diff --git a/packages/start-plugin-core/src/start-compiler-plugin/handleCreateServerFn.ts b/packages/start-plugin-core/src/start-compiler-plugin/handleCreateServerFn.ts
index ddad1cf0611..9709f2c7188 100644
--- a/packages/start-plugin-core/src/start-compiler-plugin/handleCreateServerFn.ts
+++ b/packages/start-plugin-core/src/start-compiler-plugin/handleCreateServerFn.ts
@@ -227,7 +227,7 @@ export function handleCreateServerFn(
 
   for (const candidate of candidates) {
     const { path: candidatePath, methodChain } = candidate
-    const { inputValidator, handler } = methodChain
+    const { inputValidator, handler, middleware } = methodChain
 
     // Check if the call is assigned to a variable
     if (!candidatePath.parentPath.isVariableDeclarator()) {
@@ -284,6 +284,13 @@ export function handleCreateServerFn(
       }
     }
 
+    // Handle middleware - remove on client to prevent server-only
+    // dependencies (auth, DB, etc.) from leaking into the client bundle.
+    // Middleware only executes server-side; the client RPC stub skips it.
+    if (middleware && context.env === 'client') {
+      stripMethodCall(middleware.callPath)
+    }
+
     const handlerFnPath = handler?.firstArgPath
 
     if (!handler || !handlerFnPath?.node) {
diff --git a/packages/start-plugin-core/tests/compiler.test.ts b/packages/start-plugin-core/tests/compiler.test.ts
index a063ea3ffe0..99fb067823e 100644
--- a/packages/start-plugin-core/tests/compiler.test.ts
+++ b/packages/start-plugin-core/tests/compiler.test.ts
@@ -434,6 +434,57 @@ describe('edge cases for detectedKinds', () => {
   })
 })
 
+describe('middleware stripping on client', () => {
+  test('strips .middleware() from createServerFn on client builds', async () => {
+    const compiler = createFullCompiler('client')
+
+    const result = await compiler.compile({
+      code: `
+        import { createServerFn } from '@tanstack/react-start'
+        import { authMiddleware } from './server-only-auth'
+        export const fetchData = createServerFn()
+          .middleware([authMiddleware])
+          .handler(async () => {
+            return { data: 'hello' }
+          })
+      `,
+      id: 'with-middleware.ts',
+
+      detectedKinds: new Set(['ServerFn']),
+    })
+
+    expect(result).not.toBeNull()
+    expect(result!.code).toContain('createClientRpc')
+    // Middleware should be stripped on client — server-only imports
+    // like authMiddleware must not survive into the client bundle
+    expect(result!.code).not.toContain('.middleware(')
+    expect(result!.code).not.toContain('authMiddleware')
+  })
+
+  test('preserves .middleware() on server builds', async () => {
+    const compiler = createFullCompiler('server')
+
+    const result = await compiler.compile({
+      code: `
+        import { createServerFn } from '@tanstack/react-start'
+        import { authMiddleware } from './server-only-auth'
+        export const fetchData = createServerFn()
+          .middleware([authMiddleware])
+          .handler(async () => {
+            return { data: 'hello' }
+          })
+      `,
+      id: 'with-middleware-server.ts',
+
+      detectedKinds: new Set(['ServerFn']),
+    })
+
+    expect(result).not.toBeNull()
+    // Server should keep middleware intact
+    expect(result!.code).toContain('authMiddleware')
+  })
+})
+
 test('ingestModule handles empty code gracefully', () => {
   const compiler = new StartCompiler({
     env: 'client',