diff --git a/src/client/app/data.ts b/src/client/app/data.ts
index 16288e87..72fb7831 100644
--- a/src/client/app/data.ts
+++ b/src/client/app/data.ts
@@ -57,18 +57,9 @@ export interface VitePressData<T = any> {
 
 // site data is a singleton
 export const siteDataRef: Ref<SiteData> = shallowRef(
-  (import.meta.env.PROD ? siteData : readonly(siteData)) as SiteData
+  readonly(siteData) as SiteData
 )
 
-// hmr
-if (import.meta.hot) {
-  import.meta.hot.accept('@siteData', (m) => {
-    if (m) {
-      siteDataRef.value = m.default
-    }
-  })
-}
-
 // per-app data
 export function initData(route: Route): VitePressData {
   const site = computed(() =>
diff --git a/src/node/alias.ts b/src/node/alias.ts
index ad9eae4b..e30e557c 100644
--- a/src/node/alias.ts
+++ b/src/node/alias.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ import { createRequire } from 'node:module'
 import { join, resolve } from 'node:path'
 import { fileURLToPath } from 'node:url'
 import type { Alias, AliasOptions } from 'vite'
-import type { SiteConfig } from './config'
 
 const require = createRequire(import.meta.url)
 const PKG_ROOT = resolve(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url), '../..')
@@ -20,20 +19,8 @@ export const SITE_DATA_REQUEST_PATH = '/' + SITE_DATA_ID
 
 const vueRuntimePath = 'vue/dist/vue.runtime.esm-bundler.js'
 
-export function resolveAliases(
-  { root, themeDir }: SiteConfig,
-  ssr: boolean
-): AliasOptions {
-  const paths: Record<string, string> = {
-    '@theme': themeDir,
-    [SITE_DATA_ID]: SITE_DATA_REQUEST_PATH
-  }
-
+export function resolveAliases(root: string, ssr: boolean): AliasOptions {
   const aliases: Alias[] = [
-    ...Object.keys(paths).map((p) => ({
-      find: p,
-      replacement: paths[p]
-    })),
     {
       find: /^vitepress$/,
       replacement: join(DIST_CLIENT_PATH, '/index.js')
diff --git a/src/node/config.ts b/src/node/config.ts
index fba1e0c0..80342d9e 100644
--- a/src/node/config.ts
+++ b/src/node/config.ts
@@ -233,7 +233,7 @@ export async function resolveUserConfig(
   root: string,
   command: 'serve' | 'build',
   mode: string
-): Promise<[UserConfig, string | undefined, string[]]> {
+): Promise<[UserConfig, configPath: string | undefined, configDeps: string[]]> {
   // load user config
   const configPath = supportedConfigExtensions
     .flatMap((ext) => [
diff --git a/src/node/plugin.ts b/src/node/plugin.ts
index 0183bfbc..34e02d4f 100644
--- a/src/node/plugin.ts
+++ b/src/node/plugin.ts
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import {
   APP_PATH,
   DEFAULT_THEME_PATH,
   DIST_CLIENT_PATH,
+  SITE_DATA_ID,
   SITE_DATA_REQUEST_PATH,
   resolveAliases
 } from './alias'
@@ -43,7 +44,8 @@ declare module 'vite' {
   }
 }
 
-const themeRE = /\/\.vitepress\/theme\/index\.(m|c)?(j|t)s$/
+const themeRE = /(?:^|\/)\.vitepress\/theme\/index\.(m|c)?(j|t)s$/
+const startsWithThemeRE = /^@theme(?:\/|$)/
 const docsearchRE = /\/@docsearch\/css\/dist\/style.css(?:$|\?)/
 
 const hashRE = /\.([-\w]+)\.js$/
@@ -131,7 +133,7 @@ export async function createVitePressPlugin(
     config() {
       const baseConfig: UserConfig = {
         resolve: {
-          alias: resolveAliases(siteConfig, ssr)
+          alias: resolveAliases(siteConfig.root, ssr)
         },
         define: {
           __VP_LOCAL_SEARCH__: site.themeConfig?.search?.provider === 'local',
@@ -147,10 +149,7 @@ export async function createVitePressPlugin(
           include: [
             'vue',
             'vitepress > @vue/devtools-api',
-            'vitepress > @vueuse/core',
-            siteConfig.themeDir === DEFAULT_THEME_PATH
-              ? '@theme/index'
-              : undefined
+            'vitepress > @vueuse/core'
           ].filter((d) => d != null),
           exclude: ['@docsearch/js', 'vitepress']
         },
@@ -170,10 +169,17 @@ export async function createVitePressPlugin(
         : baseConfig
     },
 
