diff --git a/lib/classes/PluginManager.js b/lib/classes/PluginManager.js
index a5a3b6ecb58..8aeaa89a3a7 100644
--- a/lib/classes/PluginManager.js
+++ b/lib/classes/PluginManager.js
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@
 const path = require('path');
 const config = require('@serverless/utils/config');
 const _ = require('lodash');
-const isModuleNotFoundError = require('ncjsm/is-module-not-found-error');
 const ServerlessError = require('../serverless-error');
 const resolveCliInput = require('../cli/resolve-input');
 const getCommandSuggestion = require('../utils/getCommandSuggestion');
@@ -145,30 +144,42 @@ class PluginManager {
     return this.asyncPluginInit();
   }
 
-  requireServicePlugin(serviceDir, pluginPath, localPluginsPath) {
-    if (localPluginsPath && !pluginPath.startsWith('./')) {
+  requireServicePlugin(serviceDir, pluginPath, legacyLocalPluginsPath) {
+    if (legacyLocalPluginsPath && !pluginPath.startsWith('./')) {
       // TODO (BREAKING): Consider removing support for localPluginsPath with next major
-      const absoluteLocalPluginPath = path.resolve(localPluginsPath, pluginPath);
-
+      const absolutePluginPath = path.resolve(legacyLocalPluginsPath, pluginPath);
+
+      const isLocatedAtLegacyPluginsPath = (() => {
+        try {
+          require.resolve(absolutePluginPath);
+          return true;
+        } catch {
+          return false;
+        }
+      })();
+      if (isLocatedAtLegacyPluginsPath) return require(absolutePluginPath);
+    }
+    const serviceDirRequire = getRequire(serviceDir);
+    const entryFilePath = (() => {
       try {
-        return require(absoluteLocalPluginPath);
-      } catch (error) {
-        if (!isModuleNotFoundError(error, absoluteLocalPluginPath)) throw error;
+        return serviceDirRequire.resolve(pluginPath);
+      } catch {
+        return null;
       }
-    }
-    try {
-      const entryFilePath = getRequire(serviceDir).resolve(pluginPath);
+    })();
+    if (entryFilePath) {
       if (pluginPath.startsWith('./')) {
         this.localPluginsPaths.push({ resolvedPath: entryFilePath, inputPath: pluginPath });
       }
       return require(entryFilePath);
-    } catch (error) {
-      if (!isModuleNotFoundError(error, pluginPath) || pluginPath.startsWith('.')) {
-        throw error;
-      }
     }
 
     // Search in "node_modules" in which framework is placed
+    try {
+      require.resolve(pluginPath);
+    } catch {
+      throw Object.assign(new Error('Plugin not found'), { code: 'PLUGIN_NOT_FOUND' });
+    }
     return require(pluginPath);
   }
 
@@ -185,7 +196,7 @@ class PluginManager {
           try {
             Plugin = this.requireServicePlugin(serviceDir, name, pluginsObject.localPath);
           } catch (error) {
-            if (!isModuleNotFoundError(error, name)) throw error;
+            if (error.code !== 'PLUGIN_NOT_FOUND') throw error;
 
             // Plugin not installed
             if (
diff --git a/lib/configuration/read.js b/lib/configuration/read.js
index 74eefcafccf..6667233d3d0 100644
--- a/lib/configuration/read.js
+++ b/lib/configuration/read.js
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ const isPlainObject = require('type/plain-object/is');
 const path = require('path');
 const fsp = require('fs').promises;
 const yaml = require('js-yaml');
-const isModuleNotFoundError = require('ncjsm/is-module-not-found-error');
 const getRequire = require('../utils/get-require');
 const spawn = require('child-process-ext/spawn');
 const cloudformationSchema = require('@serverless/utils/cloudformation-schema');
@@ -137,15 +136,17 @@ const parseConfigurationFile = async (configurationPath) => {
     // fallthrough
     case '.js': {
       const configurationEventuallyDeferred = (() => {
+        try {
+          require.resolve(configurationPath);
+        } catch {
+          throw new ServerlessError(
+            `Cannot load "${path.basename(configurationPath)}": File not found`,
+            'CONFIGURATION_NOT_FOUND'
+          );
+        }
         try {
           return require(configurationPath);
         } catch (error) {
-          if (isModuleNotFoundError(error, configurationPath)) {
-            throw new ServerlessError(
-              `Cannot load "${path.basename(configurationPath)}": File not found`,
-              'CONFIGURATION_NOT_FOUND'
-            );
-          }
           throw new ServerlessError(
             `Cannot load "${path.basename(configurationPath)}": Initialization error: ${
               error && error.stack ? error.stack : error
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index d18b0c713ab..f971e05af01 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -57,7 +57,6 @@
     "lodash": "^4.17.21",
     "memoizee": "^0.4.15",
     "micromatch": "^4.0.4",
-    "ncjsm": "^4.3.0",
     "node-fetch": "^2.6.7",
     "object-hash": "^2.2.0",
     "open": "^7.4.2",
@@ -95,6 +94,7 @@
     "log-node": "^8.0.3",
     "mocha": "^8.4.0",
     "mock-require": "^3.0.3",
+    "ncjsm": "^4.3.0",
     "nyc": "^15.1.0",
     "pkg": "^5.5.2",
     "prettier": "^2.5.1",