diff --git a/at_client/atclient.py b/at_client/atclient.py
index 810f354..224a3d0 100644
--- a/at_client/atclient.py
+++ b/at_client/atclient.py
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 from queue import Empty, Queue
 import time
 import traceback
+import uuid
 
 from at_client.connections.notification.atevents import AtEvent, AtEventType
 
@@ -420,8 +421,19 @@ def handle_event(self, queue, at_event):
         else:
             raise Exception("You must assign a Queue object to the queue paremeter of AtClient class")
         
-    def notify(self, at_key : AtKey, value, operation = OperationEnum.UPDATE, session_id = str(uuid.uuid4())):
+    def notify(self, at_key : AtKey, value, operation = OperationEnum.UPDATE, session_id = None):
+        # Generate a fresh session id per call. A default of str(uuid.uuid4()) in the
+        # signature is evaluated once at import, so every notify() without an explicit
+        # id would reuse the same one and the server would dedup/drop the duplicates.
+        if session_id is None:
+            session_id = str(uuid.uuid4())
+        # Ensure an AES nonce exists. AES-CTR requires one; without it aes_encrypt
+        # raises "nonce must be bytes-like". Generate it here and set it on the key so
+        # it travels in the notification metadata for the receiver to decrypt with.
         iv = at_key.metadata.iv_nonce
+        if iv is None:
+            iv = EncryptionUtil.generate_iv_nonce()
+            at_key.metadata.iv_nonce = iv
         shared_key = self.get_encryption_key_shared_by_me(at_key)
         encrypted_value = EncryptionUtil.aes_encrypt_from_base64(value, shared_key, iv)
         command = NotifyVerbBuilder().with_at_key(at_key, encrypted_value, operation, session_id).build()
diff --git a/test/notify_test.py b/test/notify_test.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6bdebfe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/notify_test.py
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+import inspect
+import unittest
+from unittest.mock import MagicMock
+
+from at_client import AtClient
+from at_client.common import AtSign
+from at_client.common.keys import SharedKey
+from at_client.util.encryptionutil import EncryptionUtil
+
+
+class NotifyTest(unittest.TestCase):
+    """Network-free regression tests for AtClient.notify()."""
+
+    def test_session_id_default_is_none(self):
+        """The session_id default must not bake in a single UUID at import time.
+
+        A signature default of str(uuid.uuid4()) is evaluated once, so every notify()
+        without an explicit session_id reuses it and the server dedups/drops repeats.
+        """
+        default = inspect.signature(AtClient.notify).parameters["session_id"].default
+        self.assertIsNone(default)
+
+    def test_notify_generates_iv_nonce_when_unset(self):
+        """notify() must generate an AES nonce when the key has none (else it crashes)."""
+        client = AtClient.__new__(AtClient)  # bypass the network-connecting __init__
+        client.queue = None
+        client.get_encryption_key_shared_by_me = MagicMock(
+            return_value=EncryptionUtil.generate_aes_key_base64()
+        )
+        resp = MagicMock()
+        resp.get_raw_data_response.return_value = "data:ok"
+        client.secondary_connection = MagicMock()
+        client.secondary_connection.execute_command.return_value = resp
+
+        key = SharedKey("demo", AtSign("@alice"), AtSign("@bob"))
+        key.set_namespace("test")
+        self.assertIsNone(key.metadata.iv_nonce)
+
+        result = client.notify(key, "hello")  # must not raise
+
+        self.assertIsNotNone(key.metadata.iv_nonce)  # generated and set on the key
+        self.assertEqual(result, "data:ok")
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    unittest.main()