diff --git a/common/arg.cpp b/common/arg.cpp
index 86f8610..3fb6af4 100644
--- a/common/arg.cpp
+++ b/common/arg.cpp
@@ -4124,6 +4124,15 @@ common_params_context common_params_parser_init(common_params & params, llama_ex
             params.speculative.draft.p_min = std::stof(value);
         }
     ).set_spec().set_examples({LLAMA_EXAMPLE_SPECULATIVE, LLAMA_EXAMPLE_SERVER, LLAMA_EXAMPLE_CLI}).set_env("LLAMA_ARG_SPEC_DRAFT_P_MIN"));
+    add_opt(common_arg(
+        {"--spec-draft-relaxed-top-n"}, "N",
+        string_format("accept a draft token if it ranks in the target's top-N candidates by "
+                       "probability, instead of requiring an exact match (default: %d, disabled)",
+                       params.speculative.draft.relaxed_top_n),
+        [](common_params & params, int value) {
+            params.speculative.draft.relaxed_top_n = value;
+        }
+    ).set_spec().set_examples({LLAMA_EXAMPLE_SPECULATIVE, LLAMA_EXAMPLE_SERVER, LLAMA_EXAMPLE_CLI}).set_env("LLAMA_ARG_SPEC_DRAFT_RELAXED_TOP_N"));
     add_opt(common_arg(
         {"--spec-draft-backend-sampling"},
         {"--no-spec-draft-backend-sampling"},
diff --git a/common/common.h b/common/common.h
index de49dac..5c8a2c2 100644
--- a/common/common.h
+++ b/common/common.h
@@ -328,6 +328,11 @@ struct common_params_speculative_draft {
     float p_split = 0.1f; // speculative decoding split probability
     float p_min   = 0.0f; // minimum speculative decoding probability (greedy)
 
+    // relaxed acceptance: accept a draft token if it ranks in the target's top-N
+    // candidates by probability, instead of requiring exact equality with the
+    // target's own sampled token. 0 = disabled (strict, distribution-exact behavior).
+    int32_t relaxed_top_n = 0;
+
     bool backend_sampling = true; // offload draft sampling to the backend (default: on)
 
     common_params_model mparams;
diff --git a/common/sampling.cpp b/common/sampling.cpp
index 06dea1e..0f2a26d 100644
--- a/common/sampling.cpp
+++ b/common/sampling.cpp
@@ -675,7 +675,34 @@ llama_token common_sampler_sample(struct common_sampler * gsmpl, struct llama_co
     return id;
 }
 
-std::vector<llama_token> common_sampler_sample_and_accept_n(struct common_sampler * gsmpl, struct llama_context * ctx, const std::vector<int> & idxs, const llama_tokens & draft, bool grammar_first) {
+// Returns true if `token` ranks within the top `relaxed_top_n` candidates of `cur_p`
+// by probability. O(cur_p.size) and correct regardless of `cur_p.sorted`, since it
+// counts strictly-higher-probability entries rather than assuming sort order.
+static bool relaxed_top_n_contains(const llama_token_data_array & cur_p, llama_token token, int32_t relaxed_top_n) {
+    float token_p = -1.0f;
+    for (size_t k = 0; k < cur_p.size; k++) {
+        if (cur_p.data[k].id == token) {
+            token_p = cur_p.data[k].p;
+            break;
+        }
+    }
+    if (token_p < 0.0f) {
+        return false; // token isn't even in the candidate set (e.g. filtered out by top_k/top_p)
+    }
+
+    int32_t rank = 0;
+    for (size_t k = 0; k < cur_p.size; k++) {
+        if (cur_p.data[k].p > token_p) {
+            rank++;
+            if (rank >= relaxed_top_n) {
+                return false;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    return true;
+}
+
+std::vector<llama_token> common_sampler_sample_and_accept_n(struct common_sampler * gsmpl, struct llama_context * ctx, const std::vector<int> & idxs, const llama_tokens & draft, bool grammar_first, int32_t relaxed_top_n) {
     GGML_ASSERT(idxs.size() == draft.size() + 1 && "idxs.size() must be draft.size() + 1");
 
     std::vector<llama_token> result;
@@ -685,11 +712,30 @@ std::vector<llama_token> common_sampler_sample_and_accept_n(struct common_sample
     for (; i < draft.size(); i++) {
         const llama_token id = common_sampler_sample(gsmpl, ctx, idxs[i], grammar_first);
 
