diff --git a/lib/rspec/openapi/schema_merger.rb b/lib/rspec/openapi/schema_merger.rb
index 0eef16e0..9d10e4e3 100644
--- a/lib/rspec/openapi/schema_merger.rb
+++ b/lib/rspec/openapi/schema_merger.rb
@@ -25,22 +25,23 @@ def normalize_keys(spec)
   # Also this needs to be aware of OpenAPI details unlike an ordinary deep_reverse_merge
   # because a Hash-like structure may be an array whose Hash elements have a key name.
   #
-  # TODO: Perform more intelligent merges like rerouting edits / merging types
   # TODO: Should we probably force-merge `summary` regardless of manual modifications?
   def deep_reverse_merge!(base, spec)
     spec.each do |key, value|
       if base[key].is_a?(Hash) && value.is_a?(Hash)
-        deep_reverse_merge!(base[key], value)
-      elsif !base.key?(key)
-        base[key] = value
+        if !base[key].key?("$ref")
+          deep_reverse_merge!(base[key], value)
+        end
       elsif base[key].is_a?(Array) && value.is_a?(Array)
         # parameters need to be merged as if `name` and `in` were the Hash keys.
         if key == 'parameters'
           base[key] |= value
           base[key].uniq! { |param| param.slice('name', 'in') }
+        else
+          base[key] = value
         end
       else
-        # no-op
+        base[key] = value
       end
     end
     base
diff --git a/spec/rails/doc/openapi.json b/spec/rails/doc/openapi.json
index 0a0aceb6..a9847448 100644
--- a/spec/rails/doc/openapi.json
+++ b/spec/rails/doc/openapi.json
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@
             }
           },
           "200": {
-            "description": "with flat query parameters",
+            "description": "with different deep query parameters",
             "content": {
               "application/json": {
                 "schema": {
@@ -406,7 +406,7 @@
               },
               "example": {
                 "nested": {
-                  "image": "#<ActionDispatch::Http::UploadedFile:0x00007fa723dec4a8>",
+                  "image": "test.png",
                   "caption": "Some caption"
                 }
               }
diff --git a/spec/rails/doc/openapi.yaml b/spec/rails/doc/openapi.yaml
index 1c5bc521..642fee47 100644
--- a/spec/rails/doc/openapi.yaml
+++ b/spec/rails/doc/openapi.yaml
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ paths:
         example: token
       responses:
         '200':
-          description: returns a list of tables
+          description: with different deep query parameters
           content:
             application/json:
               schema:
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ paths:
                 database:
                   id: 2
                   name: production
-                null_sample:
+                null_sample: 
                 storage_size: 12.3
                 created_at: '2020-07-17T00:00:00+00:00'
                 updated_at: '2020-07-17T00:00:00+00:00'
@@ -165,7 +165,7 @@ paths:
                 database:
                   id: 2
                   name: production
-                null_sample:
+                null_sample: 
                 storage_size: 12.3
                 created_at: '2020-07-17T00:00:00+00:00'
                 updated_at: '2020-07-17T00:00:00+00:00'
@@ -218,7 +218,7 @@ paths:
                 database:
                   id: 2
                   name: production
-                null_sample:
+                null_sample: 
                 storage_size: 12.3
                 created_at: '2020-07-17T00:00:00+00:00'
                 updated_at: '2020-07-17T00:00:00+00:00'
@@ -310,7 +310,7 @@ paths:
                 database:
                   id: 2
                   name: production
-                null_sample:
+                null_sample: 
                 storage_size: 12.3
                 created_at: '2020-07-17T00:00:00+00:00'
                 updated_at: '2020-07-17T00:00:00+00:00'
@@ -362,7 +362,7 @@ paths:
                 database:
                   id: 2
                   name: production
-                null_sample:
+                null_sample: 
                 storage_size: 12.3
                 created_at: '2020-07-17T00:00:00+00:00'
                 updated_at: '2020-07-17T00:00:00+00:00'
diff --git a/spec/rspec/schema_merger/base.json b/spec/rspec/schema_merger/base.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..38449306
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/rspec/schema_merger/base.json
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+{
+  "openapi": "3.0.3",
+  "info": {
+    "title": "My API",
+    "version": "1.0.0"
+  },
+  "servers": [],
+  "paths": {
+    "/tables": {
+      "get": {
+        "summary": "index",
+        "tags": [
+          "Table"
+        ],
+        "parameters": [
+          {
+            "name": "id",
+            "in": "path",
+            "required": true,
+            "schema": {
+              "type": "integer"
