diff --git a/src/server-cli.js b/src/server-cli.js
index dc7fa459f03..559af5e422c 100644
--- a/src/server-cli.js
+++ b/src/server-cli.js
@@ -6,6 +6,10 @@
 // @ts-check
 'use strict';
 
+// Keep bootstrap-amd.js from redefining 'fs'.
+// TODO@esm this needs to be revisited in ESM
+delete process.env['ELECTRON_RUN_AS_NODE'];
+
 // ESM-comment-begin
 const path = require('path');
 const bootstrapNode = require('./bootstrap-node');
@@ -26,9 +30,6 @@ const product = require('./bootstrap-meta').product;
 
 async function start() {
 
-	// Keep bootstrap-amd.js from redefining 'fs'.
-	delete process.env['ELECTRON_RUN_AS_NODE'];
-
 	// NLS
 	const nlsConfiguration = await resolveNLSConfiguration({ userLocale: 'en', osLocale: 'en', commit: product.commit, userDataPath: '', nlsMetadataPath: __dirname });
 	process.env['VSCODE_NLS_CONFIG'] = JSON.stringify(nlsConfiguration); // required for `bootstrap-amd` to pick up NLS messages
diff --git a/src/server-main.js b/src/server-main.js
index 141101518b9..bc7c383e587 100644
--- a/src/server-main.js
+++ b/src/server-main.js
@@ -11,6 +11,10 @@
  * @import { IServerAPI } from './vs/server/node/remoteExtensionHostAgentServer'
  */
 
+// Keep bootstrap-amd.js from redefining 'fs'.
+// TODO@esm this needs to be revisited in ESM
+delete process.env['ELECTRON_RUN_AS_NODE'];
+
 // ESM-comment-begin
 const path = require('path');
 const http = require('http');
@@ -279,7 +283,6 @@ async function findFreePort(host, start, end) {
  */
 function loadCode(nlsConfiguration) {
 	return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
-		delete process.env['ELECTRON_RUN_AS_NODE']; // Keep bootstrap-amd.js from redefining 'fs'.
 
 		/** @type {INLSConfiguration} */
 		process.env['VSCODE_NLS_CONFIG'] = JSON.stringify(nlsConfiguration); // required for `bootstrap-amd` to pick up NLS messages