diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 4207976..047a2e1 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -156,7 +156,13 @@ if ($schema instanceof ReferenceSchema) {
 }
 ```
 
-This makes valid recursive schemas safe to parse.
+This makes valid recursive schemas safe to parse. Resolve a schema's local component reference explicitly when its concrete type is needed:
+
+```php
+$resolved = $specification->resolveSchema($schema);
+```
+
+`resolveSchema()` follows chained local schema references and leaves missing, external, or cyclic references unresolved.
 
 OpenAPI 3.1 annotated enumerations (`oneOf` or `anyOf` of `const` + `title`)
 are mapped onto `StringSchema` fields. The type name is the composite `title`.
diff --git a/src/Specification.php b/src/Specification.php
index fdb7c0d..dfe8127 100644
--- a/src/Specification.php
+++ b/src/Specification.php
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 use Utopia\OpenAPI\Model\Info;
 use Utopia\OpenAPI\Model\Operation;
 use Utopia\OpenAPI\Model\PathItem;
+use Utopia\OpenAPI\Model\ReferenceSchema;
 use Utopia\OpenAPI\Model\Schema;
 use Utopia\OpenAPI\Model\SecurityRequirement;
 use Utopia\OpenAPI\Model\SecurityScheme;
@@ -40,6 +41,36 @@ public function __construct(
         public ?ExternalDocumentation $externalDocumentation = null,
     ) {}
 
+    /**
+     * Resolve chained local component references without expanding recursive schema graphs.
+     */
+    public function resolveSchema(Schema $schema): Schema
+    {
+        $visited = [];
+        while ($schema instanceof ReferenceSchema) {
+            if (! str_starts_with($schema->reference, '#')) {
+                break;
+            }
+
+            $name = null;
+            $reference = rawurldecode($schema->reference);
+            foreach (['#/components/schemas/', '#/definitions/'] as $prefix) {
+                if (str_starts_with($reference, $prefix)) {
+                    $name = str_replace(['~1', '~0'], ['/', '~'], substr($reference, strlen($prefix)));
+                    break;
+                }
+            }
+
+            if ($name === null || isset($visited[$name]) || ! isset($this->schemas[$name])) {
+                break;
+            }
+            $visited[$name] = true;
+            $schema = $this->schemas[$name];
+        }
+
+        return $schema;
+    }
+
     /** @return list<Operation> */
     public function operations(): array
     {
diff --git a/tests/ParserTest.php b/tests/ParserTest.php
index c672658..c55dbc3 100644
--- a/tests/ParserTest.php
+++ b/tests/ParserTest.php
@@ -129,7 +129,9 @@ public function test_parses_open_api2_directly(): void
         $operation = $spec->paths['/pets']->operation(HttpMethod::POST);
         self::assertTrue($operation?->requestBody?->required);
         self::assertInstanceOf(ReferenceSchema::class, $operation?->requestBody?->content['application/json']->schema);
-        self::assertInstanceOf(ReferenceSchema::class, $operation?->responses['200']->content['application/json']->schema);
+        $responseSchema = $operation?->responses['200']->content['application/json']->schema;
+        self::assertInstanceOf(ReferenceSchema::class, $responseSchema);
+        self::assertSame($spec->schemas['Pet'], $spec->resolveSchema($responseSchema));
     }
 
     public function test_parses_open_api2_form_data_as_request_body(): void
@@ -153,6 +155,36 @@ public function test_parses_open_api2_form_data_as_request_body(): void
         self::assertSame('binary', $body?->content['multipart/form-data']->schema->properties['file']->format);
     }
 
+    public function test_resolves_schema_references_explicitly(): void
+    {
+        $spec = Parser::parse([
+            'openapi' => '3.1.0',
+            'info' => ['title' => 'References', 'version' => '1'],
+            'paths' => [],
+            'components' => ['schemas' => [
+                'Binary' => ['type' => 'string', 'format' => 'binary'],
+                'Alias' => ['$ref' => '#/components/schemas/Binary'],
+                'Chained' => ['$ref' => '#/components/schemas/Alias'],
+                'Encoded Name' => ['type' => 'string'],
+                'Encoded' => ['$ref' => '#/components/schemas/Encoded%20Name'],
+                'Missing' => ['$ref' => '#/components/schemas/Unknown'],
+                'External' => ['$ref' => 'schemas.json#/Binary'],
+                'EncodedExternal' => ['$ref' => '%23/components/schemas/Binary'],
+                'CycleA' => ['$ref' => '#/components/schemas/CycleB'],
+                'CycleB' => ['$ref' => '#/components/schemas/CycleA'],
+            ]],
+        ]);
+
+        self::assertSame($spec->schemas['Binary'], $spec->resolveSchema($spec->schemas['Binary']));
+        self::assertSame($spec->schemas['Binary'], $spec->resolveSchema($spec->schemas['Alias']));
+        self::assertSame($spec->schemas['Binary'], $spec->resolveSchema($spec->schemas['Chained']));
+        self::assertSame($spec->schemas['Encoded Name'], $spec->resolveSchema($spec->schemas['Encoded']));
+        self::assertSame($spec->schemas['Missing'], $spec->resolveSchema($spec->schemas['Missing']));
+        self::assertSame($spec->schemas['External'], $spec->resolveSchema($spec->schemas['External']));
+        self::assertSame($spec->schemas['EncodedExternal'], $spec->resolveSchema($spec->schemas['EncodedExternal']));
+        self::assertSame($spec->schemas['CycleA'], $spec->resolveSchema($spec->schemas['CycleA']));
+    }
+
     public function test_resolves_escaped_local_json_pointer_and_detects_reference_cycles(): void
     {
         $resolver = new LocalResolver([