diff --git a/packages/vike-node/README.md b/packages/vike-node/README.md
index 395de5b..2626e5d 100644
--- a/packages/vike-node/README.md
+++ b/packages/vike-node/README.md
@@ -265,10 +265,11 @@ app.use(
 ```
 
 > [!NOTE]
-> `vike-node` uses [universal-middleware](https://universal-middleware.dev/)
-> and automatically adds the universal context to [`pageContext`](https://vike.dev/pageContext).
-> 
-> You can find details on `RuntimeAdapter` in the [documentation](https://universal-middleware.dev/reference/runtime-adapter).
+> See [`RuntimeAdapter`](https://universal-middleware.dev/reference/runtime-adapter) (`vike-node` uses [universal-middleware](https://universal-middleware.dev/) under the hood).
+
+> [!NOTE]
+> The `runtime` object is also available at `pageContext.runtime` so that, even without the custom `pageContext` function above,
+> you can retrieve `pageContext.runtime.req.user` in Vike hooks and UI components (with [`usePageContext()`](https://vike.dev/usePageContext)).
 
 <br/>
 
diff --git a/packages/vike-node/src/runtime/vike-handler.ts b/packages/vike-node/src/runtime/vike-handler.ts
index 054717e..24d083f 100644
--- a/packages/vike-node/src/runtime/vike-handler.ts
+++ b/packages/vike-node/src/runtime/vike-handler.ts
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ export const renderPageHandler = ((options?) => async (request, context, runtime
     })
   }
 
-  const pageContextInit = { ...context, ...runtime, urlOriginal: request.url, headersOriginal: request.headers }
+  const pageContextInit = { ...context, runtime, urlOriginal: request.url, headersOriginal: request.headers }
   const response = await renderPage({
     url: request.url,
     headers: parseHeaders(request.headers),
diff --git a/packages/vike-node/src/vike.handler.ts b/packages/vike-node/src/vike.handler.ts
index 1d619ab..44b5f7d 100644
--- a/packages/vike-node/src/vike.handler.ts
+++ b/packages/vike-node/src/vike.handler.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,16 @@
-import { Get, UniversalHandler, pipe } from '@universal-middleware/core'
-import { VikeOptions } from './runtime/types.js'
+import { Get, type RuntimeAdapter, type UniversalHandler, pipe } from '@universal-middleware/core'
+import type { VikeOptions } from './runtime/types.js'
 import { compressMiddleware, renderPageHandler } from './runtime/vike-handler.js'
 
+// https://vike.dev/pageContext#typescript
+declare global {
+  namespace Vike {
+    interface PageContext {
+      runtime: RuntimeAdapter
+    }
+  }
+}
+
 const renderPageUniversal = ((options?) => pipe(compressMiddleware(options), renderPageHandler(options))) satisfies Get<
   [options: VikeOptions],
   UniversalHandler