diff --git a/.changeset/afraid-trees-stare.md b/.changeset/afraid-trees-stare.md
index ac1a53b4e4..d8ee3489c0 100644
--- a/.changeset/afraid-trees-stare.md
+++ b/.changeset/afraid-trees-stare.md
@@ -2,4 +2,4 @@
 '@backstage/plugin-scaffolder-backend': minor
 ---
 
-zod to json conversion funcitonality for action template schema
+Added the ability to be able to define actions input schema using `zod` instead of hand writing types and jsonschema for the input of actions.
diff --git a/docs/features/software-templates/writing-custom-actions.md b/docs/features/software-templates/writing-custom-actions.md
index ffe3312501..65e2111f15 100644
--- a/docs/features/software-templates/writing-custom-actions.md
+++ b/docs/features/software-templates/writing-custom-actions.md
@@ -24,8 +24,53 @@ passed as `input` to the function.
 In `packages/backend/src/plugins/scaffolder/actions/custom.ts` we can create a
 new action.
 
-```ts
-import { createTemplateAction } from '@backstage/plugin-scaffolder-backend';
+```ts title="With Zod"
+import { createTemplateAction } from '@backstage/plugin-scaffolder-node';
+import fs from 'fs-extra';
+import { z } from 'zod';
+
+export const createNewFileAction = () => {
+  return createTemplateAction({
+    id: 'mycompany:create-file',
+    schema: {
+      input: z.object({
+        contents: z.string().describe('The contents of the file'),
+        filename: z
+          .string()
+          .describe('The filename of the file that will be created'),
+      }),
+    },
+
+    async handler(ctx) {
+      await fs.outputFile(
+        `${ctx.workspacePath}/${ctx.input.filename}`,
+        ctx.input.contents,
+      );
+    },
+  });
+};
+```
+
+So let's break this down. The `createNewFileAction` is a function that returns a
+`createTemplateAction`, and it's a good place to pass in dependencies which
+close over the `TemplateAction`. Take a look at our
+[built-in actions](https://github.com/backstage/backstage/blob/master/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/actions/builtin)
+for reference.
+
+The `createTemplateAction` takes an object which specifies the following:
+
+- `id` - a unique ID for your custom action. We encourage you to namespace these
+  in some way so that they won't collide with future built-in actions that we
+  may ship with the `scaffolder-backend` plugin.
+- `schema.input` - A `zod` or JSON schema object for input values to your function
+- `schema.output` - A `zod` or JSON schema object for values which are outputted from the
+  function using `ctx.output`
+- `handler` - the actual code which is run part of the action, with a context
+
+You can also choose to define your custom action using JSON schema instead of `zod`:
+
+```ts title="With JSON Schema"
+import { createTemplateAction } from '@backstage/plugin-scaffolder-node';
 import fs from 'fs-extra';
 
