diff --git a/packages/common/package.json b/packages/common/package.json
index 1bb806f8c..97c1eb7c2 100644
--- a/packages/common/package.json
+++ b/packages/common/package.json
@@ -7,6 +7,9 @@
     ".": "./index.ts",
     "./refresh-runtime": "./refresh-runtime.js"
   },
+  "dependencies": {
+    "@rolldown/pluginutils": "1.0.0-beta.41"
+  },
   "peerDependencies": {
     "vite": "^4.2.0 || ^5.0.0 || ^6.0.0"
   }
diff --git a/packages/common/refresh-utils.ts b/packages/common/refresh-utils.ts
index db0e587e4..ef9dc00f6 100644
--- a/packages/common/refresh-utils.ts
+++ b/packages/common/refresh-utils.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+import type { Plugin } from 'vite'
+import { exactRegex } from '@rolldown/pluginutils'
+
 export const runtimePublicPath = '/@react-refresh'
 
 const reactCompRE = /extends\s+(?:React\.)?(?:Pure)?Component/
@@ -60,3 +63,36 @@ function $RefreshSig$() { return RefreshRuntime.createSignatureFunctionForTransf
 
   return newCode
 }
+
+export function virtualPreamblePlugin({
+  name,
+  isEnabled,
+}: {
+  name: string
+  isEnabled: () => boolean
+}): Plugin {
+  return {
+    name: 'vite:react-virtual-preamble',
+    resolveId: {
+      order: 'pre',
+      filter: { id: exactRegex(name) },
+      handler(source) {
+        if (source === name) {
+          return '\0' + source
+        }
+      },
+    },
+    load: {
+      filter: { id: exactRegex('\0' + name) },
+      handler(id) {
+        if (id === '\0' + name) {
+          if (isEnabled()) {
+            // vite dev import analysis can rewrite base
+            return preambleCode.replace('__BASE__', '/')
+          }
+          return ''
+        }
+      },
+    },
+  }
+}
diff --git a/packages/plugin-react-swc/CHANGELOG.md b/packages/plugin-react-swc/CHANGELOG.md
index 532ef9ed2..bf3196030 100644
--- a/packages/plugin-react-swc/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/packages/plugin-react-swc/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -2,6 +2,10 @@
 
 ## Unreleased
 
+### Add `@vitejs/plugin-react-swc/preamble` virtual module for SSR HMR ([#890](https://github.com/vitejs/vite-plugin-react/pull/890))
+
+SSR applications can now initialize HMR runtime by importing `@vitejs/plugin-react-swc/preamble` at the top of their client entry instead of manually calling `transformIndexHtml`. This simplifies SSR setup for applications that don't use the `transformIndexHtml` API.
+
 ## 4.1.0 (2025-09-17)
 
