diff --git a/packages/openapi-generator/src/openapi.ts b/packages/openapi-generator/src/openapi.ts
index a7fe83de..15d39626 100644
--- a/packages/openapi-generator/src/openapi.ts
+++ b/packages/openapi-generator/src/openapi.ts
@@ -54,16 +54,33 @@ export function schemaToOpenAPI(
         const { example, minItems, maxItems, ...rest } = defaultOpenAPIObject;
         const isArrayExample = example && Array.isArray(example);
 
+        const siblings = {
+          ...rest,
+          ...(!isArrayExample && example ? { example } : {}),
+        };
+
+        // Handle case where innerSchema is a $ref with siblings
+        const wrappedInnerSchema =
+          '$ref' in innerSchema && Object.keys(siblings).length > 0
+            ? // When there's a $ref with siblings, we need to wrap it in allOf to preserve other properties
+              {
+                allOf: [innerSchema],
+              }
+            : {
+                ...innerSchema,
+              };
+
+        const items = {
+          ...wrappedInnerSchema,
+          ...siblings,
+        };
+
         return {
           type: 'array',
           ...(minItems ? { minItems } : {}),
           ...(maxItems ? { maxItems } : {}),
           ...(isArrayExample ? { example } : {}),
-          items: {
-            ...innerSchema,
-            ...rest,
-            ...(!isArrayExample && example ? { example } : {}),
-          },
+          items,
         };
       case 'object':
         return {
@@ -153,23 +170,25 @@ export function schemaToOpenAPI(
         if (oneOf.length === 0) {
           return undefined;
         } else if (oneOf.length === 1) {
-          if (
-            Object.keys(
-              oneOf[0] as OpenAPIV3.SchemaObject | OpenAPIV3.ReferenceObject,
-            )[0] === '$ref'
-          )
+          const singleSchema = oneOf[0];
+          if (singleSchema === undefined) {
+            return undefined;
+          }
+          // Check if the schema is a $ref
+          if ('$ref' in singleSchema) {
             // OpenAPI spec doesn't allow $ref properties to have siblings, so they're wrapped in an 'allOf' array
             return {
               ...(nullable ? { nullable } : {}),
-              allOf: oneOf,
+              allOf: [singleSchema],
               ...defaultOpenAPIObject,
             };
-          else
+          } else {
             return {
               ...(nullable ? { nullable } : {}),
-              ...oneOf[0],
+              ...singleSchema,
               ...defaultOpenAPIObject,
             };
+          }
         } else {
           return { ...(nullable ? { nullable } : {}), oneOf, ...defaultOpenAPIObject };
         }
diff --git a/packages/openapi-generator/test/openapi/ref.test.ts b/packages/openapi-generator/test/openapi/ref.test.ts
index c52d5369..8673db01 100644
--- a/packages/openapi-generator/test/openapi/ref.test.ts
+++ b/packages/openapi-generator/test/openapi/ref.test.ts
@@ -336,7 +336,7 @@ const SimpleRouteResponse = t.type({
  * @title Human Readable Invalid Error Schema
  */
 const InvalidError = t.intersection([
-  ApiError, 
+  ApiError,
   t.type({ error: t.literal('invalid') })]);
 /**
  * Human readable description of the ApiError schema
@@ -441,3 +441,201 @@ testCase('route with api error schema', ROUTE_WITH_SCHEMA_WITH_COMMENT, {
     },
   },
 });
+
+const ROUTE_WITH_ARRAY_OF_INNER_SCHEMA_REF_WITH_NO_SIBLINGS = `
+import * as t from 'io-ts';
+import * as h from '@api-ts/io-ts-http';
+/**
+ * A simple route with type descriptions for references
+ *
+ * @operationId api.v1.test
+ * @tag Test Routes
+ */
+export const route = h.httpRoute({
+  path: '/foo',
+  method: 'GET',
+  request: h.httpRequest({}),
+  response: {
+    200: SimpleRouteResponse
+  },
+ });
+
+
+ /**
+  * Human readable description of the Simple Route Response
+  * @title Human Readable Simple Route Response
+ */
+const SimpleRouteResponse = t.type({
+  test: t.array(TestRef)
+});
+
+const TestRefBase = t.string;
+
+const TestRef = TestRefBase;
