diff --git a/.changeset/green-pears-jog.md b/.changeset/green-pears-jog.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..112bff3947
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/green-pears-jog.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@backstage/plugin-catalog-react': patch
+---
+
+$contains may have string value in an entity filter. Typescript type and Zod parser were not the same.
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-react/report-alpha.api.md b/plugins/catalog-react/report-alpha.api.md
index 4e55240955..44e8c29d30 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-react/report-alpha.api.md
+++ b/plugins/catalog-react/report-alpha.api.md
@@ -478,6 +478,7 @@ export const EntityIconLinkBlueprint: ExtensionBlueprint<{
 export type EntityPredicate =
   | EntityPredicateExpression
   | EntityPredicatePrimitive
+  | EntityPredicatePrimitive[]
   | {
       $all: EntityPredicate[];
     }
@@ -506,6 +507,7 @@ export function entityPredicateToFilterFunction<T extends JsonValue>(
 // @alpha (undocumented)
 export type EntityPredicateValue =
   | EntityPredicatePrimitive
+  | EntityPredicatePrimitive[]
   | {
       $exists: boolean;
     }
@@ -513,7 +515,7 @@ export type EntityPredicateValue =
       $in: EntityPredicatePrimitive[];
     }
   | {
-      $contains: EntityPredicateExpression;
+      $contains: EntityPredicate;
     };
 
 // @alpha
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-react/src/alpha/predicates/createEntityPredicateSchema.test.ts b/plugins/catalog-react/src/alpha/predicates/createEntityPredicateSchema.test.ts
index 4fdf921c1a..24d75c76fa 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-react/src/alpha/predicates/createEntityPredicateSchema.test.ts
+++ b/plugins/catalog-react/src/alpha/predicates/createEntityPredicateSchema.test.ts
@@ -16,84 +16,98 @@
 
 import { z } from 'zod';
 import { createEntityPredicateSchema } from './createEntityPredicateSchema';
+import { EntityPredicate } from './types';
 
 describe('createEntityPredicateSchema', () => {
   const schema = createEntityPredicateSchema(z);
 
-  it.each([
-    'string',
-    '',
-    [],
-    1,
-    { kind: 'component', 'spec.type': 'service' },
-    { 'metadata.tags': { $in: ['java'] } },
-    {
-      $all: [
-        { 'metadata.tags': { $contains: 'java' } },
-        { 'metadata.tags': { $contains: 'spring' } },
-      ],
-    },
-    { 'metadata.tags': ['java', 'spring'] },
-    { 'metadata.tags': { $in: ['go'] } },
-    { 'metadata.tags.0': 'java' },
-    { $not: { 'metadata.tags': { $in: ['java'] } } },
-    {
-      $any: [{ kind: 'component', 'spec.type': 'service' }, { kind: 'group' }],
-    },
-    {
-      relations: {
-        $contains: { type: 'ownedBy', targetRef: 'group:default/g' },
+  describe('valid predicates', () => {
+    const predicates: EntityPredicate[] = [
+      'string',
+      '',
+      [],
+      1,
+      { kind: 'component', 'spec.type': 'service' },
+      { 'metadata.tags': { $in: ['java'] } },
+      {
+        $all: [
+          { 'metadata.tags': { $contains: 'java' } },
+          { 'metadata.tags': { $contains: 'spring' } },
+        ],
       },
-    },
-    {
-      metadata: { $contains: { name: 'a' } },
-    },
-    { kind: 'component', 'spec.type': { $in: ['service', 'website'] } },
-    {
-      $any: [
-        {
-          $all: [
-            {
-              kind: 'component',
-              'spec.type': { $in: ['service', 'website'] },
-            },
-          ],
+      { 'metadata.tags': ['java', 'spring'] },
+      { 'metadata.tags': { $in: ['go'] } },
+      { 'metadata.tags.0': 'java' },
+      { $not: { 'metadata.tags': { $in: ['java'] } } },
+      {
+        $any: [
+          { kind: 'component', 'spec.type': 'service' },
+          { kind: 'group' },
+        ],
+      },
+      {
+        relations: {
+          $contains: { type: 'ownedBy', targetRef: 'group:default/g' },
         },
-        { $all: [{ kind: 'api', 'spec.type': 'grpc' }] },
-      ],
-    },
-    { kind: 'component', 'spec.type': { $in: ['service'] } },
-    { 'spec.owner': { $exists: true } },
-    { 'spec.owner': { $exists: false } },
-    { 'spec.type': 'service' },
-    { $not: { 'spec.type': 'service' } },
-    {
-      kind: 'component',
-      'metadata.annotations.github.com/repo': { $exists: true },
-    },
-    { $all: [{ x: { $exists: true } }] },
-    { $any: [{ x: { $exists: true } }] },
-    { $not: { x: { $exists: true } } },
-    { $not: { $all: [{ x: { $exists: true } }] } },
-  ])('should accept valid predicate %j', predicate => {
-    expect(schema.parse(predicate)).toEqual(predicate);
+      },
+      {
+        metadata: { $contains: { name: 'a' } },
+      },
+      { kind: 'component', 'spec.type': { $in: ['service', 'website'] } },
+      {
+        $any: [
+          {
+            $all: [
+              {
+                kind: 'component',
+                'spec.type': { $in: ['service', 'website'] },
+              },
+            ],
+          },
+          { $all: [{ kind: 'api', 'spec.type': 'grpc' }] },
+        ],
+      },
+      { kind: 'component', 'spec.type': { $in: ['service'] } },
+      { 'spec.owner': { $exists: true } },
+      { 'spec.owner': { $exists: false } },
+      { 'spec.type': 'service' },
+      { $not: { 'spec.type': 'service' } },
+      {
+        kind: 'component',
+        'metadata.annotations.github.com/repo': { $exists: true },
+      },
+      { $all: [{ x: { $exists: true } }] },
+      { $any: [{ x: { $exists: true } }] },
+      { $not: { x: { $exists: true } } },
+      { $not: { $all: [{ x: { $exists: true } }] } },
+    ];
+
+    it.each(predicates)('should accept valid predicate %j', predicate => {
+      expect(schema.parse(predicate)).toEqual(predicate);
+    });
   });
 
