diff --git a/include/llama.h b/include/llama.h
index a14498925f..2fe09bc615 100644
--- a/include/llama.h
+++ b/include/llama.h
@@ -1310,6 +1310,8 @@ extern "C" {
     LLAMA_API void                   llama_sampler_apply (      struct llama_sampler * smpl, llama_token_data_array * cur_p);
     LLAMA_API void                   llama_sampler_reset (      struct llama_sampler * smpl);
     LLAMA_API struct llama_sampler * llama_sampler_clone (const struct llama_sampler * smpl);
+    // copy the state of src into dst; both must be samplers of the same type
+    LLAMA_API void                   llama_sampler_copy (      struct llama_sampler * dst, const struct llama_sampler * src);
     // important: do not free if the sampler has been added to a llama_sampler_chain (via llama_sampler_chain_add)
     LLAMA_API void                   llama_sampler_free  (      struct llama_sampler * smpl);
 
diff --git a/src/llama-sampler.cpp b/src/llama-sampler.cpp
index e550fbe4ae..7cad9837c6 100644
--- a/src/llama-sampler.cpp
+++ b/src/llama-sampler.cpp
@@ -417,6 +417,27 @@ struct llama_sampler * llama_sampler_clone(const struct llama_sampler * smpl) {
     GGML_ABORT("the sampler does not support cloning");
 }
 
+void llama_sampler_copy(struct llama_sampler * dst, const struct llama_sampler * src) {
+    if (!dst || !src) {
+        return;
+    }
+
+    GGML_ASSERT(dst->iface == src->iface && "llama_sampler_copy: cannot copy between different sampler types");
+
+    // build a temporary sampler carrying src's current state
+    llama_sampler * tmp = llama_sampler_clone(src);
+
+    // free dst's old state (frees dst->ctx, including children for a chain)
+    if (dst->iface->free) {
+        dst->iface->free(dst);
+    }
+
+    // transplant tmp's state into dst, then destroy the (now empty) temp shell
+    dst->ctx = tmp->ctx;
+    tmp->ctx = nullptr;
+    delete tmp;
+}
+
 void llama_sampler_free(struct llama_sampler * smpl) {
     if (smpl == nullptr) {
         return;