diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 8a495199e75..5ca3702c331 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ build/
 build-em/
 build-debug/
 build-release/
+build-static/
 build-sanitize-addr/
 build-sanitize-thread/
 
@@ -18,6 +19,7 @@ build-sanitize-thread/
 /bench
 
 sync.sh
+libwhisper.a
 libwhisper.so
 compile_commands.json
 
diff --git a/whisper.cpp b/whisper.cpp
index beb39f15cd9..b673db13264 100644
--- a/whisper.cpp
+++ b/whisper.cpp
@@ -427,7 +427,9 @@ struct whisper_context {
     std::vector<whisper_segment> result_all;
     std::vector<whisper_token>   prompt_past;
 
-    std::vector<float> work_logits; // used to avoid allocations
+    // used to avoid allocations
+    std::vector<float> work_logits;
+    std::vector<float> work_logprobs;
 
     // [EXPERIMENTAL] token-level timestamps data
     int64_t t_beg;
@@ -2614,6 +2616,8 @@ struct whisper_full_params whisper_full_default_params(enum whisper_sampling_str
 
                     /*.suppress_blank   =*/ true,
 
+                    /*.max_initial_timestamp =*/ 1.0,
+
                     /*.greedy           =*/ {
                         /*.dummy =*/ 0,
                     },
@@ -2664,6 +2668,8 @@ struct whisper_full_params whisper_full_default_params(enum whisper_sampling_str
 
                     /*.suppress_blank   =*/ true,
 
+                    /*.max_initial_timestamp =*/ 1.0,
+
                     /*.greedy           =*/ {
                         /*.dummy =*/ 0,
                     },
@@ -2763,17 +2769,120 @@ static struct whisper_token_data whisper_sample_next_token(
 
     // extract the logits for the last token
     // we will be mutating and therefore we don't want to use the ctx->logits buffer directly
-    auto & logits = ctx->work_logits;
+    auto & logits   = ctx->work_logits;
+    auto & logprobs = ctx->work_logprobs;
     {
         logits.resize(n_logits);
         memcpy(logits.data(), ctx->logits.data() + (ctx->logits.size() - n_logits), n_logits*sizeof(float));
+
+        // will be populated a bit later
+        logprobs.resize(n_logits);
     }
 
