diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index a4218cc..950a0b7 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ Asynchronously loads JSON from a file.
 - `options` (object, optional):
   - `base` (string | URL, optional): Base URL for resolving relative paths. Defaults to the caller's file URL.
   - `validate` (function, optional): Validation function called with the parsed JSON. Throws if validation fails.
-  - `reviver` (function, optional): Reviver function passed to `JSON.parse`.
+  - `reviver` (function, optional): Reviver function passed to `JSON.parse`. For a module loaded through `import()` that has no default export, `reviver` and `validate` receive a plain-object copy of its exports.
   - `type` (string, optional): Import attribute type used for the `import()` attempts. Defaults to `"json"`; the file-system fallback only runs for `"json"`.
   - `fallback` (string | URL, optional): A second file to load when `input` cannot be read or parsed. A `validate` failure on `input` throws rather than falling back.
 
diff --git a/src/wisp.mjs b/src/wisp.mjs
index ba3d790..06271c8 100644
--- a/src/wisp.mjs
+++ b/src/wisp.mjs
@@ -41,21 +41,33 @@ import { resolveUrlFromCaller } from "./lib/resolve-from-caller.mjs";
  * @param {*} v - The value to clone.
  * @returns {*} The cloned value.
  */
+function deepClone(v) {
+	return typeof globalThis.structuredClone === "function" ? globalThis.structuredClone(v) : JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(v));
+}
+
 /**
- * Deep clones a value using structuredClone if available, otherwise JSON.parse/stringify.
+ * Picks the value a loaded module provides: its default export, or the namespace when it has none.
+ * With a reviver or validate the value is copied so the module cache is never mutated; a namespace
+ * object cannot be structured-cloned, so it is first copied to a plain object of its exports.
  * @private
- * @param {*} v - The value to clone.
- * @returns {*} The cloned value.
+ * @param {Record<string, any>} mod - The module namespace returned by import().
+ * @param {((this: any, key: string, value: any) => any)|undefined} reviver - Reviver function, if any.
+ * @param {((val: any) => void)|undefined} validate - Validation function, if any.
+ * @returns {*} The module's value, copied when a reviver or validate is given.
  */
-function deepClone(v) {
-	return typeof globalThis.structuredClone === "function" ? globalThis.structuredClone(v) : JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(v));
+function moduleValue(mod, reviver, validate) {
+	const value = mod.default ?? mod;
+	if (!reviver && !validate) return value;
+	const data = value === mod ? { ...mod } : value;
+	// JSON.parse already returns a fresh value, so a reviver needs no separate clone.
+	return reviver ? JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(data), reviver) : deepClone(data);
 }
 
 /**
  * Runs the caller's validation on a loaded value, throwing the wisp-prefixed load error when it rejects the data.
  * @private
  * @param {((val: any) => void)|undefined} validate - Validation function, if any.
- * @param {*} val - The parsed JSON value.
+ * @param {*} val - The loaded value.
  * @param {URL} url - The URL the value was loaded from.
  * @returns {void}
  */
@@ -100,36 +112,20 @@ export async function wisp(input, options = {}) {
 		else url = new URL(resolveUrlFromCaller(s));
 	}
 
-	try {
-		const mod = await import(url.href, { with: { type } });
-		if (!reviver && !validate) return mod?.default ?? mod;
-		let val = deepClone(mod?.default ?? mod);
-		if (reviver) val = JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(val), reviver);
-		if (validate) {
-			try {
-				validate(val);
-			} catch (e) {
-				throw new Error(`@cldmv/wisp: ${e?.message ?? e}`, { cause: e });
-			}
-		}
-		return val;
-	} catch {}
-
-	try {
-		// Legacy import assertions (`assert`) for Node 16.14-20.9, which predate `with`; the cast keeps the type checker from rejecting the key.
-		const mod = await import(url.href, /** @type {any} */ ({ assert: { type } }));
-		if (!reviver && !validate) return mod?.default ?? mod;
-		let val = deepClone(mod?.default ?? mod);
-		if (reviver) val = JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(val), reviver);
-		if (validate) {
-			try {
-				validate(val);
-			} catch (e) {
-				throw new Error(`@cldmv/wisp: ${e?.message ?? e}`, { cause: e });
-			}
+	// Each import() strategy only has to load the module; validate runs after the strategy loop, so a
+	// rejection is reported as the validation error instead of being treated as a failed strategy.
+	// Legacy import assertions (`assert`) serve Node 16.14-20.9, which predate `with`; the cast keeps the type checker from rejecting the key.
+	const loadWith = async (attributes) => moduleValue(await import(url.href, attributes), reviver, validate);
+	for (const attributes of [{ with: { type } }, /** @type {any} */ ({ assert: { type } })]) {
+		let val;
+		try {
+			val = await loadWith(attributes);
+		} catch {
+			continue;
 		}
+		runValidate(validate, val, url);
 		return val;
-	} catch {}
+	}
 
