diff --git a/crates/ty_python_semantic/resources/mdtest/named_tuple.md b/crates/ty_python_semantic/resources/mdtest/named_tuple.md
index 685f930443..a7541f7e65 100644
--- a/crates/ty_python_semantic/resources/mdtest/named_tuple.md
+++ b/crates/ty_python_semantic/resources/mdtest/named_tuple.md
@@ -359,10 +359,13 @@ def _(y: type[typing.NamedTuple]):
 def _(z: typing.NamedTuple[int]): ...
 ```
 
-Because `_replace` is synthesized with specific keyword-only parameters (to enable error detection
-for invalid keyword arguments), NamedTuple instances are not strictly assignable to
-`NamedTupleLike`. This is a trade-off: we gain compile-time detection of invalid `_replace`
-arguments at the cost of strict protocol compatibility.
+NamedTuples are assignable to `NamedTupleLike`, even though the synthesized `_replace` signature
+`(*, x: int = ..., y: int = ...)` is not strictly a subtype of `(**kwargs: Any)`. We special-case
+this in protocol checking because:
+
+1. The specific `_replace` signature enables compile-time detection of invalid keyword arguments
+1. In practice, all valid calls to `_replace` on a NamedTupleLike will also work on any concrete
+    NamedTuple
 
 ```py
 from typing import NamedTuple, Protocol, Iterable, Any
@@ -376,16 +379,13 @@ reveal_type(Point._make)  # revealed: bound method <class 'Point'>._make(iterabl
 reveal_type(Point._asdict)  # revealed: def _asdict(self) -> dict[str, Any]
 reveal_type(Point._replace)  # revealed: (self: Point, *, x: int = ..., y: int = ...) -> Point
 
-# Point is not assignable to NamedTuple because the synthesized `_replace` signature
-# `(*, x: int = ..., y: int = ...)` is not a subtype of `(**kwargs: Any)`. This is a
-# deliberate trade-off: detecting invalid `_replace` arguments at the cost of protocol
-# compatibility. Mypy makes the same trade-off.
-# error: [static-assert-error]
+# Point is assignable to NamedTuple (we special-case _replace in protocol checking).
 static_assert(is_assignable_to(Point, NamedTuple))
 
-# error: [invalid-argument-type] "Argument to function `expects_named_tuple` is incorrect: Expected `tuple[object, ...] & NamedTupleLike`, found `Point`"
+# NamedTuple instances can be passed to functions expecting NamedTupleLike.
 expects_named_tuple(Point(x=42, y=56))
 
+# But plain tuples are not NamedTupleLike (they don't have _make, _asdict, _replace, etc.).
 # error: [invalid-argument-type] "Argument to function `expects_named_tuple` is incorrect: Expected `tuple[object, ...] & NamedTupleLike`, found `tuple[Literal[1], Literal[2]]`"
 expects_named_tuple((1, 2))
 ```
diff --git a/crates/ty_python_semantic/src/types/instance.rs b/crates/ty_python_semantic/src/types/instance.rs
index 9e674065b9..11780e6fc6 100644
--- a/crates/ty_python_semantic/src/types/instance.rs
+++ b/crates/ty_python_semantic/src/types/instance.rs
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 use std::borrow::Cow;
 use std::marker::PhantomData;
 
+use super::class::CodeGeneratorKind;
 use super::protocol_class::ProtocolInterface;
 use super::{BoundTypeVarInstance, ClassType, KnownClass, SubclassOfType, Type, TypeVarVariance};
 use crate::place::PlaceAndQualifiers;
@@ -132,6 +133,16 @@ impl<'db> Type<'db> {
         relation_visitor: &HasRelationToVisitor<'db>,
         disjointness_visitor: &IsDisjointVisitor<'db>,
     ) -> ConstraintSet<'db> {
+        // Iff we're checking a NamedTuple against NamedTupleLike, skip the `_replace` method
+        // signature. NamedTuples synthesize `_replace` methods with specific keyword-only
+        // parameters (to detect invalid arguments), which are not strictly subtypes of the
+        // protocol's `(**kwargs)` signature, but are intended to be considered as satisfying it.
+        let is_namedtuple_protocol_check = matches!(&protocol.inner, Protocol::FromClass(class) if class.is_known(db, KnownClass::NamedTupleLike))
+            && self.as_nominal_instance().is_some_and(|instance| {
+                let (class_literal, specialization) = instance.class(db).class_literal(db);
+                CodeGeneratorKind::NamedTuple.matches(db, class_literal, specialization)
+            });
+
         let structurally_satisfied = if let Type::ProtocolInstance(self_protocol) = self {
             self_protocol.interface(db).has_relation_to_impl(
                 db,
@@ -146,6 +157,16 @@ impl<'db> Type<'db> {
                 .inner
                 .interface(db)
                 .members(db)
+                .filter(|member| {
+                    // Skip `_replace` check for NamedTuple vs NamedTupleLike. NamedTuples
+                    // synthesize `_replace` with specific keyword-only parameters to detect
+                    // invalid arguments, but this signature is not a strict subtype of the
+                    // protocol's `(**kwargs)` signature.
+                    if is_namedtuple_protocol_check && member.name() == "_replace" {
+                        return false;
+                    }
+                    true
+                })
                 .when_all(db, |member| {
                     member.is_satisfied_by(
                         db,