diff --git a/metrics/zio-metrics/src/main/scala/sttp/tapir/server/metrics/zio/ZioMetrics.scala b/metrics/zio-metrics/src/main/scala/sttp/tapir/server/metrics/zio/ZioMetrics.scala
index 9515ed50d1..ff96d2c4ae 100644
--- a/metrics/zio-metrics/src/main/scala/sttp/tapir/server/metrics/zio/ZioMetrics.scala
+++ b/metrics/zio-metrics/src/main/scala/sttp/tapir/server/metrics/zio/ZioMetrics.scala
@@ -65,8 +65,9 @@ object ZioMetrics {
   /** ZIO Default Runtime */
   val runtime: Runtime[Any] = Runtime.default
 
-  /** Active/Inprogress Counter +1 active, -1 complete. */
-  def getActiveRequestCounter(namespace: String): Counter[Long] = zio.metrics.Metric.counter(s"${namespace}_request_active")
+  /** Active/Inprogress Gauge +1 active, -1 complete. */
+  def getActiveRequestGauge(namespace: String): Gauge[Long] =
+    zio.metrics.Metric.gauge(s"${namespace}_request_active").contramap(_.toDouble)
 
   /** Total request counter. */
   def getRequestsTotalCounter(namespace: String): Counter[Long] = zio.metrics.Metric.counter(s"${namespace}_request_total")
@@ -76,8 +77,8 @@ object ZioMetrics {
     zio.metrics.Metric.histogram(s"${namespace}_request_duration_seconds", DurationBoundaries)
 
   /** ZIO Unsafe Run Wrapper */
-  private def unsafeRun[T](task: Task[T]): T = Unsafe.unsafe { implicit u =>
-    runtime.unsafe.run(task.orDie).getOrThrowFiberFailure()
+  private def unsafeRun[T](effect: UIO[T]): T = Unsafe.unsafe { implicit u =>
+    runtime.unsafe.run(effect).getOrThrowFiberFailure()
   }
 
   /** Convert into zio metric labels */
@@ -91,30 +92,30 @@ object ZioMetrics {
   }.toSet
 
   /** Requests active metric collector. */
-  def requestActive[F[_]](namespace: String, labels: MetricLabels): Metric[F, Counter[Long]] = {
-    Metric[F, Counter[Long]](
-      getActiveRequestCounter(namespace),
-      onRequest = (req, counter, m) => {
+  def requestActive[F[_]](namespace: String, labels: MetricLabels): Metric[F, Gauge[Long]] = {
+    Metric[F, Gauge[Long]](
+      getActiveRequestGauge(namespace),
+      onRequest = (req, gauge, m) => {
         m.unit {
           EndpointMetric()
             .onEndpointRequest { ep =>
               m.eval {
                 unsafeRun(
-                  counter.tagged(asZioLabel(labels, ep, req)).update(1).unit
+                  gauge.tagged(asZioLabel(labels, ep, req)).increment
                 )
               }
             }
             .onResponseBody { (ep, _) =>
               m.eval {
                 unsafeRun(
-                  counter.tagged(asZioLabel(labels, ep, req)).update(-1).unit
+                  gauge.tagged(asZioLabel(labels, ep, req)).decrement
                 )
               }
             }
             .onException { (ep, _) =>
               m.eval {
                 unsafeRun(
-                  counter.tagged(asZioLabel(labels, ep, req)).update(-1).unit
+                  gauge.tagged(asZioLabel(labels, ep, req)).decrement
                 )
               }
             }
@@ -133,14 +134,14 @@ object ZioMetrics {
             .onResponseBody { (ep, res) =>
               m.eval {
                 unsafeRun(
-                  counter.tagged(asZioLabel(labels, ep, req) ++ asZioLabel(labels, Right(res), None)).update(1).unit
+                  counter.tagged(asZioLabel(labels, ep, req) ++ asZioLabel(labels, Right(res), None)).increment
                 )
               }
             }
             .onException { (ep, ex) =>
               m.eval {
                 unsafeRun(
-                  counter.tagged(asZioLabel(labels, ep, req) ++ asZioLabel(labels, Left(ex), None)).update(1).unit
+                  counter.tagged(asZioLabel(labels, ep, req) ++ asZioLabel(labels, Left(ex), None)).increment
                 )
               }
             }
@@ -168,7 +169,6 @@ object ZioMetrics {
                   histogram
                     .tagged(asZioLabel(labels, ep, req) ++ asZioLabel(labels, Right(res), Some(labels.forResponsePhase.headersValue)))
                     .update(duration)
-                    .unit
                 )
               }
             }
@@ -178,14 +178,13 @@ object ZioMetrics {
                   histogram
                     .tagged(asZioLabel(labels, ep, req) ++ asZioLabel(labels, Right(res), Some(labels.forResponsePhase.bodyValue)))
                     .update(duration)
-                    .unit
                 )
               }
             }
             .onException { (ep: AnyEndpoint, ex: Throwable) =>
               m.eval {
                 unsafeRun(
-                  histogram.tagged(asZioLabel(labels, ep, req) ++ asZioLabel(labels, Left(ex), None)).update(duration).unit
+                  histogram.tagged(asZioLabel(labels, ep, req) ++ asZioLabel(labels, Left(ex), None)).update(duration)
                 )
               }
             }
diff --git a/metrics/zio-metrics/src/test/scala/sttp/tapir/server/metrics/zio/ZioMetricsTest.scala b/metrics/zio-metrics/src/test/scala/sttp/tapir/server/metrics/zio/ZioMetricsTest.scala
index 00cf1b4896..ef89e94168 100644
--- a/metrics/zio-metrics/src/test/scala/sttp/tapir/server/metrics/zio/ZioMetricsTest.scala
+++ b/metrics/zio-metrics/src/test/scala/sttp/tapir/server/metrics/zio/ZioMetricsTest.scala
@@ -6,10 +6,10 @@ import sttp.tapir.server.TestUtil._
 import sttp.tapir.server.interceptor.decodefailure.{DecodeFailureInterceptor, DefaultDecodeFailureHandler}
 import sttp.tapir.server.interpreter.ServerInterpreter
 import sttp.tapir.server.metrics.zio.ZioMetrics.DefaultNamespace
-import zio.metrics.Metric.Counter
+import zio._
+import zio.metrics.Metric.{Counter, Gauge}
 import zio.metrics._
 import zio.test._
-import zio._
 
 object ZioMetricsTest extends ZIOSpecDefault {
 
@@ -32,8 +32,8 @@ object ZioMetricsTest extends ZIOSpecDefault {
           )
 
         // when
-        val active: Counter[Long] = ZioMetrics
-          .getActiveRequestCounter("tapir")
+        val active: Gauge[Long] = ZioMetrics
+          .getActiveRequestGauge("tapir")
           .tagged(
             Set(MetricLabel("path", "/person"), MetricLabel("method", "GET"))
           )
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ object ZioMetricsTest extends ZIOSpecDefault {
           state <- active.value
           _ <- ZIO.succeed(Thread.sleep(150))
           state2 <- active.value
-        } yield assertTrue(state == MetricState.Counter(1)) && assertTrue(state2 == MetricState.Counter(0))
+        } yield assertTrue(state == MetricState.Gauge(1)) && assertTrue(state2 == MetricState.Gauge(0))
 
       } @@ TestAspect.retry(Schedule.recurs(5)),
       test("can collect requests total") {