diff --git a/API.md b/API.md
index f1e6be0..7f1597c 100644
--- a/API.md
+++ b/API.md
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ When `composeOptions` is specified then it may define the following properties:
  There are many amendments that haute-couture uses to provide its default behavior, as described in [Files and directories](#files-and-directories).  In the case that `amendments` defines an amendment at a place for which haute-couture has a default, the contents of `amendment` will override the default.  If `amendments` contains a key whose value is `false`, that place specified by that key will be ignored by haute-couture.  You may also specify the key [`HauteCouture.default` or `'$default'`](#hautecouturedefault) to define defaults for all items.  The following are amendment settings that can be changed through defaults:
 
   - `recursive` - this option causes files to be picked-up recursively within their directory rather than just files that live directly under `place`.  Flip this to `false` if you would prefer not to have a nested folder structure, e.g. `routes/users/login.js` versus `routes/users-login.js`.
+  - `stopAtIndexes` - when used with the `recursive` option, setting this option to `true` causes files adjacent to an index file (e.g. `index.js`) to not be recursed.  For example, of the files `routes/users/index.js` and `routes/users/schema.js`, the first would be seen by haute-couture and the second would be excluded.
   - `include` - may be a function `(filename, path) => Boolean` or a RegExp where `filename` (a filename without extension) and `path` (a file's path relative to `place`) are particular to files under `place`.  When this option is used, a file will only be used as a call when the function returns `true` or the RegExp matches `path`.
   - `exclude` - takes a function or RegExp, identically to `include`.  When this option is used, a file will only be used as a call when the function returns `false` or the RegExp does not match `path`.  This option defaults to exclude any file that lives under a directory named `helpers/`.
   - `meta` - an object containing any meta information not required by haute-couture or haute, primarily for integration with other tools.
@@ -352,6 +353,7 @@ A haute manifest item describes the mapping of a file/directory's place and cont
     - each value exported by the files within `place` when `place` is a directory without an index file (e.g. `plugins/vision.js`, `plugins/inert.js`).
   - `useFilename` - (optional) when `list` is `true` and `place` is a directory without an index file, then this option allows one to use the name of the each file within `place` to modify its contents.  Should be a function with signature `function(filename, value, path)` that receives the file's `filename` (without file extension); its contents at `value`; and the file's path relative to `place`.  The function should return a new value to be used as arguments for hapi plugin API call.
   - `recursive` - when `true` and `list` is in effect, this option causes files to be picked-up recursively within `place` rather than just files that live directly under `place`.
+  - `stopAtIndexes` - when used with the `recursive` option, setting this option to `true` causes files adjacent to an index file (e.g. `index.js`) to not be recursed.
   - `include` - may be a function `(filename, path) => Boolean` or a RegExp where `filename` (a filename without extension) and `path` (a file's path relative to `place`) are particular to files under `place`.  When this option is used, a file will only be used as a call when the function returns `true` or the RegExp matches `path`.
   - `exclude` - takes a function or RegExp, identically to `include`.  When this option is used, a file will only be used as a call when the function returns `false` or the RegExp does not match `path`.  This option defaults to exclude any file that lives under a directory named `helpers/`.
   - `meta` - an object containing any meta information not required by haute-couture or haute, primarily for integration with other tools.
diff --git a/lib/index.js b/lib/index.js
index 11d6498..e3f87b4 100644
--- a/lib/index.js
+++ b/lib/index.js
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 const Path = require('path');
 const Hoek = require('@hapi/hoek');
 const ParentModule = require('parent-module');
+const Mo = require('mo-walk');
 const Haute = require('haute');
 const Manifest = require('./manifest');
 
@@ -21,13 +22,13 @@ exports.manifest = Manifest.manifest;
 exports.compose = async (server, options, { dirname, amendments } = {}) => {
 
     dirname = dirname || Path.dirname(ParentModule());
-    amendments = amendments || internals.maybeGetHcFile(dirname);
+    amendments = amendments || await internals.maybeGetHcFile(dirname);
 
