diff --git a/springwolf-core/src/main/java/io/github/stavshamir/springwolf/schemas/example/ExampleJsonGenerator.java b/springwolf-core/src/main/java/io/github/stavshamir/springwolf/schemas/example/ExampleJsonGenerator.java
index cf7250efa..e6a6f90c8 100644
--- a/springwolf-core/src/main/java/io/github/stavshamir/springwolf/schemas/example/ExampleJsonGenerator.java
+++ b/springwolf-core/src/main/java/io/github/stavshamir/springwolf/schemas/example/ExampleJsonGenerator.java
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 package io.github.stavshamir.springwolf.schemas.example;
 
 import com.fasterxml.jackson.core.JsonProcessingException;
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.JsonNode;
 import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.ObjectMapper;
 import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.node.ObjectNode;
 import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.util.RawValue;
@@ -61,15 +62,17 @@ public Object fromSchema(Schema schema, Map<String, Schema> definitions) {
     }
 
     static String buildSchema(Schema schema, Map<String, Schema> definitions) {
-        return buildSchemaInternal(schema, definitions, new HashSet<>());
+        return buildSchemaInternal(schema, definitions, new HashSet<>()).toString();
     }
 
-    private static String buildSchemaInternal(Schema schema, Map<String, Schema> definitions, Set<Schema> visited) {
-        String exampleValue = ExampleJsonGenerator.getExampleValueFromSchemaAnnotation(schema);
+    private static ObjectNode buildSchemaInternal(Schema schema, Map<String, Schema> definitions, Set<Schema> visited) {
+        ObjectNode exampleValue = ExampleJsonGenerator.getExampleValueFromSchemaAnnotation(schema);
         if (exampleValue != null) {
             return exampleValue;
         }
 
+        ObjectNode schemaNode = objectMapper.createObjectNode();
+
         String ref = schema.get$ref();
         if (ref != null) {
             String schemaName = StringUtils.substringAfterLast(ref, "/");
@@ -81,30 +84,54 @@ private static String buildSchemaInternal(Schema schema, Map<String, Schema> def
         }
 
         String type = schema.getType();
-        return switch (type) {
-            case "array" -> ExampleJsonGenerator.handleArraySchema(schema, definitions, visited);
-            case "boolean" -> DEFAULT_BOOLEAN_EXAMPLE;
-            case "integer" -> DEFAULT_INTEGER_EXAMPLE;
-            case "number" -> DEFAULT_NUMBER_EXAMPLE;
-            case "object" -> ExampleJsonGenerator.handleObject(schema, definitions, visited);
-            case "string" -> ExampleJsonGenerator.handleStringSchema(schema);
-            default -> DEFAULT_UNKNOWN_SCHEMA_EXAMPLE(type);
-        };
+        switch (type) {
+            case "array":
+                // Handle array schema
+                ObjectNode itemsNode = ExampleJsonGenerator.handleArraySchema(schema, definitions, visited);
+                schemaNode.set("items", itemsNode); // Set the "items" property
+                break;
+            case "boolean":
+                schemaNode.textNode(DEFAULT_BOOLEAN_EXAMPLE);
+                break;
+            case "integer":
+                schemaNode.textNode(DEFAULT_INTEGER_EXAMPLE);
+                break;
+            case "number":
+                schemaNode.textNode(DEFAULT_NUMBER_EXAMPLE);
+                break;
+            case "object":
+                // Handle object schema
+                ObjectNode objectNode = ExampleJsonGenerator.handleObject(schema, definitions, visited);
+                schemaNode.set("object", objectNode); // Set the "properties" property
+                break;
+            case "string":
+                // Handle string schema
+                schemaNode.textNode(ExampleJsonGenerator.handleStringSchema(schema));
+                break;
+            default:
+                schemaNode.put("example", DEFAULT_UNKNOWN_SCHEMA_EXAMPLE(type));
+        }
+
+        return schemaNode;
     }
 
-    private static String getExampleValueFromSchemaAnnotation(Schema schema) {
+    private static ObjectNode getExampleValueFromSchemaAnnotation(Schema schema) {
         Object exampleValue = schema.getExample();
         if (exampleValue == null) {
             return null;
         }
 
