diff --git a/packages/nuxt/src/app/composables/payload.ts b/packages/nuxt/src/app/composables/payload.ts
index 011d6a6938d..99741489582 100644
--- a/packages/nuxt/src/app/composables/payload.ts
+++ b/packages/nuxt/src/app/composables/payload.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { parseURL, joinURL } from 'ufo'
+import { joinURL } from 'ufo'
 import { useNuxtApp } from '../nuxt'
 import { useHead, useRuntimeConfig } from '..'
 
@@ -37,12 +37,15 @@ export function preloadPayload (url: string, opts: LoadPayloadOptions = {}) {
 // --- Internal ---
 
 function _getPayloadURL (url: string, opts: LoadPayloadOptions = {}) {
-  const parsed = parseURL(url)
-  if (parsed.search) {
+  const u = new URL(url, 'http://localhost')
+  if (u.search) {
     throw new Error('Payload URL cannot contain search params: ' + url)
   }
+  if (u.host !== 'localhost') {
+    throw new Error('Payload URL cannot contain host: ' + url)
+  }
   const hash = opts.hash || (opts.fresh ? Date.now() : '')
-  return joinURL(useRuntimeConfig().app.baseURL, parsed.pathname, hash ? `_payload.${hash}.js` : '_payload.js')
+  return joinURL(useRuntimeConfig().app.baseURL, u.pathname, hash ? `_payload.${hash}.js` : '_payload.js')
 }
 
 async function _importPayload (payloadURL: string) {