     // Protect from usage such as { name, register: HauteCouture.compose }
     Hoek.assert(Path.relative(Path.resolve(dirname, '..', '..', '..'), dirname) !== Path.join('@hapi', 'hapi', 'lib'), 'You may not have called HauteCouture.compose(), which is necessary to determine the correct dirname. Consider using HauteCouture.composeWith() for your purposes.');
 
     const manifest = Manifest.manifest(amendments, dirname);
-    const calls = Haute.calls('server', manifest);
+    const calls = await Haute.calls('server', manifest);
 
     return await Haute.run(calls, server, options);
 };
@@ -39,20 +40,11 @@ exports.composeWith = ({ dirname, amendments } = {}) => {
     return (server, options) => exports.compose(server, options, { dirname, amendments });
 };
 
-internals.maybeGetHcFile = (dirname) => {
+internals.maybeGetHcFile = async (dirname) => {
 
-    const path = Path.join(dirname, '.hc');
+    const resolved = await Mo.tryToResolve(Path.join(dirname, '.hc'));
 
-    try {
-        const resolved = require.resolve(path);
-        return exports.getDefaultExport(require(resolved), resolved);
-    }
-    catch (err) {
-        // Must be an error specifically from trying to require the passed (normalized) path
-        // Note that these error messages are of the form "Cannot find module '${path}'".
-        // In node v12 this is followed by a "Require stack", which is why we're testing for
-        // the module path specifically wrapped in single quotes.
-        Hoek.assert(err.code === 'MODULE_NOT_FOUND' && err.message.includes(`'${path}'`), err);
-        return;
+    if (resolved) {
+        return exports.getDefaultExport(...resolved);
     }
 };
diff --git a/lib/manifest.js b/lib/manifest.js
index 0693923..79be866 100644
--- a/lib/manifest.js
+++ b/lib/manifest.js
@@ -137,9 +137,11 @@ internals.extractFromPath = (path, values) => {
 // E.g. a/b/c.d.js -> a-b-c.d
 internals.normalizePath = (p) => {
 
+    const basename = Path.basename(p, Path.extname(p));
+
     return Path.join(
         Path.dirname(p),
-        Path.basename(p, Path.extname(p))
+        basename === 'index' ? '' : basename
     )
         .split(Path.sep)
         .join('-');
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 0d2e322..5d9c86c 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -39,7 +39,8 @@
   "dependencies": {
     "@hapi/hoek": "9.x.x",
     "@hapi/topo": "5.x.x",
-    "haute": ">=3.2.x <4",
+    "haute": "4.x.x",
+    "mo-walk": ">=1.1.0 <2",
     "parent-module": "2.x.x"
   },
   "peerDependencies": {
diff --git a/test/closet/decorations-deep/decorations/y/index.js b/test/closet/decorations-deep/decorations/y/index.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f6ab304
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/closet/decorations-deep/decorations/y/index.js
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+'use strict';
+
+module.exports = {
+    type: 'toolkit',
+    method: () => null
+};
diff --git a/test/closet/hc-file-esm/.hc.mjs b/test/closet/hc-file-esm/.hc.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8549d71
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/closet/hc-file-esm/.hc.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+export default {
+    methods: false,
+    controllers: {
+        method: 'method',
+        list: true
+    }
+};
diff --git a/test/closet/hc-file-esm/controllers.mjs b/test/closet/hc-file-esm/controllers.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..106005d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/closet/hc-file-esm/controllers.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+export default [
+    {
+        name: 'controllerOne',
+        method: () => 'controller-one',
+        options: {}
+    },
+    {
+        name: 'controllerTwo',
+        method: () => 'controller-two',
+        options: {}
+    }
+];
diff --git a/test/closet/hc-file-esm/methods.mjs b/test/closet/hc-file-esm/methods.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6299f97
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/closet/hc-file-esm/methods.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+export default [
+    {
+        name: 'methodOne',
+        method: () => 'method-one',
+        options: {}
+    },
+    {
+        name: 'methodTwo',
+        method: () => 'method-two',
+        options: {}
+    }
+];
diff --git a/test/closet/stop-at-indexes/routes/helpers/index.js b/test/closet/stop-at-indexes/routes/helpers/index.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e2b71c5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/closet/stop-at-indexes/routes/helpers/index.js
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+'use strict';
+
+exports.createRoute = (name) => ({
+    method: 'get',
+    path: `/${name}`,
+    handler: () => name
+});
diff --git a/test/closet/stop-at-indexes/routes/item-one.js b/test/closet/stop-at-indexes/routes/item-one.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3b305ae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/closet/stop-at-indexes/routes/item-one.js
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+'use strict';
+
+const Helpers = require('./helpers');
+
+module.exports = Helpers.createRoute('item-one');
diff --git a/test/closet/stop-at-indexes/routes/one/b/item-one.js b/test/closet/stop-at-indexes/routes/one/b/item-one.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..15a2530
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/closet/stop-at-indexes/routes/one/b/item-one.js
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+'use strict';
+
+const Helpers = require('../../helpers');
+
+module.exports = Helpers.createRoute('one/b/item-one');
diff --git a/test/closet/stop-at-indexes/routes/one/index.js b/test/closet/stop-at-indexes/routes/one/index.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..68e1c64
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/closet/stop-at-indexes/routes/one/index.js
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+'use strict';
+
+const Helpers = require('../helpers');
+
+module.exports = Helpers.createRoute('one/index');
diff --git a/test/closet/stop-at-indexes/routes/one/item-one.js b/test/closet/stop-at-indexes/routes/one/item-one.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ffc50f7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/closet/stop-at-indexes/routes/one/item-one.js
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+'use strict';
+
+const Helpers = require('../helpers');
+
+module.exports = Helpers.createRoute('one/item-one');
diff --git a/test/closet/stop-at-indexes/routes/two/e/item-one.js b/test/closet/stop-at-indexes/routes/two/e/item-one.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..af92345
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/closet/stop-at-indexes/routes/two/e/item-one.js
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+'use strict';
+
+const Helpers = require('../../helpers');
+
+module.exports = Helpers.createRoute('two/e/item-one');
diff --git a/test/closet/stop-at-indexes/routes/two/item-one.js b/test/closet/stop-at-indexes/routes/two/item-one.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0d93e21
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/closet/stop-at-indexes/routes/two/item-one.js
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+'use strict';
+
+const Helpers = require('../helpers');
+
+module.exports = Helpers.createRoute('two/item-one');
diff --git a/test/index.js b/test/index.js
index e4e2184..f83439c 100644
--- a/test/index.js
+++ b/test/index.js
@@ -559,7 +559,9 @@ describe('HauteCouture', () => {
 