 export const createNewFileAction = () => {
@@ -59,27 +104,6 @@ export const createNewFileAction = () => {
 };
 ```
 
-So let's break this down. The `createNewFileAction` is a function that returns a
-`createTemplateAction`, and it's a good place to pass in dependencies which
-close over the `TemplateAction`. Take a look at our
-[built-in actions](https://github.com/backstage/backstage/blob/master/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/actions/builtin)
-for reference.
-
-We set the type generic to `{ contents: string, filename: string }` which is
-there to set the type on the handler `ctx` `inputs` property so we get good type
-checking. This could be generated from the next part of this guide, the `input`
-schema, but it's not supported right now. Feel free to contribute 🚀 👍.
-
-The `createTemplateAction` takes an object which specifies the following:
-
-- `id` - a unique ID for your custom action. We encourage you to namespace these
-  in some way so that they won't collide with future built-in actions that we
-  may ship with the `scaffolder-backend` plugin.
-- `schema.input` - A JSON schema for input values to your function
-- `schema.output` - A JSON schema for values which are outputted from the
-  function using `ctx.output`
-- `handler` - the actual code which is run part of the action, with a context
-
 ### The context object
 
 When the action `handler` is called, we provide you a `context` as the only
@@ -89,10 +113,10 @@ argument. It looks like the following:
 - `ctx.logger` - a Winston logger for additional logging inside your action
 - `ctx.logStream` - a stream version of the logger if needed
 - `ctx.workspacePath` - a string of the working directory of the template run
-- `ctx.input` - an object which should match the JSON schema provided in the
+- `ctx.input` - an object which should match the `zod` or JSON schema provided in the
   `schema.input` part of the action definition
 - `ctx.output` - a function which you can call to set outputs that match the
-  JSON schema in `schema.output` for ex. `ctx.output('downloadUrl', something)`
+  JSON schema or `zod` in `schema.output` for ex. `ctx.output('downloadUrl', myDownloadUrl)`
 - `createTemporaryDirectory` a function to call to give you a temporary
   directory somewhere on the runner so you can store some files there rather
   than polluting the `workspacePath`
diff --git a/plugins/scaffolder-backend-module-cookiecutter/api-report.md b/plugins/scaffolder-backend-module-cookiecutter/api-report.md
index 1b409b2af0..554732104d 100644
--- a/plugins/scaffolder-backend-module-cookiecutter/api-report.md
+++ b/plugins/scaffolder-backend-module-cookiecutter/api-report.md
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ export function createFetchCookiecutterAction(options: {
     extensions?: string[] | undefined;
     imageName?: string | undefined;
   },
+  {},
   {}
 >;
 ```
diff --git a/plugins/scaffolder-backend-module-rails/api-report.md b/plugins/scaffolder-backend-module-rails/api-report.md
index fc2e077055..c910d5ae79 100644
--- a/plugins/scaffolder-backend-module-rails/api-report.md
+++ b/plugins/scaffolder-backend-module-rails/api-report.md
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ export function createFetchRailsAction(options: {
     values: JsonObject;
     imageName?: string | undefined;
   },
+  {},
   {}
 >;
 ```
diff --git a/plugins/scaffolder-backend-module-sentry/api-report.md b/plugins/scaffolder-backend-module-sentry/api-report.md
index 17e9a71fd5..c0ae268339 100644
--- a/plugins/scaffolder-backend-module-sentry/api-report.md
+++ b/plugins/scaffolder-backend-module-sentry/api-report.md
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ export function createSentryCreateProjectAction(options: {
     slug?: string | undefined;
     authToken?: string | undefined;
   },
+  {},
   {}
 >;
 
diff --git a/plugins/scaffolder-backend-module-yeoman/api-report.md b/plugins/scaffolder-backend-module-yeoman/api-report.md
index e71dfddd93..7e70ea8580 100644
--- a/plugins/scaffolder-backend-module-yeoman/api-report.md
+++ b/plugins/scaffolder-backend-module-yeoman/api-report.md
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ export function createRunYeomanAction(): TemplateAction<
     args?: string[] | undefined;
     options?: JsonObject | undefined;
   },
+  {},
   {}
 >;
 ```
diff --git a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/api-report.md b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/api-report.md
index c344d64094..0169770649 100644
--- a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/api-report.md
+++ b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/api-report.md
@@ -71,6 +71,7 @@ export function createCatalogRegisterAction(options: {
       catalogInfoPath?: string | undefined;
       optional?: boolean | undefined;
     },
+  {},
   {}
 >;
 
@@ -93,7 +94,8 @@ export function createCatalogWriteAction(): TemplateAction_2<
       filePath?: string | undefined;
       entity?: {} | undefined;
     }
-  >
+  >,
+  {}
 >;
 
 // @public
@@ -102,6 +104,7 @@ export function createDebugLogAction(): TemplateAction_2<
     message?: string | undefined;
     listWorkspace?: boolean | undefined;
   },
+  {},
   {}
 >;
 
@@ -113,6 +116,7 @@ export function createFetchCatalogEntityAction(options: {
     entityRef: string;
     optional?: boolean | undefined;
   },
+  {},
   {}
 >;
 
@@ -125,6 +129,7 @@ export function createFetchPlainAction(options: {
     url: string;
     targetPath?: string | undefined;
   },
+  {},
   {}
 >;
 