 	if (type === "json") {
 		let val;
diff --git a/tests/import-strategies.test.vitest.mjs b/tests/import-strategies.test.vitest.mjs
index be0fb98..9612579 100644
--- a/tests/import-strategies.test.vitest.mjs
+++ b/tests/import-strategies.test.vitest.mjs
@@ -105,6 +105,19 @@ describe("import() with `with` attributes", () => {
 		);
 	});
 
+	it("runs a rejecting validate once instead of once per load strategy", async () => {
+		let calls = 0;
+		await expect(
+			wisp(sample, {
+				validate: () => {
+					calls++;
+					throw new Error("once");
+				}
+			})
+		).rejects.toThrow(/: @cldmv\/wisp: once$/);
+		expect(calls).toBe(1);
+	});
+
 	it("keeps the validation error as the cause", async () => {
 		const original = new Error("nope");
 		const err = await wisp(sample, {
@@ -169,37 +182,62 @@ describe.runIf(retriesFailedImport)("import() with legacy `assert` attributes",
 		const first = await wisp(url, { type: "javascript" });
 		const second = await wisp(url, { type: "javascript" });
 		expect(second).toBe(first);
-		// A reviver needs a clone, which a namespace object cannot give, on every strategy.
-		await expect(wisp(url, { type: "javascript", reviver: (key, value) => value })).rejects.toThrow(
-			/^@cldmv\/wisp: Unsupported type 'javascript'/
-		);
+		// The cached namespace has no default export, so the reviver gets a plain-object copy of it.
+		const revived = await wisp(url, { type: "javascript", reviver: (key, value) => (key === "other" ? value + 1 : value) });
+		expect(revived).toEqual({ named: "value", other: 3 });
+		// A validation failure on the `with` attempt surfaces as the validation error too.
+		await expect(
+			wisp(url, {
+				type: "javascript",
+				validate: () => {
+					throw "rejected on with";
+				}
+			})
+		).rejects.toThrow(/^@cldmv\/wisp: Failed to load JSON file at file:.*no-default\.mjs\?case=\d+: @cldmv\/wisp: rejected on with$/);
 	});
 
-	it("cannot clone a namespace without a default export, so a reviver ends in the unsupported-type error", async () => {
-		// structuredClone rejects a module namespace object; that failure is swallowed like any
-		// other strategy failure, and the fs.readFile strategy only handles type "json".
-		await expect(wisp(fresh(noDefaultFile), { type: "javascript", reviver: (key, value) => value })).rejects.toThrow(
-			/^@cldmv\/wisp: Unsupported type 'javascript' or failed to load module at file:.*no-default\.mjs\?case=\d+$/
-		);
+	it("applies a reviver to a plain-object copy of a namespace without a default export", async () => {
+		const keys = [];
+		const data = await wisp(fresh(noDefaultFile), {
+			type: "javascript",
+			reviver: (key, value) => {
+				keys.push(key);
+				return key === "named" ? "revived" : value;
+			}
+		});
+		expect(data).toEqual({ named: "revived", other: 2 });
+		expect(Object.getPrototypeOf(data)).toBe(Object.prototype);
+		expect(keys).toEqual(["named", "other", ""]);
+	});
+
+	it("validates a plain-object copy of a namespace without a default export", async () => {
+		const seen = [];
+		const data = await wisp(fresh(noDefaultFile), { type: "javascript", validate: (val) => seen.push(val) });
+		expect(data).toEqual({ named: "value", other: 2 });
+		expect(Object.getPrototypeOf(data)).toBe(Object.prototype);
+		expect(seen).toEqual([data]);
 	});
 