         expect(server.decorations).to.equal({
             handler: [],
-            toolkit: [],
+            toolkit: [
+                'y'                         // y/index ({ type })
+            ],
             request: [
                 'serverY',                  // server/request.y
                 'bySelfHasConfiguredFull',  // x/server/has-configured-full ({ type, property })
@@ -569,8 +571,8 @@ describe('HauteCouture', () => {
                 'xW'                        // x/response.w
             ],
             server: [
-                'xU',                       // server/x/u
                 'x',                        // server/x
+                'xU',                       // server/x/u
                 'xZ'                        // x/server/z
             ]
         });
@@ -723,6 +725,32 @@ describe('HauteCouture', () => {
         ]);
     });
 
+    it('recurses with stopAtIndexes.', async () => {
+
+        const server = Hapi.server();
+
+        const plugin = {
+            name: 'my-recursive-plugin',
+            register: HauteCouture.composeWith({
+                dirname: `${__dirname}/closet/stop-at-indexes`,
+                amendments: {
+                    $default: {
+                        stopAtIndexes: true
+                    }
+                }
+            })
+        };
+
+        await server.register(plugin);
+
+        expect(server.table().map((r) => r.settings.id)).to.equal([
+            'item-one',
+            'one',
+            'two-item-one',
+            'two-e-item-one'
+        ]);
+    });
+
     describe('amendment()', () => {
 
         it('fetches default amendment by place.', () => {
@@ -1187,6 +1215,25 @@ describe('HauteCouture', () => {
             expect(server.methods.methodTwo).to.not.exist();
         });
 
+        it('supports .hc.mjs files.', async (flags) => {
+
+            const server = Hapi.server();
+
+            const plugin = {
+                name: 'my-hc-plugin',
+                register: HauteCouture.composeWith({
+                    dirname: `${__dirname}/closet/hc-file-esm`
+                })
+            };
+
+            await server.register(plugin);
+
+            expect(server.methods.controllerOne()).to.equal('controller-one');
+            expect(server.methods.controllerTwo()).to.equal('controller-two');
+            expect(server.methods.methodOne).to.not.exist();
+            expect(server.methods.methodTwo).to.not.exist();
+        });
+
         it('supports .hc.ts files.', async (flags) => {
 
             // Emulate ts-node