@@ -145,6 +150,7 @@ export function createFetchTemplateAction(options: {
     cookiecutterCompat?: boolean | undefined;
     replace?: boolean | undefined;
   },
+  {},
   {}
 >;
 
@@ -153,6 +159,7 @@ export const createFilesystemDeleteAction: () => TemplateAction_2<
   {
     files: string[];
   },
+  {},
   {}
 >;
 
@@ -165,6 +172,7 @@ export const createFilesystemRenameAction: () => TemplateAction_2<
       overwrite?: boolean;
     }>;
   },
+  {},
   {}
 >;
 
@@ -184,6 +192,7 @@ export function createGithubActionsDispatchAction(options: {
       | undefined;
     token?: string | undefined;
   },
+  {},
   {}
 >;
 
@@ -198,6 +207,7 @@ export function createGithubIssuesLabelAction(options: {
     labels: string[];
     token?: string | undefined;
   },
+  {},
   {}
 >;
 
@@ -286,6 +296,7 @@ export function createGithubRepoCreateAction(options: {
     topics?: string[] | undefined;
     requireCommitSigning?: boolean | undefined;
   },
+  {},
   {}
 >;
 
@@ -328,6 +339,7 @@ export function createGithubRepoPushAction(options: {
     token?: string | undefined;
     requiredCommitSigning?: boolean | undefined;
   },
+  {},
   {}
 >;
 
@@ -347,6 +359,7 @@ export function createGithubWebhookAction(options: {
     insecureSsl?: boolean | undefined;
     token?: string | undefined;
   },
+  {},
   {}
 >;
 
@@ -365,6 +378,7 @@ export function createPublishAzureAction(options: {
     gitAuthorName?: string | undefined;
     gitAuthorEmail?: string | undefined;
   },
+  {},
   {}
 >;
 
@@ -385,6 +399,7 @@ export function createPublishBitbucketAction(options: {
     gitAuthorName?: string | undefined;
     gitAuthorEmail?: string | undefined;
   },
+  {},
   {}
 >;
 
@@ -401,6 +416,7 @@ export function createPublishBitbucketCloudAction(options: {
     sourcePath?: string | undefined;
     token?: string | undefined;
   },
+  {},
   {}
 >;
 
@@ -421,6 +437,7 @@ export function createPublishBitbucketServerAction(options: {
     gitAuthorName?: string | undefined;
     gitAuthorEmail?: string | undefined;
   },
+  {},
   {}
 >;
 
@@ -438,6 +455,7 @@ export function createPublishGerritAction(options: {
     gitAuthorEmail?: string | undefined;
     sourcePath?: string | undefined;
   },
+  {},
   {}
 >;
 
@@ -454,6 +472,7 @@ export function createPublishGerritReviewAction(options: {
     gitAuthorName?: string | undefined;
     gitAuthorEmail?: string | undefined;
   },
+  {},
   {}
 >;
 
@@ -530,6 +549,7 @@ export function createPublishGithubAction(options: {
     topics?: string[] | undefined;
     requiredCommitSigning?: boolean | undefined;
   },
+  {},
   {}
 >;
 
@@ -551,6 +571,7 @@ export const createPublishGithubPullRequestAction: ({
     reviewers?: string[] | undefined;
     teamReviewers?: string[] | undefined;
   },
+  {},
   {}
 >;
 
@@ -571,6 +592,7 @@ export function createPublishGitlabAction(options: {
     setUserAsOwner?: boolean | undefined;
     topics?: string[] | undefined;
   },
+  {},
   {}
 >;
 
@@ -591,6 +613,7 @@ export const createPublishGitlabMergeRequestAction: (options: {
     removeSourceBranch?: boolean | undefined;
     assignee?: string | undefined;
   },
+  {},
   {}
 >;
 
