diff --git a/library/src/main/scala/za/co/absa/springdocopenapiscala/OpenAPIModelRegistration.scala b/library/src/main/scala/za/co/absa/springdocopenapiscala/OpenAPIModelRegistration.scala
index 79d0073..ccbfb8d 100644
--- a/library/src/main/scala/za/co/absa/springdocopenapiscala/OpenAPIModelRegistration.scala
+++ b/library/src/main/scala/za/co/absa/springdocopenapiscala/OpenAPIModelRegistration.scala
@@ -254,7 +254,9 @@ class OpenAPIModelRegistration(
   }
 
   private def registerAsReference(name: String, schema: Schema[_]): Schema[_] = {
-    components.addSchemas(name, schema)
+    if (!Option(components.getSchemas).exists(_.containsKey(name))) {
+      components.addSchemas(name, schema)
+    }
     val schemaReference = new Schema
     schemaReference.set$ref(s"#/components/schemas/$name")
     schemaReference
diff --git a/library/src/test/scala/za/co/absa/springdocopenapiscala/OpenAPIModelRegistrationSpec.scala b/library/src/test/scala/za/co/absa/springdocopenapiscala/OpenAPIModelRegistrationSpec.scala
index 038ca8d..9ec1145 100644
--- a/library/src/test/scala/za/co/absa/springdocopenapiscala/OpenAPIModelRegistrationSpec.scala
+++ b/library/src/test/scala/za/co/absa/springdocopenapiscala/OpenAPIModelRegistrationSpec.scala
@@ -143,6 +143,8 @@ class OpenAPIModelRegistrationSpec extends AnyFlatSpec {
 
   private sealed trait NestedSealedTrait
 
+  private case class NestedSealedTraitBreaker(breaker: NestedSealedTrait.NestedSealedTraitVariant1)
+
   private object NestedSealedTrait {
     case class NestedSealedTraitVariant1(a: String, b: Int, c: NestedSealedTrait) extends NestedSealedTrait
     case object NestedSealedTraitVariant2 extends NestedSealedTrait
@@ -396,6 +398,7 @@ class OpenAPIModelRegistrationSpec extends AnyFlatSpec {
       )
 
       openAPIModelRegistration.register[NestedSealedTrait]()
+      openAPIModelRegistration.register[NestedSealedTraitBreaker]()
 
       val actualSchemas = components.getSchemas
 
@@ -535,6 +538,13 @@ class OpenAPIModelRegistrationSpec extends AnyFlatSpec {
           areDiscriminatorPropertyRequired
         }
       )
+
+      assertTypeAndFormatAreAsExpected(actualSchemas, "NestedSealedTraitBreaker", "object")
+      assertRefIsAsExpected(
+        actualSchemas,
+        "NestedSealedTraitBreaker.breaker",
+        "#/components/schemas/NestedSealedTraitVariant1"
+      )
     }
 
   it should "add discriminator to sealed types " +