diff --git a/packages/astro/src/core/build/plugins/README.md b/packages/astro/src/core/build/plugins/README.md
index 6ac92a3f35efa..3f887d75ef8bc 100644
--- a/packages/astro/src/core/build/plugins/README.md
+++ b/packages/astro/src/core/build/plugins/README.md
@@ -16,6 +16,8 @@ import { onRequest } from "@astro-middleware";
 export { onRequest }
 ```
 
+This is **not** a virtual module. The plugin will try to resolve the physical file.
+
 ## `plugin-renderers`
 
 This plugin is responsible to collect all the renderers inside an Astro application and emit them in a single file.
diff --git a/packages/astro/src/core/build/plugins/plugin-middleware.ts b/packages/astro/src/core/build/plugins/plugin-middleware.ts
index 12ec06659415f..4cda820e8378d 100644
--- a/packages/astro/src/core/build/plugins/plugin-middleware.ts
+++ b/packages/astro/src/core/build/plugins/plugin-middleware.ts
@@ -20,26 +20,14 @@ export function vitePluginMiddleware(
 			}
 		},
 
-		resolveId(id) {
+		async resolveId(id) {
 			if (id === MIDDLEWARE_MODULE_ID && opts.settings.config.experimental.middleware) {
-				return RESOLVED_MIDDLEWARE_MODULE_ID;
-			}
-		},
-
-		async load(id) {
-			if (id === RESOLVED_MIDDLEWARE_MODULE_ID && opts.settings.config.experimental.middleware) {
-				const imports: string[] = [];
-				const exports: string[] = [];
-				let middlewareId = await this.resolve(
+				const middlewareId = await this.resolve(
 					`${opts.settings.config.srcDir.pathname}/${MIDDLEWARE_PATH_SEGMENT_NAME}`
 				);
 				if (middlewareId) {
-					imports.push(`import { onRequest } from "${middlewareId.id}"`);
-					exports.push(`export { onRequest }`);
+					return middlewareId.id;
 				}
-				const result = [imports.join('\n'), exports.join('\n')];
-
-				return result.join('\n');
 			}
 		},
 	};
diff --git a/packages/astro/src/core/build/plugins/plugin-ssr.ts b/packages/astro/src/core/build/plugins/plugin-ssr.ts
index c1f8789cbfc29..fc962d465b242 100644
--- a/packages/astro/src/core/build/plugins/plugin-ssr.ts
+++ b/packages/astro/src/core/build/plugins/plugin-ssr.ts
@@ -18,8 +18,8 @@ import { extname } from 'node:path';
 import { RENDERERS_MODULE_ID } from './plugin-renderers.js';
 import { ASTRO_PAGE_EXTENSION_POST_PATTERN, ASTRO_PAGE_MODULE_ID } from './plugin-pages.js';
 
-export const virtualModuleId = '@astrojs-ssr-virtual-entry';
-const resolvedVirtualModuleId = '\0' + virtualModuleId;
+export const SSR_VIRTUAL_MODULE_ID = '@astrojs-ssr-virtual-entry';
+const RESOLVED_SSR_VIRTUAL_MODULE_ID = '\0' + SSR_VIRTUAL_MODULE_ID;
 const manifestReplace = '@@ASTRO_MANIFEST_REPLACE@@';
 const replaceExp = new RegExp(`['"](${manifestReplace})['"]`, 'g');
 
@@ -32,15 +32,15 @@ function vitePluginSSR(
 		name: '@astrojs/vite-plugin-astro-ssr',
 		enforce: 'post',
 		options(opts) {
-			return addRollupInput(opts, [virtualModuleId]);
+			return addRollupInput(opts, [SSR_VIRTUAL_MODULE_ID]);
 		},
 		resolveId(id) {
-			if (id === virtualModuleId) {
-				return resolvedVirtualModuleId;
+			if (id === SSR_VIRTUAL_MODULE_ID) {
+				return RESOLVED_SSR_VIRTUAL_MODULE_ID;
 			}
 		},
 		async load(id) {
-			if (id === resolvedVirtualModuleId) {
+			if (id === RESOLVED_SSR_VIRTUAL_MODULE_ID) {
 				const {
 					settings: { config },
 					allPages,
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ if(_start in adapter) {
 				if (chunk.type === 'asset') {
 					continue;
 				}
-				if (chunk.modules[resolvedVirtualModuleId]) {
+				if (chunk.modules[RESOLVED_SSR_VIRTUAL_MODULE_ID]) {
 					internals.ssrEntryChunk = chunk;
 					delete bundle[chunkName];
 				}
diff --git a/packages/astro/src/core/build/static-build.ts b/packages/astro/src/core/build/static-build.ts
index 1777d6b9569af..872a7682acabf 100644
--- a/packages/astro/src/core/build/static-build.ts
+++ b/packages/astro/src/core/build/static-build.ts
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ import {
 	ASTRO_PAGE_EXTENSION_POST_PATTERN,
 	ASTRO_PAGE_RESOLVED_MODULE_ID,
 } from './plugins/plugin-pages.js';
+import { SSR_VIRTUAL_MODULE_ID } from './plugins/plugin-ssr.js';
 
 export async function viteBuild(opts: StaticBuildOptions) {
 	const { allPages, settings } = opts;
@@ -184,6 +185,8 @@ async function ssrBuild(
 								.replaceAll('.', '_')
 								// this must be last
 								.replace(ASTRO_PAGE_EXTENSION_POST_PATTERN, '.')}.mjs`;
+						} else if (chunkInfo.facadeModuleId === SSR_VIRTUAL_MODULE_ID) {
+							return opts.buildConfig.serverEntry;
 						} else if (chunkInfo.facadeModuleId === RESOLVED_MIDDLEWARE_MODULE_ID) {
 							return 'middleware.mjs';
 						} else if (chunkInfo.facadeModuleId === RESOLVED_RENDERERS_MODULE_ID) {