@@ -601,9 +624,10 @@ export function createRouter(options: RouterOptions): Promise<express.Router>;
 export const createTemplateAction: <
   TParams,
   TInputSchema extends ZodType<any, ZodTypeDef, any> | Schema = {},
+  TOutputSchema extends ZodType<any, ZodTypeDef, any> | Schema = {},
 >(
-  templateAction: TemplateAction_2<TParams, TInputSchema>,
-) => TemplateAction_2<TParams, TInputSchema>;
+  templateAction: TemplateAction_2<TParams, TInputSchema, TOutputSchema>,
+) => TemplateAction_2<TParams, TInputSchema, TOutputSchema>;
 
 // @public
 export type CreateWorkerOptions = {
@@ -950,11 +974,11 @@ export type TemplateAction<TInput extends JsonObject> =
 // @public
 export class TemplateActionRegistry {
   // (undocumented)
-  get(actionId: string): TemplateAction_2<JsonObject>;
+  get(actionId: string): TemplateAction_2;
   // (undocumented)
-  list(): TemplateAction_2<JsonObject>[];
+  list(): TemplateAction_2[];
   // (undocumented)
-  register<TInput extends JsonObject>(action: TemplateAction_2<TInput>): void;
+  register(action: TemplateAction_2): void;
 }
 
 // @public (undocumented)
diff --git a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/actions/TemplateActionRegistry.ts b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/actions/TemplateActionRegistry.ts
index 90e32ba6ee..3964c4b1f2 100644
--- a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/actions/TemplateActionRegistry.ts
+++ b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/actions/TemplateActionRegistry.ts
@@ -14,7 +14,6 @@
  * limitations under the License.
  */
 
-import { JsonObject } from '@backstage/types';
 import { ConflictError, NotFoundError } from '@backstage/errors';
 import { TemplateAction } from '@backstage/plugin-scaffolder-node';
 import zodToJsonSchema from 'zod-to-json-schema';
@@ -23,9 +22,9 @@ import zodToJsonSchema from 'zod-to-json-schema';
  * @public
  */
 export class TemplateActionRegistry {
-  private readonly actions = new Map<string, TemplateAction<any>>();
+  private readonly actions = new Map<string, TemplateAction>();
 
-  register<TInput extends JsonObject>(action: TemplateAction<TInput>) {
+  register(action: TemplateAction) {
     if (this.actions.has(action.id)) {
       throw new ConflictError(
         `Template action with ID '${action.id}' has already been registered`,
@@ -35,21 +34,29 @@ export class TemplateActionRegistry {
     // It's better to convert the zod here, and just deal with jsonschema everywhere
     // rather than adding the zod check everywhere like the nunjucks engine, and the /actions/list
     // endpoint to create jsonschema for the frontend.
-    const templateAction =
+    const inputSchema =
       action.schema?.input && 'safeParseAsync' in action.schema.input
-        ? {
-            ...action,
-            schema: {
-              ...action.schema,
-              input: zodToJsonSchema(action.schema.input),
-            },
-          }
-        : action;
+        ? zodToJsonSchema(action.schema.input)
+        : action.schema?.input;
+
+    const outputSchema =
+      action.schema?.output && 'safeParseAsync' in action.schema.output
+        ? zodToJsonSchema(action.schema.output)
+        : action.schema?.output;
+
+    const templateAction = {
+      ...action,
+      schema: {
+        ...action.schema,
+        input: inputSchema,
+        output: outputSchema,
+      },
+    };
 
     this.actions.set(action.id, templateAction);
   }
 
-  get(actionId: string): TemplateAction<JsonObject> {
+  get(actionId: string): TemplateAction {
     const action = this.actions.get(actionId);
     if (!action) {
       throw new NotFoundError(
@@ -59,7 +66,7 @@ export class TemplateActionRegistry {
     return action;
   }
 
