diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 94895ab7..922f28a9 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@
   },
   "peerDependencies": {
     "@trpc/server": "^11.1.0",
-    "zod": "^4.0.0",
+    "zod": "^3.25.0 || ^4.0.0",
     "zod-openapi": "^5.0.1"
   },
   "dependencies": {
diff --git a/src/adapters/node-http/core.ts b/src/adapters/node-http/core.ts
index a2774540..2d0f8ec0 100644
--- a/src/adapters/node-http/core.ts
+++ b/src/adapters/node-http/core.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,8 @@ import {
   type NodeHTTPResponse,
 } from '@trpc/server/adapters/node-http';
 import { getErrorShape, TRPCRequestInfo } from '@trpc/server/unstable-core-do-not-import';
-import { ZodArray, ZodError, ZodTypeAny } from 'zod';
+import { ZodArray } from 'zod/v4';
+import type { ZodError } from 'zod/v4';
 import { NodeHTTPRequest } from '../../types';
 import { generateOpenApiDocument } from '../../generator';
 import {
diff --git a/src/generator/index.ts b/src/generator/index.ts
index df389ab8..92edf23d 100644
--- a/src/generator/index.ts
+++ b/src/generator/index.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { ZodOpenApiObject, ZodOpenApiPathsObject, createDocument } from 'zod-openapi';
-import { ZodSchema } from 'zod';
+import type { ZodSchema } from 'zod/v4';
 
 import {
   OpenApiMeta,
diff --git a/src/generator/schema.ts b/src/generator/schema.ts
index a278ccc2..7930b005 100644
--- a/src/generator/schema.ts
+++ b/src/generator/schema.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { TRPCError } from '@trpc/server';
-import { ZodObject, ZodAny, z } from 'zod';
+import { z } from 'zod/v4';
+import type { ZodObject, ZodAny } from 'zod/v4';
 import {
   ZodOpenApiContentObject,
   ZodOpenApiParameters,
diff --git a/src/types.ts b/src/types.ts
index bc8cf0b7..3ba293af 100644
--- a/src/types.ts
+++ b/src/types.ts
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ import type {
   RouterRecord,
 } from '@trpc/server/unstable-core-do-not-import';
 import { IncomingMessage } from 'http';
-import type { ZodObject } from 'zod';
+import type { ZodObject } from 'zod/v4';
 import type { $ZodIssue } from 'zod/v4/core';
 
 export { type OpenAPIObject, type SecuritySchemeObject } from 'openapi3-ts/oas31';
diff --git a/src/utils/procedure.ts b/src/utils/procedure.ts
index 0568640f..1ba78da5 100644
--- a/src/utils/procedure.ts
+++ b/src/utils/procedure.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { TRPCProcedureType } from '@trpc/server';
-import { ZodObject, z } from 'zod';
+import { z } from 'zod/v4';
+import type { ZodObject } from 'zod/v4';
 
 import { OpenApiMeta, OpenApiProcedure, OpenApiProcedureRecord } from '../types';
 
diff --git a/src/utils/zod.ts b/src/utils/zod.ts
index ae58f180..7e553316 100644
--- a/src/utils/zod.ts
+++ b/src/utils/zod.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
-import { ZodObject, ZodRawShape, ZodType, z } from 'zod';
+import { z } from 'zod/v4';
+import type { ZodObject, ZodRawShape, ZodType } from 'zod/v4';
 import type { $ZodType, $ZodTypes } from 'zod/v4/core';
 import type { $ZodTypeDef } from 'zod/v4/core/schemas';
 
diff --git a/test/adapters/express.test.ts b/test/adapters/express.test.ts
index cd7a8ba4..abbaa295 100644
--- a/test/adapters/express.test.ts
+++ b/test/adapters/express.test.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import { initTRPC } from '@trpc/server';
 import express from 'express';
 import fetch from 'node-fetch';
-import { z } from 'zod';
+import { z } from 'zod/v4';
 
