diff --git a/src/esmock.js b/src/esmock.js
index 9fb7bf9a..5115ed68 100644
--- a/src/esmock.js
+++ b/src/esmock.js
@@ -37,8 +37,12 @@ const esmock = Object.assign(esmockGo(), {
 export {esmock as default, strict, strictest}
 
 
+// for older node versions, to support "--loader=esmock" rather than
+// "--loader=esmock/loader", esmock.js exported loader hook definitions here
+//
+// for newer node versions 20.6+, exported hook definitions here cause
+// problems when --loader called and esmock initializes newer message channels
 const isMessageChannel = Boolean(module.register && threads.MessageChannel)
 const hooksFinal = isMessageChannel ? {} : hooks
 const { load, resolve, getSource, initialize, globalPreload } = hooksFinal
 export { load, resolve, getSource, initialize, globalPreload }
-// export * from './esmockLoader.js'
diff --git a/tests/tests-no-loader/esmock.noloader.test.js b/tests/tests-no-loader/esmock.noloader.test.js
index 5fbb5ba6..df0dfc28 100644
--- a/tests/tests-no-loader/esmock.noloader.test.js
+++ b/tests/tests-no-loader/esmock.noloader.test.js
@@ -9,6 +9,14 @@ const isLT206 = (([major, minor]) => (
   process.versions.node.split('.').map(it => +it))
 
 if (isLT206) {
+  test('should throw error if !esmockloader', async () => {
+    await assert.rejects(() => esmock('./to/module.js'), {
+      message: esmockErr.errMissingLoader().message
+    })
+  })  
+}
+
+if (!isLT206) {
   test('should mock a module', async () => {
     const main = await esmock('../local/mainUtil.js', {
       'form-urlencoded': () => 'mock encode'
@@ -17,10 +25,4 @@ if (isLT206) {
     assert.strictEqual(typeof main, 'function')
     assert.strictEqual(main.createString(), 'mock encode')
   })
-} else {
-  test('should throw error if !esmockloader', async () => {
-    await assert.rejects(() => esmock('./to/module.js'), {
-      message: esmockErr.errMissingLoader().message
-    })
-  })
 }