diff --git a/.changeset/wise-months-serve.md b/.changeset/wise-months-serve.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..57b7569ea
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/wise-months-serve.md
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+---
+'astro': patch
+---
+
+Fixes use of `PUBLIC_` to reference env vars
+
+Previously `PUBLIC_` worked in server-only components such as .astro components. However if you had a client-side component you had to use `VITE_`. This was a bug with our build that is now fixed.
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/astro/src/core/build/index.ts b/packages/astro/src/core/build/index.ts
index 8ae8312f7..1842afc22 100644
--- a/packages/astro/src/core/build/index.ts
+++ b/packages/astro/src/core/build/index.ts
@@ -203,6 +203,7 @@ class AstroBuilder {
       ],
       publicDir: viteConfig.publicDir,
       root: viteConfig.root,
+      envPrefix: 'PUBLIC_',
       server: viteConfig.server,
       base: this.config.buildOptions.site ? new URL(this.config.buildOptions.site).pathname : '/',
     });
diff --git a/packages/astro/test/astro-envs.test.js b/packages/astro/test/astro-envs.test.js
index d8c7a3a8c..7e0c40026 100644
--- a/packages/astro/test/astro-envs.test.js
+++ b/packages/astro/test/astro-envs.test.js
@@ -20,4 +20,23 @@ describe('Environment Variables', () => {
     expect(indexHtml).to.not.include('CLUB_33');
     expect(indexHtml).to.include('BLUE_BAYOU');
   });
+
+  it('includes public env in client-side JS', async () => {
+    let dirs = await fixture.readdir('/assets');
+    let found = false;
+
+    // Look in all of the .js files to see if the public env is inlined.
+    // Testing this way prevents hardcoding expected js files.
+    // If we find it in any of them that's good enough to know its working.
+    await Promise.all(dirs.map(async path => {
+      if(path.endsWith('.js')) {
+        let js = await fixture.readFile(`/assets/${path}`);
+        if(js.includes('BLUE_BAYOU')) {
+          found = true;
+        }
+      }
+    }));
+
+    expect(found).to.equal(true, 'found the env variable in the JS build');
+  });
 });
diff --git a/packages/astro/test/fixtures/astro-envs/src/components/Client.vue b/packages/astro/test/fixtures/astro-envs/src/components/Client.vue
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..01bae708a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/astro/test/fixtures/astro-envs/src/components/Client.vue
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+<template>
+  <div id="client-component">
+    {{ PUBLIC_PLACE }}
+  </div>
+</template>
+
+<script>
+export default {
+  data() {
+    return {
+      PUBLIC_PLACE: import.meta.env.PUBLIC_PLACE,
+    };
+  },
+};
+</script>
diff --git a/packages/astro/test/fixtures/astro-envs/src/pages/index.astro b/packages/astro/test/fixtures/astro-envs/src/pages/index.astro
index 9dc6a380e..b2cb02b9d 100644
--- a/packages/astro/test/fixtures/astro-envs/src/pages/index.astro
+++ b/packages/astro/test/fixtures/astro-envs/src/pages/index.astro
@@ -1,2 +1,6 @@
+---
+import Client from '../components/Client.vue';
+---
 <environment-variable>{import.meta.env.PUBLIC_PLACE}</environment-variable>
 <environment-variable>{import.meta.env.SECRET_PLACE}</environment-variable>
+<Client client:load />
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/astro/test/test-utils.js b/packages/astro/test/test-utils.js
index 702f3aef5..302191867 100644
--- a/packages/astro/test/test-utils.js
+++ b/packages/astro/test/test-utils.js
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import preview from '../dist/core/preview/index.js';
  * @property {typeof build} build
  * @property {(url: string, opts: any) => Promise<Response>} fetch
  * @property {(path: string) => Promise<string>} readFile
+ * @property {(path: string) => Promise<string[]>} readdir
  * @property {() => Promise<DevServer>} startDevServer
  */
 
@@ -70,6 +71,7 @@ export async function loadFixture(inlineConfig) {
       return previewServer;
     },
     readFile: (filePath) => fs.promises.readFile(new URL(filePath.replace(/^\//, ''), config.dist), 'utf8'),
+    readdir: (fp) => fs.promises.readdir(new URL(fp.replace(/^\//, ''), config.dist))
   };
 }