diff --git a/build.sh b/build.sh
index 0a5df0a8..b0ef7365 100755
--- a/build.sh
+++ b/build.sh
@@ -81,6 +81,7 @@ do_java() {
     --additional-properties licenseName="Apache 2.0" \
     --additional-properties artifactDescription="Client for Manticore Search" \
     --additional-properties library="jersey3" \
+    --additional-properties failOnUnknownProperties=false \
     --additional-properties useJakartaEe=true \
     --additional-properties prevVersion=$prev_version \
     $build_to_branch
diff --git a/templates/Java/libraries/jersey3/JSON.mustache b/templates/Java/libraries/jersey3/JSON.mustache
index 97cee639..8ed57947 100755
--- a/templates/Java/libraries/jersey3/JSON.mustache
+++ b/templates/Java/libraries/jersey3/JSON.mustache
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ public class JSON implements ContextResolver<ObjectMapper> {
     mapper = JsonMapper.builder()
             .serializationInclusion(JsonInclude.Include.NON_NULL)
             .configure(MapperFeature.ALLOW_COERCION_OF_SCALARS, false)
-            .configure(DeserializationFeature.FAIL_ON_UNKNOWN_PROPERTIES, true)
+            .configure(DeserializationFeature.FAIL_ON_UNKNOWN_PROPERTIES, {{failOnUnknownProperties}})
             .configure(DeserializationFeature.FAIL_ON_INVALID_SUBTYPE, true)
             .disable(SerializationFeature.WRITE_DATES_AS_TIMESTAMPS)
             .enable(SerializationFeature.WRITE_ENUMS_USING_TO_STRING)
diff --git a/test/java/api/UnknownResponsePropertyTest.java b/test/java/api/UnknownResponsePropertyTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6202b56e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/java/api/UnknownResponsePropertyTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+package com.manticoresearch.client.api;
+
+import com.manticoresearch.client.JSON;
+import com.manticoresearch.client.model.SearchResponse;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertNotNull;
+
+/**
+ * A response property the client does not know must not be fatal.
+ *
+ * Manticore Search adds response fields between releases, and the compatibility table in the
+ * README promises that an older client stays PARTIALLY compatible with a newer server. That
+ * promise is only keepable if an unknown property is ignored rather than thrown on: with
+ * FAIL_ON_UNKNOWN_PROPERTIES enabled, one new field costs the caller the entire response, not
+ * just the field.
+ *
+ * The schema agrees — `searchResponse`, `aggBucketsResult` and `aggBucket` all declare
+ * `additionalProperties: true` — and the generated Python client honours it. This test holds the
+ * Java client to the same contract.
+ */
+public class UnknownResponsePropertyTest {
+
+    @Test
+    public void anUnknownTopLevelPropertyIsIgnored() throws Exception {
+        SearchResponse response = JSON.getDefault().getMapper().readValue(
+            "{\"took\":3,\"timed_out\":false,\"some_field_from_a_newer_server\":42,"
+                + "\"hits\":{\"total\":1,\"total_relation\":\"eq\",\"hits\":[]}}",
+            SearchResponse.class);
+
+        assertEquals(3, response.getTook());
+        assertNotNull(response.getHits());
+        assertEquals(1, response.getHits().getTotal());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void anUnknownNestedPropertyIsIgnored() throws Exception {
+        SearchResponse response = JSON.getDefault().getMapper().readValue(
+            "{\"took\":0,\"timed_out\":false,"
+                + "\"hits\":{\"total\":0,\"total_relation\":\"eq\",\"hits\":[]},"
+                + "\"aggregations\":{\"a\":{\"buckets\":[],\"a_future_field\":\"x\"}}}",
+            SearchResponse.class);
+
+        assertNotNull(response.getAggregations().get("a"));
+    }
+}