diff --git a/rules-tests/CodeQuality/Rector/ClassMethod/ResponseReturnTypeControllerActionRector/Fixture/skip_return_in_closure_only.php.inc b/rules-tests/CodeQuality/Rector/ClassMethod/ResponseReturnTypeControllerActionRector/Fixture/skip_return_in_closure_only.php.inc
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..0a7cf3ff7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/rules-tests/CodeQuality/Rector/ClassMethod/ResponseReturnTypeControllerActionRector/Fixture/skip_return_in_closure_only.php.inc
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace Rector\Symfony\Tests\CodeQuality\Rector\ClassMethod\ResponseReturnTypeControllerActionRector\Fixture;
+
+use Symfony\Bundle\FrameworkBundle\Controller\AbstractController;
+use Symfony\Component\Routing\Annotation\Route;
+
+final class SkipReturnInClosureOnly extends AbstractController
+{
+    #[Route]
+    public function detail()
+    {
+        $callback = function () {
+            return 'hey';
+        };
+
+        $callback();
+    }
+}
diff --git a/rules-tests/CodeQuality/Rector/ClassMethod/ResponseReturnTypeControllerActionRector/FixtureTypeGuarded/final_controller.php.inc b/rules-tests/CodeQuality/Rector/ClassMethod/ResponseReturnTypeControllerActionRector/FixtureTypeGuarded/final_controller.php.inc
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f48f84d1c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/rules-tests/CodeQuality/Rector/ClassMethod/ResponseReturnTypeControllerActionRector/FixtureTypeGuarded/final_controller.php.inc
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace Rector\Symfony\Tests\CodeQuality\Rector\ClassMethod\ResponseReturnTypeControllerActionRector\FixtureTypeGuarded;
+
+use Rector\Symfony\Tests\CodeQuality\Rector\ClassMethod\ResponseReturnTypeControllerActionRector\Source\AbstractCustomController;
+use Symfony\Component\Routing\Annotation\Route;
+
+final class FinalController extends AbstractCustomController
+{
+    #[Route]
+    public function detail()
+    {
+        return $this->render('some_template');
+    }
+}
+
+?>
+-----
+<?php
+
+namespace Rector\Symfony\Tests\CodeQuality\Rector\ClassMethod\ResponseReturnTypeControllerActionRector\FixtureTypeGuarded;
+
+use Rector\Symfony\Tests\CodeQuality\Rector\ClassMethod\ResponseReturnTypeControllerActionRector\Source\AbstractCustomController;
+use Symfony\Component\Routing\Annotation\Route;
+
+final class FinalController extends AbstractCustomController
+{
+    #[Route]
+    public function detail(): \Symfony\Component\HttpFoundation\Response
+    {
+        return $this->render('some_template');
+    }
+}
+
+?>
diff --git a/rules-tests/CodeQuality/Rector/ClassMethod/ResponseReturnTypeControllerActionRector/FixtureTypeGuarded/non_guarded_controller.php.inc b/rules-tests/CodeQuality/Rector/ClassMethod/ResponseReturnTypeControllerActionRector/FixtureTypeGuarded/non_guarded_controller.php.inc
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6fca15351
--- /dev/null
+++ b/rules-tests/CodeQuality/Rector/ClassMethod/ResponseReturnTypeControllerActionRector/FixtureTypeGuarded/non_guarded_controller.php.inc
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace Rector\Symfony\Tests\CodeQuality\Rector\ClassMethod\ResponseReturnTypeControllerActionRector\FixtureTypeGuarded;
+
+use Symfony\Bundle\FrameworkBundle\Controller\AbstractController;
+use Symfony\Component\Routing\Annotation\Route;
+
+class NonGuardedController extends AbstractController
+{
+    #[Route]
+    public function detail()
+    {
+        return $this->render('some_template');
+    }
+}
+
+?>
+-----
+<?php
+
+namespace Rector\Symfony\Tests\CodeQuality\Rector\ClassMethod\ResponseReturnTypeControllerActionRector\FixtureTypeGuarded;
+
+use Symfony\Bundle\FrameworkBundle\Controller\AbstractController;
+use Symfony\Component\Routing\Annotation\Route;
+
+class NonGuardedController extends AbstractController
+{
+    #[Route]
+    public function detail(): \Symfony\Component\HttpFoundation\Response
+    {
+        return $this->render('some_template');
+    }
+}
+
+?>
diff --git a/rules-tests/CodeQuality/Rector/ClassMethod/ResponseReturnTypeControllerActionRector/FixtureTypeGuarded/skip_type_guarded_controller.php.inc b/rules-tests/CodeQuality/Rector/ClassMethod/ResponseReturnTypeControllerActionRector/FixtureTypeGuarded/skip_type_guarded_controller.php.inc
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..0fd8e7fb0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/rules-tests/CodeQuality/Rector/ClassMethod/ResponseReturnTypeControllerActionRector/FixtureTypeGuarded/skip_type_guarded_controller.php.inc
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace Rector\Symfony\Tests\CodeQuality\Rector\ClassMethod\ResponseReturnTypeControllerActionRector\FixtureTypeGuarded;
+
+use Rector\Symfony\Tests\CodeQuality\Rector\ClassMethod\ResponseReturnTypeControllerActionRector\Source\AbstractCustomController;
+use Symfony\Component\Routing\Annotation\Route;
+
+class SkipTypeGuardedController extends AbstractCustomController
+{
+    #[Route]
+    public function detail()
+    {
+        return $this->render('some_template');
+    }
+}
