diff --git a/docs/content/3.docs/4.advanced/3.kit.md b/docs/content/3.docs/4.advanced/3.kit.md
index 8401841a3a..1b926f519c 100644
--- a/docs/content/3.docs/4.advanced/3.kit.md
+++ b/docs/content/3.docs/4.advanced/3.kit.md
@@ -112,7 +112,8 @@ console.log(getNuxtVersion())
 [source code](https://github.com/nuxt/framework/blob/main/packages/kit/src/resolve.ts)
 
 - `resolvePath (path, resolveOptions?)`
-- `tryResolvePath (path, resolveOptions?)`
+- `resolveAlias (path, aliases?)`
+- `findPath (paths, resolveOptions?)`
 
 ### Builder
 
diff --git a/packages/bridge/src/nitro.ts b/packages/bridge/src/nitro.ts
index f8d63fa7b7..355ebbf04e 100644
--- a/packages/bridge/src/nitro.ts
+++ b/packages/bridge/src/nitro.ts
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ export function setupNitroBridge () {
     await nuxt.callHook('nitro:context', nitroDevContext)
 
     // Resolve middleware
-    const { middleware, legacyMiddleware } = resolveMiddleware(nuxt)
+    const { middleware, legacyMiddleware } = await resolveMiddleware(nuxt)
     if (nuxt.server) {
       nuxt.server.setLegacyMiddleware(legacyMiddleware)
     }
diff --git a/packages/kit/src/internal/cjs.ts b/packages/kit/src/internal/cjs.ts
index 6a911c6efa..f8781c6e64 100644
--- a/packages/kit/src/internal/cjs.ts
+++ b/packages/kit/src/internal/cjs.ts
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ export function resolveModule (id: string, opts: ResolveModuleOptions = {}) {
 }
 
 /** Try to resolve the path of a module, but don't emit an error if it can't be found. */
-export function tryResolveModule (path: string, opts: ResolveModuleOptions = {}) {
+export function tryResolveModule (path: string, opts: ResolveModuleOptions = {}): string | null {
   try {
     return resolveModule(path, opts)
   } catch (error) {
@@ -105,6 +105,7 @@ export function tryResolveModule (path: string, opts: ResolveModuleOptions = {})
       throw error
     }
   }
+  return null
 }
 
 /** Require a module and return it. */
diff --git a/packages/kit/src/module/install.ts b/packages/kit/src/module/install.ts
index c6415c407c..f0e088e525 100644
--- a/packages/kit/src/module/install.ts
+++ b/packages/kit/src/module/install.ts
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ export async function installModule (nuxtModule: string | NuxtModule, inlineOpti
 
   // Import if input is string
   if (typeof nuxtModule === 'string') {
-    const _src = resolveModule(resolveAlias(nuxtModule, nuxt.options.alias), { paths: nuxt.options.modulesDir })
+    const _src = resolveModule(resolveAlias(nuxtModule), { paths: nuxt.options.modulesDir })
     // TODO: also check with type: 'module' in closest `package.json`
     const isESM = _src.endsWith('.mjs')
     nuxtModule = isESM ? await importModule(_src) : requireModule(_src)
diff --git a/packages/kit/src/resolve.ts b/packages/kit/src/resolve.ts
index fa228918d6..faeb6db76f 100644
--- a/packages/kit/src/resolve.ts
+++ b/packages/kit/src/resolve.ts
@@ -1,89 +1,101 @@
-import { existsSync, lstatSync, readdirSync } from 'fs'
-import { basename, dirname, resolve, join } from 'pathe'
+import { promises as fsp, existsSync } from 'fs'
+import { basename, dirname, resolve, join, normalize, isAbsolute } from 'pathe'
 import { globby } from 'globby'
+import { useNuxt } from './context'
+import { tryResolveModule } from '.'
 
-export interface ResolveOptions {
-  /**
-   * The base path against which to resolve the path
-   *
-   * @default .
-   */
-  base?: string
-  /**
-   * An object of aliases (alias, path) to take into account, for example
-   * `{ 'example/alias': '/full/path/to/alias' }`
-   */
+export interface ResolvePathOptions {
+  /** Base for resolving paths from. Default is Nuxt rootDir. */
+  cwd?: string
+
+  /** An object of aliases. Default is Nuxt configured aliases. */
   alias?: Record<string, string>
-  /** The file extensions to try (for example, ['js', 'ts']) */
+
+  /** The file extensions to try. Default is Nuxt configured extensions. */
   extensions?: string[]
 }
 
-function resolvePath (path: string, opts: ResolveOptions = {}) {
+/**
+ * Resolve full path to a file or directory respecting Nuxt alias and extensions options
+ *
+ * If path could not be resolved, normalized input path will be returned
+ */
+export async function resolvePath (path: string, opts: ResolvePathOptions = {}): Promise<string> {
+  // Always normalize input
+  path = normalize(path)
+
   // Fast return if the path exists
-  if (existsSyncSensitive(path)) {
+  if (existsSync(path)) {
     return path
   }
 
