diff --git a/pkg/generator/generate.go b/pkg/generator/generate.go
index f3ae082..7bc78c5 100644
--- a/pkg/generator/generate.go
+++ b/pkg/generator/generate.go
@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@ var (
 	errUnsupportedRefFormat           = errors.New("unsupported $ref format")
 	errConflictSameFile               = errors.New("conflict: same file")
 	errDefinitionDoesNotExistInSchema = errors.New("definition does not exist in schema")
+	errCannotGenerateReferencedType   = errors.New("cannot generate referenced type")
 )
 
 func New(config Config) (*Generator, error) {
@@ -273,13 +274,27 @@ func (g *schemaGenerator) generateRootType() error {
 }
 
 func (g *schemaGenerator) generateReferencedType(ref string) (codegen.Type, error) {
-	var fileName, scope, defName string
-	if i := strings.IndexRune(ref, '#'); i == -1 {
-		fileName = ref
-	} else {
-		fileName, scope = ref[0:i], ref[i+1:]
+	refType, err := schemas.GetRefType(ref)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("%w: %w", errCannotGenerateReferencedType, err)
+	}
+
+	if refType != schemas.RefTypeFile {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("%w: %w '%s'", errCannotGenerateReferencedType, errUnsupportedRefFormat, ref)
+	}
+
+	ref = strings.TrimPrefix(ref, "file://")
+
+	fileName := ref
+
+	var scope, defName string
+
+	if i := strings.IndexRune(ref, '#'); i != -1 {
 		var prefix string
+
+		fileName, scope = ref[0:i], ref[i+1:]
 		lowercaseScope := strings.ToLower(scope)
+
 		for _, currentPrefix := range []string{
 			"/$defs/",       // Draft-handrews-json-schema-validation-02.
 			"/definitions/", // Legacy.
@@ -292,28 +307,46 @@ func (g *schemaGenerator) generateReferencedType(ref string) (codegen.Type, erro
 		}
 
 		if len(prefix) == 0 {
-			return nil, fmt.Errorf("%w; must point to definition within file: %q", errUnsupportedRefFormat, ref)
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf(
+				"%w: value must point to definition within file: '%s'",
+				errCannotGenerateReferencedType,
+				ref,
+			)
 		}
+
 		defName = scope[len(prefix):]
 	}
 
 	schema := g.schema
+	sg := g
 
 	if fileName != "" {
-		var err error
+		var serr error
 
-		schema, err = g.fileLoader.Load(fileName, g.schemaFileName)
-		if err != nil {
-			return nil, fmt.Errorf("could not follow $ref %q to file %q: %w", ref, fileName, err)
+		schema, serr = g.fileLoader.Load(fileName, g.schemaFileName)
+		if serr != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("could not follow $ref %q to file %q: %w", ref, fileName, serr)
 		}
 
-		qualified, err := schemas.QualifiedFileName(fileName, g.schemaFileName, g.config.ResolveExtensions)
-		if err != nil {
-			return nil, fmt.Errorf("could not resolve qualified file name for %s: %w", fileName, err)
+		qualified, qerr := schemas.QualifiedFileName(fileName, g.schemaFileName, g.config.ResolveExtensions)
+		if qerr != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("could not resolve qualified file name for %s: %w", fileName, qerr)
 		}
 
-		if err = g.addFile(qualified, schema); err != nil {
-			return nil, err
+		if ferr := g.addFile(qualified, schema); ferr != nil {
+			return nil, ferr
+		}
+
+		output, oerr := g.findOutputFileForSchemaID(schema.ID)
+		if oerr != nil {
+			return nil, oerr
+		}
+
+		sg = &schemaGenerator{
+			Generator:      g.Generator,
+			schema:         schema,
+			schemaFileName: fileName,
+			output:         output,
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -355,24 +388,6 @@ func (g *schemaGenerator) generateReferencedType(ref string) (codegen.Type, erro
 		}()
 	}
 
