diff --git a/packages/core-app-api/src/apis/implementations/StorageApi/UserSettingsStorage.test.ts b/packages/core-app-api/src/apis/implementations/StorageApi/UserSettingsStorage.test.ts
index cc48fc925c..d8ea87b38d 100644
--- a/packages/core-app-api/src/apis/implementations/StorageApi/UserSettingsStorage.test.ts
+++ b/packages/core-app-api/src/apis/implementations/StorageApi/UserSettingsStorage.test.ts
@@ -49,14 +49,6 @@ describe('Persistent Storage API', () => {
     });
   };
 
-  beforeEach(() => {
-    server.use(
-      rest.get(`${mockBaseUrl}/buckets/`, async (_req, res, ctx) => {
-        return res(ctx.json([]));
-      }),
-    );
-  });
-
   afterEach(() => {
     jest.resetAllMocks();
   });
@@ -90,7 +82,8 @@ describe('Persistent Storage API', () => {
         `${mockBaseUrl}/buckets/:bucket/keys/:key`,
         async (req, res, ctx) => {
           const body = await req.json();
-          const data = { value: JSON.stringify(dummyValue) };
+          const data = { value: dummyValue };
+
           expect(body).toEqual(data);
 
           return res(ctx.json(data));
@@ -113,7 +106,7 @@ describe('Persistent Storage API', () => {
         `${mockBaseUrl}/buckets/:bucket/keys/:key`,
         async (req, res, ctx) => {
           const body = await req.json();
-          const data = { value: JSON.stringify(dummyValue) };
+          const data = { value: dummyValue };
           expect(body).toEqual(data);
 
           return res(ctx.json(data));
@@ -136,7 +129,7 @@ describe('Persistent Storage API', () => {
         `${mockBaseUrl}/buckets/:bucket/keys/:key`,
         async (req, res, ctx) => {
           const body = await req.json();
-          const data = { value: JSON.stringify(mockData) };
+          const data = { value: mockData };
           expect(body).toEqual(data);
 
           return res(ctx.json(data));
@@ -315,7 +308,7 @@ describe('Persistent Storage API', () => {
       rest.get(
         `${mockBaseUrl}/buckets/:bucket/keys/:key`,
         async (_req, res, ctx) => {
-          return res(ctx.text(JSON.stringify({ value: JSON.stringify(data) })));
+          return res(ctx.json({ value: data }));
         },
       ),
     );
diff --git a/packages/core-app-api/src/apis/implementations/StorageApi/UserSettingsStorage.ts b/packages/core-app-api/src/apis/implementations/StorageApi/UserSettingsStorage.ts
index 0763ad8187..d01d5021ee 100644
--- a/packages/core-app-api/src/apis/implementations/StorageApi/UserSettingsStorage.ts
+++ b/packages/core-app-api/src/apis/implementations/StorageApi/UserSettingsStorage.ts
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ export class UserSettingsStorage implements StorageApi {
 
   async set<T extends JsonValue>(key: string, data: T): Promise<void> {
     const fetchUrl = await this.getFetchUrl(key);
-    const body = JSON.stringify({ value: JSON.stringify(data) });
+    const body = JSON.stringify({ value: data });
 
     const response = await this.fetchApi.fetch(fetchUrl, {
       method: 'PUT',
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ export class UserSettingsStorage implements StorageApi {
 
     this.notifyChanges({
       key,
-      value: JSON.parse(value),
+      value,
       presence: 'present',
     });
   }
@@ -165,7 +165,7 @@ export class UserSettingsStorage implements StorageApi {
 
     try {
       const { value: rawValue } = await response.json();
-      const value = JSON.parse(rawValue, (_key, val) => {
+      const value = JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(rawValue), (_key, val) => {
         if (typeof val === 'object' && val !== null) {
           Object.freeze(val);
         }
diff --git a/plugins/user-settings-backend/package.json b/plugins/user-settings-backend/package.json
index 41178d49b8..690d1d13c9 100644
--- a/plugins/user-settings-backend/package.json
+++ b/plugins/user-settings-backend/package.json
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@
     "@backstage/catalog-model": "^1.1.0",
     "@backstage/errors": "^1.1.0",
     "@backstage/plugin-auth-node": "^0.2.5-next.1",
+    "@backstage/types": "^1.0.0",
     "@types/express": "^4.17.6",
     "express": "^4.17.1",
     "express-promise-router": "^4.1.0",
diff --git a/plugins/user-settings-backend/src/database/DatabaseUserSettingsStore.test.ts b/plugins/user-settings-backend/src/database/DatabaseUserSettingsStore.test.ts
index e98ee0010e..eb50e26179 100644
--- a/plugins/user-settings-backend/src/database/DatabaseUserSettingsStore.test.ts
+++ b/plugins/user-settings-backend/src/database/DatabaseUserSettingsStore.test.ts
@@ -84,13 +84,13 @@ describe.each(databases.eachSupportedId())(
             user_entity_ref: 'user-1',
             bucket: 'bucket-a',
             key: 'key-a',
-            value: 'value-a',
+            value: JSON.stringify('value-a'),
           },
           {
             user_entity_ref: 'user-2',
             bucket: 'bucket-c',
             key: 'key-c',
-            value: 'value-c',
+            value: JSON.stringify('value-c'),
           },
         ]);
 