+    // apply logit filters here
     // ref: https://github.com/openai/whisper/blob/0b1ba3d46ebf7fe6f953acfd8cad62a4f851b49f/whisper/decoding.py#L480-L493
-    // TODO: apply logit filters here
     {
+        // suppress blank
+        // https://github.com/openai/whisper/blob/0b1ba3d46ebf7fe6f953acfd8cad62a4f851b49f/whisper/decoding.py#L388-L390
+        if (params.suppress_blank) {
+            if (is_initial) {
+                logits[vocab.token_eot]           = -INFINITY;
+                logits[vocab.token_to_id.at(" ")] = -INFINITY;
+            }
+        }
+
+        // suppress <|notimestamps|> token
+        // ref: https://github.com/openai/whisper/blob/0b1ba3d46ebf7fe6f953acfd8cad62a4f851b49f/whisper/decoding.py#L410-L412
+        logits[vocab.token_not] = -INFINITY;
+
+        // timestamps have to appear in pairs, except directly before EOT; mask logits accordingly
+        // https://github.com/openai/whisper/blob/0b1ba3d46ebf7fe6f953acfd8cad62a4f851b49f/whisper/decoding.py#L414-L424
+        {
+            const bool last_was_timestamp        = tokens_cur.size() > 0 && tokens_cur.back().id >= vocab.token_beg;
+            const bool penultimate_was_timestamp = tokens_cur.size() < 2 || tokens_cur[tokens_cur.size() - 2].id >= vocab.token_beg;
+
+            if (last_was_timestamp) {
+                if (penultimate_was_timestamp) {
+                    for (int i = vocab.token_beg; i < n_logits; ++ i) {
+                        logits[i] = -INFINITY;
+                    }
+                } else {
+                    for (int i = 0; i < vocab.token_eot; ++ i) {
+                        logits[i] = -INFINITY;
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        // the initial timestamp cannot be larger than max_initial_timestamp
+        // ref: https://github.com/openai/whisper/blob/0b1ba3d46ebf7fe6f953acfd8cad62a4f851b49f/whisper/decoding.py#L426-L429
+        if (is_initial && params.max_initial_timestamp > 0.0f) {
+            const float precision = float(WHISPER_CHUNK_SIZE)/ctx->model.hparams.n_audio_ctx;
+            const int   tid0      = std::round(params.max_initial_timestamp/precision);
+
+            for (int i = vocab.token_beg + tid0 + 1; i < n_logits; ++ i) {
+                logits[i] = -INFINITY;
+            }
+        }
+
+        // populate the logprobs array (log_softmax)
+        {
+            const float logit_max = *std::max_element(logits.begin(), logits.end());
+            float logsumexp = 0.0f;
+            for (int i = 0; i < n_logits; ++ i) {
+                logsumexp += expf(logits[i] - logit_max);
+            }
+            logsumexp = logf(logsumexp) + logit_max;
+            for (int i = 0; i < n_logits; ++ i) {
+                logprobs[i] = logits[i] - logsumexp;
+            }
+        }
+
+        // if sum of probability over timestamps is above any other token, sample timestamp
+        // ref: https://github.com/openai/whisper/blob/0b1ba3d46ebf7fe6f953acfd8cad62a4f851b49f/whisper/decoding.py#L431-L437
+        {
+            // logsumexp over timestamps
+            float timestamp_logprob = -INFINITY;
+            {
+                float logsumexp = 0.0f;
+                const float logprob_max = *std::max_element(logprobs.begin() + vocab.token_beg, logprobs.end());
+                for (int i = vocab.token_beg; i < n_logits; ++ i) {
+                    logsumexp += expf(logprobs[i] - logprob_max);
+                }
+                logsumexp = logf(logsumexp) + logprob_max;
+                timestamp_logprob = logsumexp;
+            }
+
+            const float max_text_token_logprob = *std::max_element(logprobs.begin(), logprobs.begin() + vocab.token_beg);
+
+            if (timestamp_logprob > max_text_token_logprob) {
+                for (int i = 0; i < vocab.token_beg; ++ i) {
+                    logits[i] = -INFINITY;
+                }
+            }
+        }
     }
 
+    // print first 100 logits - token string : logit
+    for (int i = 0; i < 100; i++) {
+        const auto token = vocab.id_to_token.at(i);
+        const auto logit = logits[i];
+        printf("%s : %f\n", token.c_str(), logit);
+    }
+
+    // "And", "and", " And", " and"
+    printf("logits[\"and\"]  = %f\n", logits[vocab.token_to_id.at("and")]);
+    printf("logits[\"And\"]  = %f\n", logits[vocab.token_to_id.at("And")]);
+    printf("logits[\" and\"] = %f\n", logits[vocab.token_to_id.at(" and")]);
+    printf("logits[\" And\"] = %f\n", logits[vocab.token_to_id.at(" And")]);
+    printf("logits[\" so\"]  = %f\n", logits[vocab.token_to_id.at(" so")]);
+
+    printf("logprobs[\"and\"]  = %f\n", logprobs[vocab.token_to_id.at("and")]);
+    printf("logprobs[\"And\"]  = %f\n", logprobs[vocab.token_to_id.at("And")]);
+    printf("logprobs[\" and\"] = %f\n", logprobs[vocab.token_to_id.at(" and")]);
+    printf("logprobs[\" And\"] = %f\n", logprobs[vocab.token_to_id.at(" And")]);
+    printf("logprobs[\" so\"]  = %f\n", logprobs[vocab.token_to_id.at(" so")]);
+
     switch (params.strategy) {
         case WHISPER_SAMPLING_GREEDY:
             {
diff --git a/whisper.h b/whisper.h
index 6b163fda829..f4d30baee77 100644
--- a/whisper.h
+++ b/whisper.h
@@ -261,8 +261,11 @@ extern "C" {
         // for auto-detection, set to nullptr, "" or "auto"
         const char * language;
 
+        // common decoding parameters:
         bool suppress_blank;
 
+        float max_initial_timestamp;
+
         struct {
             int dummy;
         } greedy;