electron-builder redistributables can't find preload.js

[nukeop]

I noticed that my electron program fails to start because it can't find preload.js. Looking at the webpack-compiled bundle, I found that the culprit must be electron-timber, since it's the only module that looks for preview.js. Here's the output:

[26945:0728/234248.108082:ERROR:CONSOLE(164)] "Unable to load preload script: /home//projects/electron/nuclear/release/linux-unpacked/resources/app.asar/dist/preload.js", source: /home//projects/electron/nuclear/release/linux-unpacked/resources/electron.asar/renderer/init.js (164)
[26945:0728/234248.108149:ERROR:CONSOLE(165)] "Error: Cannot find module '/home//projects/electron/nuclear/release/linux-unpacked/resources/app.asar/dist/preload.js'
    at Module._resolveFilename (module.js:543:15)
    at Function.Module._resolveFilename (/home//projects/electron/nuclear/release/linux-unpacked/resources/electron.asar/common/reset-search-paths.js:35:12)
    at Function.Module._load (module.js:473:25)
    at Module.require (module.js:586:17)
    at require (internal/module.js:11:18)
    at Object.<anonymous> (/home//projects/electron/nuclear/release/linux-unpacked/resources/electron.asar/renderer/init.js:162:5)
    at Object.<anonymous> (/home//projects/electron/nuclear/release/linux-unpacked/resources/electron.asar/renderer/init.js:188:3)
    at Module._compile (module.js:642:30)
    at Object.Module._extensions..js (module.js:653:10)
    at Module.load (module.js:561:32)", source: /home//projects/electron/nuclear/release/linux-unpacked/resources/electron.asar/renderer/init.js (165)

It loads fine in debug build. What prevents it from running in production build?

[sindresorhus]

You have to exclude the preload.js script in this package from being compiled with Webpack.

[sindresorhus]

I've opened an Electron feature request to make this just work: electron/electron#14012

[nukeop]

Adding exclude: /node_modules\/electron\-timber\/preload\.js/ to the jsx parsing rule in webpack did the trick, thanks for the help.