diff --git a/packages/plugin-vue/src/handleHotUpdate.ts b/packages/plugin-vue/src/handleHotUpdate.ts
index 94d1fb4ee7830e..7676036929b49f 100644
--- a/packages/plugin-vue/src/handleHotUpdate.ts
+++ b/packages/plugin-vue/src/handleHotUpdate.ts
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ export async function handleHotUpdate({
   read,
   server
 }: HmrContext): Promise<ModuleNode[] | void> {
-  const prevDescriptor = getDescriptor(file, false)
+  const prevDescriptor = getDescriptor(file, server.config.root, false, false)
   if (!prevDescriptor) {
     // file hasn't been requested yet (e.g. async component)
     return
diff --git a/packages/plugin-vue/src/index.ts b/packages/plugin-vue/src/index.ts
index 5ee0b396140e43..95fb8a7fc646d2 100644
--- a/packages/plugin-vue/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/plugin-vue/src/index.ts
@@ -167,7 +167,11 @@ export default function vuePlugin(rawOptions: Options = {}): Plugin {
         if (query.src) {
           return fs.readFileSync(filename, 'utf-8')
         }
-        const descriptor = getDescriptor(filename)!
+        const descriptor = getDescriptor(
+          filename,
+          options.root,
+          options.isProduction
+        )!
         let block: SFCBlock | null | undefined
         if (query.type === 'script') {
           // handle <scrip> + <script setup> merge via compileScript()
@@ -219,7 +223,11 @@ export default function vuePlugin(rawOptions: Options = {}): Plugin {
         )
       } else {
         // sub block request
-        const descriptor = getDescriptor(filename)!
+        const descriptor = getDescriptor(
+          filename,
+          options.root,
+          options.isProduction
+        )!
         if (query.type === 'template') {
           return transformTemplateAsModule(code, descriptor, options, this, ssr)
         } else if (query.type === 'style') {
diff --git a/packages/plugin-vue/src/utils/descriptorCache.ts b/packages/plugin-vue/src/utils/descriptorCache.ts
index d03643dc8bc026..fe395825bd8c96 100644
--- a/packages/plugin-vue/src/utils/descriptorCache.ts
+++ b/packages/plugin-vue/src/utils/descriptorCache.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import fs from 'fs'
 import path from 'path'
 import slash from 'slash'
 import hash from 'hash-sum'
@@ -45,16 +46,24 @@ export function setPrevDescriptor(
 
 export function getDescriptor(
   filename: string,
-  errorOnMissing = true
+  root: string,
+  isProduction: boolean | undefined,
+  createIfNotFound = true
 ): SFCDescriptor | undefined {
   if (cache.has(filename)) {
     return cache.get(filename)!
   }
-  if (errorOnMissing) {
-    throw new Error(
-      `${filename} has no corresponding SFC entry in the cache. ` +
-        `This is a @vitejs/plugin-vue internal error, please open an issue.`
+  if (createIfNotFound) {
+    const { descriptor, errors } = createDescriptor(
+      filename,
+      fs.readFileSync(filename, 'utf-8'),
+      root,
+      isProduction
     )
+    if (errors) {
+      throw errors[0]
+    }
+    return descriptor
   }
 }