diff --git a/changes/4159.doc.md b/changes/4159.doc.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..32738d3635
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changes/4159.doc.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Clarify how Zarr format 3 codec pipeline roles map to `filters`, `serializer`, and `compressors` when creating arrays.
diff --git a/docs/user-guide/arrays.md b/docs/user-guide/arrays.md
index a192845f9e..036c7fea24 100644
--- a/docs/user-guide/arrays.md
+++ b/docs/user-guide/arrays.md
@@ -195,13 +195,48 @@ arr_f = arr.with_config({"order": "F"})
 print(arr_f.config)
 ```
 
+## Zarr format 3 codec pipeline
+
+Zarr format 3 stores a single ordered `codecs` pipeline in array metadata, but
+Zarr-Python's array creation functions expose that pipeline through three
+role-specific parameters:
+
+- `filters`: [`zarr.abc.codec.ArrayArrayCodec`][] instances. These transform chunk
+  arrays into chunk arrays before serialization.
+- `serializer`: one [`zarr.abc.codec.ArrayBytesCodec`][] instance. This transforms
+  a chunk array into bytes. Every Zarr format 3 array needs exactly one
+  array-to-bytes codec, either supplied explicitly or chosen by default.
+- `compressors`: [`zarr.abc.codec.BytesBytesCodec`][] instances. These transform
+  bytes into bytes after serialization.
+
+The `compressors` parameter is only for bytes-to-bytes codecs. If a codec is an
+`ArrayBytesCodec`, pass it with `serializer`, not `compressors`. For example, the
+built-in [`zarr.codecs.BytesCodec`][] can be supplied explicitly as the serializer:
+
+```python exec="true" session="arrays" source="above" result="ansi"
+serializer = zarr.codecs.BytesCodec(endian="little")
+z_explicit_serializer = zarr.create_array(
+    store="data/example-explicit-serializer.zarr",
+    shape=(100,),
+    chunks=(10,),
+    dtype="int32",
+    serializer=serializer,
+    compressors=None,
+)
+print(z_explicit_serializer.serializer)
+print(f"Compressors: {z_explicit_serializer.compressors}")
+```
+
+The same rule applies to third-party Zarr format 3 codecs: if the codec is
+documented as an `ArrayBytesCodec`, provide an instance as `serializer=...`.
+
 ## Compressors
 
 A number of different compressors can be used with Zarr. Zarr includes Blosc,
 Zstandard and Gzip compressors. Additional compressors are available through
 a separate package called [NumCodecs](https://numcodecs.readthedocs.io/en/stable/) which provides various
 compressor libraries including LZ4, Zlib, BZ2 and LZMA.
-Different compressors can be provided via the `compressors` keyword
+Different bytes-to-bytes compressors can be provided via the `compressors` keyword
 argument accepted by all array creation functions. For example:
 
 ```python exec="true" session="arrays" source="above" result="ansi"
diff --git a/src/zarr/api/asynchronous.py b/src/zarr/api/asynchronous.py
index 3bdc254ea5..f4af245ece 100644
--- a/src/zarr/api/asynchronous.py
+++ b/src/zarr/api/asynchronous.py
@@ -1020,8 +1020,12 @@ async def create(
     codecs : Sequence of Codecs or dicts, optional
         An iterable of Codec or dict serializations of Codecs. Zarr V3 only.
 
-        The elements of `codecs` specify the transformation from array values to stored bytes.
-        Zarr format 3 only. Zarr format 2 arrays should use `filters` and `compressor` instead.
+        The elements of ``codecs`` specify the transformation from array values to stored bytes.
+        Zarr format 3 only. Zarr format 2 arrays should use ``filters`` and ``compressor`` instead.
+        In order, a Zarr format 3 pipeline contains zero or more
+        [`zarr.abc.codec.ArrayArrayCodec`][] filters, exactly one
+        [`zarr.abc.codec.ArrayBytesCodec`][] serializer, and zero or more
+        [`zarr.abc.codec.BytesBytesCodec`][] compressors.
 
         If no codecs are provided, default codecs will be used based on the data type of the array.
         For most data types, the default codecs are the tuple `(BytesCodec(), ZstdCodec())`;
diff --git a/src/zarr/api/synchronous.py b/src/zarr/api/synchronous.py
index 11afb4a85c..ac08d71a4e 100644
--- a/src/zarr/api/synchronous.py
+++ b/src/zarr/api/synchronous.py
@@ -758,8 +758,12 @@ def create(
     codecs : Sequence of Codecs or dicts, optional
         An iterable of Codec or dict serializations of Codecs. Zarr V3 only.
 
