diff --git a/src/index.ts b/src/index.ts
index 4fc45df..c6f2e00 100644
--- a/src/index.ts
+++ b/src/index.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /* eslint-disable @typescript-eslint/ban-ts-comment */
-import { Elysia, type InternalRoute } from 'elysia'
+import { Elysia, TSchema, type InternalRoute } from 'elysia'
 
 import { SwaggerUIRender } from './swagger'
 import { ScalarRender } from './scalar'
@@ -130,7 +130,8 @@ export const swagger = <Path extends string = '/swagger'>({
 								path: route.path,
 								// @ts-ignore
 								models: app.getGlobalDefinitions?.().type,
-								contentType: route.hooks.type
+								contentType: route.hooks.type,
+								standaloneValidators: route.standaloneValidators
 							})
 						})
 					else
@@ -141,11 +142,21 @@ export const swagger = <Path extends string = '/swagger'>({
 							path: route.path,
 							// @ts-ignore
 							models: app.getGlobalDefinitions?.().type,
-							contentType: route.hooks.type
+							contentType: route.hooks.type,
+							standaloneValidators: route.standaloneValidators
 						})
 				})
 			}
 
+			// @ts-ignore
+			const globalDefinitions = { ...app.getGlobalDefinitions?.().type }
+			// remove $id from globalDefinitions as it breaks OpenAPI compliance
+			Object.entries(globalDefinitions).map(([key, value]) => {
+				if (value.$id) {
+					delete globalDefinitions[key].$id
+				}
+			})
+
 			return {
 				openapi: '3.0.3',
 				...{
diff --git a/src/utils.ts b/src/utils.ts
index 19f5170..c187ae7 100644
--- a/src/utils.ts
+++ b/src/utils.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,13 @@
 /* eslint-disable @typescript-eslint/ban-ts-comment */
 /* eslint-disable @typescript-eslint/no-unused-vars */
 import { normalize } from 'pathe'
-import { replaceSchemaType, t, type HTTPMethod, type LocalHook } from 'elysia'
+import {
+	InputSchema,
+	replaceSchemaType,
+	t,
+	type HTTPMethod,
+	type LocalHook
+} from 'elysia'
 
 import { Kind, type TSchema } from '@sinclair/typebox'
 import type { OpenAPIV3 } from 'openapi-types'
@@ -128,6 +134,43 @@ export const generateOperationId = (method: string, paths: string) => {
 	return operationId
 }
 
+function resolveModel(
+	model: TSchema | string | undefined,
+	models: Record<string, TSchema>
+) {
+	if (typeof model === 'object') return model
+	// this intentionally doesn't include the 'modelname[]' check
+	// because it doesn't make sense to merge t.Array using t.Composite
+	if (typeof model === 'string') return models[model]
+	return undefined
+}
+
+function compositeStandalone(
+	hook: InputSchema,
+	validators: InputSchema[] | undefined,
+	models: Record<string, TSchema>
+) {
+	if (!validators) return hook
+	if (validators.length === 0) return hook
+
+	const mergeProp = (prop: keyof Omit<InputSchema, 'response'>) => {
+		const array = [hook[prop], ...validators.map((x) => x[prop])]
+			.map((x) => resolveModel(x, models))
+			.filter((x) => x !== undefined)
+		if (array.length === 0) return undefined
+		if (array.length === 1) return array[0]
+		return t.Composite(array)
+	}
+
+	return {
+		...hook,
+		body: mergeProp('body'),
+		params: mergeProp('params'),
+		headers: mergeProp('headers'),
+		query: mergeProp('query')
+	}
+}
+
 const cloneHook = <T>(hook: T) => {
 	if (!hook) return
 	if (typeof hook === 'string') return hook
@@ -140,7 +183,8 @@ export const registerSchemaPath = ({
 	path,
 	method,
 	hook,
-	models
+	models,
+	standaloneValidators
 }: {
 	schema: Partial<OpenAPIV3.PathsObject>
 	contentType?: string | string[]
@@ -148,8 +192,10 @@ export const registerSchemaPath = ({
 	method: HTTPMethod
 	hook?: LocalHook<any, any, any, any, any, any>
 	models: Record<string, TSchema>
+	standaloneValidators?: InputSchema[]
 }) => {
 	hook = cloneHook(hook)
+	hook = compositeStandalone(hook, standaloneValidators, models)
 
 	if (hook.parse && !Array.isArray(hook.parse)) hook.parse = [hook.parse]
 
@@ -216,6 +262,7 @@ export const registerSchemaPath = ({
 				additionalProperties,
 				patternProperties,
 				$ref,
+				items,
 				...rest
 			} = responseSchema as typeof responseSchema & {
 				type: string
@@ -234,7 +281,7 @@ export const registerSchemaPath = ({
 									type,
 									properties,
 									patternProperties,
-									items: responseSchema.items,
+									items,
 									required
 								} as any)
 							: responseSchema
@@ -353,7 +400,14 @@ export const registerSchemaPath = ({
 							required: true,
 							content: mapTypesResponse(
 								contentTypes,
-								typeof bodySchema === 'string'
+								typeof bodySchema === 'string' && bodySchema.slice(-2) === '[]'
+									? {
+										type: 'array',
+										items: {
+											$ref: `#/components/schemas/${bodySchema.slice(0, -2)}`
+										}
+									}
+								: typeof bodySchema === 'string'
 									? {
 											$ref: `#/components/schemas/${bodySchema}`
 										}
diff --git a/test/validate-schema.test.ts b/test/validate-schema.test.ts
index ee9558e..9e5ed89 100644
--- a/test/validate-schema.test.ts
+++ b/test/validate-schema.test.ts
@@ -16,15 +16,28 @@ it('returns a valid Swagger/OpenAPI json config for many routes', async () => {
         .get('/unpath/:id', ({ params: { id } }) => id, {
             response: t.String({ description: 'sample description' })
         })
+        .model({
+            thing: t.Object({
+                bar: t.String()
+            })
+        })
         .get(
             '/unpath/:id/:name/:age',
             ({ params: { id, name } }) => `${id} ${name}`,
             {
                 type: 'json',
                 response: t.String({ description: 'sample description' }),
-                params: t.Object({ id: t.String(), name: t.String() })
+                params: t.Object({ id: t.String(), name: t.String() }),
+                body: "thing[]"
             }
         )
+        .guard({
+            schema: "standalone",
+            body: t.Object({
+                foo: t.String()
+            }),
+            query: "thing"
+        })
         .post(
             '/json/:id',
             ({ body, params: { id }, query: { name, email, birthday } }) => ({