-  let resolvedPath: string
+  // Use current nuxt options
+  const nuxt = useNuxt()
+  const cwd = opts.cwd || nuxt.options.rootDir
+  const extensions = opts.extensions || nuxt.options.extensions
+  const modulesDir = nuxt.options.modulesDir
 
-  // Resolve alias
-  if (opts.alias) {
-    resolvedPath = resolveAlias(path, opts.alias)
+  // Resolve aliases
+  path = resolveAlias(path)
+
+  // Resolve relative to cwd
+  if (!isAbsolute(path)) {
+    path = resolve(cwd, path)
   }
 
-  // Resolve relative to base or cwd
-  resolvedPath = resolve(opts.base || '.', resolvedPath)
-
-  const resolvedPathFiles = readdirSync(dirname(resolvedPath))
-
   // Check if resolvedPath is a file
   let isDirectory = false
-  if (existsSyncSensitive(resolvedPath, resolvedPathFiles)) {
-    isDirectory = lstatSync(resolvedPath).isDirectory()
+  if (existsSync(path)) {
+    isDirectory = (await fsp.lstat(path)).isDirectory()
     if (!isDirectory) {
-      return resolvedPath
+      return path
     }
   }
 
   // Check possible extensions
-  for (const ext of opts.extensions) {
-    // resolvedPath.[ext]
-    const resolvedPathwithExt = resolvedPath + ext
-    if (!isDirectory && existsSyncSensitive(resolvedPathwithExt, resolvedPathFiles)) {
-      return resolvedPathwithExt
+  for (const ext of extensions) {
+    // path.[ext]
+    const pathWithExt = path + ext
+    if (!isDirectory && existsSync(pathWithExt)) {
+      return pathWithExt
     }
-    // resolvedPath/index.[ext]
-    const resolvedPathwithIndex = join(resolvedPath, 'index' + ext)
-    if (isDirectory && existsSyncSensitive(resolvedPathwithIndex)) {
-      return resolvedPathwithIndex
+    // path/index.[ext]
+    const pathWithIndex = join(path, 'index' + ext)
+    if (isDirectory && existsSync(pathWithIndex)) {
+      return pathWithIndex
     }
   }
 
-  // If extension check fails and resolvedPath is a valid directory, return it
-  if (isDirectory) {
-    return resolvedPath
+  // Try to resolve as module id
+  const resolveModulePath = tryResolveModule(path, { paths: modulesDir })
+  if (resolveModulePath) {
+    return resolveModulePath
   }
 
-  // Give up if it is neither a directory
-  throw new Error(`Cannot resolve "${path}" from "${resolvedPath}"`)
-}
-
-function existsSyncSensitive (path: string, files?: string[]) {
-  if (!existsSync(path)) { return false }
-  const _files = files || readdirSync(dirname(path))
-  return _files.includes(basename(path))
+  // Return normalized input
+  return path
 }
 
 /**
- * Return a path with any relevant aliases resolved.
- *
- * @example
- * ```js
- * const aliases = { 'test': '/here/there' }
- * resolveAlias('test/everywhere', aliases)
- * // '/here/there/everywhere'
+ * Try to resolve first existing file in paths
  */
-export function resolveAlias (path: string, alias: ResolveOptions['alias']) {
+export async function findPath (paths: string[], opts?: ResolvePathOptions): Promise<string|null> {
+  for (const path of paths) {
+    const rPath = await resolvePath(path, opts)
+    if (await existsSensitive(rPath)) {
+      return rPath
+    }
+  }
+  return null
+}
+
+/**
+ * Resolve path aliases respecting Nuxt alias options
+ */
+export function resolveAlias (path: string, alias?: Record<string, string>): string {
+  if (!alias) {
+    alias = useNuxt().options.alias
+  }
   for (const key in alias) {
     if (key === '@' && !path.startsWith('@/')) { continue } // Don't resolve @foo/bar
     if (path.startsWith(key)) {
@@ -93,21 +105,15 @@ export function resolveAlias (path: string, alias: ResolveOptions['alias']) {
   return path
 }
 
-/**
- * Resolve the path of a file but don't emit an error,
- * even if the module can't be resolved.
- */
-export function tryResolvePath (path: string, opts: ResolveOptions = {}) {
-  try {
-    return resolvePath(path, opts)
-  } catch (e) {
-  }
+// --- Internal ---
+
+async function existsSensitive (path: string) {
+  if (!existsSync(path)) { return false }
+  const dirFiles = await fsp.readdir(dirname(path))
+  return dirFiles.includes(basename(path))
 }
 
 export async function resolveFiles (path: string, pattern: string | string[]) {
-  const files = await globby(pattern, {
-    cwd: path,
-    followSymbolicLinks: true
-  })
+  const files = await globby(pattern, { cwd: path, followSymbolicLinks: true })
   return files.map(p => resolve(path, p))
 }
diff --git a/packages/nitro/src/server/middleware.ts b/packages/nitro/src/server/middleware.ts
index e90ff78083..b0f7f5c7e7 100644
--- a/packages/nitro/src/server/middleware.ts
+++ b/packages/nitro/src/server/middleware.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import { resolve, join, extname } from 'pathe'
 import { joinURL } from 'ufo'
 import { globby } from 'globby'
 import { watch } from 'chokidar'
-import { tryResolveModule, tryResolvePath } from '@nuxt/kit'
+import { resolvePath } from '@nuxt/kit'
 import type { Nuxt } from '@nuxt/schema'
 import type { Middleware } from 'h3'
 