-  list(): TemplateAction<JsonObject>[] {
+  list(): TemplateAction[] {
     return [...this.actions.values()];
   }
 }
diff --git a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/tasks/NunjucksWorkflowRunner.ts b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/tasks/NunjucksWorkflowRunner.ts
index 541531d159..516abe79e4 100644
--- a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/tasks/NunjucksWorkflowRunner.ts
+++ b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/tasks/NunjucksWorkflowRunner.ts
@@ -25,7 +25,6 @@ import { InputError } from '@backstage/errors';
 import { PassThrough } from 'stream';
 import { generateExampleOutput, isTruthy } from './helper';
 import { validate as validateJsonSchema } from 'jsonschema';
-import zodToJsonSchema from 'zod-to-json-schema';
 import { parseRepoUrl } from '../actions/builtin/publish/util';
 import { TemplateActionRegistry } from '../actions';
 import {
diff --git a/plugins/scaffolder-node/api-report.md b/plugins/scaffolder-node/api-report.md
index 977445f765..7e949030b6 100644
--- a/plugins/scaffolder-node/api-report.md
+++ b/plugins/scaffolder-node/api-report.md
@@ -36,9 +36,10 @@ export type ActionContext<TInput extends JsonObject> = {
 export const createTemplateAction: <
   TParams,
   TInputSchema extends z.ZodType<any, z.ZodTypeDef, any> | Schema = {},
+  TOutputSchema extends z.ZodType<any, z.ZodTypeDef, any> | Schema = {},
 >(
-  templateAction: TemplateAction<TParams, TInputSchema>,
-) => TemplateAction<TParams, TInputSchema>;
+  templateAction: TemplateAction<TParams, TInputSchema, TOutputSchema>,
+) => TemplateAction<TParams, TInputSchema, TOutputSchema>;
 
 // @alpha
 export interface ScaffolderActionsExtensionPoint {
@@ -56,8 +57,9 @@ export type TaskSecrets = Record<string, string> & {
 
 // @public (undocumented)
 export type TemplateAction<
-  TParams,
+  TParams = {},
   TInputSchema extends Schema | z.ZodType = {},
+  TOutputSchema extends Schema | z.ZodType = {},
 > = {
   id: string;
   description?: string;
@@ -68,7 +70,7 @@ export type TemplateAction<
   supportsDryRun?: boolean;
   schema?: {
     input?: TInputSchema;
-    output?: Schema;
+    output?: TOutputSchema;
   };
   handler: (
     ctx: ActionContext<
diff --git a/plugins/scaffolder-node/src/actions/createTemplateAction.ts b/plugins/scaffolder-node/src/actions/createTemplateAction.ts
index 2228ddb904..11c01a6086 100644
--- a/plugins/scaffolder-node/src/actions/createTemplateAction.ts
+++ b/plugins/scaffolder-node/src/actions/createTemplateAction.ts
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@
 import { TemplateAction } from './types';
 import { z } from 'zod';
 import { Schema } from 'jsonschema';
-
 /**
  * This function is used to create new template actions to get type safety.
  *
@@ -26,9 +25,9 @@ import { Schema } from 'jsonschema';
 export const createTemplateAction = <
   TParams,
   TInputSchema extends Schema | z.ZodType = {},
+  TOutputSchema extends Schema | z.ZodType = {},
 >(
-  templateAction: TemplateAction<TParams, TInputSchema>,
-): TemplateAction<TParams, TInputSchema> => {
-  // TODO(blam): Can add some more validation here to validate the action later on
+  templateAction: TemplateAction<TParams, TInputSchema, TOutputSchema>,
+): TemplateAction<TParams, TInputSchema, TOutputSchema> => {
   return templateAction;
 };
diff --git a/plugins/scaffolder-node/src/actions/types.ts b/plugins/scaffolder-node/src/actions/types.ts
index e1d5096d03..2adad00bba 100644
--- a/plugins/scaffolder-node/src/actions/types.ts
+++ b/plugins/scaffolder-node/src/actions/types.ts
@@ -64,8 +64,9 @@ export type ActionContext<TInput extends JsonObject> = {
 
 /** @public */
 export type TemplateAction<
-  TParams,
+  TParams = {},
   TInputSchema extends Schema | z.ZodType = {},
+  TOutputSchema extends Schema | z.ZodType = {},
 > = {
   id: string;
   description?: string;
@@ -73,7 +74,7 @@ export type TemplateAction<
   supportsDryRun?: boolean;
   schema?: {
     input?: TInputSchema;
-    output?: Schema;
+    output?: TOutputSchema;
   };
   handler: (
     ctx: ActionContext<