-	it("reports a validation failure on a non-JSON module as an unsupported type", async () => {
-		// The `assert` attempt's validation error is swallowed like any other failure, and the
-		// fs.readFile strategy only handles type "json", so the final error is the unsupported-type one.
+	it("reports a validation failure on a non-JSON module as the validation error", async () => {
+		let calls = 0;
 		const validate = () => {
+			calls++;
 			throw "rejected";
 		};
 		await expect(wisp(fresh(moduleFile), { type: "javascript", validate })).rejects.toThrow(
-			/^@cldmv\/wisp: Unsupported type 'javascript' or failed to load module at file:.*module\.mjs\?case=\d+$/
+			/^@cldmv\/wisp: Failed to load JSON file at file:.*module\.mjs\?case=\d+: @cldmv\/wisp: rejected$/
 		);
-		await expect(
-			wisp(fresh(moduleFile), {
-				type: "javascript",
-				validate: () => {
-					throw new Error("rejected as Error");
-				}
-			})
-		).rejects.toThrow(/^@cldmv\/wisp: Unsupported type 'javascript'/);
+		// The rejection is final: no later strategy loads the module again and re-runs validate.
+		expect(calls).toBe(1);
+		const original = new Error("rejected as Error");
+		const err = await wisp(fresh(moduleFile), {
+			type: "javascript",
+			validate: () => {
+				throw original;
+			}
+		}).catch((e) => e);
+		expect(err.message).toMatch(/: @cldmv\/wisp: rejected as Error$/);
+		expect(err.cause).toBe(original);
 	});
 });
 
diff --git a/types/wisp.d.mts.map b/types/wisp.d.mts.map
index 7d6f57b..4615c38 100644
--- a/types/wisp.d.mts.map
+++ b/types/wisp.d.mts.map
@@ -1 +1 @@
-{"version":3,"file":"wisp.d.mts","sourceRoot":"","sources":["../src/wisp.mjs"],"names":[],"mappings":"AAsEA;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;GAmBG;AACH,4BAjBW,MAAM,GAAC,GAAG,YAElB;IAA6B,IAAI,GAAzB,MAAM,GAAC,GAAG;IACmB,QAAQ,GAArC,CAAC,GAAG,EAAE,GAAG,KAAK,IAAI;IACoC,OAAO,GAA7D,CAAC,IAAI,EAAE,GAAG,EAAE,GAAG,EAAE,MAAM,EAAE,KAAK,EAAE,GAAG,KAAK,GAAG;IAC1B,IAAI,GAArB,MAAM;IACe,QAAQ,GAA7B,MAAM,GAAC,GAAG;CAClB,GAAU,OAAO,CAAC,GAAC,CAAC,CAuEtB;AAED;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;GAkBG;AACH,gCAhBW,MAAM,GAAC,GAAG,YAElB;IAA6B,IAAI,GAAzB,MAAM,GAAC,GAAG;IACmB,QAAQ,GAArC,CAAC,GAAG,EAAE,GAAG,KAAK,IAAI;IACoC,OAAO,GAA7D,CAAC,IAAI,EAAE,GAAG,EAAE,GAAG,EAAE,MAAM,EAAE,KAAK,EAAE,GAAG,KAAK,GAAG;IAC1B,IAAI,GAArB,MAAM;IACe,QAAQ,GAA7B,MAAM,GAAC,GAAG;CAClB,GAAU,GAAC,CAmCb"}
\ No newline at end of file
+{"version":3,"file":"wisp.d.mts","sourceRoot":"","sources":["../src/wisp.mjs"],"names":[],"mappings":"AAkFA;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;GAmBG;AACH,4BAjBW,MAAM,GAAC,GAAG,YAElB;IAA6B,IAAI,GAAzB,MAAM,GAAC,GAAG;IACmB,QAAQ,GAArC,CAAC,GAAG,EAAE,GAAG,KAAK,IAAI;IACoC,OAAO,GAA7D,CAAC,IAAI,EAAE,GAAG,EAAE,GAAG,EAAE,MAAM,EAAE,KAAK,EAAE,GAAG,KAAK,GAAG;IAC1B,IAAI,GAArB,MAAM;IACe,QAAQ,GAA7B,MAAM,GAAC,GAAG;CAClB,GAAU,OAAO,CAAC,GAAC,CAAC,CAuDtB;AAED;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;GAkBG;AACH,gCAhBW,MAAM,GAAC,GAAG,YAElB;IAA6B,IAAI,GAAzB,MAAM,GAAC,GAAG;IACmB,QAAQ,GAArC,CAAC,GAAG,EAAE,GAAG,KAAK,IAAI;IACoC,OAAO,GAA7D,CAAC,IAAI,EAAE,GAAG,EAAE,GAAG,EAAE,MAAM,EAAE,KAAK,EAAE,GAAG,KAAK,GAAG;IAC1B,IAAI,GAArB,MAAM;IACe,QAAQ,GAA7B,MAAM,GAAC,GAAG;CAClB,GAAU,GAAC,CAmCb"}
\ No newline at end of file