 import {
   CreateOpenApiExpressMiddlewareOptions,
diff --git a/test/adapters/fastify.test.ts b/test/adapters/fastify.test.ts
index 2fb4cd46..15b67483 100644
--- a/test/adapters/fastify.test.ts
+++ b/test/adapters/fastify.test.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import { initTRPC } from '@trpc/server';
 import fastify from 'fastify';
 import fetch from 'node-fetch';
-import { z } from 'zod';
+import { z } from 'zod/v4';
 
 import {
   CreateOpenApiFastifyPluginOptions,
diff --git a/test/adapters/fetch.test.ts b/test/adapters/fetch.test.ts
index e103cada..c309ff91 100644
--- a/test/adapters/fetch.test.ts
+++ b/test/adapters/fetch.test.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import { TRPCError, initTRPC } from '@trpc/server';
 import fetch from 'node-fetch';
 import superjson from 'superjson';
-import { z } from 'zod';
+import { z } from 'zod/v4';
 
 import {
   CreateOpenApiFetchHandlerOptions,
diff --git a/test/adapters/koa.test.ts b/test/adapters/koa.test.ts
index 1c1ce410..f79eb622 100644
--- a/test/adapters/koa.test.ts
+++ b/test/adapters/koa.test.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import { initTRPC } from '@trpc/server';
 import Koa from 'koa';
 import fetch from 'node-fetch';
-import { z } from 'zod';
+import { z } from 'zod/v4';
 
 import {
   CreateOpenApiKoaMiddlewareOptions,
diff --git a/test/adapters/next.test.ts b/test/adapters/next.test.ts
index e02b350a..b5f3e939 100644
--- a/test/adapters/next.test.ts
+++ b/test/adapters/next.test.ts
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ import { NextApiRequest, NextApiResponse } from 'next';
 import { IncomingHttpHeaders, IncomingMessage } from 'http';
 import { NextApiRequestCookies, NextApiRequestQuery } from 'next/dist/server/api-utils';
 import { Socket } from 'net';
-import { z } from 'zod';
+import { z } from 'zod/v4';
 
 import {
   CreateOpenApiNextHandlerOptions,
diff --git a/test/adapters/nuxt.test.ts b/test/adapters/nuxt.test.ts
index 40c5d728..c4db5356 100644
--- a/test/adapters/nuxt.test.ts
+++ b/test/adapters/nuxt.test.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 import { initTRPC } from '@trpc/server';
 import { H3Event } from 'h3';
 import httpMocks, { RequestMethod } from 'node-mocks-http';
-import { z } from 'zod';
+import { z } from 'zod/v4';
 
 import {
   CreateOpenApiNuxtHandlerOptions,
diff --git a/test/adapters/standalone.test.ts b/test/adapters/standalone.test.ts
index 0903c387..9c9bcecb 100644
--- a/test/adapters/standalone.test.ts
+++ b/test/adapters/standalone.test.ts
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ import { createHTTPHandler } from '@trpc/server/adapters/standalone';
 import { Server } from 'http';
 import fetch from 'node-fetch';
 import superjson from 'superjson';
-import { z } from 'zod';
+import { z } from 'zod/v4';
 
 import {
   CreateOpenApiHttpHandlerOptions,
diff --git a/test/generator.test.ts b/test/generator.test.ts
index cd22eeb8..c5576530 100644
--- a/test/generator.test.ts
+++ b/test/generator.test.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { initTRPC } from '@trpc/server';
 import { observable } from '@trpc/server/observable';
-import { z } from 'zod';
+import { z } from 'zod/v4';
 
 import { GenerateOpenApiDocumentOptions, OpenApiMeta, generateOpenApiDocument } from '../src';
 import * as zodUtils from '../src/utils/zod';
@@ -3165,7 +3165,12 @@ describe('generator', () => {
         .input(
           z
             .object({ name: z.string() })
-            .meta({ examples: { Lily: { name: 'Lily' }, John: { name: 'John' } } }),
+            // zod-openapi v5 types `meta.examples` as `unknown[]`, but its runtime
+            // still accepts the v3-style named-record form used here (and emits it
+            // through to the output schema verbatim — see snapshot below).
+            .meta({
+              examples: { Lily: { name: 'Lily' }, John: { name: 'John' } } as unknown as unknown[],
+            }),
         )
         .output(z.object({ output: z.string() }))
         .mutation(({ input }) => ({