diff --git a/src/rollup/plugins/handlers.ts b/src/rollup/plugins/handlers.ts
index 2451ab25e8..b66931b411 100644
--- a/src/rollup/plugins/handlers.ts
+++ b/src/rollup/plugins/handlers.ts
@@ -1,18 +1,15 @@
 import { hash } from "ohash";
-import type { Nitro } from "../../types";
+import type { Nitro, NitroRouteRules, NitroEventHandler } from "../../types";
 import { virtual } from "./virtual";
 
-const unique = (arr: any[]) => [...new Set(arr)];
-const getImportId = (p: string, lazy?: boolean) =>
-  (lazy ? "_lazy_" : "_") + hash(p).slice(0, 6);
-
-const GLOB_RE = /\/\*\*.*$/;
-
 export function handlers(nitro: Nitro) {
   return virtual(
     {
       "#internal/nitro/virtual/server-handlers": () => {
-        const handlers = [...nitro.scannedHandlers, ...nitro.options.handlers];
+        const handlers: NitroEventHandler[] = [
+          ...nitro.scannedHandlers,
+          ...nitro.options.handlers,
+        ];
         if (nitro.options.serveStatic) {
           handlers.unshift({
             middleware: true,
@@ -28,45 +25,7 @@ export function handlers(nitro: Nitro) {
         }
 
         // If this handler would render a cached route rule then we can also inject a cached event handler
-        const rules = Object.entries(nitro.options.routeRules);
-        for (const [path, rule] of rules) {
-          // We can ignore this rule if it is not cached and it isn't nested in a cached route
-          if (!rule.cache) {
-            // If we are nested 'within' a cached route, we want to inject a non-cached event handler
-            const isNested = rules.some(
-              ([p, r]) =>
-                r.cache &&
-                GLOB_RE.test(p) &&
-                path.startsWith(p.replace(GLOB_RE, ""))
-            );
-            if (!isNested) {
-              continue;
-            }
-          }
-          for (const [index, handler] of handlers.entries()) {
-            // skip middleware
-            if (!handler.route) {
-              continue;
-            }
-            // we will correctly register this rule as a cached route anyway
-            if (handler.route === path) {
-              break;
-            }
-            // We are looking for handlers that will render a route _despite_ not
-            // having an identical path to it
-            if (!GLOB_RE.test(handler.route)) {
-              continue;
-            }
-            if (!path.startsWith(handler.route.replace(GLOB_RE, ""))) {
-              continue;
-            }
-            handlers.splice(index, 0, {
-              ...handler,
-              route: path,
-            });
-            break;
-          }
-        }
+        extendMiddlewareWithRuleOverlaps(handlers, nitro.options.routeRules);
 
         // Imports take priority
         const imports = unique(
@@ -111,3 +70,58 @@ ${handlers
     nitro.vfs
   );
 }
+
+function unique(arr: any[]) {
+  return [...new Set(arr)];
+}
+
+function getImportId(p: string, lazy?: boolean) {
+  return (lazy ? "_lazy_" : "_") + hash(p).slice(0, 6);
+}
+
+const WILDCARD_PATH_RE = /\/\*\*.*$/;
+
+function extendMiddlewareWithRuleOverlaps(
+  handlers: NitroEventHandler[],
+  routeRules: Record<string, NitroRouteRules>
+) {
+  const rules = Object.entries(routeRules);
+  for (const [path, rule] of rules) {
+    // We can ignore this rule if it is not cached and it isn't nested in a cached route
+    if (!rule.cache) {
+      // If we are nested 'within' a cached route, we want to inject a non-cached event handler
+      const isNested = rules.some(
+        ([p, r]) =>
+          r.cache &&
+          WILDCARD_PATH_RE.test(p) &&
+          path.startsWith(p.replace(WILDCARD_PATH_RE, ""))
+      );
+      if (!isNested) {
+        continue;
+      }
+    }
+    for (const [index, handler] of handlers.entries()) {
+      // Skip middleware
+      if (!handler.route || handler.middleware) {
+        continue;
+      }
+      // We will correctly register this rule as a cached route anyway
+      if (handler.route === path) {
+        break;
+      }
+      // We are looking for handlers that will render a route _despite_ not
+      // having an identical path to it
+      if (!WILDCARD_PATH_RE.test(handler.route)) {
+        continue;
+      }
+      if (!path.startsWith(handler.route.replace(WILDCARD_PATH_RE, ""))) {
+        continue;
+      }
+      handlers.splice(index, 0, {
+        ...handler,
+        route: path,
+      });
+      break;
+    }
+  }
+}