diff --git a/.vscode/settings.json b/.vscode/settings.json
index 59bf351..e2a9723 100644
--- a/.vscode/settings.json
+++ b/.vscode/settings.json
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 {
+  "python.analysis.typeCheckingMode": "strict",
   "python.testing.pytestEnabled": true,
   "[python]": {
     "editor.defaultFormatter": "charliermarsh.ruff",
diff --git a/src/scverse_plotting_api/__init__.py b/src/scverse_plotting_api/__init__.py
index fa1b5ab..50bcc06 100644
--- a/src/scverse_plotting_api/__init__.py
+++ b/src/scverse_plotting_api/__init__.py
@@ -1,37 +1,25 @@
 from __future__ import annotations
 
-from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, overload
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING
 
 import scanpy as sc
 
-from scverse_plotting_api.helpers import plot_context
+from .helpers import plot_decorator
 
 if TYPE_CHECKING:
     from anndata import AnnData
-    from matplotlib.axes import Axes
     from matplotlib.figure import Figure
-    from matplotlib.gridspec import SubplotSpec
-
-
-@overload
-def plot_umap(adata: AnnData, color: str, *, ax: None = None) -> Figure:
-    ...
-
-
-@overload
-def plot_umap(adata: AnnData, color: str, *, ax: Axes | SubplotSpec) -> None:
-    ...
+    from matplotlib.gridspec import GridSpec, GridSpecFromSubplotSpec
 
 
+@plot_decorator(nrows=1, ncols=2, width_ratios=(0.7, 0.1))
 def plot_umap(
-    adata: AnnData, color: str, *, ax: Axes | SubplotSpec | None = None
-) -> Figure | None:
-    with plot_context(ax, ncols=2, width_ratios=(0.7, 0.1)) as (fig, gs):
-        main_ax = fig.add_subplot(gs[0, 0])
-        cbar_ax = fig.add_subplot(gs[0, 1])
-        x, y = zip(*adata.obsm["X_umap"])
-        scatter = main_ax.scatter(
-            x, y, s=3, c=sc.get.obs_df(adata, color).values, cmap="viridis"
-        )
-        fig.colorbar(scatter, cax=cbar_ax)
-    return fig if ax is None else None
+    adata: AnnData, color: str, *, fig: Figure, gs: GridSpec | GridSpecFromSubplotSpec
+) -> None:
+    main_ax = fig.add_subplot(gs[0, 0])
+    cbar_ax = fig.add_subplot(gs[0, 1])
+    x, y = zip(*adata.obsm["X_umap"])
+    scatter = main_ax.scatter(
+        x, y, s=3, c=sc.get.obs_df(adata, color).values, cmap="viridis"
+    )
+    fig.colorbar(scatter, cax=cbar_ax)
diff --git a/src/scverse_plotting_api/helpers.py b/src/scverse_plotting_api/helpers.py
index e720961..df40315 100644
--- a/src/scverse_plotting_api/helpers.py
+++ b/src/scverse_plotting_api/helpers.py
@@ -1,7 +1,10 @@
 from __future__ import annotations
 
+import inspect
 from contextlib import contextmanager
-from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, TypedDict
+from functools import wraps
+from itertools import islice
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, TypedDict, overload
 
 from matplotlib import get_backend
 from matplotlib.axes import Axes
@@ -9,11 +12,34 @@
 from matplotlib.gridspec import GridSpec, SubplotSpec
 
 if TYPE_CHECKING:
-    from collections.abc import Generator
-    from typing import Unpack
+    from collections.abc import Callable, Generator
+    from typing import Generic, ParamSpec, Protocol, Unpack
 
     from matplotlib.gridspec import GridSpecFromSubplotSpec
 
+    P = ParamSpec("P")
+
+    class PlottingImpl(Protocol, Generic[P]):
+        def __call__(
+            self,
+            *args: P.args,
+            fig: Figure,
+            gs: GridSpec | GridSpecFromSubplotSpec,
+            **kwds: P.kwargs,
+        ) -> None:
+            ...
+
+    class PlottingAPI(Protocol, Generic[P]):
+        @overload
+        def __call__(self, *args: P.args, ax: None = None, **kwds: P.kwargs) -> Figure:
+            ...
+
+        @overload
+        def __call__(
+            self, *args: P.args, ax: Axes | SubplotSpec, **kwds: P.kwargs
+        ) -> None:
+            ...
+
 
 class GSParams(TypedDict, total=False):
     nrows: int
@@ -21,6 +47,59 @@ class GSParams(TypedDict, total=False):
     width_ratios: tuple[float, float]
 
 
+def plot_decorator(
+    **gridspec_params: Unpack[GSParams],
+) -> Callable[[PlottingImpl[P]], PlottingAPI[P]]:
+    def decorator(f: PlottingImpl[P]) -> PlottingAPI[P]:
+        @overload
+        def wrapper(
+            *args: P.args,
+            ax: None = None,
+            **kwargs: P.kwargs,
+        ) -> Figure:
+            ...
+
+        @overload
+        def wrapper(
+            *args: P.args,
+            ax: Axes | SubplotSpec,
+            **kwargs: P.kwargs,
+        ) -> None:
+            ...
+
+        @wraps(f)
+        def wrapper(
+            *args: P.args,
+            ax: Axes | SubplotSpec | None = None,
+            **kwargs: P.kwargs,
+        ) -> Figure | None:
+            with plot_context(ax, **gridspec_params) as (fig, gs):
+                rv = f(*args, fig=fig, gs=gs, **kwargs)  # type: ignore[func-returns-value]
+                if rv is not None:
+                    name = getattr(f, "__name__", "function")
+                    msg = f"{name}’ definition should not return anything"
+                    raise TypeError(msg)
+            return fig if ax is None else None
+
+        ax_param = inspect.Parameter(
+            "ax", inspect.Parameter.POSITIONAL_ONLY, annotation=Axes | SubplotSpec
+        )
+        del wrapper.__annotations__["fig"]
+        del wrapper.__annotations__["gs"]
+        wrapper.__annotations__["ax"] = ax_param.annotation
+
+        wrapper.__signature__ = (sig := inspect.signature(f)).replace(  # type: ignore[attr-defined]
+            parameters=[
+                ax_param,
+                *islice(sig.parameters.values(), 2, None),
+            ]
+        )
+
+        return wrapper
+
+    return decorator
+
+
 @contextmanager
 def plot_context(
     ax: Axes | SubplotSpec | None = None,