diff --git a/packages/babel-core/src/config/files/configuration.js b/packages/babel-core/src/config/files/configuration.js
index 551c4057b466..d534ae7ecee6 100644
--- a/packages/babel-core/src/config/files/configuration.js
+++ b/packages/babel-core/src/config/files/configuration.js
@@ -305,10 +305,13 @@ export function* resolveShowConfigPath(
   const targetPath = process.env.BABEL_SHOW_CONFIG_FOR;
   if (targetPath != null) {
     const absolutePath = path.resolve(dirname, targetPath);
-    if (yield* fs.exists(absolutePath)) {
-      return absolutePath;
+    const stats = yield* fs.stat(absolutePath);
+    if (!stats.isFile()) {
+      throw new Error(
+        `${absolutePath}: BABEL_SHOW_CONFIG_FOR must refers to a regular file, directory is not supported.`,
+      );
     }
-    throw new Error(`${absolutePath}: The show config path does not exist.`);
+    return absolutePath;
   }
   return null;
 }
diff --git a/packages/babel-core/src/gensync-utils/fs.js b/packages/babel-core/src/gensync-utils/fs.js
index 6b8f60c7b145..172fa6a9d024 100644
--- a/packages/babel-core/src/gensync-utils/fs.js
+++ b/packages/babel-core/src/gensync-utils/fs.js
@@ -19,3 +19,8 @@ export const exists = gensync<[string], boolean>({
   },
   errback: (path, cb) => fs.access(path, undefined, err => cb(null, !err)),
 });
+
+export const stat = gensync<[string], *>({
+  sync: fs.statSync,
+  errback: fs.stat,
+});