 ### Set SWC cacheRoot options
diff --git a/packages/plugin-react-swc/README.md b/packages/plugin-react-swc/README.md
index c74f11d72..e20554e44 100644
--- a/packages/plugin-react-swc/README.md
+++ b/packages/plugin-react-swc/README.md
@@ -125,6 +125,38 @@ If set, disables the recommendation to use `@vitejs/plugin-react-oxc` (which is
 react({ disableOxcRecommendation: true })
 ```
 
+## `@vitejs/plugin-react-swc/preamble`
+
+The package provides `@vitejs/plugin-react-swc/preamble` to initialize HMR runtime from client entrypoint for SSR applications which don't use [`transformIndexHtml` API](https://vite.dev/guide/api-javascript.html#vitedevserver). For example:
+
+```js
+// [entry.client.js]
+import '@vitejs/plugin-react-swc/preamble'
+```
+
+Alternatively, you can manually call `transformIndexHtml` during SSR, which sets up equivalent initialization code. Here's an example for an Express server:
+
+```js
+app.get('/', async (req, res, next) => {
+  try {
+    let html = fs.readFileSync(path.resolve(root, 'index.html'), 'utf-8')
+
+    // Transform HTML using Vite plugins.
+    html = await viteServer.transformIndexHtml(req.url, html)
+
+    res.send(html)
+  } catch (e) {
+    return next(e)
+  }
+})
+```
+
+Otherwise, you'll get the following error:
+
+```
+Uncaught Error: @vitejs/plugin-react-swc can't detect preamble. Something is wrong.
+```
+
 ## Consistent components exports
 
 For React refresh to work correctly, your file should only export React components. The best explanation I've read is the one from the [Gatsby docs](https://www.gatsbyjs.com/docs/reference/local-development/fast-refresh/#how-it-works).
diff --git a/packages/plugin-react-swc/src/index.ts b/packages/plugin-react-swc/src/index.ts
index 425bac15c..8beeda5d6 100644
--- a/packages/plugin-react-swc/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/plugin-react-swc/src/index.ts
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ import {
   getPreambleCode,
   runtimePublicPath,
   silenceUseClientWarning,
+  virtualPreamblePlugin,
 } from '@vitejs/react-common'
 import * as vite from 'vite'
 import { exactRegex } from '@rolldown/pluginutils'
@@ -246,6 +247,10 @@ const react = (_options?: Options): Plugin[] => {
             viteCacheRoot = config.cacheDir
           },
         },
+    virtualPreamblePlugin({
+      name: '@vitejs/plugin-react-swc/preamble',
+      isEnabled: () => !hmrDisabled,
+    }),
   ]
 }
 
diff --git a/packages/plugin-react-swc/tsdown.config.ts b/packages/plugin-react-swc/tsdown.config.ts
index 354d5f2e6..4c2080beb 100644
--- a/packages/plugin-react-swc/tsdown.config.ts
+++ b/packages/plugin-react-swc/tsdown.config.ts
@@ -20,6 +20,10 @@ export default defineConfig({
       from: 'README.md',
       to: 'dist/README.md',
     },
+    {
+      from: 'types',
+      to: 'dist/types',
+    },
   ],
   onSuccess() {
     writeFileSync(
@@ -34,7 +38,10 @@ export default defineConfig({
                 key !== 'private',
             ),
           ),
-          exports: './index.js',
+          exports: {
+            '.': './index.js',
+            './preamble': './types/preamble.d.ts',
+          },
         },
         null,
         2,
diff --git a/packages/plugin-react-swc/types/preamble.d.ts b/packages/plugin-react-swc/types/preamble.d.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..336ce12bb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/plugin-react-swc/types/preamble.d.ts
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+export {}
diff --git a/packages/plugin-react/CHANGELOG.md b/packages/plugin-react/CHANGELOG.md
index 6ef1b7750..fe770eee1 100644
--- a/packages/plugin-react/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/packages/plugin-react/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -2,6 +2,10 @@
 
 ## Unreleased
 
+### Add `@vitejs/plugin-react/preamble` virtual module for SSR HMR ([#890](https://github.com/vitejs/vite-plugin-react/pull/890))
+
+SSR applications can now initialize HMR runtime by importing `@vitejs/plugin-react/preamble` at the top of their client entry instead of manually calling `transformIndexHtml`. This simplifies SSR setup for applications that don't use the `transformIndexHtml` API.
+
 ## 5.0.4 (2025-09-27)
 
 ### Perf: use native refresh wrapper plugin in rolldown-vite ([#881](https://github.com/vitejs/vite-plugin-react/pull/881))
diff --git a/packages/plugin-react/README.md b/packages/plugin-react/README.md
index c607891ca..ca4809151 100644
--- a/packages/plugin-react/README.md
+++ b/packages/plugin-react/README.md
@@ -102,9 +102,16 @@ react({ reactRefreshHost: 'http://localhost:3000' })
 
 Under the hood, this simply updates the React Fash Refresh runtime URL from `/@react-refresh` to `http://localhost:3000/@react-refresh` to ensure there is only one Refresh runtime across the whole application. Note that if you define `base` option in the host application, you need to include it in the option, like: `http://localhost:3000/{base}`.
 
-## Middleware mode
+## `@vitejs/plugin-react/preamble`
 
-In [middleware mode](https://vite.dev/config/server-options.html#server-middlewaremode), you should make sure your entry `index.html` file is transformed by Vite. Here's an example for an Express server:
+The package provides `@vitejs/plugin-react/preamble` to initialize HMR runtime from client entrypoint for SSR applications which don't use [`transformIndexHtml` API](https://vite.dev/guide/api-javascript.html#vitedevserver). For example:
+
+```js
+// [entry.client.js]
+import '@vitejs/plugin-react/preamble'
+```
+
+Alternatively, you can manually call `transformIndexHtml` during SSR, which sets up equivalent initialization code. Here's an example for an Express server:
 