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ export function scanMiddleware (serverDir: string, onChange?: (results: ServerMi
   return scan()
 }
 
-export function resolveMiddleware (nuxt: Nuxt) {
+export async function resolveMiddleware (nuxt: Nuxt) {
   const middleware: ServerMiddleware[] = []
   const legacyMiddleware: ServerMiddleware[] = []
 
@@ -83,11 +83,7 @@ export function resolveMiddleware (nuxt: Nuxt) {
       delete m.path
       middleware.push({
         ...m,
-        handle: tryResolvePath(handle, {
-          extensions: ['.ts', '.mjs', '.js', '.cjs'],
-          alias: nuxt.options.alias,
-          base: nuxt.options.srcDir
-        }) || tryResolveModule(handle, { paths: nuxt.options.modulesDir }),
+        handle: await resolvePath(handle),
         route
       })
     }
diff --git a/packages/nuxt3/src/auto-imports/module.ts b/packages/nuxt3/src/auto-imports/module.ts
index 4ebc768bcb..8d73d8d4e0 100644
--- a/packages/nuxt3/src/auto-imports/module.ts
+++ b/packages/nuxt3/src/auto-imports/module.ts
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ function generateDts (ctx: AutoImportContext) {
   const resolved = {}
   const r = (id: string) => {
     if (resolved[id]) { return resolved[id] }
-    let path = resolveAlias(id, nuxt.options.alias)
+    let path = resolveAlias(id)
     if (isAbsolute(path)) {
       path = relative(join(nuxt.options.buildDir, 'types'), path)
     }
diff --git a/packages/nuxt3/src/components/module.ts b/packages/nuxt3/src/components/module.ts
index 56a658d84b..22f504c6cc 100644
--- a/packages/nuxt3/src/components/module.ts
+++ b/packages/nuxt3/src/components/module.ts
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ export default defineNuxtModule<ComponentsOptions>({
 
       componentDirs = allDirs.filter(isPureObjectOrString).map((dir) => {
         const dirOptions: ComponentsDir = typeof dir === 'object' ? dir : { path: dir }
-        const dirPath = resolveAlias(dirOptions.path, nuxt.options.alias)
+        const dirPath = resolveAlias(dirOptions.path)
         const transpile = typeof dirOptions.transpile === 'boolean' ? dirOptions.transpile : 'auto'
         const extensions = (dirOptions.extensions || nuxt.options.extensions).map(e => e.replace(/^\./g, ''))
 
diff --git a/packages/nuxt3/src/core/app.ts b/packages/nuxt3/src/core/app.ts
index 19940b5b87..3e63dfdf85 100644
--- a/packages/nuxt3/src/core/app.ts
+++ b/packages/nuxt3/src/core/app.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import { promises as fsp } from 'fs'
 import { dirname, resolve } from 'pathe'
 import defu from 'defu'
 import type { Nuxt, NuxtApp } from '@nuxt/schema'
-import { tryResolvePath, resolveFiles, normalizePlugin, normalizeTemplate, compileTemplate, templateUtils } from '@nuxt/kit'
+import { findPath, resolveFiles, normalizePlugin, normalizeTemplate, compileTemplate, templateUtils } from '@nuxt/kit'
 
 import * as defaultTemplates from './templates'
 
@@ -54,15 +54,9 @@ export async function generateApp (nuxt: Nuxt, app: NuxtApp) {
 }
 
 export async function resolveApp (nuxt: Nuxt, app: NuxtApp) {
-  const resolveOptions = {
-    base: nuxt.options.srcDir,
-    alias: nuxt.options.alias,
-    extensions: nuxt.options.extensions
-  }
-
   // Resolve main (app.vue)
   if (!app.mainComponent) {
-    app.mainComponent = tryResolvePath('~/App', resolveOptions) || tryResolvePath('~/app', resolveOptions)
+    app.mainComponent = await findPath(['~/App', '~/app'])
   }
   if (!app.mainComponent) {
     app.mainComponent = resolve(nuxt.options.appDir, 'components/nuxt-welcome.vue')
diff --git a/packages/nuxt3/src/core/nitro.ts b/packages/nuxt3/src/core/nitro.ts
index c387d580dd..7250dd5b57 100644
--- a/packages/nuxt3/src/core/nitro.ts
+++ b/packages/nuxt3/src/core/nitro.ts
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ export function initNitro (nuxt: Nuxt) {
     await nuxt.callHook('nitro:context', nitroDevContext)
 
     // Resolve middleware
-    const { middleware, legacyMiddleware } = resolveMiddleware(nuxt)
+    const { middleware, legacyMiddleware } = await resolveMiddleware(nuxt)
     nuxt.server.setLegacyMiddleware(legacyMiddleware)
     nitroContext.middleware.push(...middleware)
     nitroDevContext.middleware.push(...middleware)