diff --git a/docs/openapi-ruleset-utilities.md b/docs/openapi-ruleset-utilities.md
index 9c05c96ea..4ca81da86 100644
--- a/docs/openapi-ruleset-utilities.md
+++ b/docs/openapi-ruleset-utilities.md
@@ -354,6 +354,39 @@ for OpenAPI documents where a `required` property is not defined under the `prop
 
 #### Returns `boolean`
 
+### `getResolvedSpec(context)`
+
+Returns the programmatic representation of an OpenAPI document, stored in the
+Spectral-created "context" object, with all non-circular references resolved.
+
+#### Parameters
+
+- **`context`** `<object>`: passed as an argument to Spectral-based rule functions
+
+#### Returns `object`: the resolved version of an OpenAPI document
+
+### `getUnresolvedSpec(context)`
+
+Returns the programmatic representation of an OpenAPI document, stored in
+the Spectral-created "context" object, with all references still intact.
+
+#### Parameters
+
+- **`context`** `<object>`: passed as an argument to Spectral-based rule functions
+
+#### Returns `object`: the unresolved version of an OpenAPI document
+
+### `getNodes(context)`
+
+Returns the graph nodes, with information about references and the locations
+they resolve to, that are computed by the Spectral resolver.
+
+#### Parameters
+
+- **`context`** `<object>`: passed as an argument to Spectral-based rule functions
+
+#### Returns `object`: the graph nodes
+
 ### `validateComposedSchemas(schema, path, validate, includeSelf, includeNot)`
 
 Performs validation on a schema and all of its composed schemas.
diff --git a/packages/ruleset/src/functions/api-symmetry.js b/packages/ruleset/src/functions/api-symmetry.js
index c56210b87..0b19a9b1e 100644
--- a/packages/ruleset/src/functions/api-symmetry.js
+++ b/packages/ruleset/src/functions/api-symmetry.js
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
  */
 
 const {
+  getNodes,
   getSchemaType,
   isObject,
   isArraySchema,
@@ -46,7 +47,7 @@ module.exports = function apiSymmetry(apidef, options, context) {
     ruleId = context.rule.name;
     logger = LoggerFactory.getInstance().getLogger(ruleId);
   }
-  return checkApiForSymmetry(apidef, context.documentInventory.graph.nodes);
+  return checkApiForSymmetry(apidef, getNodes(context));
 };
 
 /**
diff --git a/packages/ruleset/src/functions/collection-array-property.js b/packages/ruleset/src/functions/collection-array-property.js
index 03b99bf7c..fb1a44d22 100644
--- a/packages/ruleset/src/functions/collection-array-property.js
+++ b/packages/ruleset/src/functions/collection-array-property.js
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ const {
   schemaHasConstraint,
   isArraySchema,
   isObject,
+  getUnresolvedSpec,
 } = require('@ibm-cloud/openapi-ruleset-utilities');
 const { LoggerFactory } = require('../utils');
 
@@ -21,7 +22,7 @@ module.exports = function (schema, _opts, context) {
   return collectionArrayProperty(
     schema,
     context.path,
-    context.document.parserResult.data
+    getUnresolvedSpec(context)
   );
 };
 
diff --git a/packages/ruleset/src/functions/request-and-response-content.js b/packages/ruleset/src/functions/request-and-response-content.js
index d377bf8d7..f061bd8b1 100644
--- a/packages/ruleset/src/functions/request-and-response-content.js
+++ b/packages/ruleset/src/functions/request-and-response-content.js
@@ -3,7 +3,10 @@
  * SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache2.0
  */
 
-const { isObject } = require('@ibm-cloud/openapi-ruleset-utilities');
+const {
+  isObject,
+  getResolvedSpec,
+} = require('@ibm-cloud/openapi-ruleset-utilities');
 const {
   LoggerFactory,
   pathHasMinimallyRepresentedResource,
@@ -29,11 +32,7 @@ module.exports = function requestAndResponseContent(
     ruleId = context.rule.name;
     logger = LoggerFactory.getInstance().getLogger(ruleId);
   }
-  return checkForContent(
-    operation,
-    context.path,
-    context.documentInventory.resolved
-  );
+  return checkForContent(operation, context.path, getResolvedSpec(context));
 };
 
