diff --git a/doc/api/esm.md b/doc/api/esm.md
index ee71cf61d4..05d01f7390 100644
--- a/doc/api/esm.md
+++ b/doc/api/esm.md
@@ -268,6 +268,8 @@ import feature from 'es-module-package/features/x.js';
 If a package has no exports, setting `"exports": false` can be used instead of
 `"exports": {}` to indicate the package does not intent for submodules to be
 exposed.
+This is just a convention that works because `false`, just like `{}`, has no
+iterable own properties.
 
 ## <code>import</code> Specifiers
 
diff --git a/src/module_wrap.cc b/src/module_wrap.cc
index b7c0e8bdcf..0574f896df 100644
--- a/src/module_wrap.cc
+++ b/src/module_wrap.cc
@@ -615,8 +615,7 @@ Maybe<const PackageConfig*> GetPackageConfig(Environment* env,
   Persistent<Value> exports;
   if (pkg_json->Get(env->context(),
       env->exports_string()).ToLocal(&exports_v) &&
-      (exports_v->IsObject() ||
-      (exports_v->IsBoolean() && exports_v->IsFalse()))) {
+      !exports_v->IsNullOrUndefined()) {
     exports.Reset(env->isolate(), exports_v);
 
     auto entry = env->package_json_cache.emplace(path,
diff --git a/test/es-module/test-esm-exports.mjs b/test/es-module/test-esm-exports.mjs
index 45f1518dfd..fc3c07d8bc 100644
--- a/test/es-module/test-esm-exports.mjs
+++ b/test/es-module/test-esm-exports.mjs
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ import { mustCall } from '../common/index.mjs';
 import { ok, strictEqual } from 'assert';
 
 import { asdf, asdf2 } from '../fixtures/pkgexports.mjs';
-import { loadMissing } from '../fixtures/pkgexports-missing.mjs';
+import { loadMissing, loadFromNumber } from '../fixtures/pkgexports-missing.mjs';
 
 strictEqual(asdf, 'asdf');
 strictEqual(asdf2, 'asdf');
@@ -13,3 +13,8 @@ loadMissing().catch(mustCall((err) => {
   ok(err.message.toString().startsWith('Package exports'));
   ok(err.message.toString().indexOf('do not define a \'./missing\' subpath'));
 }));
+
+loadFromNumber().catch(mustCall((err) => {
+  ok(err.message.toString().startsWith('Package exports'));
+  ok(err.message.toString().indexOf('do not define a \'./missing\' subpath'));
+}));
diff --git a/test/fixtures/node_modules/pkgexports-number/hidden.js b/test/fixtures/node_modules/pkgexports-number/hidden.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c04e6ee618
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/node_modules/pkgexports-number/hidden.js
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+module.exports = 'not-part-of-api';
diff --git a/test/fixtures/node_modules/pkgexports-number/package.json b/test/fixtures/node_modules/pkgexports-number/package.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..315f39a66e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/node_modules/pkgexports-number/package.json
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+{
+  "exports": 42
+}
diff --git a/test/fixtures/pkgexports-missing.mjs b/test/fixtures/pkgexports-missing.mjs
index bbf123e330..ab7705a150 100644
--- a/test/fixtures/pkgexports-missing.mjs
+++ b/test/fixtures/pkgexports-missing.mjs
@@ -1,3 +1,7 @@
-export function loadMissing () {
+export function loadMissing() {
   return import('pkgexports/missing');
 }
+
+export function loadFromNumber() {
+  return import('pkgexports-number/hidden.js');
+}