object.assign(
+          new Error(
+            "Cannot find package '@triggerdotdev/plugins' imported from /triggerdotdev/apps/webapp/build/server/index.js"
+          ),
+          { code: "ERR_MODULE_NOT_FOUND" }
+        );
+        throw err;
+      });
+      const errorSpy = vi.spyOn(console, "error").mockImplementation(() => undefined);
+
+      try {
+        const controller = new LazyController(fakePrisma, { importer });
+        expect(await controller.isUsingPlugin()).toBe(false);
+        expect(errorSpy).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+      } finally {
+        errorSpy.mockRestore();
+        if (previous === undefined) delete process.env.SSO_LOG_FALLBACK;
+        else process.env.SSO_LOG_FALLBACK = previous;
+      }
+    });
+
     it("logs an info line when SSO_LOG_FALLBACK=1", async () => {
       const previous = process.env.SSO_LOG_FALLBACK;
       process.env.SSO_LOG_FALLBACK = "1";