diff --git a/code/frameworks/vue3-vite/src/plugins/vue-component-meta.test.ts b/code/frameworks/vue3-vite/src/plugins/vue-component-meta.test.ts
index 08f9d5b25ce2..c3124df75f72 100644
--- a/code/frameworks/vue3-vite/src/plugins/vue-component-meta.test.ts
+++ b/code/frameworks/vue3-vite/src/plugins/vue-component-meta.test.ts
@@ -25,7 +25,9 @@ function makeComponentMeta() {
   };
 }
 
-async function getTransformHandler() {
+type TransformHandler = (src: string, id: string) => Promise<{ code: string } | undefined>;
+
+async function getPlugin() {
   const { vueComponentMeta } = await import('./vue-component-meta.ts');
   const { experimental_vueDocgenEngine } = await import('@storybook/vue3/preset');
   const plugin = await vueComponentMeta(await experimental_vueDocgenEngine());
@@ -35,7 +37,39 @@ async function getTransformHandler() {
       ? plugin.transform
       : (plugin.transform as { handler: (...args: unknown[]) => unknown }).handler;
 
-  return handler as (src: string, id: string) => Promise<{ code: string } | undefined>;
+  return {
+    transform: handler as TransformHandler,
+    handleHotUpdate: plugin.handleHotUpdate as (ctx: unknown) => Promise<unknown>,
+  };
+}
+
+async function getTransformHandler() {
+  return (await getPlugin()).transform;
+}
+
+/** Minimal Vite HMR context for exercising the handleHotUpdate hook. */
+function makeHotUpdateContext(file: string, importerIds: string[] = []) {
+  const send = vi.fn();
+  const modules = [
+    { id: file, importers: new Set(importerIds.map((id) => ({ id, importers: new Set() }))) },
+  ];
+
+  return {
+    ctx: {
+      file,
+      read: async () => 'updated source',
+      server: {
+        ws: { send },
+        moduleGraph: {
+          invalidateModule: vi.fn(),
+          getModulesByFile: (requested: string) => (requested === file ? modules : []),
+        },
+      },
+      modules,
+      timestamp: 1,
+    },
+    send,
+  };
 }
 
 describe('vue-component-meta plugin', () => {
@@ -271,6 +305,89 @@ describe('vue-component-meta plugin', () => {
     });
   });
 
+  describe('hot update reloads (issue #35653)', () => {
+    const id = '/project/src/components/Tab.vue';
+    const src = `const _sfc_main = { name: 'Tab' };\nexport default _sfc_main;\n`;
+
+    beforeEach(() => {
+      mockChecker.getExportNames.mockReturnValue(['default']);
+    });
+
+    it('should not reload the preview when the docgen is unchanged', async () => {
+      const { transform, handleHotUpdate } = await getPlugin();
+      await transform(src, id);
+
+      const { ctx, send } = makeHotUpdateContext(id);
+      const result = await handleHotUpdate(ctx);
+
+      // returning undefined hands the update back to Vue's own HMR
+      expect(result).toBeUndefined();
+      expect(send).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+      // the checker must still be kept in sync with the file on disk
+      expect(mockChecker.updateFile).toHaveBeenCalledWith(id, 'updated source');
+    });
+
+    it('should reload the preview when the docgen changed', async () => {
+      const { transform, handleHotUpdate } = await getPlugin();
+      await transform(src, id);
+
+      mockChecker.getComponentMeta.mockImplementation(() => ({
+        ...makeComponentMeta(),
+        props: [{ name: 'newProp', schema: 'number' }],
+      }));
+
+      const { ctx, send } = makeHotUpdateContext(id);
+      const result = await handleHotUpdate(ctx);
+
+      expect(send).toHaveBeenCalledWith({ type: 'full-reload' });
+      expect(result).toEqual([]);
+    });
+
+    it('should reload the preview for a file that has no docgen yet', async () => {
+      const { handleHotUpdate } = await getPlugin();
+
+      const { ctx, send } = makeHotUpdateContext('/project/src/components/Other.vue');
+      await handleHotUpdate(ctx);
+
+      expect(send).toHaveBeenCalledWith({ type: 'full-reload' });
+    });
+
+    it("should reload the preview when the changed file alters an importer's docgen", async () => {
+      // props declared in their own module: the edited file has no docgen of its own, so judging it
+      // by its own meta would miss the change, but the component importing it is documented
+      const propsModule = '/project/src/components/tab-props.ts';
+      mockChecker.getExportNames.mockImplementation((forId: string) =>
+        forId === propsModule ? [] : ['default']
+      );
+
+      const { transform, handleHotUpdate } = await getPlugin();
+      await transform(src, id);
+      await transform(`export const tabProps = {};\n`, propsModule);
+
+      mockChecker.getComponentMeta.mockImplementation(() => ({
+        ...makeComponentMeta(),
+        props: [{ name: 'newProp', schema: 'number' }],
+      }));
+
+      const { ctx, send } = makeHotUpdateContext(propsModule, [id]);
+      await handleHotUpdate(ctx);
+
+      expect(send).toHaveBeenCalledWith({ type: 'full-reload' });
+    });
+
+    it('should leave files it does not document to their own HMR', async () => {
+      const { handleHotUpdate } = await getPlugin();
+
+      const { ctx, send } = makeHotUpdateContext('/project/src/components/styles.css');
+      const result = await handleHotUpdate(ctx);
+
+      expect(result).toBeUndefined();
+      expect(send).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+      // vue-component-meta warns and corrupts later lookups when fed a file it cannot parse
+      expect(mockChecker.updateFile).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    });
+  });
+
   describe('re-export detection', () => {
     it('should skip named re-exports like "export { Tab } from ..."', async () => {
       const result = await transform(
diff --git a/code/frameworks/vue3-vite/src/plugins/vue-component-meta.ts b/code/frameworks/vue3-vite/src/plugins/vue-component-meta.ts
index f44dc9d61c86..d5dacc62a22e 100644
--- a/code/frameworks/vue3-vite/src/plugins/vue-component-meta.ts
+++ b/code/frameworks/vue3-vite/src/plugins/vue-component-meta.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
+import { logger } from 'storybook/internal/node-logger';
 import { parseDefaultImports, parseLocalBindings } from 'storybook/internal/oxc-parser';
 
