diff --git a/bin/utils/prompt-command.js b/bin/utils/prompt-command.js
index 021fa90527b..907434c6c71 100644
--- a/bin/utils/prompt-command.js
+++ b/bin/utils/prompt-command.js
@@ -37,6 +37,15 @@ const npmGlobalRoot = () => {
 	});
 };
 
+const runWhenInstalled = (packages, pathForCmd, ...args) => {
+	const package = require(pathForCmd);
+	const func = package.default;
+	if (typeof func !== 'function') {
+		throw new Error(`@webpack-cli/${packages} failed to export a default function`);
+	}
+	return func(...args);
+}
+
 module.exports = function promptForInstallation(packages, ...args) {
 	const nameOfPackage = "@webpack-cli/" + packages;
 	let packageIsInstalled = false;
@@ -113,10 +122,7 @@ module.exports = function promptForInstallation(packages, ...args) {
 							}
 
 							pathForCmd = path.resolve(process.cwd(), "node_modules", "@webpack-cli", packages);
-							if (packages === "serve") {
-								return require(pathForCmd).default.serve();
-							}
-							return require(pathForCmd).default(...args); //eslint-disable-line
+							return runWhenInstalled(packages, pathForCmd, ...args);
 						})
 						.catch(error => {
 							console.error(error);
@@ -132,6 +138,6 @@ module.exports = function promptForInstallation(packages, ...args) {
 			}
 		});
 	} else {
-		require(pathForCmd).default(...args); // eslint-disable-line
+		return runWhenInstalled(packages, pathForCmd, ...args);
 	}
 };
diff --git a/packages/serve/README.md b/packages/serve/README.md
index eb647361781..a6612b6f9be 100644
--- a/packages/serve/README.md
+++ b/packages/serve/README.md
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ To run the scaffolding instance programmatically, install it as a dependency. Wh
 
 ### Node
 ```js
-const serve = require("@webpack-cli/serve").serve;
+const serve = require("@webpack-cli/serve").default;
 serve();
 ```
 
diff --git a/packages/serve/index.ts b/packages/serve/index.ts
index d4fa9cad4a0..950ae78d3b7 100644
--- a/packages/serve/index.ts
+++ b/packages/serve/index.ts
@@ -47,11 +47,11 @@ const getRootPathModule = (dep: string): string => path.resolve(process.cwd(), d
  *
  * Prompts for installing the devServer and running it
  *
- * @param {Object} args - args processed from the CLI
+ * @param {String[]} args - args processed from the CLI
  * @returns {Function} invokes the devServer API
  */
 
-function serve() {
+export default function serve(...args: string[]) {
 	const packageJSONPath = getRootPathModule("package.json");
 	if (!packageJSONPath) {
 		console.error(
@@ -169,10 +169,3 @@ function serve() {
 			});
 	}
 }
-
-export = {
-	getRootPathModule,
-	serve,
-	spawnNPMWithArg,
-	spawnYarnWithArg,
-};