diff --git a/packages/hydration/vue.ts b/packages/hydration/vue.ts
index 1948c7dc..64a1591f 100644
--- a/packages/hydration/vue.ts
+++ b/packages/hydration/vue.ts
@@ -1,10 +1,8 @@
-import { h, createApp as createClientApp, createStaticVNode, createSSRApp } from 'vue'
+import { h, createStaticVNode, createSSRApp as createVueApp } from 'vue'
 import type { DefineComponent as Component, Component as App } from 'vue'
 import type { Props, Slots } from './types'
 import { onDispose } from './hydration'
 
-const createVueApp = import.meta.env.SSR ? createSSRApp : createClientApp
-
 // Internal: Creates a Vue app and mounts it on the specified island root.
 export default function createVueIsland (component: Component, id: string, el: Element, props: Props, slots: Slots | undefined) {
   const slotFns = slots && Object.fromEntries(Object.entries(slots).map(([slotName, content]) => {
@@ -17,7 +15,7 @@ export default function createVueIsland (component: Component, id: string, el: E
     appDefinition.name = `Island: ${nameFromFile(component.__file)}`
 
   const app = createVueApp(appDefinition)
-  app.mount(el!, Boolean(slots))
+  app.mount(el!, true)
 
   if (import.meta.env.DISPOSE_ISLANDS)
     onDispose(id, app.unmount)
diff --git a/packages/iles/src/client/app/composables/vueRenderer.ts b/packages/iles/src/client/app/composables/vueRenderer.ts
index 7550ff20..d454b983 100644
--- a/packages/iles/src/client/app/composables/vueRenderer.ts
+++ b/packages/iles/src/client/app/composables/vueRenderer.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,5 @@
 import type { AppContext, Component, VNode, AsyncComponentLoader } from 'vue'
-import { h, getCurrentInstance, createApp, createSSRApp, ssrContextKey, withCtx } from 'vue'
-
-const newApp = import.meta.env.SSR ? createApp : createSSRApp
+import { h, getCurrentInstance, createSSRApp as newApp, ssrContextKey, withCtx } from 'vue'
 
 export type Nodes = undefined | VNode<any, any, any> | VNode<any, any, any>[]
 export type VueRenderable = AsyncComponentLoader | Component | Nodes | ((props?: any) => Nodes | Promise<Nodes>)
diff --git a/packages/iles/src/client/app/index.ts b/packages/iles/src/client/app/index.ts
index 9b658fae..f4dbb12c 100644
--- a/packages/iles/src/client/app/index.ts
+++ b/packages/iles/src/client/app/index.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { createApp as createClientApp, createSSRApp, ref } from 'vue'
+import { createSSRApp as newApp, ref } from 'vue'
 import { createMemoryHistory, createRouter as createVueRouter, createWebHistory } from 'vue-router'
 import { createHead } from '@vueuse/head'
 
@@ -16,8 +16,6 @@ import { defaultHead } from './head'
 import { resolveLayout } from './layout'
 import { resolveProps } from './props'
 
-const newApp = import.meta.env.SSR ? createSSRApp : createClientApp
-
 function createRouter (base: string | undefined, routerOptions: Partial<RouterOptions>) {
   if (base === '/') base = undefined
 
diff --git a/packages/iles/src/node/build/render.ts b/packages/iles/src/node/build/render.ts
index 762f4b4d..d714dc5d 100644
--- a/packages/iles/src/node/build/render.ts
+++ b/packages/iles/src/node/build/render.ts
@@ -47,12 +47,12 @@ export async function renderPage (
   const { app, head } = await createApp({ routePath: route.path, ssrProps: route.ssrProps })
   let content = await renderToString(app, { islandsByPath, renderers })
 
-  // Remove comments from Vue renderer to allow plain text, RSS, or JSON output.
-  content = content.replace(commentsRegex, '')
-
   // Skip HTML shell to allow Vue to render plain text, RSS, or JSON output.
-  if (!route.outputFilename.endsWith('.html'))
+  if (!route.outputFilename.endsWith('.html')) {
+    // Remove comments from Vue renderer to allow plain text, RSS, or JSON output.
+    content = content.replace(commentsRegex, '')
     return content
+  }
 
   const { headTags, htmlAttrs, bodyAttrs } = renderHeadToString(head)