+ `;
+
+testCase(
+  'inner schema ref in array',
+  ROUTE_WITH_ARRAY_OF_INNER_SCHEMA_REF_WITH_NO_SIBLINGS,
+  {
+    openapi: '3.0.3',
+    info: {
+      title: 'Test',
+      version: '1.0.0',
+    },
+    paths: {
+      '/foo': {
+        get: {
+          summary: 'A simple route with type descriptions for references',
+          operationId: 'api.v1.test',
+          tags: ['Test Routes'],
+          parameters: [],
+          responses: {
+            '200': {
+              description: 'OK',
+              content: {
+                'application/json': {
+                  schema: {
+                    $ref: '#/components/schemas/SimpleRouteResponse',
+                  },
+                },
+              },
+            },
+          },
+        },
+      },
+    },
+    components: {
+      schemas: {
+        SimpleRouteResponse: {
+          description: 'Human readable description of the Simple Route Response',
+          properties: {
+            test: {
+              type: 'array',
+              items: {
+                $ref: '#/components/schemas/TestRefBase',
+              },
+            },
+          },
+          required: ['test'],
+          title: 'Human Readable Simple Route Response',
+          type: 'object',
+        },
+        TestRefBase: {
+          title: 'TestRefBase',
+          type: 'string',
+        },
+        TestRef: {
+          allOf: [
+            {
+              title: 'TestRef',
+            },
+            {
+              $ref: '#/components/schemas/TestRefBase',
+            },
+          ],
+        },
+      },
+    },
+  },
+);
+
+const ROUTE_WITH_ARRAY_OF_INNER_SCHEMA_REF_AND_DESCRIPTION = `
+import * as t from 'io-ts';
+import * as h from '@api-ts/io-ts-http';
+/**
+ * A simple route with type descriptions for references
+ *
+ * @operationId api.v1.test
+ * @tag Test Routes
+ */
+export const route = h.httpRoute({
+  path: '/foo',
+  method: 'GET',
+  request: h.httpRequest({}),
+  response: {
+    200: SimpleRouteResponse
+  },
+ });
+
+
+ /**
+  * Human readable description of the Simple Route Response
+  * @title Human Readable Simple Route Response
+ */
+const SimpleRouteResponse = t.type({
+  /** List of test refs */
+  test: t.array(TestRef)
+});
+
+const TestRefBase = t.string;
+
+const TestRef = TestRefBase;
+ `;
+
+testCase(
+  'inner schema ref in array with description',
+  ROUTE_WITH_ARRAY_OF_INNER_SCHEMA_REF_AND_DESCRIPTION,
+  {
+    openapi: '3.0.3',
+    info: {
+      title: 'Test',
+      version: '1.0.0',
+    },
+    paths: {
+      '/foo': {
+        get: {
+          summary: 'A simple route with type descriptions for references',
+          operationId: 'api.v1.test',
+          tags: ['Test Routes'],
+          parameters: [],
+          responses: {
+            '200': {
+              description: 'OK',
+              content: {
+                'application/json': {
+                  schema: {
+                    $ref: '#/components/schemas/SimpleRouteResponse',
+                  },
+                },
+              },
+            },
+          },
+        },
+      },
+    },
+    components: {
+      schemas: {
+        SimpleRouteResponse: {
+          description: 'Human readable description of the Simple Route Response',
+          properties: {
+            test: {
+              type: 'array',
+              items: {
+                allOf: [{ $ref: '#/components/schemas/TestRefBase' }],
+                description: 'List of test refs',
+              },
+            },
+          },
+          required: ['test'],
+          title: 'Human Readable Simple Route Response',
+          type: 'object',
+        },
+        TestRefBase: {
+          title: 'TestRefBase',
+          type: 'string',
+        },
+        TestRef: {
+          allOf: [
+            {
+              title: 'TestRef',
+            },
+            {
+              $ref: '#/components/schemas/TestRefBase',
+            },
+          ],
+        },
+      },
+    },
+  },
+);