diff --git a/api/src/main/java/club/minnced/discord/jdave/DaveSessionImpl.java b/api/src/main/java/club/minnced/discord/jdave/DaveSessionImpl.java
index 5c89ce6..f0ae431 100644
--- a/api/src/main/java/club/minnced/discord/jdave/DaveSessionImpl.java
+++ b/api/src/main/java/club/minnced/discord/jdave/DaveSessionImpl.java
@@ -24,7 +24,14 @@ public static DaveSessionImpl create(@Nullable String authSessionId) {
             MemorySegment authSessionIdSegment =
                     authSessionId != null ? local.allocateFrom(authSessionId) : MemorySegment.NULL;
             MemorySegment session = LibDaveSessionBinding.createSession(MemorySegment.NULL, authSessionIdSegment);
-            return new DaveSessionImpl(session);
+
+            DaveSessionImpl result = new DaveSessionImpl(session);
+            // this part of memory is not initialized by libdave
+            // until we call #initialize or #reset meaning it just
+            // has a random value of whatever was there before making
+            // it very confusing to debug
+            result.setProtocolVersion((short) -1);
+            return result;
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/api/src/main/java/club/minnced/discord/jdave/manager/DaveSessionManager.java b/api/src/main/java/club/minnced/discord/jdave/manager/DaveSessionManager.java
index 9b08f78..a0ba043 100644
--- a/api/src/main/java/club/minnced/discord/jdave/manager/DaveSessionManager.java
+++ b/api/src/main/java/club/minnced/discord/jdave/manager/DaveSessionManager.java
@@ -229,7 +229,7 @@ public synchronized void onMLSPrepareCommitTransition(int transitionId, @NonNull
                     prepareProtocolTransition(transitionId, session.getProtocolVersion());
                 } else {
                     sendInvalidCommitWelcome(transitionId);
-                    handleDaveProtocolInit(transitionId);
+                    handleDaveProtocolInit(session.getProtocolVersion());
                 }
             }
         }
@@ -247,7 +247,7 @@ public synchronized void onMLSWelcome(int transitionId, @NonNull ByteBuffer welc
             prepareProtocolTransition(transitionId, session.getProtocolVersion());
         } else {
             sendInvalidCommitWelcome(transitionId);
-            handleDaveProtocolInit(transitionId);
+            handleDaveProtocolInit(session.getProtocolVersion());
         }
     }
 
@@ -292,9 +292,10 @@ private void prepareProtocolTransition(int transitionId, int protocolVersion) {
             encryptor.processTransition(protocolVersion);
         } else {
             preparedTransitions.put(transitionId, protocolVersion);
-            currentProtocolVersion = protocolVersion;
             callbacks.sendDaveProtocolReadyForTransition(transitionId);
         }
+
+        currentProtocolVersion = protocolVersion;
     }
 
     private void executeProtocolTransition(int transitionId) {