diff --git a/api/envoy/extensions/filters/http/ext_proc/v3/ext_proc.proto b/api/envoy/extensions/filters/http/ext_proc/v3/ext_proc.proto
index fe92e3548f07f..c9500486a3a52 100644
--- a/api/envoy/extensions/filters/http/ext_proc/v3/ext_proc.proto
+++ b/api/envoy/extensions/filters/http/ext_proc/v3/ext_proc.proto
@@ -205,7 +205,6 @@ message ExternalProcessor {
   // message in an external processor response. In such case, no local reply will be sent.
   // Instead, the stream to the external processor will be closed. There will be no
   // more external processing for this stream from now on.
-  // [#not-implemented-hide:]
   bool disable_immediate_response = 15;
 }
 
diff --git a/changelogs/current.yaml b/changelogs/current.yaml
index 40f1f2aabbde2..e5d5875014fb6 100644
--- a/changelogs/current.yaml
+++ b/changelogs/current.yaml
@@ -46,6 +46,14 @@ new_features:
 - area: extension_discovery_service
   change: |
     added ECDS support for :ref:` downstream network filters<envoy_v3_api_field_config.listener.v3.Filter.config_discovery>`.
+- area: ext_proc
+  change: |
+    added
+    :ref:`disable_immediate_response <envoy_v3_api_field_extensions.filters.http.ext_proc.v3.ExternalProcessor.disable_immediate_response>`
+    config API to ignore the
+    :ref:`immediate_response <envoy_v3_api_field_service.ext_proc.v3.ProcessingResponse.immediate_response>`
+    message from the external processing server.
+
 - area: http
   change: |
     added :ref:`Json-To-Metadata filter <envoy_v3_api_msg_extensions.filters.http.json_to_metadata.v3.JsonToMetadata>`.
diff --git a/source/extensions/filters/http/ext_proc/ext_proc.cc b/source/extensions/filters/http/ext_proc/ext_proc.cc
index 245d88d6160fe..d1105dd6b51bd 100644
--- a/source/extensions/filters/http/ext_proc/ext_proc.cc
+++ b/source/extensions/filters/http/ext_proc/ext_proc.cc
@@ -653,19 +653,26 @@ void Filter::onReceiveMessage(std::unique_ptr<ProcessingResponse>&& r) {
     processing_status = encoding_state_.handleTrailersResponse(response->response_trailers());
     break;
   case ProcessingResponse::ResponseCase::kImmediateResponse:
-    // We won't be sending anything more to the stream after we
-    // receive this message.
-    ENVOY_LOG(debug, "Sending immediate response");
-    // TODO(tyxia) For immediate response case here and below, logging is needed because
-    // `onFinishProcessorCalls` is called after `closeStream` below.
-    // Investigate to see if we can switch the order of those two so that the logging here can be
-    // avoided.
-    logGrpcStreamInfo();
-    processing_complete_ = true;
-    closeStream();
-    onFinishProcessorCalls(Grpc::Status::Ok);
-    sendImmediateResponse(response->immediate_response());
-    processing_status = absl::OkStatus();
+    if (config_->disableImmediateResponse()) {
+      ENVOY_LOG(debug, "Filter has disable_immediate_response configured. "
+                       "Treat the immediate response message as spurious response.");
+      processing_status =
+          absl::FailedPreconditionError("unhandled immediate response due to config disabled it");
+    } else {
+      // We won't be sending anything more to the stream after we
+      // receive this message.
+      ENVOY_LOG(debug, "Sending immediate response");
+      // TODO(tyxia) For immediate response case here and below, logging is needed because
+      // `onFinishProcessorCalls` is called after `closeStream` below.
+      // Investigate to see if we can switch the order of those two so that the logging here can be
+      // avoided.
+      logGrpcStreamInfo();
+      processing_complete_ = true;
+      closeStream();
+      onFinishProcessorCalls(Grpc::Status::Ok);
+      sendImmediateResponse(response->immediate_response());
+      processing_status = absl::OkStatus();
+    }
     break;
   default:
     // Any other message is considered spurious
diff --git a/source/extensions/filters/http/ext_proc/ext_proc.h b/source/extensions/filters/http/ext_proc/ext_proc.h
index 49e04c69e94b9..ac82a9a90c120 100644
--- a/source/extensions/filters/http/ext_proc/ext_proc.h
+++ b/source/extensions/filters/http/ext_proc/ext_proc.h
@@ -134,6 +134,7 @@ class FilterConfig {
         processing_mode_(config.processing_mode()), mutation_checker_(config.mutation_rules()),
         filter_metadata_(config.filter_metadata()),
         allow_mode_override_(config.allow_mode_override()),
+        disable_immediate_response_(config.disable_immediate_response()),
         allowed_headers_(initHeaderMatchers(config.forward_rules().allowed_headers())),
         disallowed_headers_(initHeaderMatchers(config.forward_rules().disallowed_headers())) {}
 
