diff --git a/.changeset/perfect-donkeys-hope.md b/.changeset/perfect-donkeys-hope.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..80feae11a0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/perfect-donkeys-hope.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@backstage/cli': patch
+---
+
+Fix config schema for `.app.listen`
diff --git a/packages/cli/package.json b/packages/cli/package.json
index fd02473453..0d585436bb 100644
--- a/packages/cli/package.json
+++ b/packages/cli/package.json
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@
             "description": "Listening configuration for local development",
             "properties": {
               "host": {
-                "type": "number",
+                "type": "string",
                 "visibility": "frontend",
                 "description": "The host that the frontend should be bound to. Only used for local development."
               },