diff --git a/bin/nuxt-start b/bin/nuxt-start
index 5e40ebd201..5921404424 100755
--- a/bin/nuxt-start
+++ b/bin/nuxt-start
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ options.dev = false
 
 // Check if project is built for production
 const distDir = join(options.rootDir, options.buildDir || '.nuxt', 'dist')
-if (!fs.existsSync(join(distDir, 'server-bundle.json'))) {
+if (!fs.existsSync(distDir)) {
   console.error('> No build files found, please run `nuxt build` before launching `nuxt start`') // eslint-disable-line no-console
   process.exit(1)
 }