 /**
diff --git a/packages/ruleset/src/functions/resource-response-consistency.js b/packages/ruleset/src/functions/resource-response-consistency.js
index f3694f81a..2305fb8fb 100644
--- a/packages/ruleset/src/functions/resource-response-consistency.js
+++ b/packages/ruleset/src/functions/resource-response-consistency.js
@@ -4,7 +4,11 @@
  */
 
 const { isEqual } = require('lodash');
-const { isObject } = require('@ibm-cloud/openapi-ruleset-utilities');
+const {
+  isObject,
+  getResolvedSpec,
+  getNodes,
+} = require('@ibm-cloud/openapi-ruleset-utilities');
 const {
   computeRefsAtPaths,
   getResourceSpecificSiblingPath,
@@ -29,8 +33,8 @@ module.exports = function (operation, _opts, context) {
   return resourceResponseConsistency(
     operation,
     context.path,
-    context.documentInventory.resolved,
-    context.documentInventory.graph.nodes
+    getResolvedSpec(context),
+    getNodes(context)
   );
 };
 
diff --git a/packages/ruleset/src/functions/response-status-codes.js b/packages/ruleset/src/functions/response-status-codes.js
index 37d11c4c7..28937b97a 100644
--- a/packages/ruleset/src/functions/response-status-codes.js
+++ b/packages/ruleset/src/functions/response-status-codes.js
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
  * SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache2.0
  */
 
+const { getResolvedSpec } = require('@ibm-cloud/openapi-ruleset-utilities');
 const {
   LoggerFactory,
   isCreateOperation,
@@ -21,11 +22,7 @@ module.exports = function (operation, _opts, context) {
     logger = LoggerFactory.getInstance().getLogger(ruleId);
   }
 
-  return responseStatusCodes(
-    operation,
-    context.path,
-    context.documentInventory.resolved
-  );
+  return responseStatusCodes(operation, context.path, getResolvedSpec(context));
 };
 
 /**
diff --git a/packages/ruleset/src/functions/schema-naming-convention.js b/packages/ruleset/src/functions/schema-naming-convention.js
index 7cd42e105..125ff32b3 100644
--- a/packages/ruleset/src/functions/schema-naming-convention.js
+++ b/packages/ruleset/src/functions/schema-naming-convention.js
@@ -3,7 +3,10 @@
  * SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache2.0
  */
 
-const { schemaHasProperty } = require('@ibm-cloud/openapi-ruleset-utilities');
+const {
+  schemaHasProperty,
+  getNodes,
+} = require('@ibm-cloud/openapi-ruleset-utilities');
 
 const {
   LoggerFactory,
@@ -40,7 +43,7 @@ module.exports = function schemaNames(apidef, options, context) {
     ruleId = context.rule.name;
     logger = LoggerFactory.getInstance().getLogger(ruleId);
   }
-  return checkSchemaNames(apidef, context.documentInventory.graph.nodes);
+  return checkSchemaNames(apidef, getNodes(context));
 };
 
 /**
diff --git a/packages/ruleset/src/functions/use-date-based-format.js b/packages/ruleset/src/functions/use-date-based-format.js
index 681de67eb..47ca1f53b 100644
--- a/packages/ruleset/src/functions/use-date-based-format.js
+++ b/packages/ruleset/src/functions/use-date-based-format.js
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ const {
   isObject,
   isStringSchema,
   validateNestedSchemas,
+  getResolvedSpec,
 } = require('@ibm-cloud/openapi-ruleset-utilities');
 
 const {
@@ -48,7 +49,7 @@ module.exports = function (schema, _opts, context) {
   return checkForDateBasedFormat(
     schema,
     context.path,
-    context.documentInventory.resolved
+    getResolvedSpec(context)
   );
 };
 
