diff --git a/packages/vite/src/node/publicDir.ts b/packages/vite/src/node/publicDir.ts
index f2055fff8afb9d..8458579e378137 100644
--- a/packages/vite/src/node/publicDir.ts
+++ b/packages/vite/src/node/publicDir.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import fs from 'node:fs'
 import path from 'node:path'
 import type { ResolvedConfig } from './config'
 import {
+  ERR_SYMLINK_IN_RECURSIVE_READDIR,
   cleanUrl,
   normalizePath,
   recursiveReaddir,
@@ -12,8 +13,16 @@ const publicFilesMap = new WeakMap<ResolvedConfig, Set<string>>()
 
 export async function initPublicFiles(
   config: ResolvedConfig,
-): Promise<Set<string>> {
-  const fileNames = await recursiveReaddir(config.publicDir)
+): Promise<Set<string> | undefined> {
+  let fileNames: string[]
+  try {
+    fileNames = await recursiveReaddir(config.publicDir)
+  } catch (e) {
+    if (e.code === ERR_SYMLINK_IN_RECURSIVE_READDIR) {
+      return
+    }
+    throw e
+  }
   const publicFiles = new Set(
     fileNames.map((fileName) => fileName.slice(config.publicDir.length)),
   )
diff --git a/packages/vite/src/node/server/index.ts b/packages/vite/src/node/server/index.ts
index 2b799dbfd2b8e7..b2632c841ca0ef 100644
--- a/packages/vite/src/node/server/index.ts
+++ b/packages/vite/src/node/server/index.ts
@@ -645,7 +645,7 @@ export async function _createServer(
     file = normalizePath(file)
     await container.watchChange(file, { event: isUnlink ? 'delete' : 'create' })
 
-    if (config.publicDir && file.startsWith(config.publicDir)) {
+    if (publicFiles && config.publicDir && file.startsWith(config.publicDir)) {
       publicFiles[isUnlink ? 'delete' : 'add'](
         file.slice(config.publicDir.length),
       )
diff --git a/packages/vite/src/node/server/middlewares/static.ts b/packages/vite/src/node/server/middlewares/static.ts
index 57f995d8e1b0f8..dde6842aa95533 100644
--- a/packages/vite/src/node/server/middlewares/static.ts
+++ b/packages/vite/src/node/server/middlewares/static.ts
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ const sirvOptions = ({
 
 export function servePublicMiddleware(
   server: ViteDevServer,
-  publicFiles: Set<string>,
+  publicFiles?: Set<string>,
 ): Connect.NextHandleFunction {
   const dir = server.config.publicDir
   const serve = sirv(
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ export function servePublicMiddleware(
     // in-memory set of known public files. This set is updated on restarts.
     // also skip import request and internal requests `/@fs/ /@vite-client` etc...
     if (
-      !publicFiles.has(toFilePath(req.url!)) ||
+      (publicFiles && !publicFiles.has(toFilePath(req.url!))) ||
       isImportRequest(req.url!) ||
       isInternalRequest(req.url!)
     ) {
diff --git a/packages/vite/src/node/utils.ts b/packages/vite/src/node/utils.ts
index 395568978662ce..ff23df8a6d3e30 100644
--- a/packages/vite/src/node/utils.ts
+++ b/packages/vite/src/node/utils.ts
@@ -623,6 +623,8 @@ export function copyDir(srcDir: string, destDir: string): void {
   }
 }
 
+export const ERR_SYMLINK_IN_RECURSIVE_READDIR =
+  'ERR_SYMLINK_IN_RECURSIVE_READDIR'
 export async function recursiveReaddir(dir: string): Promise<string[]> {
   if (!fs.existsSync(dir)) {
     return []
@@ -637,6 +639,13 @@ export async function recursiveReaddir(dir: string): Promise<string[]> {
     }
     throw e
   }
+  if (dirents.some((dirent) => dirent.isSymbolicLink())) {
+    const err: any = new Error(
+      'Symbolic links are not supported in recursiveReaddir',
+    )
+    err.code = ERR_SYMLINK_IN_RECURSIVE_READDIR
+    throw err
+  }
   const files = await Promise.all(
     dirents.map((dirent) => {
       const res = path.resolve(dir, dirent.name)