diff --git a/.changeset/drop-fixtures-from-npm.md b/.changeset/drop-fixtures-from-npm.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9869e33
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/drop-fixtures-from-npm.md
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+---
+"@formhaus/core": patch
+---
+
+Fixtures are no longer published to npm. They were demo data for the docs/playground, not part of the public API, and the only way to import them (`@formhaus/core/fixtures/*.json`) was already broken under strict ESM resolution because they were never in the `exports` map.
+
+The Quick Start guide now shows a literal definition object instead of an import. The fixtures themselves stay in the repo for the playground and tests.
diff --git a/docs/guide/index.md b/docs/guide/index.md
index e82f19a..053fc4c 100644
--- a/docs/guide/index.md
+++ b/docs/guide/index.md
@@ -20,11 +20,23 @@ Or use `@formhaus/core` directly with any framework. See the [Svelte example in
 
 ## Quick start
 
+```ts
+const definition = {
+  id: 'contact',
+  title: 'Contact Us',
+  submit: { label: 'Send' },
+  fields: [
+    { key: 'name', type: 'text', label: 'Name', validation: { required: true } },
+    { key: 'email', type: 'email', label: 'Email', validation: { required: true } },
+  ],
+};
+```
+
 ::: code-group
 ```vue [Vue]
 <script setup>
 import { FormRenderer } from '@formhaus/vue';
-import definition from '@formhaus/core/fixtures/basic-form.json';
+import definition from './contact-form.json';
 
 function onSubmit(values) {
   console.log(values);
@@ -38,7 +50,7 @@ function onSubmit(values) {
 
 ```tsx [React]
 import { FormRenderer } from '@formhaus/react';
-import definition from '@formhaus/core/fixtures/basic-form.json';
+import definition from './contact-form.json';
 
 function MyForm() {
   return (
diff --git a/packages/core/package.json b/packages/core/package.json
index 282086a..09fd692 100644
--- a/packages/core/package.json
+++ b/packages/core/package.json
@@ -14,8 +14,7 @@
     }
   },
   "files": [
-    "dist",
-    "fixtures"
+    "dist"
   ],
   "scripts": {
     "build": "tsup",