diff --git a/device/send.go b/device/send.go
index ff8f7da50..4bf5d6f1c 100644
--- a/device/send.go
+++ b/device/send.go
@@ -115,6 +115,10 @@ func (peer *Peer) SendHandshakeInitiation(isRetry bool) error {
 	peer.handshake.lastSentHandshake = time.Now()
 	peer.handshake.mutex.Unlock()
 
+	return peer.sendHandshakeInitiation()
+}
+
+func (peer *Peer) sendHandshakeInitiation() error {
 	peer.device.log.Verbosef("%v - Sending handshake initiation", peer)
 
 	msg, err := peer.device.CreateMessageInitiation(peer)
@@ -139,6 +143,25 @@ func (peer *Peer) SendHandshakeInitiation(isRetry bool) error {
 	return err
 }
 
+// needsHandshake reports whether the peer lacks a usable session, i.e. a new
+// handshake is required before traffic can flow.
+func (peer *Peer) needsHandshake() bool {
+	keypair := peer.keypairs.Current()
+	return keypair == nil ||
+		keypair.sendNonce.Load() >= RejectAfterMessages ||
+		time.Since(keypair.created) >= RejectAfterTime
+}
+
+func (peer *Peer) SendHandshakeInitiationOnEndpointChange() error {
+	peer.timers.handshakeAttempts.Store(0)
+
+	peer.handshake.mutex.Lock()
+	peer.handshake.lastSentHandshake = time.Now()
+	peer.handshake.mutex.Unlock()
+
+	return peer.sendHandshakeInitiation()
+}
+
 func (peer *Peer) SendHandshakeResponse() error {
 	peer.handshake.mutex.Lock()
 	peer.handshake.lastSentHandshake = time.Now()
diff --git a/device/uapi.go b/device/uapi.go
index cc69488b4..e874fe13b 100644
--- a/device/uapi.go
+++ b/device/uapi.go
@@ -249,10 +249,11 @@ func (device *Device) handleDeviceLine(key, value string) error {
 
 // An ipcSetPeer is the current state of an IPC set operation on a peer.
 type ipcSetPeer struct {
-	*Peer        // Peer is the current peer being operated on
-	dummy   bool // dummy reports whether this peer is a temporary, placeholder peer
-	created bool // new reports whether this is a newly created peer
-	pkaOn   bool // pkaOn reports whether the peer had the persistent keepalive turn on
+	*Peer                // Peer is the current peer being operated on
+	dummy           bool // dummy reports whether this peer is a temporary, placeholder peer
+	created         bool // new reports whether this is a newly created peer
+	pkaOn           bool // pkaOn reports whether the peer had the persistent keepalive turn on
+	endpointChanged bool // the endpoint address changed
 }
 
 func (peer *ipcSetPeer) handlePostConfig() {
@@ -267,6 +268,9 @@ func (peer *ipcSetPeer) handlePostConfig() {
 		if peer.pkaOn {
 			peer.SendKeepalive()
 		}
+		if peer.endpointChanged && peer.needsHandshake() {
+			peer.SendHandshakeInitiationOnEndpointChange()
+		}
 		peer.SendStagedPackets()
 	}
 }
@@ -345,6 +349,10 @@ func (device *Device) handlePeerLine(peer *ipcSetPeer, key, value string) error
 		}
 		peer.endpoint.Lock()
 		defer peer.endpoint.Unlock()
+		// Only an actual change of an existing endpoint triggers a handshake.
+		if peer.endpoint.val != nil && peer.endpoint.val.DstToString() != endpoint.DstToString() {
+			peer.endpointChanged = true
+		}
 		peer.endpoint.val = endpoint
 
 	case "persistent_keepalive_interval":
diff --git a/device/uapi_test.go b/device/uapi_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..9df51a59a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/device/uapi_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
+/* SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
+ *
+ * Copyright (C) 2017-2025 WireGuard LLC. All Rights Reserved.
+ */
+
+package device
+
+import (
+	"encoding/hex"
+	"math/rand"
+	"testing"
+
+	"golang.zx2c4.com/wireguard/conn"
+	"golang.zx2c4.com/wireguard/tun/tuntest"
+)
+
+// TestEndpointChangeDetection checks that only replacing an already-set
+// endpoint with a different address counts as a change: a first-time
+// assignment or a no-op reassignment must not, so a live session is never
+// rekeyed unnecessarily.
+func TestEndpointChangeDetection(t *testing.T) {
+	dev, peer := newTestPeer(t)
+
+	if changed := setEndpoint(t, dev, peer, "127.0.0.1:51820"); changed {
+		t.Error("first-time endpoint assignment reported as a change")
+	}
+	if changed := setEndpoint(t, dev, peer, "127.0.0.1:51820"); changed {
+		t.Error("reassigning the same endpoint reported as a change")
+	}
+	if changed := setEndpoint(t, dev, peer, "127.0.0.1:51821"); !changed {
+		t.Error("changing the endpoint address was not reported as a change")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestNeedsHandshake(t *testing.T) {
+	_, peer := newTestPeer(t)
+
+	if !peer.needsHandshake() {
+		t.Error("peer without a keypair should need a handshake")
+	}
+}
+
+func newTestPeer(t *testing.T) (*Device, *Peer) {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	var key NoisePrivateKey
+	if _, err := rand.Read(key[:]); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("generate private key: %v", err)
+	}
+	var peerKey NoisePrivateKey
+	if _, err := rand.Read(peerKey[:]); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("generate peer key: %v", err)
+	}
+	peerPub := peerKey.publicKey()
+
+	tun := tuntest.NewChannelTUN()
+	dev := NewDevice(tun.TUN(), conn.NewDefaultBind(), NewLogger(LogLevelError, "test: "))
+	t.Cleanup(dev.Close)
+
+	cfg := uapiCfg(
+		"private_key", hex.EncodeToString(key[:]),
+		"listen_port", "0",
+		"replace_peers", "true",
+		"public_key", hex.EncodeToString(peerPub[:]),
+		"protocol_version", "1",
+		"replace_allowed_ips", "true",
+		"allowed_ip", "1.0.0.2/32",
+	)
+	if err := dev.IpcSet(cfg); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("configure device: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	peer := dev.LookupPeer(peerPub)
+	if peer == nil {
+		t.Fatal("configured peer not found")
+	}
+	return dev, peer
+}
+
+func setEndpoint(t *testing.T, dev *Device, peer *Peer, value string) bool {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	setPeer := &ipcSetPeer{Peer: peer}
+	if err := dev.handlePeerLine(setPeer, "endpoint", value); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("set endpoint %q: %v", value, err)
+	}
+	return setPeer.endpointChanged
+}