-    resolveId(id) {
-      if (id === SITE_DATA_REQUEST_PATH) {
+    resolveId(id, importer, resolveOptions) {
+      if (id === SITE_DATA_ID) {
         return SITE_DATA_REQUEST_PATH
       }
+      if (startsWithThemeRE.test(id)) {
+        return this.resolve(
+          siteConfig.themeDir + id.slice(6),
+          importer,
+          Object.assign({ skipSelf: true }, resolveOptions)
+        )
+      }
     },
 
     load(id) {
@@ -260,31 +266,6 @@ export async function createVitePressPlugin(
         configDeps.forEach((file) => server.watcher.add(file))
       }
 
-      const onFileAddDelete = async (added: boolean, file: string) => {
-        const relativePath = path.posix.relative(srcDir, file)
-        // restart server on theme file creation / deletion
-        if (themeRE.test(relativePath)) {
-          siteConfig.logger.info(
-            c.green(
-              `${relativePath} ${added ? 'created' : 'deleted'}, restarting server...\n`
-            ),
-            { clear: true, timestamp: true }
-          )
-
-          await recreateServer?.()
-        }
-
-        // update pages, dynamicRoutes and rewrites on md file creation / deletion
-        if (relativePath.endsWith('.md')) await resolvePages(siteConfig)
-
-        if (!added && importerMap[relativePath]) {
-          delete importerMap[relativePath]
-        }
-      }
-      server.watcher
-        .on('add', onFileAddDelete.bind(null, true))
-        .on('unlink', onFileAddDelete.bind(null, false))
-
       // serve our index.html after vite history fallback
       return () => {
         server.middlewares.use(async (req, res, next) => {
@@ -369,8 +350,30 @@ export async function createVitePressPlugin(
       }
     },
 
-    async hotUpdate({ file }) {
+    async hotUpdate({ file, type }) {
       if (this.environment.name !== 'client') return
+      const relativePath = path.posix.relative(srcDir, file)
+
+      if (themeRE.test(relativePath) && type !== 'update') {
+        siteConfig.themeDir =
+          type === 'create' ? path.posix.dirname(file) : DEFAULT_THEME_PATH
+        siteConfig.logger.info(c.green('page reload ') + c.dim(relativePath), {
+          clear: true,
+          timestamp: true
+        })
+        this.environment.moduleGraph.invalidateAll()
+        this.environment.hot.send({ type: 'full-reload' })
+        return []
+      }
+
+      // update pages, dynamicRoutes and rewrites on md file creation / deletion
+      if (file.endsWith('.md') && type !== 'update') {
+        await resolvePages(siteConfig)
+      }
+
+      if (type === 'delete') {
+        delete importerMap[relativePath]
+      }
 
       if (
         file === configPath ||
diff --git a/src/node/plugins/localSearchPlugin.ts b/src/node/plugins/localSearchPlugin.ts
index a5ed5f06..61803981 100644
--- a/src/node/plugins/localSearchPlugin.ts
+++ b/src/node/plugins/localSearchPlugin.ts
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ export async function localSearchPlugin(
       name: 'vitepress:local-search',
       resolveId(id) {
         if (id.startsWith(LOCAL_SEARCH_INDEX_ID)) {
-          return `/${id}`
+          return LOCAL_SEARCH_INDEX_REQUEST_PATH
         }
       },
       load(id) {
@@ -183,7 +183,7 @@ export async function localSearchPlugin(
           records.push(
             `${JSON.stringify(
               locale
-            )}: () => import('@localSearchIndex${locale}')`
+            )}: () => import('${LOCAL_SEARCH_INDEX_ID}${locale}')`
           )
         }
         return `export default {${records.join(',')}}`