diff --git a/src/utils.ts b/src/utils.ts
index 1ce99e03..56bdacb9 100644
--- a/src/utils.ts
+++ b/src/utils.ts
@@ -46,10 +46,11 @@ interface MriOptions {
     [k: string]: string[]
   }
   boolean: string[]
+  string: string[]
 }
 
 export function getMriOptions(options: Option[]): MriOptions {
-  const result: MriOptions = { alias: {}, boolean: [] }
+  const result: MriOptions = { alias: {}, boolean: [], string: [] }
 
   for (const [index, option] of options.entries()) {
     // We do not set default values in mri options
@@ -78,6 +79,22 @@ export function getMriOptions(options: Option[]): MriOptions {
         result.boolean.push(option.names[0])
       }
     }
+    // Keep the raw string for `type: [String]` so that mri doesn't coerce
+    // numeric-looking values (e.g. `0123` or `+1`) to numbers first
+    if (
+      typeof option.required === 'boolean' &&
+      Array.isArray(option.config.type) &&
+      option.config.type[0] === String
+    ) {
+      for (const name of removeBrackets(option.rawName).split(',')) {
+        result.string.push(
+          name
+            .trim()
+            .replace(/^-{1,2}/, '')
+            .replaceAll('.*', ''),
+        )
+      }
+    }
   }
 
   return result
diff --git a/tests/index.test.ts b/tests/index.test.ts
index bbb176b4..35729533 100644
--- a/tests/index.test.ts
+++ b/tests/index.test.ts
@@ -151,6 +151,53 @@ test('array types with transformFunction', () => {
   expect(options.scale).toEqual(true)
 })
 
+test('array types with String transformFunction keep raw values', () => {
+  const cli = cac()
+
+  cli
+    .option('-p, --phone-number <phone>', 'Phone number', {
+      type: [String],
+    })
+    .option('--code [code]', 'Code', { type: [String] })
+    .option('--port <port>', 'Port')
+    .option('--ids <id>', 'IDs', { type: [] })
+
+  const { options } = cli.parse([
+    'node',
+    'bin',
+    '--phone-number',
+    '+310000',
+    '--code',
+    '01234',
+    '--code',
+    '1e3',
+    '--port',
+    '0080',
+    '--ids',
+    '007',
+  ])
+  expect(options.phoneNumber).toEqual(['+310000'])
+  expect(options.code).toEqual(['01234', '1e3'])
+  // Options without a String transform are coerced as before
+  expect(options.port).toBe(80)
+  expect(options.ids).toEqual([7])
+
+  const { options: options2 } = cli.parse([
+    'node',
+    'bin',
+    '-p',
+    '0x10',
+    '--code',
+    '日本語',
+  ])
+  expect(options2.p).toBe('0x10')
+  expect(options2.phoneNumber).toEqual(['0x10'])
+  expect(options2.code).toEqual(['日本語'])
+
+  const { options: options3 } = cli.parse(['node', 'bin', '--code', ''])
+  expect(options3.code).toEqual([''])
+})
+
 test('throw on unknown options', () => {
   const cli = cac()