diff --git a/packages/hub-ui/package.json b/packages/hub-ui/package.json
index 0124839f..051234d3 100644
--- a/packages/hub-ui/package.json
+++ b/packages/hub-ui/package.json
@@ -45,6 +45,11 @@
     "@devframes/json-render": "workspace:*",
     "devframe": "workspace:*"
   },
+  "peerDependenciesMeta": {
+    "@devframes/json-render": {
+      "optional": true
+    }
+  },
   "devDependencies": {
     "@antfu/design": "catalog:frontend",
     "@devframes/hub": "workspace:*",
diff --git a/packages/hub-ui/src/client/types.ts b/packages/hub-ui/src/client/types.ts
index f30e46eb..07cf8961 100644
--- a/packages/hub-ui/src/client/types.ts
+++ b/packages/hub-ui/src/client/types.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,12 @@
 import type { DevframeViewLauncher } from '@devframes/hub/types'
 // Importing the hub-mounted json-render integration registers its
 // `'json-render'` dock entry (a serializable `view` ref, not a live handle)
-// on the hub's open dock union via declaration merging.
+// on the hub's open dock union via declaration merging. This has to be a
+// value import, not `import type`, because TS rejects a type-only
+// side-effect import (no bindings to mark as type-only) — but it's still
+// fully erased at build time since nothing in dist ever references it, so
+// @devframes/json-render staying an *optional* peer below doesn't change
+// what ships.
 import '@devframes/json-render/hub'
 
 /**