diff --git a/lib/index.ts b/lib/index.ts
index e23d3e4a..c1f68e7d 100644
--- a/lib/index.ts
+++ b/lib/index.ts
@@ -94,14 +94,21 @@ export class $RefParser {
    */
   public async bundle({
     arrayBuffer,
+    fetch,
     pathOrUrlOrSchema,
     resolvedInput,
   }: {
     arrayBuffer?: ArrayBuffer;
+    fetch?: RequestInit;
     pathOrUrlOrSchema: JSONSchema | string | unknown;
     resolvedInput?: ResolvedInput;
   }): Promise<JSONSchema> {
-    await this.parse({ arrayBuffer, pathOrUrlOrSchema, resolvedInput });
+    await this.parse({
+      arrayBuffer,
+      fetch,
+      pathOrUrlOrSchema,
+      resolvedInput,
+    });
     await resolveExternal(this, this.options);
     const errors = JSONParserErrorGroup.getParserErrors(this);
     if (errors.length > 0) {
@@ -125,11 +132,16 @@ export class $RefParser {
    * @param pathOrUrlOrSchema A JSON Schema object, or the file path or URL of a JSON Schema file.
    */
   public async dereference({
+    fetch,
     pathOrUrlOrSchema,
   }: {
+    fetch?: RequestInit;
     pathOrUrlOrSchema: JSONSchema | string | unknown;
   }): Promise<JSONSchema> {
-    await this.parse({ pathOrUrlOrSchema });
+    await this.parse({
+      fetch,
+      pathOrUrlOrSchema,
+    });
     await resolveExternal(this, this.options);
     const errors = JSONParserErrorGroup.getParserErrors(this);
     if (errors.length > 0) {
@@ -153,10 +165,12 @@ export class $RefParser {
    */
   public async parse({
     arrayBuffer,
+    fetch,
     pathOrUrlOrSchema,
     resolvedInput: _resolvedInput,
   }: {
     arrayBuffer?: ArrayBuffer;
+    fetch?: RequestInit;
     pathOrUrlOrSchema: JSONSchema | string | unknown;
     resolvedInput?: ResolvedInput;
   }): Promise<{ schema: JSONSchema }> {
@@ -182,7 +196,11 @@ export class $RefParser {
       $refAdded.pathType = type;
       try {
         const resolver = type === 'file' ? fileResolver : urlResolver;
-        await resolver.handler(file, arrayBuffer);
+        await resolver.handler({
+          arrayBuffer,
+          fetch,
+          file,
+        });
         const parseResult = await parseFile(file, this.options);
         $refAdded.value = parseResult.result;
         schema = parseResult.result;
diff --git a/lib/resolve-external.ts b/lib/resolve-external.ts
index 559c6a01..6adc4481 100644
--- a/lib/resolve-external.ts
+++ b/lib/resolve-external.ts
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ async function resolve$Ref<S extends object = JSONSchema>(
 
     if (resolvedInput.type !== 'json') {
       const resolver = resolvedInput.type === 'file' ? fileResolver : urlResolver;
-      await resolver.handler(file);
+      await resolver.handler({ file });
       const parseResult = await parseFile(file, options);
       $refAdded.value = parseResult.result;
       promises = crawl(parseResult.result, `${withoutHash}#`, $refs, options, new Set(), true);
diff --git a/lib/resolvers/file.ts b/lib/resolvers/file.ts
index 2c45cb91..25d4c223 100644
--- a/lib/resolvers/file.ts
+++ b/lib/resolvers/file.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,11 @@ import { ResolverError } from "../util/errors.js";
 import type { FileInfo } from "../types/index.js";
 
 export const fileResolver = {
-  handler: async (file: FileInfo): Promise<void> => {
+  handler: async ({
+    file,
+  }: {
+    file: FileInfo;
+  }): Promise<void> => {
     let path: string | undefined;
 
     try {
diff --git a/lib/resolvers/url.ts b/lib/resolvers/url.ts
index cb452f11..a613d0d9 100644
--- a/lib/resolvers/url.ts
+++ b/lib/resolvers/url.ts
@@ -4,17 +4,17 @@ import { ResolverError } from "../util/errors.js";
 import type { FileInfo } from "../types/index.js";
 
 export const sendRequest = async ({
-  init,
+  fetchOptions,
   redirects = [],
   timeout = 60_000,
   url,
 }: {
-  init?: RequestInit;
+  fetchOptions?: RequestInit;
   redirects?: string[];
   timeout?: number;
   url: URL | string;
 }): Promise<{
-  init?: RequestInit;
+  fetchOptions?: RequestInit;
   response: Response;
 }> => {
   url = new URL(url);
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ export const sendRequest = async ({
   }, timeout);
   const response = await fetch(url, {
     signal: controller.signal,
-    ...init,
+    ...fetchOptions,
   });
   clearTimeout(timeoutId);
 
@@ -45,32 +45,41 @@ export const sendRequest = async ({
     }
 
     return sendRequest({
-      init,
+      fetchOptions,
       redirects,
       timeout,
       url: resolve(url.href, response.headers.location as string),
     });
   }
 
-  return { init, response };
+  return { fetchOptions, response };
 }
 
 export const urlResolver = {
-  handler: async (file: FileInfo, arrayBuffer?: ArrayBuffer): Promise<void> => {
+  handler: async ({
+    arrayBuffer,
+    fetch: _fetch,
+    file,
+  }: {
+    arrayBuffer?: ArrayBuffer;
+    fetch?: RequestInit;
+    file: FileInfo;
+  }): Promise<void> => {
     let data = arrayBuffer;
 
     if (!data) {
       try {
-        const { init, response } = await sendRequest({
-          init: {
+        const { fetchOptions, response } = await sendRequest({
+          fetchOptions: {
             method: 'GET',
+            ..._fetch,
           },
           url: file.url,
         });
 
         if (response.status >= 400) {
           // gracefully handle HEAD method not allowed
-          if (response.status !== 405 || init?.method !== 'HEAD') {
+          if (response.status !== 405 || fetchOptions?.method !== 'HEAD') {
             throw ono({ status: response.status }, `HTTP ERROR ${response.status}`);
           }