diff --git a/native_client/ctcdecode/ctc_beam_search_decoder.cpp b/native_client/ctcdecode/ctc_beam_search_decoder.cpp
index d12e81fc..a50f731f 100644
--- a/native_client/ctcdecode/ctc_beam_search_decoder.cpp
+++ b/native_client/ctcdecode/ctc_beam_search_decoder.cpp
@@ -176,9 +176,12 @@ std::vector<Output> decoder_decode(DecoderState *state,
   size_t num_prefixes = std::min(state->prefixes.size(), beam_size);
   std::sort(state->prefixes.begin(), state->prefixes.begin() + num_prefixes, prefix_compare);
 
+  //TODO: expose this as an API parameter
+  const int top_paths = 1;
+
   // compute aproximate ctc score as the return score, without affecting the
   // return order of decoding result. To delete when decoder gets stable.
-  for (size_t i = 0; i < beam_size && i < state->prefixes.size(); ++i) {
+  for (size_t i = 0; i < top_paths && i < state->prefixes.size(); ++i) {
     double approx_ctc = state->prefixes[i]->score;
     if (ext_scorer != nullptr) {
       std::vector<int> output;
@@ -194,7 +197,7 @@ std::vector<Output> decoder_decode(DecoderState *state,
     state->prefixes[i]->approx_ctc = approx_ctc;
   }
 
-  return get_beam_search_result(state->prefixes, beam_size);
+  return get_beam_search_result(state->prefixes, top_paths);
 }
 
 std::vector<Output> ctc_beam_search_decoder(
diff --git a/native_client/ctcdecode/decoder_utils.cpp b/native_client/ctcdecode/decoder_utils.cpp
index c0505fb3..e8a3da77 100644
--- a/native_client/ctcdecode/decoder_utils.cpp
+++ b/native_client/ctcdecode/decoder_utils.cpp
@@ -41,21 +41,12 @@ std::vector<std::pair<size_t, float>> get_pruned_log_probs(
 
 std::vector<Output> get_beam_search_result(
     const std::vector<PathTrie *> &prefixes,
-    size_t beam_size) {
-  // allow for the post processing
-  std::vector<PathTrie *> space_prefixes;
-  if (space_prefixes.empty()) {
-    for (size_t i = 0; i < beam_size && i < prefixes.size(); ++i) {
-      space_prefixes.push_back(prefixes[i]);
-    }
-  }
-
-  std::sort(space_prefixes.begin(), space_prefixes.end(), prefix_compare);
+    size_t top_paths) {
   std::vector<Output> output_vecs;
-  for (size_t i = 0; i < beam_size && i < space_prefixes.size(); ++i) {
+  for (size_t i = 0; i < top_paths && i < prefixes.size(); ++i) {
     Output output;
-    space_prefixes[i]->get_path_vec(output.tokens, output.timesteps);
-    output.probability = -space_prefixes[i]->approx_ctc;
+    prefixes[i]->get_path_vec(output.tokens, output.timesteps);
+    output.probability = -prefixes[i]->approx_ctc;
     output_vecs.push_back(output);
   }
 
diff --git a/native_client/ctcdecode/decoder_utils.h b/native_client/ctcdecode/decoder_utils.h
index f3c1977d..54ddf5b7 100644
--- a/native_client/ctcdecode/decoder_utils.h
+++ b/native_client/ctcdecode/decoder_utils.h
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ std::vector<std::pair<size_t, float>> get_pruned_log_probs(
 // Get beam search result from prefixes in trie tree
 std::vector<Output> get_beam_search_result(
     const std::vector<PathTrie *> &prefixes,
-    size_t beam_size);
+    size_t top_paths);
 
 // Functor for prefix comparsion
 bool prefix_compare(const PathTrie *x, const PathTrie *y);