+            },
+            "example": 1
+          }
+        ],
+        "responses": {
+          "200": {
+            "description": "foo",
+            "content": {
+              "application/json": {
+                "schema": {
+                  "$ref": "#/components/schemas/Table"
+                },
+                "example": [
+                  {
+                    "id": 1,
+                    "name": "THIS SHOULD BE UPDATED"
+                  }
+                ]
+              }
+            }
+          }
+        },
+        "parameters": []
+      }
+    }
+  },
+  "components": {
+    "schemas": {
+      "Table": {
+        "type": "object",
+        "properties": {
+          "id": {
+            "type": "integer",
+            "format": "int64"
+          },
+          "name": {
+            "type": "string"
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/spec/rspec/schema_merger/expected.json b/spec/rspec/schema_merger/expected.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b4b8db07
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/rspec/schema_merger/expected.json
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+{
+  "openapi": "3.0.3",
+  "info": {
+    "title": "My API",
+    "version": "1.0.0"
+  },
+  "servers": [],
+  "paths": {
+    "/tables": {
+      "get": {
+        "summary": "index",
+        "tags": [
+          "Table"
+        ],
+        "parameters": [
+          {
+            "name": "foo_id",
+            "in": "path",
+            "required": true,
+            "schema": {
+              "type": "integer"
+            },
+            "example": 9999
+          }
+        ],
+        "responses": {
+          "200": {
+            "description": "foo",
+            "content": {
+              "application/json": {
+                "schema": {
+                  "$ref": "#/components/schemas/Table"
+                },
+                "example": [
+                  {
+                    "id": 9999,
+                    "name": "UPDATED"
+                  }
+                ]
+              }
+            }
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    }
+  },
+  "components": {
+    "schemas": {
+      "Table": {
+        "type": "object",
+        "properties": {
+          "id": {
+            "type": "integer",
+            "format": "int64"
+          },
+          "name": {
+            "type": "string"
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/spec/rspec/schema_merger/input.json b/spec/rspec/schema_merger/input.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..32c0706e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/rspec/schema_merger/input.json
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+{
+  "paths": {
+    "/tables": {
+      "get": {
+        "summary": "index",
+        "tags": [
+          "Table"
+        ],
+        "parameters": [
+          {
+            "name": "foo_id",
+            "in": "path",
+            "required": true,
+            "schema": {
+              "type": "integer"
+            },
+            "example": 9999
+          }
+        ],
+        "responses": {
+          "200": {
+            "description": "foo",
+            "content": {
+              "application/json": {
+                "schema": {
+                  "type": "object",
+                  "properties": {
+                    "id": {
+                      "type": "integer"
+                    },
+                    "name": {
+                      "type": "string"
+                    }
+                  }
+                },
+                "example": [
+                  {
+                    "id": 9999,
+                    "name": "UPDATED"
+                  }
+                ]
+              }
+            }
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/spec/rspec/schema_merger/schema_merger_spec.rb b/spec/rspec/schema_merger/schema_merger_spec.rb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a87154c9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/rspec/schema_merger/schema_merger_spec.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+require 'spec_helper'
+require 'json'
+require "rspec/openapi/schema_merger"
+
+RSpec.describe "SchemaMerger" do
+  include SpecHelper
+
+  let(:base_path) do
+    File.expand_path('spec/rspec/schema_merger/base.json', repo_root)
+  end
+
+  let(:input_path) do
+    File.expand_path('spec/rspec/schema_merger/input.json', repo_root)
+  end
+
+  let(:expected_path) do
+    File.expand_path('spec/rspec/schema_merger/expected.json', repo_root)
+  end
+
+  it "overwrite the supported key, but leaves the unsupported keys" do
+    base_json = JSON.load(File.read(base_path))
+    input_json = JSON.load(File.read(input_path))
+    res = RSpec::OpenAPI::SchemaMerger.reverse_merge!(base_json, input_json)
+    expected_json = JSON.load(File.read(expected_path))
+    expect(res).to eq(expected_json)
+  end
+end