diff --git a/packages/@vue/cli/__tests__/Generator.spec.js b/packages/@vue/cli/__tests__/Generator.spec.js
index 5091601959..7e4e0cb274 100644
--- a/packages/@vue/cli/__tests__/Generator.spec.js
+++ b/packages/@vue/cli/__tests__/Generator.spec.js
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ new Vue({
   render: h => h(App)
 }).$mount('#app')
 `.trim())
+fs.writeFileSync(path.resolve(templateDir, 'empty-entry.js'), `;`)
 
 // replace stubs
 fs.writeFileSync(path.resolve(templateDir, 'replace.js'), `
@@ -465,10 +466,28 @@ test('api: addEntryImport & addEntryInjection', async () => {
   ] })
 
   await generator.generate()
-  expect(fs.readFileSync('/main.js', 'utf-8')).toMatch(/import foo from 'foo'\s+import bar from 'bar'/)
+  expect(fs.readFileSync('/main.js', 'utf-8')).toMatch(/import foo from 'foo'\r?\nimport bar from 'bar'/)
   expect(fs.readFileSync('/main.js', 'utf-8')).toMatch(/new Vue\({\s+p: p\(\),\s+baz,\s+foo,\s+bar,\s+render: h => h\(App\)\s+}\)/)
 })
 
+test('api: injectImports to empty file', async () => {
+  const generator = new Generator('/', { plugins: [
+    {
+      id: 'test',
+      apply: api => {
+        api.injectImports('main.js', `import foo from 'foo'`)
+        api.injectImports('main.js', `import bar from 'bar'`)
+        api.render({
+          'main.js': path.join(templateDir, 'empty-entry.js')
+        })
+      }
+    }
+  ] })
+
+  await generator.generate()
+  expect(fs.readFileSync('/main.js', 'utf-8')).toMatch(/import foo from 'foo'\r?\nimport bar from 'bar'/)
+})
+
 test('api: addEntryDuplicateImport', async () => {
   const generator = new Generator('/', { plugins: [
     {
diff --git a/packages/@vue/cli/lib/util/injectImportsAndOptions.js b/packages/@vue/cli/lib/util/injectImportsAndOptions.js
index 68e69958aa..36a94622c0 100644
--- a/packages/@vue/cli/lib/util/injectImportsAndOptions.js
+++ b/packages/@vue/cli/lib/util/injectImportsAndOptions.js
@@ -9,67 +9,56 @@ module.exports = function injectImportsAndOptions (source, imports, injections)
     return source
   }
 
-  const recast = require('recast')
-  const ast = recast.parse(source)
+  const j = require('jscodeshift')
+  const root = j(source)
 
   if (hasImports) {
-    const toImport = i => recast.parse(`${i}\n`).program.body[0]
-    const importDeclarations = []
-    let lastImportIndex = -1
-
-    recast.types.visit(ast, {
-      visitImportDeclaration ({ node }) {
-        lastImportIndex = ast.program.body.findIndex(n => n === node)
-        importDeclarations.push(node)
-        return false
-      }
+    const toImportAST = i => j(`${i}\n`).nodes()[0].program.body[0]
+    const toImportHash = node => JSON.stringify({
+      specifiers: node.specifiers.map(s => s.local.name),
+      source: node.source.raw
     })
-    // avoid blank line after the previous import
-    if (lastImportIndex !== -1) {
-      delete ast.program.body[lastImportIndex].loc
-    }
 
-    const nonDuplicates = i => {
-      return !importDeclarations.some(node => {
-        const result = node.source.raw === i.source.raw && node.specifiers.length === i.specifiers.length
+    const declarations = root.find(j.ImportDeclaration)
+    const importSet = new Set(declarations.nodes().map(toImportHash))
+    const nonDuplicates = node => !importSet.has(toImportHash(node))
 
-        return result && node.specifiers.every((item, index) => {
-          return i.specifiers[index].local.name === item.local.name
-        })
-      })
-    }
+    const importASTNodes = imports.map(toImportAST).filter(nonDuplicates)
 
-    const newImports = imports.map(toImport).filter(nonDuplicates)
-    ast.program.body.splice(lastImportIndex + 1, 0, ...newImports)
+    if (declarations.length) {
+      declarations
+        .at(-1)
+        // a tricky way to avoid blank line after the previous import
+        .forEach(({ node }) => delete node.loc)
+        .insertAfter(importASTNodes)
+    } else {
+      // no pre-existing import declarations
+      root.get().node.program.body.unshift(...importASTNodes)
+    }
   }
 
   if (hasInjections) {
-    const toProperty = i => {
-      return recast.parse(`({${i}})`).program.body[0].expression.properties
+    const toPropertyAST = i => {
+      return j(`({${i}})`).nodes()[0].program.body[0].expression.properties[0]
     }
-    recast.types.visit(ast, {
-      visitNewExpression ({ node }) {
-        if (node.callee.name === 'Vue') {
-          const options = node.arguments[0]
-          if (options && options.type === 'ObjectExpression') {
-            const nonDuplicates = i => {
-              return !options.properties.slice(0, -1).some(p => {
-                return p.key.name === i[0].key.name &&
-                  recast.print(p.value).code === recast.print(i[0].value).code
-              })
-            }
-            // inject at index length - 1 as it's usually the render fn
-            options.properties = [
-              ...options.properties.slice(0, -1),
-              ...([].concat(...injections.map(toProperty).filter(nonDuplicates))),
-              ...options.properties.slice(-1)
-            ]
-          }
-        }
-        return false
-      }
-    })
+
+    const properties = root
+      .find(j.NewExpression, {
+        callee: { name: 'Vue' },
+        arguments: [{ type: 'ObjectExpression' }]
+      })
+      .map(path => path.get('arguments', 0))
+      .get()
+      .node
+      .properties
+
+    const toPropertyHash = p => `${p.key.name}: ${j(p.value).toSource()}`
+    const propertySet = new Set(properties.map(toPropertyHash))
+    const nonDuplicates = p => !propertySet.has(toPropertyHash(p))
+
+    // inject at index length - 1 as it's usually the render fn
+    properties.splice(-1, 0, ...injections.map(toPropertyAST).filter(nonDuplicates))
   }
 
-  return recast.print(ast).code
+  return root.toSource()
 }
diff --git a/packages/@vue/cli/package.json b/packages/@vue/cli/package.json
index ab348dfeec..3685055423 100644
--- a/packages/@vue/cli/package.json
+++ b/packages/@vue/cli/package.json
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@
     "isbinaryfile": "^3.0.2",
     "javascript-stringify": "^1.6.0",
     "js-yaml": "^3.13.1",
+    "jscodeshift": "^0.6.4",
     "lodash.clonedeep": "^4.5.0",
     "minimist": "^1.2.0",
     "recast": "^0.17.6",