diff --git a/rules-tests/CodeQuality/Rector/ClassMethod/ResponseReturnTypeControllerActionRector/ResponseReturnTypeControllerActionRectorTypeGuardedTest.php b/rules-tests/CodeQuality/Rector/ClassMethod/ResponseReturnTypeControllerActionRector/ResponseReturnTypeControllerActionRectorTypeGuardedTest.php
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a55e9fbaf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/rules-tests/CodeQuality/Rector/ClassMethod/ResponseReturnTypeControllerActionRector/ResponseReturnTypeControllerActionRectorTypeGuardedTest.php
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+<?php
+
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+namespace Rector\Symfony\Tests\CodeQuality\Rector\ClassMethod\ResponseReturnTypeControllerActionRector;
+
+use Iterator;
+use PHPUnit\Framework\Attributes\DataProvider;
+use Rector\Testing\PHPUnit\AbstractRectorTestCase;
+
+final class ResponseReturnTypeControllerActionRectorTypeGuardedTest extends AbstractRectorTestCase
+{
+    #[DataProvider('provideData')]
+    public function test(string $filePath): void
+    {
+        $this->doTestFile($filePath);
+    }
+
+    public static function provideData(): Iterator
+    {
+        return self::yieldFilesFromDirectory(__DIR__ . '/FixtureTypeGuarded');
+    }
+
+    public function provideConfigFilePath(): string
+    {
+        return __DIR__ . '/config/type_guarded_rule.php';
+    }
+}
diff --git a/rules-tests/CodeQuality/Rector/ClassMethod/ResponseReturnTypeControllerActionRector/Source/AbstractCustomController.php b/rules-tests/CodeQuality/Rector/ClassMethod/ResponseReturnTypeControllerActionRector/Source/AbstractCustomController.php
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..64d193175
--- /dev/null
+++ b/rules-tests/CodeQuality/Rector/ClassMethod/ResponseReturnTypeControllerActionRector/Source/AbstractCustomController.php
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+<?php
+
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+namespace Rector\Symfony\Tests\CodeQuality\Rector\ClassMethod\ResponseReturnTypeControllerActionRector\Source;
+
+use Symfony\Bundle\FrameworkBundle\Controller\AbstractController;
+
+abstract class AbstractCustomController extends AbstractController
+{
+}
diff --git a/rules-tests/CodeQuality/Rector/ClassMethod/ResponseReturnTypeControllerActionRector/config/type_guarded_rule.php b/rules-tests/CodeQuality/Rector/ClassMethod/ResponseReturnTypeControllerActionRector/config/type_guarded_rule.php
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..cf4b09411
--- /dev/null
+++ b/rules-tests/CodeQuality/Rector/ClassMethod/ResponseReturnTypeControllerActionRector/config/type_guarded_rule.php
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+<?php
+
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+use Rector\Config\RectorConfig;
+use Rector\Symfony\CodeQuality\Rector\ClassMethod\ResponseReturnTypeControllerActionRector;
+use Rector\Symfony\Tests\CodeQuality\Rector\ClassMethod\ResponseReturnTypeControllerActionRector\Source\AbstractCustomController;
+
+return RectorConfig::configure()
+    ->withRules([ResponseReturnTypeControllerActionRector::class])
+    ->withTypeGuardedClasses([AbstractCustomController::class]);
diff --git a/rules/CodeQuality/Rector/ClassMethod/ResponseReturnTypeControllerActionRector.php b/rules/CodeQuality/Rector/ClassMethod/ResponseReturnTypeControllerActionRector.php
index f7c14f2cc..8d8a9067d 100644
--- a/rules/CodeQuality/Rector/ClassMethod/ResponseReturnTypeControllerActionRector.php
+++ b/rules/CodeQuality/Rector/ClassMethod/ResponseReturnTypeControllerActionRector.php
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@
 use Rector\TypeDeclaration\NodeAnalyzer\ReturnAnalyzer;
 use Rector\TypeDeclaration\TypeInferer\ReturnTypeInferer;
 use Rector\ValueObject\PhpVersionFeature;
+use Rector\VendorLocker\ParentClassMethodTypeOverrideGuard;
 use Rector\VersionBonding\Contract\MinPhpVersionInterface;
 use Symplify\RuleDocGenerator\ValueObject\CodeSample\CodeSample;
 use Symplify\RuleDocGenerator\ValueObject\RuleDefinition;
@@ -45,7 +46,8 @@ public function __construct(
         private readonly BetterNodeFinder $betterNodeFinder,
         private readonly ReturnAnalyzer $returnAnalyzer,
         private readonly StaticTypeMapper $staticTypeMapper,
-        private readonly ReturnTypeInferer $returnTypeInferer
+        private readonly ReturnTypeInferer $returnTypeInferer,
+        private readonly ParentClassMethodTypeOverrideGuard $parentClassMethodTypeOverrideGuard
     ) {
     }
 
@@ -112,6 +114,11 @@ public function refactor(Node $node): ?Node
             return null;
         }
 
+        // adding a return type would break child classes of user-guarded classes
+        if ($this->parentClassMethodTypeOverrideGuard->isTypeGuardedClass($node)) {
+            return null;
+        }
+
         if (! $this->isActionClassMethod($node)) {
             return null;
         }
@@ -188,7 +195,7 @@ private function isActionClassMethod(ClassMethod $classMethod): bool
 
     private function hasReturn(ClassMethod $classMethod): bool
     {
-        return $this->betterNodeFinder->hasInstancesOf($classMethod, [Return_::class]);
+        return $this->betterNodeFinder->hasInstancesOfInFunctionLikeScoped($classMethod, Return_::class);
     }
 
     private function refactorResponse(ClassMethod $classMethod): ?ClassMethod