+        // Create an ObjectNode to hold the example JSON
+        ObjectNode exampleNode = objectMapper.createObjectNode();
+
         // Handle special types (i.e. map) with custom @Schema annotation and specified example value
         Object additionalProperties = schema.getAdditionalProperties();
         if (additionalProperties instanceof StringSchema) {
             StringSchema additionalPropertiesSchema = (StringSchema) additionalProperties;
             Object exampleValueString = additionalPropertiesSchema.getExample();
             if (exampleValueString != null) {
-                return (String) exampleValueString;
+                exampleNode.set((String) exampleValueString, objectMapper.convertValue(exampleValue, JsonNode.class));
+                return exampleNode;
             }
         }
 
@@ -115,21 +142,35 @@ private static String getExampleValueFromSchemaAnnotation(Schema schema) {
 
         // exampleValue is represented in their native type
         if (exampleValue instanceof Boolean || exampleValue instanceof Number) {
-            return exampleValue.toString();
+            exampleNode.set("example", objectMapper.convertValue(exampleValue, JsonNode.class));
+            /*
+                JsonNode node = objectMapper.createObjectNode();
+                node = objectMapper.valueToTree("false");
+                return (ObjectNode) node;
+            */
+
+            return exampleNode;
         }
 
         try {
             // exampleValue (i.e. OffsetDateTime) is represented as string
-            return objectMapper.writeValueAsString(exampleValue.toString());
-        } catch (JsonProcessingException ex) {
-            log.debug("Unable to convert example to string: %s".formatted(exampleValue.toString()), ex);
+            exampleNode.set("example", objectMapper.convertValue(exampleValue.toString(), JsonNode.class));
+        } catch (IllegalArgumentException ex) {
+            log.debug("Unable to convert example to JSON: %s".formatted(exampleValue.toString()), ex);
         }
-        return "\"\"";
+
+        return exampleNode;
     }
 
-    private static String handleArraySchema(Schema schema, Map<String, Schema> definitions, Set<Schema> visited) {
-        return Arrays.asList(buildSchemaInternal(schema.getItems(), definitions, visited))
-                .toString();
+    private static ObjectNode handleArraySchema(Schema schema, Map<String, Schema> definitions, Set<Schema> visited) {
+
+        ObjectNode objectNode = objectMapper.createObjectNode();
+
+        List<ObjectNode> list = Arrays.asList(buildSchemaInternal(schema.getItems(), definitions, visited));
+
+        objectNode.set("array", objectMapper.valueToTree(list));
+
+        return objectNode;
     }
 
     private static String handleStringSchema(Schema schema) {
@@ -167,13 +208,14 @@ private static String getFirstEnumValue(Schema schema) {
         return null;
     }
 
-    private static String handleObject(Schema schema, Map<String, Schema> definitions, Set<Schema> visited) {
+    private static ObjectNode handleObject(Schema schema, Map<String, Schema> definitions, Set<Schema> visited) {
+
         Map<String, Schema> properties = schema.getProperties();
         if (properties != null) {
 
             if (!visited.contains(schema)) {
                 visited.add(schema);
-                String example = handleObjectProperties(properties, definitions, visited);
+                ObjectNode example = handleObjectProperties(properties, definitions, visited);
                 visited.remove(schema);
 
                 return example;
@@ -195,11 +237,12 @@ private static String handleObject(Schema schema, Map<String, Schema> definition
         }
 
         // i.e. A MapSchema is type=object, but has properties=null
-        return "{}";
+        return objectMapper.createObjectNode();
     }
 
-    private static String handleObjectProperties(
+    private static ObjectNode handleObjectProperties(
             Map<String, Schema> properties, Map<String, Schema> definitions, Set<Schema> visited) {
+
         ObjectNode objectNode = objectMapper.createObjectNode();
 
         properties.entrySet().stream().sorted(Map.Entry.comparingByKey()).forEach(entry -> {
@@ -208,6 +251,6 @@ private static String handleObjectProperties(
             objectNode.putRawValue(propertyKey, propertyRawValue);
         });
 
-        return objectNode.toString();
+        return objectNode;
     }
 }