-	var sg *schemaGenerator
-
-	if fileName != "" {
-		output, err := g.findOutputFileForSchemaID(schema.ID)
-		if err != nil {
-			return nil, err
-		}
-
-		sg = &schemaGenerator{
-			Generator:      g.Generator,
-			schema:         schema,
-			schemaFileName: fileName,
-			output:         output,
-		}
-	} else {
-		sg = g
-	}
-
 	t, err := sg.generateDeclaredType(def, newNameScope(defName))
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
diff --git a/pkg/schemas/reference.go b/pkg/schemas/reference.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f096fd0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/schemas/reference.go
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+package schemas
+
+import (
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"net/url"
+)
+
+var (
+	ErrEmptyReference       = errors.New("reference is empty")
+	ErrUnsupportedRefFormat = errors.New("unsupported $ref format")
+	ErrCannotParseRef       = errors.New("cannot parse $ref")
+	ErrUnsupportedRefSchema = errors.New("unsupported $ref schema")
+	ErrGetRefType           = errors.New("cannot get $ref type")
+)
+
+type RefType string
+
+const (
+	RefTypeFile    RefType = "file"
+	RefTypeHTTP    RefType = "http"
+	RefTypeHTTPS   RefType = "https"
+	RefTypeUnknown RefType = "unknown"
+)
+
+func GetRefType(ref string) (RefType, error) {
+	urlRef, err := url.Parse(ref)
+	if err != nil {
+		return RefTypeUnknown, fmt.Errorf("%w: %w", ErrGetRefType, err)
+	}
+
+	switch urlRef.Scheme {
+	case "http":
+		return RefTypeHTTP, nil
+
+	case "https":
+		return RefTypeHTTPS, nil
+
+	case "file", "":
+		return RefTypeFile, nil
+
+	default:
+		return RefTypeUnknown, fmt.Errorf("%w: %w", ErrGetRefType, ErrUnsupportedRefSchema)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/tests/data/core/refExternalFileWithScheme.go b/tests/data/core/refExternalFileWithScheme.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fa04dd6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/data/core/refExternalFileWithScheme.go
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+// Code generated by github.com/atombender/go-jsonschema, DO NOT EDIT.
+
+package test
+
+type Ref struct {
+	// MyThing corresponds to the JSON schema field "myThing".
+	MyThing *Thing `json:"myThing,omitempty" yaml:"myThing,omitempty" mapstructure:"myThing,omitempty"`
+
+	// MyThing2 corresponds to the JSON schema field "myThing2".
+	MyThing2 *Thing `json:"myThing2,omitempty" yaml:"myThing2,omitempty" mapstructure:"myThing2,omitempty"`
+}
+
+type RefExternalFileWithScheme struct {
+	// MyExternalThing corresponds to the JSON schema field "myExternalThing".
+	MyExternalThing *Thing `json:"myExternalThing,omitempty" yaml:"myExternalThing,omitempty" mapstructure:"myExternalThing,omitempty"`
+
+	// SomeOtherExternalThing corresponds to the JSON schema field
+	// "someOtherExternalThing".
+	SomeOtherExternalThing *Thing `json:"someOtherExternalThing,omitempty" yaml:"someOtherExternalThing,omitempty" mapstructure:"someOtherExternalThing,omitempty"`
+}
+
+type Thing struct {
+	// Name corresponds to the JSON schema field "name".
+	Name *string `json:"name,omitempty" yaml:"name,omitempty" mapstructure:"name,omitempty"`
+}
diff --git a/tests/data/core/refExternalFileWithScheme.json b/tests/data/core/refExternalFileWithScheme.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cf22a11
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/data/core/refExternalFileWithScheme.json
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+{
+  "$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft-04/schema#",
+  "id": "https://example.com/refExternalFileWithScheme",
+  "type": "object",
+  "properties": {
+    "myExternalThing": {
+      "$ref": "file://./ref.json#/$defs/Thing"
+    },
+    "someOtherExternalThing": {
+      "$ref": "file://./ref.json#/$defs/Thing"
+    }
+  }
+}