diff --git a/packages/ruleset/src/functions/valid-schema-example.js b/packages/ruleset/src/functions/valid-schema-example.js
index 36c5a273b..2a6c42b62 100644
--- a/packages/ruleset/src/functions/valid-schema-example.js
+++ b/packages/ruleset/src/functions/valid-schema-example.js
@@ -4,11 +4,15 @@
  */
 
 const { validate } = require('jsonschema');
-const { validateSubschemas } = require('@ibm-cloud/openapi-ruleset-utilities');
+const {
+  validateSubschemas,
+  getResolvedSpec,
+} = require('@ibm-cloud/openapi-ruleset-utilities');
 const { LoggerFactory } = require('../utils');
 
 let ruleId;
 let logger;
+let openapi;
 
 module.exports = function (schema, _opts, context) {
   if (!logger) {
@@ -16,6 +20,8 @@ module.exports = function (schema, _opts, context) {
     logger = LoggerFactory.getInstance().getLogger(ruleId);
   }
 
+  openapi = getResolvedSpec(context);
+
   return validateSubschemas(schema, context.path, checkSchemaExamples);
 };
 
@@ -50,10 +56,21 @@ function checkSchemaExamples(schema, path) {
 function validateExamples(examples) {
   return examples
     .map(({ schema, example, path }) => {
+      // If the spec includes circular references, there may be unresolved
+      // references in the schema. The JSON Schema validator needs to be
+      // able to look those up, so include all of the components in the schema.
+      const schemaWithComponents = {
+        ...schema,
+        components: openapi.components,
+      };
+
       // Setting required: true prevents undefined values from passing validation.
-      const { valid, errors } = validate(example, schema, { required: true });
+      const { valid, errors } = validate(example, schemaWithComponents, {
+        required: true,
+      });
+
       if (!valid) {
-        const message = getMessage(errors, example, schema);
+        const message = getMessage(errors, example, schemaWithComponents);
         return {
           message: `Schema example is not valid: ${message}`,
           path,
diff --git a/packages/ruleset/test/rules/valid-schema-example.test.js b/packages/ruleset/test/rules/valid-schema-example.test.js
index 089252beb..eb15f3593 100644
--- a/packages/ruleset/test/rules/valid-schema-example.test.js
+++ b/packages/ruleset/test/rules/valid-schema-example.test.js
@@ -22,6 +22,39 @@ describe(`Spectral rule: ${ruleId}`, () => {
       const results = await testRule(ruleId, rule, rootDocument);
       expect(results).toHaveLength(0);
     });
+
+    it('Schema with valid example contains a circular reference', async () => {
+      const testDocument = makeCopy(rootDocument);
+
+      testDocument.components.schemas.Movie.properties.prop = {
+        type: 'object',
+        required: ['some_prop'],
+        examples: [
+          {
+            some_prop: 'example',
+            other_prop: 'example',
+            inspiration: {
+              id: '1234',
+              name: 'Good Will Hunting',
+            },
+          },
+        ],
+        properties: {
+          inspiration: {
+            $ref: '#/components/schemas/Movie',
+          },
+          some_prop: {
+            type: 'string',
+          },
+          other_prop: {
+            type: 'string',
+          },
+        },
+      };
+
+      const results = await testRule(ruleId, rule, testDocument);
+      expect(results).toHaveLength(0);
+    });
   });
 
