diff --git a/lib/internal/modules/cjs/loader.js b/lib/internal/modules/cjs/loader.js
index d28a295c3af9ec5..d6897f84d26a5e8 100644
--- a/lib/internal/modules/cjs/loader.js
+++ b/lib/internal/modules/cjs/loader.js
@@ -1344,15 +1344,6 @@ Module.prototype.require = function(id) {
 };
 
 let emittedRequireModuleWarning = false;
-/**
- * Resolved path to `process.argv[1]` will be lazily placed here
- * (needed for setting breakpoint when called with `--inspect-brk`).
- * @type {string | undefined}
- */
-let resolvedArgv;
-let hasPausedEntry = false;
-/** @type {import('vm').Script} */
-
 /**
  * Resolve and evaluate it synchronously as ESM if it's ESM.
  * @param {Module} mod CJS module instance
@@ -1557,32 +1548,6 @@ Module.prototype._compile = function(content, filename, format) {
     return;
   }
 
-  // TODO(joyeecheung): the detection below is unnecessarily complex. Using the
-  // kIsMainSymbol, or a kBreakOnStartSymbol that gets passed from
-  // higher level instead of doing hacky detection here.
-  let inspectorWrapper = null;
-  if (getOptionValue('--inspect-brk') && process._eval == null) {
-    if (!resolvedArgv) {
-      // We enter the repl if we're not given a filename argument.
-      if (process.argv[1]) {
-        try {
-          resolvedArgv = Module._resolveFilename(process.argv[1], null, false);
-        } catch {
-          // We only expect this codepath to be reached in the case of a
-          // preloaded module (it will fail earlier with the main entry)
-          assert(ArrayIsArray(getOptionValue('--require')));
-        }
-      } else {
-        resolvedArgv = 'repl';
-      }
-    }
-
-    // Set breakpoint on module start
-    if (resolvedArgv && !hasPausedEntry && filename === resolvedArgv) {
-      hasPausedEntry = true;
-      inspectorWrapper = internalBinding('inspector').callAndPauseOnStart;
-    }
-  }
   const dirname = path.dirname(filename);
   const require = makeRequireFunction(this, redirects);
   let result;
@@ -1592,9 +1557,10 @@ Module.prototype._compile = function(content, filename, format) {
   if (requireDepth === 0) { statCache = new SafeMap(); }
   setHasStartedUserCJSExecution();
   this[kIsExecuting] = true;
-  if (inspectorWrapper) {
-    result = inspectorWrapper(compiledWrapper, thisValue, exports,
-                              require, module, filename, dirname);
+  if (this[kIsMainSymbol] && getOptionValue('--inspect-brk')) {
+    const { callAndPauseOnStart } = internalBinding('inspector');
+    result = callAndPauseOnStart(compiledWrapper, thisValue, exports,
+                                 require, module, filename, dirname);
   } else {
     result = ReflectApply(compiledWrapper, thisValue,
                           [exports, require, module, filename, dirname]);