diff --git a/examples/server/CMakeLists.txt b/examples/server/CMakeLists.txt
index 1d992501b..07ba76ad3 100644
--- a/examples/server/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/examples/server/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -3,13 +3,6 @@ option(LLAMA_SERVER_VERBOSE "Build verbose logging option for Server" ON)
 include_directories(${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR})
 add_executable(${TARGET} server.cpp json.hpp httplib.h)
 target_compile_definitions(${TARGET} PRIVATE
-    # single thread
-    CPPHTTPLIB_THREAD_POOL_COUNT=1
-    # crash the server in debug mode, otherwise send an http 500 error
-    $<$<CONFIG:Debug>:
-        CPPHTTPLIB_NO_EXCEPTIONS=1
-    >
-
     SERVER_VERBOSE=$<BOOL:${LLAMA_SERVER_VERBOSE}>
 )
 target_link_libraries(${TARGET} PRIVATE common llama ${CMAKE_THREAD_LIBS_INIT})
diff --git a/examples/server/server.cpp b/examples/server/server.cpp
index 8c02dd977..2fd64d543 100644
--- a/examples/server/server.cpp
+++ b/examples/server/server.cpp
@@ -2,6 +2,13 @@
 #include "llama.h"
 #include "build-info.h"
 
+// single thread
+#define CPPHTTPLIB_THREAD_POOL_COUNT 1
+#ifndef NDEBUG
+// crash the server in debug mode, otherwise send an http 500 error
+#define CPPHTTPLIB_NO_EXCEPTIONS 1
+#endif
+
 #include "httplib.h"
 #include "json.hpp"