-        common_sampler_accept(gsmpl, id, true);
+        const bool exact = (draft[i] == id);
+        bool accept = exact;
+        if (!accept && relaxed_top_n > 0) {
+            accept = relaxed_top_n_contains(gsmpl->cur_p, draft[i], relaxed_top_n);
+            if (getenv("RELAXED_VERIFY_LOG")) {
+                fprintf(stderr, "[RELAXED_VERIFY] pos=%zu relaxed_top_n=%d cur_p.size=%zu cur_p.sorted=%d draft='%s'(id=%d) target_sample='%s'(id=%d) -> %s\n",
+                        i, relaxed_top_n, gsmpl->cur_p.size, (int) gsmpl->cur_p.sorted,
+                        common_token_to_piece(ctx, draft[i]).c_str(), draft[i],
+                        common_token_to_piece(ctx, id).c_str(), id,
+                        accept ? "ACCEPT(relaxed)" : "reject");
+            }
+        }
 
-        result.push_back(id);
+        // if the draft token is accepted under the relaxed rule, emit *that* token
+        // (not `id`) — server-context.cpp fed the whole drafted sequence into the
+        // target as one batch, so downstream KV state and idxs[i+1]'s logits already
+        // assume draft[i] was the real token at this position.
+        const llama_token emitted = accept ? draft[i] : id;
+
+        common_sampler_accept(gsmpl, emitted, true);
+
+        result.push_back(emitted);
 
-        if (draft[i] != id) {
+        if (!accept) {
             break;
         }
     }
@@ -705,13 +751,13 @@ std::vector<llama_token> common_sampler_sample_and_accept_n(struct common_sample
     return result;
 }
 
-std::vector<llama_token> common_sampler_sample_and_accept_n(struct common_sampler * gsmpl, struct llama_context * ctx, const llama_tokens & draft, bool grammar_first) {
+std::vector<llama_token> common_sampler_sample_and_accept_n(struct common_sampler * gsmpl, struct llama_context * ctx, const llama_tokens & draft, bool grammar_first, int32_t relaxed_top_n) {
     std::vector<int> idxs(draft.size() + 1);
     for (size_t i = 0; i < idxs.size(); ++i) {
         idxs[i] = i;
     }
 
-    return common_sampler_sample_and_accept_n(gsmpl, ctx, idxs, draft, grammar_first);
+    return common_sampler_sample_and_accept_n(gsmpl, ctx, idxs, draft, grammar_first, relaxed_top_n);
 }
 
 uint32_t common_sampler_get_seed(const struct common_sampler * gsmpl) {
diff --git a/common/sampling.h b/common/sampling.h
index ced3c83..9627960 100644
--- a/common/sampling.h
+++ b/common/sampling.h
@@ -83,10 +83,13 @@ llama_token common_sampler_sample(struct common_sampler * gsmpl, struct llama_co
 //
 // returns at least 1 token, up to idxs.size()
 //
-std::vector<llama_token> common_sampler_sample_and_accept_n(struct common_sampler * gsmpl, struct llama_context * ctx, const std::vector<int> & idxs, const llama_tokens & draft, bool grammar_first = false);
+// relaxed_top_n > 0: accept a draft token whenever it ranks in the target's top-N
+// candidates by probability, instead of requiring exact equality with the target's
+// own sampled token. 0 keeps the original strict (distribution-exact) behavior.
+std::vector<llama_token> common_sampler_sample_and_accept_n(struct common_sampler * gsmpl, struct llama_context * ctx, const std::vector<int> & idxs, const llama_tokens & draft, bool grammar_first = false, int32_t relaxed_top_n = 0);
 
 // assume idxs == [ 0, 1, 2, ..., draft.size() ]
-std::vector<llama_token> common_sampler_sample_and_accept_n(struct common_sampler * gsmpl, struct llama_context * ctx, const llama_tokens & draft, bool grammar_first = false);
+std::vector<llama_token> common_sampler_sample_and_accept_n(struct common_sampler * gsmpl, struct llama_context * ctx, const llama_tokens & draft, bool grammar_first = false, int32_t relaxed_top_n = 0);
 
 uint32_t common_sampler_get_seed(const struct common_sampler * gsmpl);
 
diff --git a/tools/server/server-context.cpp b/tools/server/server-context.cpp
index a9edbd7..74e2f27 100644
--- a/tools/server/server-context.cpp
+++ b/tools/server/server-context.cpp
@@ -3795,7 +3795,8 @@ private:
                 common_sampler_ptr smpl_save(common_sampler_clone(slot.smpl.get()));
 
                 GGML_ASSERT(slot.spec_i_batch.size() == n_draft + 1);
-                auto accepted = common_sampler_sample_and_accept_n(slot.smpl.get(), slot.ctx_tgt, slot.spec_i_batch, slot.spec_draft);
+                auto accepted = common_sampler_sample_and_accept_n(slot.smpl.get(), slot.ctx_tgt, slot.spec_i_batch, slot.spec_draft,
+                                                                    /* grammar_first */ false, params_base.speculative.draft.relaxed_top_n);
                 slot.spec_i_batch.clear();
 
                 GGML_ASSERT(accepted.size() >= 1);