@@ -150,6 +151,7 @@ class FilterConfig {
   }
 
   bool allowModeOverride() const { return allow_mode_override_; }
+  bool disableImmediateResponse() const { return disable_immediate_response_; }
 
   const Filters::Common::MutationRules::Checker& mutationChecker() const {
     return mutation_checker_;
@@ -192,6 +194,9 @@ class FilterConfig {
   const Envoy::ProtobufWkt::Struct filter_metadata_;
   // If set to true, allow the processing mode to be modified by the ext_proc response.
   const bool allow_mode_override_;
+  // If set to true, disable the immediate response from the ext_proc server, which means
+  // closing the stream to the ext_proc server, and no more external processing.
+  const bool disable_immediate_response_;
   // Empty allowed_header_ means allow all.
   const std::vector<Matchers::StringMatcherPtr> allowed_headers_;
   // Empty disallowed_header_ means disallow nothing, i.e, allow all.
diff --git a/test/extensions/filters/http/ext_proc/filter_test.cc b/test/extensions/filters/http/ext_proc/filter_test.cc
index 6ce24c000789e..dc6cb56dfcba6 100644
--- a/test/extensions/filters/http/ext_proc/filter_test.cc
+++ b/test/extensions/filters/http/ext_proc/filter_test.cc
@@ -701,6 +701,40 @@ TEST_F(HttpFilterTest, PostAndRespondImmediately) {
   expectFilterState(Envoy::ProtobufWkt::Struct());
 }
 
+TEST_F(HttpFilterTest, PostAndRespondImmediatelyWithDisabledConfig) {
+  initialize(R"EOF(
+  grpc_service:
+    envoy_grpc:
+      cluster_name: "ext_proc_server"
+  disable_immediate_response: true
+  )EOF");
+
+  EXPECT_EQ(filter_->decodeHeaders(request_headers_, false), FilterHeadersStatus::StopIteration);
+  test_time_->advanceTimeWait(std::chrono::microseconds(10));
+  std::unique_ptr<ProcessingResponse> resp1 = std::make_unique<ProcessingResponse>();
+  auto* immediate_response = resp1->mutable_immediate_response();
+  immediate_response->mutable_status()->set_code(envoy::type::v3::StatusCode::BadRequest);
+  immediate_response->set_body("Bad request");
+  immediate_response->set_details("Got a bad request");
+  auto* immediate_headers = immediate_response->mutable_headers();
+  auto* hdr1 = immediate_headers->add_set_headers();
+  hdr1->mutable_header()->set_key("content-type");
+  hdr1->mutable_header()->set_value("text/plain");
+  stream_callbacks_->onReceiveMessage(std::move(resp1));
+
+  Buffer::OwnedImpl req_data("foo");
+  EXPECT_EQ(filter_->decodeData(req_data, true), FilterDataStatus::Continue);
+  EXPECT_EQ(filter_->decodeTrailers(request_trailers_), FilterTrailersStatus::Continue);
+  EXPECT_EQ(filter_->encodeHeaders(response_headers_, true), FilterHeadersStatus::Continue);
+  filter_->onDestroy();
+
+  EXPECT_EQ(config_->stats().streams_started_.value(), 1);
+  EXPECT_EQ(config_->stats().stream_msgs_sent_.value(), 1);
+  EXPECT_EQ(config_->stats().spurious_msgs_received_.value(), 1);
+  EXPECT_EQ(config_->stats().stream_msgs_received_.value(), 0);
+  EXPECT_EQ(config_->stats().streams_closed_.value(), 1);
+}
+
 // Using the default configuration, test the filter with a processor that
 // replies to the request_headers message with an "immediate response" message
 // during response headers processing that should result in a response being