diff --git a/.changeset/tricky-coats-join.md b/.changeset/tricky-coats-join.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..bb9ca5f34d3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/tricky-coats-join.md
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+---
+"@pnpm/lifecycle": patch
+"pnpm": patch
+---
+
+Throw an error while missing script start or file `server.js` [#5782](https://github.com/pnpm/pnpm/pull/5782).
diff --git a/exec/lifecycle/package.json b/exec/lifecycle/package.json
index f903a83a2ff..721d098fa4c 100644
--- a/exec/lifecycle/package.json
+++ b/exec/lifecycle/package.json
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@
   "dependencies": {
     "@pnpm/core-loggers": "workspace:*",
     "@pnpm/directory-fetcher": "workspace:*",
+    "@pnpm/error": "workspace:*",
     "@pnpm/npm-lifecycle": "^2.0.0",
     "@pnpm/read-package-json": "workspace:*",
     "@pnpm/store-controller-types": "workspace:*",
@@ -46,6 +47,7 @@
   },
   "devDependencies": {
     "@pnpm/lifecycle": "workspace:*",
+    "@pnpm/test-fixtures": "workspace:*",
     "@types/rimraf": "^3.0.2",
     "@zkochan/rimraf": "^2.1.2",
     "json-append": "1.1.1",
diff --git a/exec/lifecycle/src/runLifecycleHook.ts b/exec/lifecycle/src/runLifecycleHook.ts
index cde86cee426..e24a0ecc903 100644
--- a/exec/lifecycle/src/runLifecycleHook.ts
+++ b/exec/lifecycle/src/runLifecycleHook.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@ import { lifecycleLogger } from '@pnpm/core-loggers'
 import { globalWarn } from '@pnpm/logger'
 import lifecycle from '@pnpm/npm-lifecycle'
 import { DependencyManifest, ProjectManifest } from '@pnpm/types'
+import { PnpmError } from '@pnpm/error'
+import { existsSync } from 'fs'
 
 function noop () {} // eslint-disable-line:no-empty
 
@@ -34,6 +36,9 @@ export async function runLifecycleHook (
   m.scripts = { ...m.scripts }
 
   if (stage === 'start' && !m.scripts.start) {
+    if (!existsSync('server.js')) {
+      throw new PnpmError('NO_SCRIPT_OR_SERVER', 'Missing script start or file server.js')
+    }
     m.scripts.start = 'node server.js'
   }
   if (opts.args?.length && m.scripts?.[stage]) {
diff --git a/exec/lifecycle/test/fixtures/without-scriptstart-serverjs/package.json b/exec/lifecycle/test/fixtures/without-scriptstart-serverjs/package.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..3debaddf0bb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/exec/lifecycle/test/fixtures/without-scriptstart-serverjs/package.json
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+{
+  "name": "without-scriptstart-serverjs",
+  "version": "1.0.0",
+  "scripts": {}
+}
diff --git a/exec/lifecycle/test/index.ts b/exec/lifecycle/test/index.ts
index d407cfd0c45..0bd83ac0516 100644
--- a/exec/lifecycle/test/index.ts
+++ b/exec/lifecycle/test/index.ts
@@ -3,12 +3,14 @@ import path from 'path'
 import { runLifecycleHook, runPostinstallHooks } from '@pnpm/lifecycle'
 import loadJsonFile from 'load-json-file'
 import rimraf from '@zkochan/rimraf'
+import { PnpmError } from '@pnpm/error'
+import { fixtures } from '@pnpm/test-fixtures'
 
-const fixtures = path.join(__dirname, 'fixtures')
+const f = fixtures(path.join(__dirname, 'fixtures'))
 const rootModulesDir = path.join(__dirname, '..', 'node_modules')
 
 test('runLifecycleHook()', async () => {
-  const pkgRoot = path.join(fixtures, 'simple')
+  const pkgRoot = f.find('simple')
   const pkg = await import(path.join(pkgRoot, 'package.json'))
   await runLifecycleHook('postinstall', pkg, {
     depPath: '/simple/1.0.0',
@@ -23,7 +25,7 @@ test('runLifecycleHook()', async () => {
 })
 
 test('runLifecycleHook() escapes the args passed to the script', async () => {
-  const pkgRoot = path.join(fixtures, 'escape-args')
+  const pkgRoot = f.find('escape-args')
   const pkg = await import(path.join(pkgRoot, 'package.json'))
   await runLifecycleHook('echo', pkg, {
     depPath: '/escape-args/1.0.0',
@@ -38,7 +40,7 @@ test('runLifecycleHook() escapes the args passed to the script', async () => {
 })
 
 test('runPostinstallHooks()', async () => {
-  const pkgRoot = path.join(fixtures, 'with-many-scripts')
+  const pkgRoot = f.find('with-many-scripts')
   await rimraf(path.join(pkgRoot, 'output.json'))
   await runPostinstallHooks({
     depPath: '/with-many-scripts/1.0.0',
@@ -51,3 +53,18 @@ test('runPostinstallHooks()', async () => {
 
   expect(loadJsonFile.sync(path.join(pkgRoot, 'output.json'))).toStrictEqual(['preinstall', 'install', 'postinstall'])
 })
+
+test('runLifecycleHook() should throw an error while missing script start or file server.js', async () => {
+  const pkgRoot = f.find('without-scriptstart-serverjs')
+  const pkg = await import(path.join(pkgRoot, 'package.json'))
+  await expect(
+    runLifecycleHook('start', pkg, {
+      depPath: '/without-scriptstart-serverjs/1.0.0',
+      optional: false,
+      pkgRoot,
+      rawConfig: {},
+      rootModulesDir,
+      unsafePerm: true,
+    })
+  ).rejects.toThrow(new PnpmError('NO_SCRIPT_OR_SERVER', 'Missing script start or file server.js'))
+})
diff --git a/exec/lifecycle/tsconfig.json b/exec/lifecycle/tsconfig.json
index cc2eff73b45..cd15192e13f 100644
--- a/exec/lifecycle/tsconfig.json
+++ b/exec/lifecycle/tsconfig.json
@@ -9,12 +9,18 @@
     "../../__typings__/**/*.d.ts"
   ],
   "references": [
+    {
+      "path": "../../__utils__/test-fixtures"
+    },
     {
       "path": "../../fetching/directory-fetcher"
     },
     {
       "path": "../../packages/core-loggers"
     },
+    {
+      "path": "../../packages/error"
+    },
     {
       "path": "../../packages/types"
     },
diff --git a/pnpm-lock.yaml b/pnpm-lock.yaml
index 240cd23c891..4e0c7a6e796 100644
--- a/pnpm-lock.yaml
+++ b/pnpm-lock.yaml
@@ -903,6 +903,9 @@ importers:
       '@pnpm/directory-fetcher':
         specifier: workspace:*
         version: link:../../fetching/directory-fetcher
+      '@pnpm/error':
+        specifier: workspace:*
+        version: link:../../packages/error
       '@pnpm/logger':
         specifier: ^5.0.0
         version: 5.0.0
@@ -928,6 +931,9 @@ importers:
       '@pnpm/lifecycle':
         specifier: workspace:*
         version: 'link:'
+      '@pnpm/test-fixtures':
+        specifier: workspace:*
+        version: link:../../__utils__/test-fixtures
       '@types/rimraf':
         specifier: ^3.0.2
         version: 3.0.2