diff --git a/lib/services/ios-project-service.ts b/lib/services/ios-project-service.ts
index e91adb698e..5f99aef0e5 100644
--- a/lib/services/ios-project-service.ts
+++ b/lib/services/ios-project-service.ts
@@ -97,6 +97,9 @@ export class IOSProjectService
 {
 	private static IOS_PROJECT_NAME_PLACEHOLDER = "__PROJECT_NAME__";
 	private static IOS_PLATFORM_NAME = "ios";
+	// CLI-managed folder under the platform root where we write generated
+	// artifacts (e.g. plugin modulemaps) so we never write into node_modules
+	private static GENERATED_PLUGINS_DIR_NAME = ".plugins";
 
 	constructor(
 		$fs: IFileSystem,
@@ -530,7 +533,10 @@ export class IOSProjectService
 						singlePlatformFramework,
 						path.extname(singlePlatformFramework),
 					);
-					let frameworkBinaryPath = path.join(singlePlatformFramework, frameworkName)
+					let frameworkBinaryPath = path.join(
+						singlePlatformFramework,
+						frameworkName,
+					);
 					if (library.BinaryPath) {
 						frameworkBinaryPath = path.join(
 							frameworkPath,
@@ -548,7 +554,9 @@ export class IOSProjectService
 				frameworkPath,
 				path.extname(frameworkPath),
 			);
-			return await isDynamicFrameworkBundle(path.join(frameworkPath, frameworkName));
+			return await isDynamicFrameworkBundle(
+				path.join(frameworkPath, frameworkName),
+			);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -658,7 +666,29 @@ export class IOSProjectService
 		);
 		project.addToHeaderSearchPaths({ relativePath: relativeHeaderSearchPath });
 
-		this.generateModulemap(headersSubpath, libraryName);
+		// Write the generated modulemap into a CLI-managed folder under the
+		// platform root (never into node_modules). The modulemap references the
+		// plugin's headers in-place via relative paths, so nothing is copied.
+		const modulemapDir = path.join(
+			this.getPlatformData(projectData).projectRoot,
+			IOSProjectService.GENERATED_PLUGINS_DIR_NAME,
+			libraryName,
+		);
+		const hasModulemap = this.generateModulemap(
+			headersSubpath,
+			libraryName,
+			modulemapDir,
+		);
+		if (hasModulemap) {
+			// Put the modulemap dir on the header search path so clang discovers
+			// the module there instead of inside node_modules.
+			project.addToHeaderSearchPaths({
+				relativePath: this.getLibSubpathRelativeToProjectPath(
+					modulemapDir,
+					projectData,
+				),
+			});
+		}
 		this.savePbxProj(project, projectData);
 	}
 
@@ -1682,6 +1712,19 @@ export class IOSProjectService
 				project.removeFromHeaderSearchPaths({
 					relativePath: relativeHeaderSearchPath,
 				});
+
+				// Remove the generated modulemap dir search path (see addStaticLibrary)
+				const modulemapDir = path.join(
+					this.getPlatformData(projectData).projectRoot,
+					IOSProjectService.GENERATED_PLUGINS_DIR_NAME,
+					path.basename(staticLibPath, ".a"),
+				);
+				project.removeFromHeaderSearchPaths({
+					relativePath: this.getLibSubpathRelativeToProjectPath(
+						modulemapDir,
+						projectData,
+					),
+				});
 			},
 		);
 
@@ -1691,29 +1734,52 @@ export class IOSProjectService
 	private generateModulemap(
 		headersFolderPath: string,
 		libraryName: string,
-	): void {
+		modulemapDir: string,
+	): boolean {
+		const modulemapPath = path.join(modulemapDir, "module.modulemap");
+
+		// A plugin may ship a `.a` without an `include/{lib}` headers folder. In
+		// that case there's nothing to expose as a module - clean up any stale
+		// modulemap and bail out instead of letting readDirectory throw.
+		if (!this.$fs.exists(headersFolderPath)) {
+			if (this.$fs.exists(modulemapPath)) {
+				this.$fs.deleteFile(modulemapPath);
+			}
+			return false;
+		}
+
 		const headersFilter = (fileName: string, containingFolderPath: string) =>
 			path.extname(fileName) === ".h" &&
 			this.$fs.getFsStats(path.join(containingFolderPath, fileName)).isFile();
 		const headersFolderContents = this.$fs.readDirectory(headersFolderPath);
-		let headers = _(headersFolderContents)
-			.filter((item) => headersFilter(item, headersFolderPath))
-			.value();
+		const headerFiles = headersFolderContents.filter((item) =>
+			headersFilter(item, headersFolderPath),
+		);
 
