diff --git a/src/client/app/utils.ts b/src/client/app/utils.ts
index 1c3f5ae6..f24f4dbf 100644
--- a/src/client/app/utils.ts
+++ b/src/client/app/utils.ts
@@ -58,21 +58,6 @@ export function pathToFile(path: string): string {
   return pagePath
 }
 
-export function deserializeFunctions(value: any): any {
-  if (Array.isArray(value)) {
-    return value.map(deserializeFunctions)
-  } else if (typeof value === 'object' && value !== null) {
-    return Object.keys(value).reduce((acc, key) => {
-      acc[key] = deserializeFunctions(value[key])
-      return acc
-    }, {} as any)
-  } else if (typeof value === 'string' && value.startsWith('_vp-fn_')) {
-    return new Function(`return ${value.slice(7)}`)()
-  } else {
-    return value
-  }
-}
-
 export let contentUpdatedCallbacks: (() => any)[] = []
 
 /**
diff --git a/src/client/index.ts b/src/client/index.ts
index d00b9876..f97c8c78 100644
--- a/src/client/index.ts
+++ b/src/client/index.ts
@@ -21,12 +21,7 @@ export { useData } from './app/data.js'
 export { useRoute, useRouter } from './app/router.js'
 
 // utilities
-export {
-  deserializeFunctions,
-  inBrowser,
-  onContentUpdated,
-  withBase
-} from './app/utils.js'
+export { inBrowser, onContentUpdated, withBase } from './app/utils.js'
 
 // components
 export { Content } from './app/components/Content.js'
diff --git a/src/node/plugin.ts b/src/node/plugin.ts
index fee87e1e..06954fc6 100644
--- a/src/node/plugin.ts
+++ b/src/node/plugin.ts
@@ -160,7 +160,7 @@ export async function createVitePressPlugin(
           data = { ...siteData, head: [] }
         }
         data = serializeFunctions(data)
-        return `import { deserializeFunctions } from 'vitepress/client'
+        return `${deserializeFunctions.toString()}
         export default deserializeFunctions(JSON.parse(${JSON.stringify(
           JSON.stringify(data)
         )}))`
@@ -359,3 +359,18 @@ export async function createVitePressPlugin(
     await dynamicRoutesPlugin(siteConfig)
   ]
 }
+
+function deserializeFunctions(value: any): any {
+  if (Array.isArray(value)) {
+    return value.map(deserializeFunctions)
+  } else if (typeof value === 'object' && value !== null) {
+    return Object.keys(value).reduce((acc, key) => {
+      acc[key] = deserializeFunctions(value[key])
+      return acc
+    }, {} as any)
+  } else if (typeof value === 'string' && value.startsWith('_vp-fn_')) {
+    return new Function(`return ${value.slice(7)}`)()
+  } else {
+    return value
+  }
+}