I am creating an app with Electron and Vue (using js not ts). When I run the app using npm run electron:serve the app runs fine.

I now want to build a Windows exe so I can distribute my app. I have tried using electron-builder, electron-packager and electron-forge. Whenever I can get the build to finish, running the exe throws the cannot use import statement outside a module error (referring to the first import statement it finds, i.e. import { app, protocol, BrowserWindow } from 'electron').

I've tried adding "type":"module" to my package.json but (due a bug in Vue, according to this question), that throws Error [ERR_UNSUPPORTED_ESM_URL_SCHEME]

I've also tried changing all my import statements to require but this doesn't work because some of the node modules I'm using use import and the error just throws for those instead.

I'm tearing my hair out over this. Where do I go from here?

UPDATE:

I have found a workaround for the Vue bug and posted my findings on the linked question. I can now add "type":"module" to my package.json.

However, I now get an error thrown when I run npm run electron:serve and from my built exe:

Error [ERR_REQUIRE_ESM]: Must use import to load ES Module: <my_project_root>\dist_electron\index.js
require() of ES modules is not supported.
require() of <my_project_root>\dist_electron\index.js from <my_project_root>\node_modules\electron\dist\resources\default_app.asar\main.js is an ES module file as it is a .js file whose nearest parent package.json contains "type": "module" which defines all .js files in that package scope as ES modules.

To be clear, I'm not using require in any of my source code, but the compiled(?) version does? What's going on here?

UPDATE 2:

As requested, here is a minimal reproducible example that maintains original folder structure, configs and package.json