-		if (!headers.length) {
-			this.$fs.deleteFile(path.join(headersFolderPath, "module.modulemap"));
-			return;
+		if (!headerFiles.length) {
+			if (this.$fs.exists(modulemapPath)) {
+				this.$fs.deleteFile(modulemapPath);
+			}
+			return false;
 		}
 
-		headers = _.map(headers, (value) => `header "${value}"`);
+		// Reference the plugin's headers (still in node_modules) relative to the
+		// generated modulemap's location, so we don't copy headers or write into
+		// node_modules.
+		const headers = _.map(headerFiles, (value) => {
+			const relativeHeaderPath = path.relative(
+				modulemapDir,
+				path.join(headersFolderPath, value),
+			);
+			return `header "${relativeHeaderPath}"`;
+		});
 
 		const modulemap = `module ${libraryName} { explicit module ${libraryName} { ${headers.join(
 			" ",
 		)} } }`;
-		this.$fs.writeFile(
-			path.join(headersFolderPath, "module.modulemap"),
-			modulemap,
-		);
+		this.$fs.ensureDirectoryExists(modulemapDir);
+		this.$fs.writeFile(modulemapPath, modulemap);
+		return true;
 	}
 
 	private async mergeProjectXcconfigFiles(
diff --git a/test/ios-project-service.ts b/test/ios-project-service.ts
index a8f7a9e1a1..1816ce789b 100644
--- a/test/ios-project-service.ts
+++ b/test/ios-project-service.ts
@@ -1035,12 +1035,26 @@ describe("Static libraries support", () => {
 			fs.writeFile(join(staticLibraryHeadersPath, header), "");
 		});
 
-		iOSProjectService.generateModulemap(staticLibraryHeadersPath, libraryName);
+		// The modulemap is written into a CLI-managed dir (not next to the
+		// headers / not in node_modules) and references the headers in place.
+		const modulemapDir = join(projectPath, ".plugins", libraryName);
+		const generated = iOSProjectService.generateModulemap(
+			staticLibraryHeadersPath,
+			libraryName,
+			modulemapDir,
+		);
+		assert.isTrue(generated);
+
 		// Read the generated modulemap and verify it.
-		let modulemap = fs.readFile(
-			join(staticLibraryHeadersPath, "module.modulemap"),
+		let modulemap = fs.readFile(join(modulemapDir, "module.modulemap"));
+		const headerCommands = _.map(
+			headers,
+			(value) =>
+				`header "${path.relative(
+					modulemapDir,
+					join(staticLibraryHeadersPath, value),
+				)}"`,
 		);
-		const headerCommands = _.map(headers, (value) => `header "${value}"`);
 		const modulemapExpectation = `module ${libraryName} { explicit module ${libraryName} { ${headerCommands.join(
 			" ",
 		)} } }`;
@@ -1051,13 +1065,16 @@ describe("Static libraries support", () => {
 		_.each(headers, (header) => {
 			fs.deleteFile(join(staticLibraryHeadersPath, header));
 		});
-		iOSProjectService.generateModulemap(staticLibraryHeadersPath, libraryName);
+		const regenerated = iOSProjectService.generateModulemap(
+			staticLibraryHeadersPath,
+			libraryName,
+			modulemapDir,
+		);
+		assert.isFalse(regenerated);
 
 		let error: any;
 		try {
-			modulemap = fs.readFile(
-				join(staticLibraryHeadersPath, "module.modulemap"),
-			);
+			modulemap = fs.readFile(join(modulemapDir, "module.modulemap"));
 		} catch (err) {
 			error = err;
 		}