diff --git a/lib/internal/modules/cjs/loader.js b/lib/internal/modules/cjs/loader.js
index 02a07222746dfd..7a94f7fb9c53e8 100644
--- a/lib/internal/modules/cjs/loader.js
+++ b/lib/internal/modules/cjs/loader.js
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ const {
   ArrayPrototypeIncludes,
   ArrayPrototypeIndexOf,
   ArrayPrototypeJoin,
+  ArrayPrototypeMap,
   ArrayPrototypePush,
   ArrayPrototypeSlice,
   ArrayPrototypeSplice,
@@ -191,7 +192,13 @@ function updateChildren(parent, child, scan) {
 
 function reportModuleToWatchMode(filename) {
   if (shouldReportRequiredModules && process.send) {
-    process.send({ 'watch:require': filename });
+    process.send({ 'watch:require': [filename] });
+  }
+}
+
+function reportModuleNotFoundToWatchMode(basePath, extensions) {
+  if (shouldReportRequiredModules && process.send) {
+    process.send({ 'watch:require': ArrayPrototypeMap(extensions, (ext) => path.resolve(`${basePath}${ext}`)) });
   }
 }
 
@@ -648,6 +655,7 @@ Module._findPath = function(request, paths, isMain) {
       Module._pathCache[cacheKey] = filename;
       return filename;
     }
+    reportModuleNotFoundToWatchMode(basePath, exts);
   }
 
   return false;
diff --git a/lib/internal/modules/esm/loader.js b/lib/internal/modules/esm/loader.js
index 0f23d48084abe8..a356272c98b614 100644
--- a/lib/internal/modules/esm/loader.js
+++ b/lib/internal/modules/esm/loader.js
@@ -463,7 +463,7 @@ class ESMLoader {
     );
 
     if (process.env.WATCH_REPORT_DEPENDENCIES && process.send) {
-      process.send({ 'watch:import': url });
+      process.send({ 'watch:import': [url] });
     }
 
     const job = new ModuleJob(
diff --git a/lib/internal/modules/esm/resolve.js b/lib/internal/modules/esm/resolve.js
index 0b3414535ba3ee..917fee6430060a 100644
--- a/lib/internal/modules/esm/resolve.js
+++ b/lib/internal/modules/esm/resolve.js
@@ -254,6 +254,9 @@ function finalizeResolution(resolved, base, preserveSymlinks) {
     err.url = String(resolved);
     throw err;
   } else if (!stats.isFile()) {
+    if (process.env.WATCH_REPORT_DEPENDENCIES && process.send) {
+      process.send({ 'watch:require': [path || resolved.pathname] });
+    }
     throw new ERR_MODULE_NOT_FOUND(
       path || resolved.pathname, base && fileURLToPath(base), 'module');
   }
diff --git a/lib/internal/watch_mode/files_watcher.js b/lib/internal/watch_mode/files_watcher.js
index 6c6c0f27fd8f8d..f2141051fceaf4 100644
--- a/lib/internal/watch_mode/files_watcher.js
+++ b/lib/internal/watch_mode/files_watcher.js
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 'use strict';
 
 const {
+  ArrayIsArray,
+  ArrayPrototypeForEach,
   SafeMap,
   SafeSet,
   StringPrototypeStartsWith,
@@ -94,6 +96,7 @@ class FilesWatcher extends EventEmitter {
   }
 
   filterFile(file) {
+    if (!file) return;
     if (supportsRecursiveWatching) {
       this.watchPath(dirname(file));
     } else {
@@ -109,11 +112,11 @@ class FilesWatcher extends EventEmitter {
     }
     child.on('message', (message) => {
       try {
-        if (message['watch:require']) {
-          this.filterFile(message['watch:require']);
+        if (ArrayIsArray(message['watch:require'])) {
+          ArrayPrototypeForEach(message['watch:require'], (file) => this.filterFile(file));
         }
-        if (message['watch:import']) {
-          this.filterFile(fileURLToPath(message['watch:import']));
+        if (ArrayIsArray(message['watch:import'])) {
+          ArrayPrototypeForEach(message['watch:import'], (file) => this.filterFile(fileURLToPath(file)));
         }
       } catch {
         // Failed watching file. ignore
diff --git a/test/fixtures/watch-mode/ipc.js b/test/fixtures/watch-mode/ipc.js
index 021df9973511d0..5881299387e5b4 100644
--- a/test/fixtures/watch-mode/ipc.js
+++ b/test/fixtures/watch-mode/ipc.js
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ const tmpdir = require('../../common/tmpdir');
 const tmpfile = path.join(tmpdir.path, 'file');
 fs.writeFileSync(tmpfile, '');
 
-process.send({ 'watch:require': path.resolve(__filename) });
-process.send({ 'watch:import': url.pathToFileURL(path.resolve(__filename)).toString() });
-process.send({ 'watch:import': url.pathToFileURL(tmpfile).toString() });
-process.send({ 'watch:import': new URL('http://invalid.com').toString() });
+process.send({ 'watch:require': [path.resolve(__filename)] });
+process.send({ 'watch:import': [url.pathToFileURL(path.resolve(__filename)).toString()] });
+process.send({ 'watch:import': [url.pathToFileURL(tmpfile).toString()] });
+process.send({ 'watch:import': [new URL('http://invalid.com').toString()] });
diff --git a/test/sequential/test-watch-mode.mjs b/test/sequential/test-watch-mode.mjs
index e24fb97ad234a8..cbda2318a264d0 100644
--- a/test/sequential/test-watch-mode.mjs
+++ b/test/sequential/test-watch-mode.mjs
@@ -104,14 +104,6 @@ describe('watch mode', { concurrency: true, timeout: 60_0000 }, () => {
     });
   });
 
-  it('should not watch when running an non-existing file', async () => {
-    const file = fixtures.path('watch-mode/non-existing.js');
-    const { stderr, stdout } = await spawnWithRestarts({ file, restarts: 0 });
-
-    assert.match(stderr, /code: 'MODULE_NOT_FOUND'/);
-    assert.strictEqual(stdout, `Failed running ${inspect(file)}\n`);
-  });
-
   it('should watch when running an non-existing file - when specified under --watch-path', {
     skip: !common.isOSX && !common.isWindows
   }, async () => {