 import MagicString from 'magic-string';
-import type { ModuleNode, Plugin } from 'vite';
+import type { ModuleNode, Plugin, ViteDevServer } from 'vite';
 
 import type { experimental_vueDocgenEngine } from '@storybook/vue3/preset';
 
@@ -25,6 +26,35 @@ export async function vueComponentMeta(
 
   const checker = await createVueComponentMetaChecker(tsconfigPath);
 
+  /** Docgen last emitted per module id, so a hot update can tell a docs-relevant edit from a template/style one. */
+  const emittedMeta = new Map<string, string>();
+
+  /**
+   * Ids whose docgen an edit to `file` can change: the file itself plus every module that
+   * imports it, since props types are routinely declared in a separate module.
+   */
+  const collectDependentIds = (server: ViteDevServer, file: string): string[] => {
+    const ids: string[] = [];
+    const queue = [...(server.moduleGraph.getModulesByFile(file) ?? [])];
+    const seen = new Set<ModuleNode>();
+
+    while (queue.length > 0) {
+      const mod = queue.pop()!;
+
+      if (seen.has(mod)) {
+        continue;
+      }
+      seen.add(mod);
+
+      if (mod.id && emittedMeta.has(mod.id)) {
+        ids.push(mod.id);
+      }
+      queue.push(...mod.importers);
+    }
+
+    return ids;
+  };
+
   return {
     name: 'storybook:vue-component-meta-plugin',
     transform: {
@@ -37,6 +67,7 @@ export async function vueComponentMeta(
 
         try {
           const metaSources = await collectComponentMetaSources(checker, id);
+          emittedMeta.set(id, JSON.stringify(metaSources));
 
           // if there is no component meta, return undefined
           if (metaSources.length === 0) {
@@ -87,11 +118,40 @@ export async function vueComponentMeta(
         }
       },
     },
-    // handle hot updates to update the component meta on file changes
+    // reload the preview on hot updates that change the docgen it was built with
     async handleHotUpdate({ file, read, server, modules, timestamp }) {
-      const content = await read();
-      checker.updateFile(file, content);
-      // Invalidate modules manually
+      // Files this plugin never documents keep their own HMR. Handing them to the checker also
+      // makes vue-component-meta warn ("languageId not found for ...") and poisons later lookups.
+      if (!filter(file)) {
+        return undefined;
+      }
+
+      checker.updateFile(file, await read());
+
+      const dependentIds = collectDependentIds(server, file);
+      // Without a cached baseline there is nothing to compare against, so assume the docs moved.
+      let docgenChanged = dependentIds.length === 0;
+
+      try {
+        for (const id of dependentIds) {
+          const nextMeta = JSON.stringify(await collectComponentMetaSources(checker, id));
+
+          if (nextMeta !== emittedMeta.get(id)) {
+            emittedMeta.set(id, nextMeta);
+            docgenChanged = true;
+          }
+        }
+      } catch (error) {
+        logger.debug(`Could not re-check Vue component meta for ${file}: ${String(error)}`);
+        docgenChanged = true;
+      }
+
+      // The reload exists only to get fresh docgen into the preview, so an edit that leaves every
+      // dependent module's docgen intact is left to Vue's HMR, keeping transient story state.
+      if (!docgenChanged) {
+        return undefined;
+      }
+
       const invalidatedModules = new Set<ModuleNode>();
 
       for (const mod of modules) {