 ```js
 app.get('/', async (req, res, next) => {
@@ -121,7 +128,7 @@ app.get('/', async (req, res, next) => {
 })
 ```
 
-Otherwise, you'll probably get this error:
+Otherwise, you'll get the following error:
 
 ```
 Uncaught Error: @vitejs/plugin-react can't detect preamble. Something is wrong.
diff --git a/packages/plugin-react/package.json b/packages/plugin-react/package.json
index 1417828c5..d265c6110 100644
--- a/packages/plugin-react/package.json
+++ b/packages/plugin-react/package.json
@@ -17,10 +17,14 @@
     "Arnaud Barré"
   ],
   "files": [
+    "types",
     "dist"
   ],
   "type": "module",
-  "exports": "./dist/index.js",
+  "exports": {
+    ".": "./dist/index.js",
+    "./preamble": "./types/preamble.d.ts"
+  },
   "scripts": {
     "dev": "tsdown --watch ./src --watch ../common",
     "build": "tsdown",
diff --git a/packages/plugin-react/src/index.ts b/packages/plugin-react/src/index.ts
index a01f693e5..41993f281 100644
--- a/packages/plugin-react/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/plugin-react/src/index.ts
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import {
   preambleCode,
   runtimePublicPath,
   silenceUseClientWarning,
+  virtualPreamblePlugin,
 } from '@vitejs/react-common'
 import {
   exactRegex,
@@ -524,6 +525,10 @@ export default function viteReact(opts: Options = {}): Plugin[] {
       ? [viteRefreshWrapper, viteConfigPost, viteReactRefreshFullBundleMode]
       : []),
     viteReactRefresh,
+    virtualPreamblePlugin({
+      name: '@vitejs/plugin-react/preamble',
+      isEnabled: () => !skipFastRefresh && !isFullBundle,
+    }),
   ]
 }
 
diff --git a/packages/plugin-react/types/preamble.d.ts b/packages/plugin-react/types/preamble.d.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..336ce12bb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/plugin-react/types/preamble.d.ts
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+export {}
diff --git a/playground/ssr-react/src/entry-client.jsx b/playground/ssr-react/src/entry-client.jsx
index bb2769717..62b8418e0 100644
--- a/playground/ssr-react/src/entry-client.jsx
+++ b/playground/ssr-react/src/entry-client.jsx
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import '@vitejs/plugin-react/preamble'
 import ReactDOM from 'react-dom/client'
 import { App } from './App'
 
diff --git a/playground/ssr-react/vite.config.js b/playground/ssr-react/vite.config.js
index f9258a1d0..d5074ecd5 100644
--- a/playground/ssr-react/vite.config.js
+++ b/playground/ssr-react/vite.config.js
@@ -41,9 +41,11 @@ export default defineConfig({
                 '/src/entry-server.jsx',
               )
               const appHtml = render(url)
-              const template = await server.transformIndexHtml(
-                url,
-                fs.readFileSync(path.resolve(_dirname, 'index.html'), 'utf-8'),
+              // "@vitejs/plugin-react/preamble" is used instead of transformIndexHtml
+              // to setup react hmr globals.
+              const template = fs.readFileSync(
+                path.resolve(_dirname, 'index.html'),
+                'utf-8',
               )
               const html = template.replace(`<!--app-html-->`, appHtml)
               res.setHeader('content-type', 'text/html').end(html)
diff --git a/pnpm-lock.yaml b/pnpm-lock.yaml
index 191b360e8..8bd2612a2 100644
--- a/pnpm-lock.yaml
+++ b/pnpm-lock.yaml
@@ -78,7 +78,11 @@ importers:
         specifier: ^3.2.4
         version: 3.2.4(@types/debug@4.1.12)(@types/node@22.18.8)(jiti@2.6.1)(lightningcss@1.30.2)(yaml@2.8.1)
 
-  packages/common: {}
+  packages/common:
+    dependencies:
+      '@rolldown/pluginutils':
+        specifier: 1.0.0-beta.41
+        version: 1.0.0-beta.41
 
   packages/plugin-react:
     dependencies: