diff --git a/.changeset/red-avocados-know.md b/.changeset/red-avocados-know.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..01d426df5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/red-avocados-know.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"@vue-flow/core": minor
+---
+
+Add overloads to `useVueFlow`. Allows calling `useVueFlow` with an `id` string only while emitting a deprecation warning for using the options obj.
diff --git a/packages/core/src/composables/useVueFlow.ts b/packages/core/src/composables/useVueFlow.ts
index 0d60e1efc..9de7839da 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/composables/useVueFlow.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/composables/useVueFlow.ts
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 import { tryOnScopeDispose } from '@vueuse/core'
 import type { EffectScope } from 'vue'
-import { effectScope, getCurrentScope, inject, provide, watch } from 'vue'
+import { effectScope, getCurrentInstance, getCurrentScope, inject, provide, watch } from 'vue'
 import type { EdgeChange, FlowOptions, NodeChange, VueFlowStore } from '../types'
-import { warn } from '../utils'
+import { ErrorCode, VueFlowError, warn } from '../utils'
 import { VueFlow } from '../context'
 import { Storage } from '../utils/storage'
 
@@ -18,15 +18,21 @@ type Scope = (EffectScope & { vueFlowId: string }) | undefined
  * If no store instance is found in context, a new store instance is created and registered in storage
  *
  * @public
- * @param options - optional options to initialize the store instance
  * @returns a vue flow store instance
+ * @param idOrOpts - id of the store instance or options to create a new store instance
  */
-export function useVueFlow(options?: FlowOptions): VueFlowStore {
+export function useVueFlow(id?: string): VueFlowStore
+export function useVueFlow(options?: FlowOptions): VueFlowStore
+export function useVueFlow(idOrOpts?: any): VueFlowStore {
   const storage = Storage.getInstance()
 
   const scope = getCurrentScope() as Scope
 
-  const id = options?.id
+  const isOptsObj = typeof idOrOpts === 'object'
+
+  const options = isOptsObj ? idOrOpts : undefined
+
+  const id = options?.id ?? idOrOpts
   const vueFlowId = scope?.vueFlowId || id
 
   let vueFlow: Injection
@@ -114,7 +120,7 @@ export function useVueFlow(options?: FlowOptions): VueFlowStore {
     })
   } else {
     // If options were passed, overwrite state with the options' values
-    if (options) {
+    if (isOptsObj) {
       vueFlow.setState(options)
     }
   }
@@ -126,8 +132,13 @@ export function useVueFlow(options?: FlowOptions): VueFlowStore {
     scope.vueFlowId = vueFlow.id
   }
 
-  if (options) {
-    warn('options are deprecated and will be removed in the next major version. Use props on the `<VueFlow>` component instead.')
+  if (isOptsObj) {
+    const instance = getCurrentInstance()
+
+    // ignore the warning if we are in a VueFlow component
+    if (instance?.type.name !== 'VueFlow') {
+      vueFlow.emits.error(new VueFlowError(ErrorCode.USEVUEFLOW_OPTIONS))
+    }
   }
 
   return vueFlow
diff --git a/packages/core/src/composables/useWatchProps.ts b/packages/core/src/composables/useWatchProps.ts
index a83b35b3c..4dd9da6a6 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/composables/useWatchProps.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/composables/useWatchProps.ts
@@ -309,7 +309,7 @@ export function useWatchProps(
                     ;(storeRef.value as any) = nextValue
                   }
                 },
-                { immediate: true, flush: 'pre' },
+                { immediate: true },
               )
             })
           }
diff --git a/packages/core/src/container/VueFlow/VueFlow.vue b/packages/core/src/container/VueFlow/VueFlow.vue
index 097259b8a..f71a823b3 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/container/VueFlow/VueFlow.vue
+++ b/packages/core/src/container/VueFlow/VueFlow.vue
@@ -56,18 +56,12 @@ const modelValue = useVModel(props, 'modelValue', emit)
 const modelNodes = useVModel(props, 'nodes', emit)
 const modelEdges = useVModel(props, 'edges', emit)
 
-const { vueFlowRef, hooks, getNodeTypes, getEdgeTypes, ...rest } = useVueFlow(props)
+const instance = useVueFlow(props)
 
 // watch props and update store state
-const dispose = useWatchProps({ modelValue, nodes: modelNodes, edges: modelEdges }, props, {
-  vueFlowRef,
-  hooks,
-  getNodeTypes,
-  getEdgeTypes,
-  ...rest,
-})
+const dispose = useWatchProps({ modelValue, nodes: modelNodes, edges: modelEdges }, props, instance)
 
-useHooks(emit, hooks)
+useHooks(emit, instance.hooks)
 
 useOnInitHandler()
 
@@ -83,13 +77,7 @@ onUnmounted(() => {
   dispose()
 })
 
-defineExpose<VueFlowStore>({
-  vueFlowRef,
-  hooks,
-  getNodeTypes,
-  getEdgeTypes,
-  ...rest,
-})
+defineExpose<VueFlowStore>(instance)
 </script>
 
 <script lang="ts">
@@ -100,7 +88,7 @@ export default {
 </script>
 
 <template>
-  <div ref="vueFlowRef" class="vue-flow">
+  <div :ref="instance.vueFlowRef" class="vue-flow">
     <Viewport>
       <EdgeRenderer />
 
diff --git a/packages/core/src/utils/errors.ts b/packages/core/src/utils/errors.ts
index a40d70633..262a1b50e 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/utils/errors.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/utils/errors.ts
@@ -14,6 +14,9 @@ export enum ErrorCode {
   EDGE_SOURCE_TARGET_SAME = 'EDGE_SOURCE_TARGET_SAME',
   EDGE_SOURCE_TARGET_MISSING = 'EDGE_SOURCE_TARGET_MISSING',
   EDGE_ORPHANED = 'EDGE_ORPHANED',
+
+  // deprecation errors
+  USEVUEFLOW_OPTIONS = 'USEVUEFLOW_OPTIONS',
 }
 
 const messages = {
@@ -36,6 +39,10 @@ const messages = {
   [ErrorCode.EDGE_ORPHANED]: (id: string) =>
     `Edge was orphaned (suddenly missing source or target) and has been removed\nEdge: ${id}`,
   [ErrorCode.EDGE_NOT_FOUND]: (id: string) => `Edge not found\nEdge: ${id}`,
+
+  // deprecation errors
+  [ErrorCode.USEVUEFLOW_OPTIONS]: () =>
+    `The options parameter is deprecated and will be removed in the next major version. Please use the id parameter instead`,
 } as const
 
 type ErrorArgs<T extends ErrorCode> = (typeof messages)[T] extends (...args: any[]) => string