diff --git a/params_test.go b/params_test.go
index 8404a44..ddfa329 100644
--- a/params_test.go
+++ b/params_test.go
@@ -388,6 +388,11 @@ func TestSetParameter(t *testing.T) {
 			msg.Set(field, value)
 			return msg
 		}(),
+	}, {
+		fields:  "unknownField",
+		value:   "hello",
+		want:    &testv1.ParameterValues{},
+		wantErr: "unknown field in field path \"unknownField\": element \"unknownField\" does not correspond to any field of type vanguard.test.v1.ParameterValues",
 	}}
 	for _, testCase := range testCases {
 		testCase := testCase
diff --git a/protocol_http_test.go b/protocol_http_test.go
index b7c0d32..803bcf6 100644
--- a/protocol_http_test.go
+++ b/protocol_http_test.go
@@ -233,6 +233,13 @@ func TestHTTPEncodePathValues(t *testing.T) {
 		tmpl:      "/v2/**",
 		wantPath:  "/v2/**",
 		wantQuery: url.Values{},
+	}, {
+		input:        &testv1.ParameterValues{StringValue: "books/1"},
+		reqFieldPath: "unknownQueryParam",
+		tmpl:         "/v1/{string_value=books/*}:get",
+		wantPath:     "/v1/books/1:get",
+		wantQuery:    url.Values{},
+		wantErr:      "unknown field in field path \"unknownQueryParam\": element \"unknownQueryParam\" does not correspond to any field of type vanguard.test.v1.ParameterValues",
 	}}
 	for _, testCase := range testCases {
 		testCase := testCase
diff --git a/protocol_rest.go b/protocol_rest.go
index 9512976..110ec8c 100644
--- a/protocol_rest.go
+++ b/protocol_rest.go
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ package vanguard
 
 import (
 	"bytes"
+	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
 	"net/http"
@@ -160,12 +161,17 @@ func (r restClientProtocol) prepareUnmarshalledRequest(op *operation, src []byte
 			return err
 		}
 	}
+
 	// And finally from the query string:
+	discardUnknownQueryParams := op.methodConf.serviceOptions.restUnmarshalOptions.DiscardUnknownQueryParams
 	for fieldPath, values := range op.queryValues() {
 		fields, err := resolvePathToFieldDescriptors(
 			msg.Descriptor(), fieldPath, true,
 		)
 		if err != nil {
+			if discardUnknownQueryParams && errors.Is(err, errUnknownField) {
+				continue
+			}
 			return err
 		}
 		for _, value := range values {
diff --git a/router.go b/router.go
index 60ab258..2ea07d9 100644
--- a/router.go
+++ b/router.go
@@ -24,6 +24,10 @@ import (
 	"google.golang.org/protobuf/reflect/protoreflect"
 )
 
+var (
+	errUnknownField = errors.New("unknown field")
+)
+
 // routeTrie is a prefix trie of valid REST URI paths to route targets.
 // It supports evaluation of variables as the path is matched, for
 // interpolating parts of the URI path into an RPC request field. The
@@ -375,8 +379,8 @@ func resolvePathToFieldDescriptors(
 		if field == nil {
 			field = fields.ByName(protoreflect.Name(part))
 			if field == nil {
-				return nil, fmt.Errorf("in field path %q: element %q does not correspond to any field of type %s",
-					path, part, msg.FullName())
+				return nil, fmt.Errorf("%w in field path %q: element %q does not correspond to any field of type %s",
+					errUnknownField, path, part, msg.FullName())
 			}
 		}
 		result[i] = field
diff --git a/vanguard.go b/vanguard.go
index f9cf3f2..e69cd99 100644
--- a/vanguard.go
+++ b/vanguard.go
@@ -393,6 +393,20 @@ func WithMaxGetURLBytes(limit uint32) ServiceOption {
 	})
 }
 
+// WithRESTUnmarshalOptions returns a service option that sets the unmarshal options for use with the REST protocol.
+func WithRESTUnmarshalOptions(options RESTUnmarshalOptions) ServiceOption {
+	return serviceOptionFunc(func(opts *serviceOptions) {
+		opts.restUnmarshalOptions = options
+	})
+}
+
+// RESTUnmarshalOptions contains options for unmarshalling REST requests.
+type RESTUnmarshalOptions struct {
+	// If DiscardUnknownQueryParams is true, any query parameters in a request that do not correspond to a field in the
+	// request message will be ignored. If false, such query parameters will cause an error. Defaults to false.
+	DiscardUnknownQueryParams bool
+}
+
 type transcoderOptions struct {
 	defaultServiceOptions []ServiceOption
 	rules                 []*annotations.HttpRule
@@ -420,6 +434,7 @@ type serviceOptions struct {
 	preferredCodec              string
 	maxMsgBufferBytes           uint32
 	maxGetURLBytes              uint32
+	restUnmarshalOptions        RESTUnmarshalOptions
 }
 
 type methodConfig struct {
diff --git a/vanguard_restxrpc_test.go b/vanguard_restxrpc_test.go
index 90fbbe0..7b97a4d 100644
--- a/vanguard_restxrpc_test.go
+++ b/vanguard_restxrpc_test.go
@@ -94,6 +94,9 @@ func TestMux_RESTxRPC(t *testing.T) {
 		} else {
 			opts = append(opts, WithNoTargetCompression())
 		}
+
+		opts = append(opts, WithRESTUnmarshalOptions(RESTUnmarshalOptions{DiscardUnknownQueryParams: true}))
+
 		svcHandler := protocolAssertMiddleware(protocol, codec, compression, handler)
 
 		services := make([]*Service, len(serviceNames))
@@ -524,6 +527,44 @@ func TestMux_RESTxRPC(t *testing.T) {
 				"Content-Type": []string{"text/plain"},
 			},
 		},
+	}, {
+		name: "DiscardUnknownQueryParams",
+		input: input{
+			method: http.MethodGet,
+			path:   "/message.txt:download?unknownParam=1",
+		},
+		stream: testStream{
+			method: testv1connect.ContentServiceDownloadProcedure,
+			msgs: []testMsg{
+				{in: &testMsgIn{
+					msg: &testv1.DownloadRequest{
+						Filename: "message.txt",
+					},
+				}},
+				{out: &testMsgOut{
+					msg: &testv1.DownloadResponse{
+						File: &httpbody.HttpBody{
+							ContentType: "text/plain",
+							Data:        []byte("hello"),
+						},
+					},
+				}},
+				{out: &testMsgOut{
+					msg: &testv1.DownloadResponse{
+						File: &httpbody.HttpBody{
+							Data: []byte(" world"),
+						},
+					},
+				}},
+			},
+		},
+		output: output{
+			code:    http.StatusOK,
+			rawBody: `hello world`,
+			meta: http.Header{
+				"Content-Type": []string{"text/plain"},
+			},
+		},
 	}}
 
 	type testOpt struct {