-  it.each([
-    { kind: { 1: 'foo' } },
-    { kind: { foo: 'bar' } },
-    { kind: { $unknown: 'foo' } },
-    { kind: { $in: 'foo' } },
-    { kind: { $in: [{ x: 'foo' }] } },
-    { kind: { $in: [{ x: 'foo' }] } },
-    { 'spec.type': null },
-    { $all: [{ x: { $unknown: true } }] },
-    { $any: [{ x: { $unknown: true } }] },
-    { $not: { x: { $unknown: true } } },
-    { $not: { $all: [{ x: { $unknown: true } }] } },
-    { $unknown: 'foo' },
-  ])('should reject invalid predicate %j', predicate => {
-    const result = schema.safeParse(predicate);
-    expect(result.success).toBe(false);
+  describe('invalid predicates', () => {
+    const predicates: Array<
+      Exclude<EntityPredicate | unknown, EntityPredicate>
+    > = [
+      { kind: { 1: 'foo' } },
+      { kind: { foo: 'bar' } },
+      { kind: { $unknown: 'foo' } },
+      { kind: { $in: 'foo' } },
+      { kind: { $in: [{ x: 'foo' }] } },
+      { kind: { $in: [{ x: 'foo' }] } },
+      { 'spec.type': null },
+      { $all: [{ x: { $unknown: true } }] },
+      { $any: [{ x: { $unknown: true } }] },
+      { $not: { x: { $unknown: true } } },
+      { $not: { $all: [{ x: { $unknown: true } }] } },
+      { $unknown: 'foo' },
+    ];
+
+    it.each(predicates)('should reject invalid predicate %j', predicate => {
+      const result = schema.safeParse(predicate);
+      expect(result.success).toBe(false);
+    });
   });
 });
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-react/src/alpha/predicates/types.ts b/plugins/catalog-react/src/alpha/predicates/types.ts
index a4a2e9199f..1a7b2faf36 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-react/src/alpha/predicates/types.ts
+++ b/plugins/catalog-react/src/alpha/predicates/types.ts
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 export type EntityPredicate =
   | EntityPredicateExpression
   | EntityPredicatePrimitive
+  | EntityPredicatePrimitive[]
   | { $all: EntityPredicate[] }
   | { $any: EntityPredicate[] }
   | { $not: EntityPredicate };
@@ -32,9 +33,10 @@ export type EntityPredicateExpression = {
 /** @alpha */
 export type EntityPredicateValue =
   | EntityPredicatePrimitive
+  | EntityPredicatePrimitive[]
   | { $exists: boolean }
   | { $in: EntityPredicatePrimitive[] }
-  | { $contains: EntityPredicateExpression };
+  | { $contains: EntityPredicate };
 
 /** @alpha */
 export type EntityPredicatePrimitive = string | number | boolean;