diff --git a/packages/nuxt/src/app/plugins/router.ts b/packages/nuxt/src/app/plugins/router.ts
index 4c6fa9c07e8b..bb47ea4b172d 100644
--- a/packages/nuxt/src/app/plugins/router.ts
+++ b/packages/nuxt/src/app/plugins/router.ts
@@ -249,12 +249,12 @@ export default defineNuxtPlugin<{ route: Route, router: Router }>({
           if (isAppManifestEnabled) {
             const routeRules = await nuxtApp.runWithContext(() => getRouteRules(to.path))
 
-            if (routeRules.nuxtMiddleware) {
-              for (const key in routeRules.nuxtMiddleware) {
+            if (routeRules.appMiddleware) {
+              for (const key in routeRules.appMiddleware) {
                 const guard = nuxtApp._middleware.named[key] as RouteGuard | undefined
                 if (!guard) { return }
 
-                if (routeRules.nuxtMiddleware[key]) {
+                if (routeRules.appMiddleware[key]) {
                   middlewareEntries.add(guard)
                 } else {
                   middlewareEntries.delete(guard)
diff --git a/packages/nuxt/src/core/nitro.ts b/packages/nuxt/src/core/nitro.ts
index 87d3da4bba46..e03b560e0b7c 100644
--- a/packages/nuxt/src/core/nitro.ts
+++ b/packages/nuxt/src/core/nitro.ts
@@ -267,16 +267,16 @@ export async function initNitro (nuxt: Nuxt & { _nitro?: Nitro }) {
     nuxt.hook('nitro:config', (config) => {
       const rules = config.routeRules
       for (const rule in rules) {
-        if (!(rules[rule] as any).nuxtMiddleware) { continue }
-        const value = (rules[rule] as any).nuxtMiddleware
+        if (!(rules[rule] as any).appMiddleware) { continue }
+        const value = (rules[rule] as any).appMiddleware
         if (typeof value === 'string') {
-          (rules[rule] as NitroOptions['routeRules']).nuxtMiddleware = { [value]: true }
+          (rules[rule] as NitroOptions['routeRules']).appMiddleware = { [value]: true }
         } else if (Array.isArray(value)) {
           const normalizedRules: Record<string, boolean> = {}
           for (const middleware of value) {
             normalizedRules[middleware] = true
           }
-          (rules[rule] as NitroOptions['routeRules']).nuxtMiddleware = normalizedRules
+          (rules[rule] as NitroOptions['routeRules']).appMiddleware = normalizedRules
         }
       }
     })
@@ -291,7 +291,7 @@ export async function initNitro (nuxt: Nuxt & { _nitro?: Nitro }) {
           const filteredRules = {} as Record<string, any>
           for (const routeKey in _routeRules[key]) {
             const value = (_routeRules as any)[key][routeKey]
-            if (['prerender', 'redirect', 'nuxtMiddleware'].includes(routeKey) && value) {
+            if (['prerender', 'redirect', 'appMiddleware'].includes(routeKey) && value) {
               if (routeKey === 'redirect') {
                 filteredRules[routeKey] = typeof value === 'string' ? value : value.to
               } else {
diff --git a/packages/nuxt/src/core/templates.ts b/packages/nuxt/src/core/templates.ts
index 62b33f02cd0e..fc33188e2e29 100644
--- a/packages/nuxt/src/core/templates.ts
+++ b/packages/nuxt/src/core/templates.ts
@@ -244,7 +244,7 @@ declare module 'nitropack' {
   interface NitroRouteRules {
     ssr?: boolean
     experimentalNoScripts?: boolean
-    nuxtMiddleware?: Record<string, boolean>
+    appMiddleware?: Record<string, boolean>
   }
   interface NitroRuntimeHooks {
     'dev:ssr-logs': (ctx: { logs: LogObject[], path: string }) => void | Promise<void>
diff --git a/packages/nuxt/src/pages/module.ts b/packages/nuxt/src/pages/module.ts
index 3b6be825f3ce..4ddb48d077d4 100644
--- a/packages/nuxt/src/pages/module.ts
+++ b/packages/nuxt/src/pages/module.ts
@@ -477,7 +477,7 @@ export default defineNuxtModule({
           '}',
           'declare module \'nitropack\' {',
           '  interface NitroRouteConfig {',
-          '    nuxtMiddleware?: MiddlewareKey | MiddlewareKey[] | Record<MiddlewareKey, boolean>',
+          '    appMiddleware?: MiddlewareKey | MiddlewareKey[] | Record<MiddlewareKey, boolean>',
           '  }',
           '}'
         ].join('\n')
diff --git a/packages/nuxt/src/pages/runtime/plugins/router.ts b/packages/nuxt/src/pages/runtime/plugins/router.ts
index ad27599a6fac..a53a73dab67f 100644
--- a/packages/nuxt/src/pages/runtime/plugins/router.ts
+++ b/packages/nuxt/src/pages/runtime/plugins/router.ts
@@ -179,9 +179,9 @@ const plugin: Plugin<{ router: Router }> = defineNuxtPlugin({
         if (isAppManifestEnabled) {
           const routeRules = await nuxtApp.runWithContext(() => getRouteRules(to.path))
 
-          if (routeRules.nuxtMiddleware) {
-            for (const key in routeRules.nuxtMiddleware) {
-              if (routeRules.nuxtMiddleware[key]) {
+          if (routeRules.appMiddleware) {
+            for (const key in routeRules.appMiddleware) {
+              if (routeRules.appMiddleware[key]) {
                 middlewareEntries.add(key)
               } else {
                 middlewareEntries.delete(key)
diff --git a/packages/nuxt/types.d.mts b/packages/nuxt/types.d.mts
index cdfd68e0434b..043bf0c49e99 100644
--- a/packages/nuxt/types.d.mts
+++ b/packages/nuxt/types.d.mts
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ declare module 'nitropack' {
   interface NitroRouteRules {
     ssr?: boolean
     experimentalNoScripts?: boolean
-    nuxtMiddleware?: Record<string, boolean>
+    appMiddleware?: Record<string, boolean>
   }
   interface NitroRuntimeHooks {
     'dev:ssr-logs': (ctx: { logs: LogObject[], path: string }) => void | Promise<void>
diff --git a/packages/nuxt/types.d.ts b/packages/nuxt/types.d.ts
index 23ca5b4ff88a..1733bdec6233 100644
--- a/packages/nuxt/types.d.ts
+++ b/packages/nuxt/types.d.ts
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ declare module 'nitropack' {
   interface NitroRouteRules {
     ssr?: boolean
     experimentalNoScripts?: boolean
-    nuxtMiddleware?: Record<string, boolean>
+    appMiddleware?: Record<string, boolean>
   }
   interface NitroRuntimeHooks {
     'dev:ssr-logs': (ctx: { logs: LogObject[], path: string }) => void | Promise<void>
diff --git a/test/fixtures/basic/nuxt.config.ts b/test/fixtures/basic/nuxt.config.ts
index 5231b0dbed53..61851c237315 100644
--- a/test/fixtures/basic/nuxt.config.ts
+++ b/test/fixtures/basic/nuxt.config.ts
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ export default defineNuxtConfig({
     },
     routeRules: {
       '/route-rules/spa': { ssr: false },
-      '/route-rules/middleware': { nuxtMiddleware: 'route-rules-middleware' },
+      '/route-rules/middleware': { appMiddleware: 'route-rules-middleware' },
       '/hydration/spa-redirection/**': { ssr: false },
       '/no-scripts': { experimentalNoScripts: true }
     },