-        The elements of `codecs` specify the transformation from array values to stored bytes.
-        Zarr format 3 only. Zarr format 2 arrays should use `filters` and `compressor` instead.
+        The elements of ``codecs`` specify the transformation from array values to stored bytes.
+        Zarr format 3 only. Zarr format 2 arrays should use ``filters`` and ``compressor`` instead.
+        In order, a Zarr format 3 pipeline contains zero or more
+        [`zarr.abc.codec.ArrayArrayCodec`][] filters, exactly one
+        [`zarr.abc.codec.ArrayBytesCodec`][] serializer, and zero or more
+        [`zarr.abc.codec.BytesBytesCodec`][] compressors.
 
         If no codecs are provided, default codecs will be used based on the data type of the array.
         For most data types, the default codecs are the tuple `(BytesCodec(), ZstdCodec())`;
@@ -892,9 +896,13 @@ def create_array(
         filters are applied (if any are specified) and the data is serialized into bytes.
 
         For Zarr format 3, a "compressor" is a codec that takes a bytestream, and
-        returns another bytestream. Multiple compressors may be provided for Zarr format 3.
-        If no `compressors` are provided, a default set of compressors will be used.
-        These defaults can be changed by modifying the value of `array.v3_default_compressors`
+        returns another bytestream. These values must be instances of
+        [`zarr.abc.codec.BytesBytesCodec`][], or dict representations of
+        [`zarr.abc.codec.BytesBytesCodec`][]. Multiple compressors may be provided
+        for Zarr format 3. Codecs that take an array and return bytes are serializers
+        and must be supplied with ``serializer`` instead.
+        If no ``compressors`` are provided, a default set of compressors will be used.
+        These defaults can be changed by modifying the value of ``array.v3_default_compressors``
         in [`zarr.config`][zarr.config].
         Use `None` to omit default compressors.
 
@@ -906,8 +914,10 @@ def create_array(
     serializer : dict[str, JSON] | ArrayBytesCodec, optional
         Array-to-bytes codec to use for encoding the array data.
         Zarr format 3 only. Zarr format 2 arrays use implicit array-to-bytes conversion.
-        If no `serializer` is provided, a default serializer will be used.
-        These defaults can be changed by modifying the value of `array.v3_default_serializer`
+        Codecs that are instances of [`zarr.abc.codec.ArrayBytesCodec`][] must be
+        supplied here, not with ``compressors``.
+        If no ``serializer`` is provided, a default serializer will be used.
+        These defaults can be changed by modifying the value of ``array.v3_default_serializer``
         in [`zarr.config`][zarr.config].
     fill_value : Any, optional
         Fill value for the array.
diff --git a/src/zarr/core/array.py b/src/zarr/core/array.py
index 903f7b8f26..32244be0f8 100644
--- a/src/zarr/core/array.py
+++ b/src/zarr/core/array.py
@@ -4643,9 +4643,13 @@ async def create_array(
         filters are applied (if any are specified) and the data is serialized into bytes.
 
         For Zarr format 3, a "compressor" is a codec that takes a bytestream, and
-        returns another bytestream. Multiple compressors may be provided for Zarr format 3.
-        If no `compressors` are provided, a default set of compressors will be used.
-        These defaults can be changed by modifying the value of `array.v3_default_compressors`
+        returns another bytestream. These values must be instances of
+        [`zarr.abc.codec.BytesBytesCodec`][], or dict representations of
+        [`zarr.abc.codec.BytesBytesCodec`][]. Multiple compressors may be provided
+        for Zarr format 3. Codecs that take an array and return bytes are serializers
+        and must be supplied with ``serializer`` instead.
+        If no ``compressors`` are provided, a default set of compressors will be used.
+        These defaults can be changed by modifying the value of ``array.v3_default_compressors``
         in [`zarr.config`][zarr.config].
         Use `None` to omit default compressors.
 
@@ -4657,8 +4661,10 @@ async def create_array(
     serializer : dict[str, JSON] | ArrayBytesCodec, optional
         Array-to-bytes codec to use for encoding the array data.
         Zarr format 3 only. Zarr format 2 arrays use implicit array-to-bytes conversion.
-        If no `serializer` is provided, a default serializer will be used.
-        These defaults can be changed by modifying the value of `array.v3_default_serializer`
+        Codecs that are instances of [`zarr.abc.codec.ArrayBytesCodec`][] must be
+        supplied here, not with ``compressors``.
+        If no ``serializer`` is provided, a default serializer will be used.
+        These defaults can be changed by modifying the value of ``array.v3_default_serializer``
         in [`zarr.config`][zarr.config].
     fill_value : Any, optional
         Fill value for the array.