diff --git a/packages/data-context/src/data/ProjectConfigIpc.ts b/packages/data-context/src/data/ProjectConfigIpc.ts
index a2125ae9844f..3a96e89f9912 100644
--- a/packages/data-context/src/data/ProjectConfigIpc.ts
+++ b/packages/data-context/src/data/ProjectConfigIpc.ts
@@ -271,7 +271,9 @@ export class ProjectConfigIpc extends EventEmitter {
     // ts-node for CommonJS
     // ts-node/esm for ESM
     if (hasTypeScriptInstalled(this.projectRoot)) {
+      debug('found typescript in %s', this.projectRoot)
       if (isProjectUsingESModules) {
+        debug(`using --experimental-specifier-resolution=node with --loader ${tsNodeEsm}`)
         // Use the ts-node/esm loader so they can use TypeScript with `"type": "module".
         // The loader API is experimental and will change.
         // The same can be said for the other alternative, esbuild, so this is the
@@ -294,6 +296,8 @@ export class ProjectConfigIpc extends EventEmitter {
         // so we need to load and evaluate the hook first using the `--require` module API.
         const tsNodeLoader = `--require "${tsNode}"`
 
+        debug(`using cjs with --require ${tsNode}`)
+
         if (childOptions.env.NODE_OPTIONS) {
           childOptions.env.NODE_OPTIONS += ` ${tsNodeLoader}`
         } else {
@@ -303,6 +307,7 @@ export class ProjectConfigIpc extends EventEmitter {
     } else {
       // Just use Node's built-in ESM support.
       // TODO: Consider using userland `esbuild` with Node's --loader API to handle ESM.
+      debug(`no typescript found, just use regular Node.js`)
     }
 
     return fork(CHILD_PROCESS_FILE_PATH, configProcessArgs, childOptions)