   describe('Should yield errors', () => {
@@ -430,5 +463,42 @@ describe(`Spectral rule: ${ruleId}`, () => {
         expect(results[i].path.join('.')).toBe(expectedExamplePaths[i]);
       }
     });
+
+    it('Schema contains a circular reference', async () => {
+      const testDocument = makeCopy(rootDocument);
+
+      testDocument.components.schemas.Movie.properties.prop = {
+        type: 'object',
+        required: ['some_prop'],
+        examples: [
+          {
+            other_prop: 'example',
+          },
+        ],
+        properties: {
+          inspiration: {
+            $ref: '#/components/schemas/Movie',
+          },
+          some_prop: {
+            type: 'string',
+          },
+          other_prop: {
+            type: 'string',
+          },
+        },
+      };
+
+      const results = await testRule(ruleId, rule, testDocument);
+      expect(results).toHaveLength(4);
+
+      for (const i in results) {
+        expect(results[i].code).toBe(ruleId);
+        expect(results[i].message).toBe(
+          `${expectedMsgPrefix} requires property "some_prop"`
+        );
+        expect(results[i].severity).toBe(expectedSeverity);
+        expect(results[i].path.join('.')).toBe(expectedExamplesPaths[i]);
+      }
+    });
   });
 });
diff --git a/packages/utilities/src/utils/index.js b/packages/utilities/src/utils/index.js
index 0a2e928a1..df39fd41e 100644
--- a/packages/utilities/src/utils/index.js
+++ b/packages/utilities/src/utils/index.js
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /**
- * Copyright 2017 - 2024 IBM Corporation.
+ * Copyright 2017 - 2025 IBM Corporation.
  * SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache2.0
  */
 
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ module.exports = {
   schemaHasProperty: require('./schema-has-property'),
   schemaLooselyHasConstraint: require('./schema-loosely-has-constraint'),
   schemaRequiresProperty: require('./schema-requires-property'),
+  ...require('./spectral-context-utils'),
   validateComposedSchemas: require('./validate-composed-schemas'),
   validateNestedSchemas: require('./validate-nested-schemas'),
   validateSubschemas: require('./validate-subschemas'),
diff --git a/packages/utilities/src/utils/spectral-context-utils.js b/packages/utilities/src/utils/spectral-context-utils.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..89be8297a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/utilities/src/utils/spectral-context-utils.js
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+/**
+ * Copyright 2025 IBM Corporation.
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache2.0
+ */
+
+/**
+ * Returns the programmatic representation of an OpenAPI document, stored in the
+ * Spectral-created "context" object, with all non-circular references resolved.
+ * @param {object} context passed as an argument to Spectral-based rule functions
+ * @returns {object} the resolved version of an OpenAPI document
+ */
+function getResolvedSpec(context) {
+  return context.documentInventory.resolved;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Returns the programmatic representation of an OpenAPI document, stored in
+ * the Spectral-created "context" object, with all references still intact.
+ * @param {object} context passed as an argument to Spectral-based rule functions
+ * @returns {object} the unresolved version of an OpenAPI document
+ */
+function getUnresolvedSpec(context) {
+  return context.document.parserResult.data;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Returns the graph nodes, with information about references and the locations
+ * they resolve to, that are computed by the Spectral resolver.
+ * @param {object} context passed as an argument to Spectral-based rule functions
+ * @returns {object} the graph nodes
+ */
+function getNodes(context) {
+  return context.documentInventory.graph.nodes;
+}
+
+module.exports = {
+  getNodes,
+  getResolvedSpec,
+  getUnresolvedSpec,
+};
diff --git a/packages/utilities/test/spectral-context-utils.test.js b/packages/utilities/test/spectral-context-utils.test.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d4b89c80d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/utilities/test/spectral-context-utils.test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+/**
+ * Copyright 2025 IBM Corporation.
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache2.0
+ */
+
+const { getNodes, getResolvedSpec, getUnresolvedSpec } = require('../src');
+
+describe('Utility functions: Spectral Context Utils', () => {
+  const mockSpectralContextObject = {
+    documentInventory: {
+      resolved: 'resolved spec',
+      graph: {
+        nodes: 'graph nodes',
+      },
+    },
+    document: {
+      parserResult: {
+        data: 'unresolved spec',
+      },
+    },
+  };
+
+  describe('getNodes', () => {
+    it('should return graph nodes from context object', async () => {
+      expect(getNodes(mockSpectralContextObject)).toBe('graph nodes');
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('getResolvedSpec', () => {
+    it('should return graph nodes from context object', async () => {
+      expect(getResolvedSpec(mockSpectralContextObject)).toBe('resolved spec');
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('getUnresolvedSpec', () => {
+    it('should return graph nodes from context object', async () => {
+      expect(getUnresolvedSpec(mockSpectralContextObject)).toBe(
+        'unresolved spec'
+      );
+    });
+  });
+});