diff --git a/src/channels/plugins/bundled.shape-guard.test.ts b/src/channels/plugins/bundled.shape-guard.test.ts
index fcba5bf999d..9201a476ec1 100644
--- a/src/channels/plugins/bundled.shape-guard.test.ts
+++ b/src/channels/plugins/bundled.shape-guard.test.ts
@@ -972,6 +972,14 @@ describe("bundled channel entry shape guards", () => {
     vi.doMock("../../plugins/channel-catalog-registry.js", () => ({
       listChannelCatalogEntries: () => [],
     }));
+    // jiti-loader-cache prefers native require() for compiled .js before
+    // falling back to jiti. This test drives plugin loading via the jiti
+    // mock — disable the native-require fast path so the mocked jiti loader
+    // is exercised instead of loading the on-disk fixture directly.
+    vi.doMock("../../plugins/native-module-require.js", () => ({
+      isJavaScriptModulePath: () => false,
+      tryNativeRequireJavaScriptModule: () => ({ ok: false }),
+    }));
 
     let reentered = false;
     vi.doMock("jiti", () => ({
diff --git a/src/plugins/jiti-loader-cache.test.ts b/src/plugins/jiti-loader-cache.test.ts
index 9231571a622..b42e7f2c660 100644
--- a/src/plugins/jiti-loader-cache.test.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/jiti-loader-cache.test.ts
@@ -202,4 +202,60 @@ describe("getCachedPluginJitiLoader", () => {
     expect(firstAlias?.beta).toBe("/repo/alpha/sub");
     expect((firstAlias as Record<symbol, unknown>)[marker]).toBe(true);
   });
+
+  it("serves compiled .js targets from native require without invoking the jiti loader", async () => {
+    const jitiLoader = vi.fn();
+    const createJiti = vi.fn(() => jitiLoader);
+    vi.doMock("jiti", () => ({ createJiti }));
+    vi.doMock("./native-module-require.js", () => ({
+      isJavaScriptModulePath: (p: string) =>
+        p.endsWith(".js") || p.endsWith(".mjs") || p.endsWith(".cjs"),
+      tryNativeRequireJavaScriptModule: (target: string) => ({
+        ok: true,
+        moduleExport: { loadedFrom: target },
+      }),
+    }));
+    const { getCachedPluginJitiLoader } = await importFreshModule<
+      typeof import("./jiti-loader-cache.js")
+    >(import.meta.url, "./jiti-loader-cache.js?scope=native-require-fastpath");
+
+    const cache = new Map();
+    const loader = getCachedPluginJitiLoader({
+      cache,
+      modulePath: "/repo/dist/extensions/demo/api.js",
+      importerUrl: "file:///repo/src/plugins/public-surface-loader.ts",
+      jitiFilename: "file:///repo/src/plugins/public-surface-loader.ts",
+    });
+
+    const result = loader("/repo/dist/extensions/demo/api.js") as { loadedFrom: string };
+    expect(result.loadedFrom).toBe("/repo/dist/extensions/demo/api.js");
+    // jiti is created eagerly, but its loader must NOT be invoked for .js
+    // targets that `tryNativeRequireJavaScriptModule` resolves.
+    expect(jitiLoader).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it("falls back to jiti when the native-require helper declines", async () => {
+    const jitiLoader = vi.fn(() => ({ fromJiti: true }));
+    const createJiti = vi.fn(() => jitiLoader);
+    vi.doMock("jiti", () => ({ createJiti }));
+    vi.doMock("./native-module-require.js", () => ({
+      isJavaScriptModulePath: () => true,
+      tryNativeRequireJavaScriptModule: () => ({ ok: false }),
+    }));
+    const { getCachedPluginJitiLoader } = await importFreshModule<
+      typeof import("./jiti-loader-cache.js")
+    >(import.meta.url, "./jiti-loader-cache.js?scope=native-require-fallback");
+
+    const cache = new Map();
+    const loader = getCachedPluginJitiLoader({
+      cache,
+      modulePath: "/repo/dist/extensions/demo/api.js",
+      importerUrl: "file:///repo/src/plugins/public-surface-loader.ts",
+      jitiFilename: "file:///repo/src/plugins/public-surface-loader.ts",
+    });
+
+    const result = loader("/repo/dist/extensions/demo/api.js") as { fromJiti: boolean };
+    expect(result.fromJiti).toBe(true);
+    expect(jitiLoader).toHaveBeenCalledWith("/repo/dist/extensions/demo/api.js");
+  });
 });
diff --git a/src/plugins/jiti-loader-cache.ts b/src/plugins/jiti-loader-cache.ts
index 9d501a871b4..7e534d406e5 100644
--- a/src/plugins/jiti-loader-cache.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/jiti-loader-cache.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { createJiti } from "jiti";
+import { tryNativeRequireJavaScriptModule } from "./native-module-require.js";
 import {
   buildPluginLoaderJitiOptions,
   createPluginLoaderJitiCacheKey,
@@ -74,10 +75,24 @@ export function getCachedPluginJitiLoader(params: {
   if (cached) {
     return cached;
   }
-  const loader = (params.createLoader ?? createJiti)(jitiFilename, {
+  const jitiLoader = (params.createLoader ?? createJiti)(jitiFilename, {
     ...buildPluginLoaderJitiOptions(aliasMap),
     tryNative,
   });
+  // The returned loader prefers native require() for already-compiled JS
+  // artifacts (the bundled plugin public surfaces shipped in dist/) because
+  // jiti's transform pipeline provides no value for output that is already
+  // plain JS and adds several seconds of per-load overhead on slower hosts.
+  // Jiti stays on the hot path for TS / TSX and for the small set of
+  // require(esm)/async-module fallbacks `tryNativeRequireJavaScriptModule`
+  // declines to handle.
+  const loader = ((target: string) => {
+    const native = tryNativeRequireJavaScriptModule(target);
+    if (native.ok) {
+      return native.moduleExport;
+    }
+    return jitiLoader(target);
+  }) as PluginJitiLoader;
   params.cache.set(scopedCacheKey, loader);
   return loader;
 }
diff --git a/src/plugins/setup-registry.test.ts b/src/plugins/setup-registry.test.ts
index fe6a8e89ceb..4f7b4ae1fe0 100644
--- a/src/plugins/setup-registry.test.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/setup-registry.test.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,15 @@ import {
   resetRegistryJitiMocks,
 } from "./test-helpers/registry-jiti-mocks.js";
 
+// jiti-loader-cache prefers native require() for compiled .js before falling
+// back to jiti. These tests scripts plugin-loading behaviour through the
+// jiti mock — disable the native-require fast path so the mocked jiti loader
+// stays authoritative for the test fixture files on disk.
+vi.mock("./native-module-require.js", () => ({
+  isJavaScriptModulePath: (_modulePath: string) => false,
+  tryNativeRequireJavaScriptModule: (_modulePath: string) => ({ ok: false }),
+}));
+
 const tempDirs: string[] = [];
 const mocks = getRegistryJitiMocks();