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@ describe.each(databases.eachSupportedId())(
             user_entity_ref: 'user-1',
             bucket: 'bucket-a',
             key: 'key-a',
-            value: 'value-a',
+            value: JSON.stringify('value-a'),
           },
         ]);
       });
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ describe.each(databases.eachSupportedId())(
             user_entity_ref: 'user-1',
             bucket: 'bucket-a',
             key: 'key-a',
-            value: 'value-b',
+            value: JSON.stringify('value-b'),
           },
         ]);
       });
@@ -170,13 +170,13 @@ describe.each(databases.eachSupportedId())(
             user_entity_ref: 'user-1',
             bucket: 'bucket-a',
             key: 'key-a',
-            value: 'value-a',
+            value: JSON.stringify('value-a'),
           },
           {
             user_entity_ref: 'user-2',
             bucket: 'bucket-c',
             key: 'key-c',
-            value: 'value-c',
+            value: JSON.stringify('value-c'),
           },
         ]);
 
@@ -190,7 +190,7 @@ describe.each(databases.eachSupportedId())(
             user_entity_ref: 'user-2',
             bucket: 'bucket-c',
             key: 'key-c',
-            value: 'value-c',
+            value: JSON.stringify('value-c'),
           },
         ]);
       });
diff --git a/plugins/user-settings-backend/src/database/DatabaseUserSettingsStore.ts b/plugins/user-settings-backend/src/database/DatabaseUserSettingsStore.ts
index 4b46b6383f..b0fe8fdecc 100644
--- a/plugins/user-settings-backend/src/database/DatabaseUserSettingsStore.ts
+++ b/plugins/user-settings-backend/src/database/DatabaseUserSettingsStore.ts
@@ -19,8 +19,9 @@ import {
   resolvePackagePath,
 } from '@backstage/backend-common';
 import { NotFoundError } from '@backstage/errors';
+import { JsonValue } from '@backstage/types';
 import { Knex } from 'knex';
-import { type UserSetting, UserSettingsStore } from './UserSettingsStore';
+import { UserSettingsStore, type UserSetting } from './UserSettingsStore';
 
 const migrationsDir = resolvePackagePath(
   '@backstage/plugin-user-settings-backend',
@@ -79,21 +80,25 @@ export class DatabaseUserSettingsStore implements UserSettingsStore {
       );
     }
 
-    return rows[0];
+    return {
+      bucket: rows[0].bucket,
+      key: rows[0].key,
+      value: JSON.parse(rows[0].value),
+    };
   }
 
   async set(options: {
     userEntityRef: string;
     bucket: string;
     key: string;
-    value: string;
+    value: JsonValue;
   }): Promise<void> {
     await this.db<RawDbUserSettingsRow>('user_settings')
       .insert({
         user_entity_ref: options.userEntityRef,
         bucket: options.bucket,
         key: options.key,
-        value: options.value,
+        value: JSON.stringify(options.value),
       })
       .onConflict(['user_entity_ref', 'bucket', 'key'])
       .merge(['value']);
diff --git a/plugins/user-settings-backend/src/database/UserSettingsStore.ts b/plugins/user-settings-backend/src/database/UserSettingsStore.ts
index d14af091ef..289c37523e 100644
--- a/plugins/user-settings-backend/src/database/UserSettingsStore.ts
+++ b/plugins/user-settings-backend/src/database/UserSettingsStore.ts
@@ -14,13 +14,15 @@
  * limitations under the License.
  */
 
+import { JsonValue } from '@backstage/types';
+
 /**
  * A single setting in a bucket
  */
 export type UserSetting = {
   bucket: string;
   key: string;
-  value: string;
+  value: JsonValue;
 };
 
 /**
@@ -37,7 +39,7 @@ export interface UserSettingsStore {
     userEntityRef: string;
     bucket: string;
     key: string;
-    value: string;
+    value: JsonValue;
   }): Promise<void>;
 
   delete(options: {
diff --git a/plugins/user-settings-backend/src/service/router.test.ts b/plugins/user-settings-backend/src/service/router.test.ts
index 7640714477..c8df77a845 100644
--- a/plugins/user-settings-backend/src/service/router.test.ts
+++ b/plugins/user-settings-backend/src/service/router.test.ts
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ describe('createRouter', () => {
       });
     });
 
-    it('returns an error if the value is not a string', async () => {
+    it('returns an error if the value is not given', async () => {
       authenticateMock.mockResolvedValue({
         identity: { userEntityRef: 'user-1' },
       });
@@ -156,7 +156,7 @@ describe('createRouter', () => {
       const responses = await request(app)
         .put('/buckets/my-bucket/keys/my-key')
         .set('Authorization', 'Bearer foo')
-        .send({ value: { invalid: 'because not a string' } });
+        .send({});
 
       expect(responses.status).toEqual(400);
 
diff --git a/plugins/user-settings-backend/src/service/router.ts b/plugins/user-settings-backend/src/service/router.ts
index d677ee4bfb..487a6b4fee 100644
--- a/plugins/user-settings-backend/src/service/router.ts
+++ b/plugins/user-settings-backend/src/service/router.ts
@@ -96,8 +96,8 @@ export async function createRouterInternal(options: {
     const { bucket, key } = req.params;
     const { value } = req.body;
 
-    if (typeof value !== 'string') {
-      throw new InputError('Value must be a string');
+    if (value === undefined) {
+      throw new InputError('Missing required field "value"');
     }
 
     await options.userSettingsStore.set({
diff --git a/yarn.lock b/yarn.lock
index 9df599d106..4d821c0e64 100644
--- a/yarn.lock
+++ b/yarn.lock
@@ -7321,6 +7321,7 @@ __metadata:
     "@backstage/cli": ^0.19.0-next.1
     "@backstage/errors": ^1.1.0
     "@backstage/plugin-auth-node": ^0.2.5-next.1
+    "@backstage/types": ^1.0.0
     "@types/express": ^4.17.6
     "@types/supertest": ^2.0.8
     express: ^4.17.1