diff --git a/crates/rmcp/src/transport/streamable_http_server/tower.rs b/crates/rmcp/src/transport/streamable_http_server/tower.rs
index cd2f5f1e..8ebec4e5 100644
--- a/crates/rmcp/src/transport/streamable_http_server/tower.rs
+++ b/crates/rmcp/src/transport/streamable_http_server/tower.rs
@@ -1124,44 +1124,40 @@ where
                     }
                 }
             } else {
-                let (session_id, transport) = self
-                    .session_manager
-                    .create_session()
-                    .await
-                    .map_err(internal_error_response("create session"))?;
                 // Capture init params for external store persistence before
                 // extensions are injected (which would require Clone).
-                let stored_init_params = if self.config.session_store.is_some() {
-                    if let ClientJsonRpcMessage::Request(req) = &message {
-                        if let ClientRequest::InitializeRequest(init_req) = &req.request {
-                            Some(init_req.params.clone())
-                        } else {
-                            None
-                        }
-                    } else {
-                        None
+                let stored_init_params = match &mut message {
+                    ClientJsonRpcMessage::Request(req) => {
+                        let ClientRequest::InitializeRequest(init_req) = &req.request else {
+                            return Err(unexpected_message_response("initialize request"));
+                        };
+                        // Reject mismatched MCP-Protocol-Version header before binding the session to anything.
+                        validate_header_matches_init_body(
+                            &part.headers,
+                            init_req.params.protocol_version.as_str(),
+                            Some(req.id.clone()),
+                        )?;
+                        let stored_init_params = self
+                            .config
+                            .session_store
+                            .as_ref()
+                            .map(|_| init_req.params.clone());
+                        // inject request part to extensions
+                        req.request.extensions_mut().insert(part);
+                        stored_init_params
                     }
-                } else {
-                    None
-                };
-                if let ClientJsonRpcMessage::Request(req) = &mut message {
-                    let ClientRequest::InitializeRequest(init_req) = &req.request else {
+                    _ => {
                         return Err(unexpected_message_response("initialize request"));
-                    };
-                    // Reject mismatched MCP-Protocol-Version header before binding the session to anything.
-                    validate_header_matches_init_body(
-                        &part.headers,
-                        init_req.params.protocol_version.as_str(),
-                        Some(req.id.clone()),
-                    )?;
-                    // inject request part to extensions
-                    req.request.extensions_mut().insert(part);
-                } else {
-                    return Err(unexpected_message_response("initialize request"));
-                }
+                    }
+                };
                 let service = self
                     .get_service()
                     .map_err(internal_error_response("get service"))?;
+                let (session_id, transport) = self
+                    .session_manager
+                    .create_session()
+                    .await
+                    .map_err(internal_error_response("create session"))?;
                 // spawn a task to serve the session
                 Self::spawn_session_worker(
                     self.session_manager.clone(),
diff --git a/crates/rmcp/tests/test_streamable_http_protocol_version.rs b/crates/rmcp/tests/test_streamable_http_protocol_version.rs
index 3500266b..0ed61c0e 100644
--- a/crates/rmcp/tests/test_streamable_http_protocol_version.rs
+++ b/crates/rmcp/tests/test_streamable_http_protocol_version.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 #![cfg(not(feature = "local"))]
 //! Regression tests for the `MCP-Protocol-Version` header / initialize body consistency check.
+use std::sync::Arc;
+
 use rmcp::transport::streamable_http_server::{
     StreamableHttpServerConfig, StreamableHttpService, session::local::LocalSessionManager,
 };
@@ -16,10 +18,17 @@ fn init_body(body_version: &str) -> String {
 
 async fn spawn_server(
     config: StreamableHttpServerConfig,
+) -> (reqwest::Client, String, CancellationToken) {
+    spawn_server_with_manager(config, Arc::new(LocalSessionManager::default())).await
+}
+
+async fn spawn_server_with_manager(
+    config: StreamableHttpServerConfig,
+    session_manager: Arc<LocalSessionManager>,
 ) -> (reqwest::Client, String, CancellationToken) {
     let ct = config.cancellation_token.clone();
     let service: StreamableHttpService<Calculator, LocalSessionManager> =
-        StreamableHttpService::new(|| Ok(Calculator::new()), Default::default(), config);
+        StreamableHttpService::new(|| Ok(Calculator::new()), session_manager, config);
 
     let router = axum::Router::new().nest_service("/mcp", service);
     let tcp_listener = tokio::net::TcpListener::bind("127.0.0.1:0").await.unwrap();
@@ -71,6 +80,17 @@ async fn post_init(
     req.send().await.expect("send initialize request")
 }
 
+async fn post_non_initialize(client: &reqwest::Client, url: &str) -> reqwest::Response {
+    client
+        .post(url)
+        .header("Content-Type", "application/json")
+        .header("Accept", "application/json, text/event-stream")
+        .body(r#"{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/list","params":{}}"#)
+        .send()
+        .await
+        .expect("send non-initialize request")
+}
+
 #[tokio::test]
 async fn stateless_init_rejects_when_header_older_than_body() -> anyhow::Result<()> {
     let (client, url, ct) = spawn_server(stateless_json_config()).await;
@@ -147,3 +167,21 @@ async fn stateful_init_rejects_when_header_mismatches_body() -> anyhow::Result<(
     ct.cancel();
     Ok(())
 }
+
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn stateful_rejected_initial_posts_do_not_create_sessions() -> anyhow::Result<()> {
+    let session_manager = Arc::new(LocalSessionManager::default());
+    let (client, url, ct) =
+        spawn_server_with_manager(stateful_config(), session_manager.clone()).await;
+
+    let response = post_non_initialize(&client, &url).await;
+    assert_eq!(response.status(), 422);
+    assert_eq!(session_manager.sessions.read().await.len(), 0);
+
+    let response = post_init(&client, &url, Some("2024-11-05"), "2025-11-25").await;
+    assert_eq!(response.status(), 400);
+    assert_eq!(session_manager.sessions.read().await.len(), 0);
+
+    ct.cancel();
+    Ok(())
+}