diff --git a/__tests__/e2e/client-component/Slots.vue b/__tests__/e2e/client-component/Slots.vue
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5e19a0def
--- /dev/null
+++ b/__tests__/e2e/client-component/Slots.vue
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+<script lang="ts">
+if (typeof window === 'undefined') {
+  throw new Error('This component can only be imported in the browser')
+}
+</script>
+
+<script setup lang="ts">
+defineProps<{ message?: string }>()
+</script>
+
+<template>
+  <section class="client-component">
+    <header>
+      <slot name="header" :message="message || 'scoped value'">
+        header fallback
+      </slot>
+    </header>
+    <div class="default-slot"><slot>default fallback</slot></div>
+    <footer><slot name="footer" /></footer>
+  </section>
+</template>
diff --git a/__tests__/e2e/client-component/client-component.test.ts b/__tests__/e2e/client-component/client-component.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..10a4941fe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/__tests__/e2e/client-component/client-component.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+describe('client components', () => {
+  beforeEach(async () => {
+    await goto('/client-component/')
+    await page.waitForSelector('#forwarded.client-component')
+  })
+
+  test('forwards default and scoped slots and keeps them reactive', async () => {
+    const header = page.locator('#forwarded header')
+    const content = page.locator('#forwarded .default-slot')
+
+    expect(await header.textContent()).toBe('scoped value 0')
+    expect((await content.textContent())?.trim()).toBe('default content 0')
+    expect(await page.locator('#forwarded footer').textContent()).toBe('')
+
+    await page.locator('#increment').click()
+
+    await expect.poll(() => header.textContent()).toBe('scoped value 1')
+    expect((await content.textContent())?.trim()).toBe('default content 1')
+    expect(await page.locator('#forwarded footer').textContent()).toBe(
+      'conditional slot'
+    )
+
+    await page.locator('#increment').click()
+
+    await expect.poll(() => header.textContent()).toBe('scoped value 2')
+    expect(await page.locator('#forwarded footer').textContent()).toBe('')
+  })
+
+  test('forwards slots when args only provide props', async () => {
+    expect(await page.locator('#with-props header').textContent()).toBe(
+      'from args'
+    )
+    expect(
+      (await page.locator('#with-props .default-slot').textContent())?.trim()
+    ).toBe('content with props')
+    expect(await page.locator('#empty-args .default-slot').textContent()).toBe(
+      'content with empty args'
+    )
+    expect(await page.locator('#null-props .default-slot').textContent()).toBe(
+      'content with null props'
+    )
+  })
+
+  test('preserves explicitly provided slots and shorthand children', async () => {
+    expect(await page.locator('#explicit header').textContent()).toBe(
+      'explicit header'
+    )
+    expect(await page.locator('#explicit .default-slot').textContent()).toBe(
+      'explicit default'
+    )
+
+    for (const [id, content] of [
+      ['string', 'string child'],
+      ['array', 'array child'],
+      ['vnode', 'vnode child'],
+      ['function', 'function child'],
+      ['number', '42'],
+      ['null', 'default fallback'],
+      ['undefined', 'default fallback'],
+      ['multiple', 'firstsecond']
+    ]) {
+      expect(
+        await page.locator(`#legacy-${id} .default-slot`).textContent()
+      ).toBe(content)
+    }
+  })
+
+  test.runIf(!!process.env.VITE_TEST_BUILD)(
+    'does not render the component or its slots on the server',
+    async () => {
+      const response = await page.request.get(page.url())
+      const html = await response.text()
+
+      expect(html).not.toContain('class="client-component"')
+      expect(html).not.toContain('default content 0')
+    }
+  )
+})
diff --git a/__tests__/e2e/client-component/index.md b/__tests__/e2e/client-component/index.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4740dc7b8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/__tests__/e2e/client-component/index.md
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+<script setup>
+import { h, ref } from 'vue'
+import { defineClientComponent } from 'vitepress'
+
+const load = () => import('./Slots.vue')
+const ClientComponent = defineClientComponent(load)
+const WithProps = defineClientComponent(load, [{ message: 'from args' }])
+const WithEmptyArgs = defineClientComponent(load, [])
+const WithNullProps = defineClientComponent(load, [null])
+const WithExplicitSlots = defineClientComponent(load, [null, {
+  default: () => 'explicit default',
+  header: () => 'explicit header'
+}])
+const legacyChildren = [
+  ['string', ['string child']],
+  ['array', [[h('span', 'array child')]]],
+  ['vnode', [h('span', 'vnode child')]],
+  ['function', [() => 'function child']],
+  ['number', [42]],
+  ['null', [null, null]],
+  ['undefined', [null, undefined]],
+  ['multiple', [null, 'first', 'second']]
+].map(([id, args]) => ({ id, component: defineClientComponent(load, args) }))
+const count = ref(0)
+</script>
+
+# Client Components
+
+<button id="increment" @click="count++">Increment</button>
+
+<ClientComponent id="forwarded">
+  <template #header="{ message }">{{ message }} {{ count }}</template>
+  <template v-if="count % 2" #footer>conditional slot</template>
+  default content {{ count }}
+</ClientComponent>
+
+<WithProps id="with-props">
+  <template #header="{ message }">{{ message }}</template>
+  content with props
+</WithProps>
+
+<WithEmptyArgs id="empty-args">content with empty args</WithEmptyArgs>
+
+<WithNullProps id="null-props">content with null props</WithNullProps>
+
+<WithExplicitSlots id="explicit">
+  <template #header>ignored header</template>
+  ignored default
+</WithExplicitSlots>
+
+<component
+  v-for="{ id, component } in legacyChildren"
+  :is="component"
+  :id="`legacy-${id}`"
+>
+  ignored content
+</component>
diff --git a/src/client/app/utils.ts b/src/client/app/utils.ts
index 63e4708a6..437837574 100644
--- a/src/client/app/utils.ts
+++ b/src/client/app/utils.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,12 @@
 import { tryOnUnmounted } from '@vueuse/core'
-import { h, onMounted, shallowRef, type AsyncComponentLoader } from 'vue'
+import {
+  h,
+  isVNode,
+  onMounted,
+  shallowRef,
+  type AsyncComponentLoader,
+  type SetupContext
+} from 'vue'
 
 import {
   EXTERNAL_URL_RE,
@@ -116,7 +123,7 @@ export function defineClientComponent(
   cb?: () => Awaitable<void>
 ) {
   return {
-    setup() {
+    setup(_: unknown, { slots }: SetupContext) {
       const comp = shallowRef()
       onMounted(async () => {
         let res = await loader()
@@ -127,7 +134,23 @@ export function defineClientComponent(
         comp.value = res
         await cb?.()
       })
-      return () => (comp.value ? h(comp.value, ...(args ?? [])) : null)
+      return () => {
+        if (!comp.value) return null
+
+        const props = args?.[0]
+        // Forward slots unless args already supply children in an h() overload.
+        if (
+          (!args || args.length < 2) &&
+          (props == null ||
+            (typeof props === 'object' &&
+              !Array.isArray(props) &&
+              !isVNode(props)))
+        ) {
+          return h(comp.value, props, slots)
+        }
+
+        return h(comp.value, ...(args ?? []))
+      }
     }
   }
 }