diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index def56c47..87ec84ef 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -63,6 +63,7 @@
     "fs-extra": "^10.1.0",
     "js-yaml": "^4.1.0",
     "json-schema-faker": "^0.5.0-rcv.44",
+    "json-schema-ref-parser": "^9.0.9",
     "jsonwebtoken": "^8.5.1",
     "koa": "^2.13.4",
     "koa-bodyparser": "^4.3.0",
diff --git a/src/counterfact.js b/src/counterfact.js
index 622da705..3f759449 100644
--- a/src/counterfact.js
+++ b/src/counterfact.js
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import fs from "node:fs/promises";
 import nodePath from "node:path";
 
+import $RefParser from "json-schema-ref-parser";
 import yaml from "js-yaml";
 
 import { Registry } from "./registry.js";
@@ -10,7 +11,9 @@ import { ModuleLoader } from "./module-loader.js";
 
 async function loadOpenApiDocument(source) {
   try {
-    return yaml.load(await fs.readFile(source, "utf8"));
+    return $RefParser.dereference(
+      await yaml.load(await fs.readFile(source, "utf8"))
+    );
   } catch {
     return undefined;
   }
diff --git a/test/counterfact.test.js b/test/counterfact.test.js
index 9305aa72..b25a2c42 100644
--- a/test/counterfact.test.js
+++ b/test/counterfact.test.js
@@ -88,9 +88,13 @@ describe("integration test", () => {
                   content:
                     text/plain:
                       schema:
-                        type: string
-                        examples: 
-                          - "hello"
+                        $ref: "#/components/schemas/Hello"
+        components:
+          schemas:
+            Hello: 
+              type: string
+              examples: 
+                - "hello"
       `,
 
       "paths/hello.mjs": `
diff --git a/yarn.lock b/yarn.lock
index 30014480..27f5a56b 100644
--- a/yarn.lock
+++ b/yarn.lock
@@ -10,6 +10,16 @@
     "@jridgewell/gen-mapping" "^0.1.0"
     "@jridgewell/trace-mapping" "^0.3.9"
 
+"@apidevtools/json-schema-ref-parser@9.0.9":
+  version "9.0.9"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@apidevtools/json-schema-ref-parser/-/json-schema-ref-parser-9.0.9.tgz#d720f9256e3609621280584f2b47ae165359268b"
+  integrity sha512-GBD2Le9w2+lVFoc4vswGI/TjkNIZSVp7+9xPf+X3uidBfWnAeUWmquteSyt0+VCrhNMWj/FTABISQrD3Z/YA+w==
+  dependencies:
+    "@jsdevtools/ono" "^7.1.3"
+    "@types/json-schema" "^7.0.6"
+    call-me-maybe "^1.0.1"
+    js-yaml "^4.1.0"
+
 "@babel/code-frame@^7.0.0", "@babel/code-frame@^7.10.4", "@babel/code-frame@^7.12.13", "@babel/code-frame@^7.18.6":
   version "7.18.6"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@babel/code-frame/-/code-frame-7.18.6.tgz#3b25d38c89600baa2dcc219edfa88a74eb2c427a"
@@ -945,6 +955,11 @@
     "@jridgewell/resolve-uri" "^3.0.3"
     "@jridgewell/sourcemap-codec" "^1.4.10"
 
+"@jsdevtools/ono@^7.1.3":
+  version "7.1.3"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@jsdevtools/ono/-/ono-7.1.3.tgz#9df03bbd7c696a5c58885c34aa06da41c8543796"
+  integrity sha512-4JQNk+3mVzK3xh2rqd6RB4J46qUR19azEHBneZyTZM+c456qOrbbM/5xcR8huNCCcbVt7+UmizG6GuUvPvKUYg==
+
 "@manypkg/find-root@^1.1.0":
   version "1.1.0"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@manypkg/find-root/-/find-root-1.1.0.tgz#a62d8ed1cd7e7d4c11d9d52a8397460b5d4ad29f"
@@ -2093,7 +2108,7 @@
   dependencies:
     "@types/istanbul-lib-report" "*"
 
-"@types/json-schema@^7.0.11", "@types/json-schema@^7.0.3", "@types/json-schema@^7.0.9":
+"@types/json-schema@^7.0.11", "@types/json-schema@^7.0.3", "@types/json-schema@^7.0.6", "@types/json-schema@^7.0.9":
   version "7.0.11"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@types/json-schema/-/json-schema-7.0.11.tgz#d421b6c527a3037f7c84433fd2c4229e016863d3"
   integrity sha512-wOuvG1SN4Us4rez+tylwwwCV1psiNVOkJeM3AUWUNWg/jDQY2+HE/444y5gc+jBmRqASOm2Oeh5c1axHobwRKQ==
@@ -5848,6 +5863,13 @@ json-schema-ref-parser@^6.1.0:
     js-yaml "^3.12.1"
     ono "^4.0.11"
 
+json-schema-ref-parser@^9.0.9:
+  version "9.0.9"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/json-schema-ref-parser/-/json-schema-ref-parser-9.0.9.tgz#66ea538e7450b12af342fa3d5b8458bc1e1e013f"
+  integrity sha512-qcP2lmGy+JUoQJ4DOQeLaZDqH9qSkeGCK3suKWxJXS82dg728Mn3j97azDMaOUmJAN4uCq91LdPx4K7E8F1a7Q==
+  dependencies:
+    "@apidevtools/json-schema-ref-parser" "9.0.9"
+
 json-schema-traverse@^0.4.1:
   version "0.4.1"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/json-schema-traverse/-/json-schema-traverse-0.4.1.tgz#69f6a87d9513ab8bb8fe63bdb0979c448e684660"