diff --git a/.changeset/config-esm-in-commonjs.md b/.changeset/config-esm-in-commonjs.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f167d98
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/config-esm-in-commonjs.md
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+---
+"@hebilicious/cssforge": patch
+---
+
+Load `cssforge.config.ts` as ESM even when the project declares `"type": "commonjs"`. Node read the config
+as CommonJS there, switched module syntax detection off, and rejected `export default`, so neither the CLI
+nor the bundler plugin could load a config in those projects.
+
+The loader's message now also carries the failure it caught, which bundlers previously hid behind the
+config path.
diff --git a/packages/cssforge/src/loader.ts b/packages/cssforge/src/loader.ts
index a5ec265..ffd3b1b 100644
--- a/packages/cssforge/src/loader.ts
+++ b/packages/cssforge/src/loader.ts
@@ -8,8 +8,9 @@
  * @module
  */
 
+import { existsSync, readFileSync } from "node:fs";
 import { registerHooks } from "node:module";
-import { resolve } from "node:path";
+import { dirname, join, resolve } from "node:path";
 import { fileURLToPath, pathToFileURL } from "node:url";
 import type { CSSForgeConfig } from "./config.ts";
 
@@ -40,6 +41,49 @@ let loadQueue: Promise<unknown> = Promise.resolve();
 const isLocalFileUrl = (url: URL) =>
 	url.protocol === "file:" && !url.pathname.includes("/node_modules/");
 
+/** Whether a URL is a TypeScript module in the project, config or token file. */
+const isProjectTypeScriptUrl = (url: URL) =>
+	isLocalFileUrl(url) && url.pathname.endsWith(".ts");
+
+/** The `type` field of the nearest package.json, cached per directory. */
+const packageTypeCache = new Map<string, string | undefined>();
+
+const packageTypeOf = (path: string): string | undefined => {
+	const cached = packageTypeCache.get(path);
+	if (cached !== undefined) return cached;
+
+	let directory = dirname(path);
+
+	while (true) {
+		const manifestPath = join(directory, "package.json");
+		if (existsSync(manifestPath)) {
+			try {
+				const parsed: unknown = JSON.parse(readFileSync(manifestPath, "utf8"));
+				const type =
+					typeof parsed === "object" && parsed !== null && "type" in parsed
+						? (parsed as { type?: unknown }).type
+						: undefined;
+				const value = typeof type === "string" ? type : undefined;
+				packageTypeCache.set(path, value);
+				return value;
+			} catch {
+				packageTypeCache.set(path, undefined);
+				return undefined;
+			}
+		}
+
+		const parent = dirname(directory);
+		if (parent === directory) {
+			packageTypeCache.set(path, undefined);
+			return undefined;
+		}
+		directory = parent;
+	}
+};
+
+/** Whether a module's source is written as ESM rather than CommonJS. */
+const usesEsmSyntax = (source: string) => /^\s*(?:export|import)\b/m.test(source);
+
 /** Describes a rejected default export for the error message. */
 const describeValue = (value: unknown): string => {
 	if (value === null) return "null";
@@ -81,6 +125,29 @@ const loadConfigFile = async (absolutePath: string): Promise<LoadedConfig> => {
 
 			return { ...resolved, url: withCacheKey(resolved.url, cacheKey) };
 		},
+		load(url, context, nextLoad) {
+			const parsed = new URL(url);
+
+			if (!isProjectTypeScriptUrl(parsed)) {
+				return nextLoad(url, context);
+			}
+
+			// A package that declares CommonJS turns module syntax detection off, so
+			// a config or token module written as ESM fails to parse. Force the ESM
+			// TypeScript format for those files, and leave CommonJS-authored ones to
+			// Node so a working setup keeps working.
+			const path = fileURLToPath(parsed);
+			if (packageTypeOf(path) !== "commonjs") {
+				return nextLoad(url, context);
+			}
+
+			const source = readFileSync(path, "utf8");
+			if (!usesEsmSyntax(source)) {
+				return nextLoad(url, context);
+			}
+
+			return { format: "module-typescript", source, shortCircuit: true };
+		},
 	});
 
 	try {
@@ -93,9 +160,13 @@ const loadConfigFile = async (absolutePath: string): Promise<LoadedConfig> => {
 				default?: unknown;
 			};
 		} catch (error) {
-			throw new Error(`Could not load the CSS Forge config at ${absolutePath}.`, {
-				cause: error,
-			});
+			// Bundlers show only this message, so the failure behind it has to be
+			// readable without expanding `cause`.
+			const detail = error instanceof Error ? ` ${error.message}` : "";
+			throw new Error(
+				`Could not load the CSS Forge config at ${absolutePath}.${detail}`,
+				{ cause: error },
+			);
 		}
 
 		const config = imported.default;
diff --git a/packages/cssforge/tests/load-config.test.ts b/packages/cssforge/tests/load-config.test.ts
index 373688f..688d980 100644
--- a/packages/cssforge/tests/load-config.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cssforge/tests/load-config.test.ts
@@ -111,6 +111,30 @@ Deno.test("loadConfig - returns the default export and every local file the conf
 	});
 });
 
+Deno.test("loadConfig - loads a TypeScript config in a CommonJS project", async () => {
+	// An explicit `"type": "commonjs"` makes Node read `.ts` as CommonJS and turns
+	// off module syntax detection, so `export default` would be a syntax error.
+	await inConfigDir(
+		{
+			"package.json": `{ "name": "cjs-project", "version": "0.0.0", "type": "commonjs" }\n`,
+			...configFiles,
+		},
+		async (dir) => {
+			const { first } = runScenario(dir);
+
+			assertEquals(first.config.spacing?.custom?.size?.value, {
+				2: "0.5rem",
+				4: "1rem",
+			});
+			assertEquals(first.dependencies.map((path) => path.replace(dir, "<dir>")).sort(), [
+				"<dir>/cssforge.config.ts",
+				"<dir>/nested.ts",
+				"<dir>/tokens.ts",
+			]);
+		},
+	);
+});
+
 Deno.test("loadConfig - re-evaluates a token module the config imports on the next load", async () => {
 	await inConfigDir(configFiles, async (dir) => {
 		const { first, second } = runScenario(dir);