diff --git a/assignment-client/src/avatars/AvatarMixerSlave.cpp b/assignment-client/src/avatars/AvatarMixerSlave.cpp
index ef10cb730a..ee7dfd85f3 100644
--- a/assignment-client/src/avatars/AvatarMixerSlave.cpp
+++ b/assignment-client/src/avatars/AvatarMixerSlave.cpp
@@ -471,7 +471,7 @@ void AvatarMixerSlave::broadcastAvatarDataToAgent(const SharedNodePointer& node)
             avatarPacket->write(bytes);
             avatarSpaceAvailable -= bytes.size();
             numAvatarDataBytes += bytes.size();
-            if (includeFlags != 0) {
+            if (includeFlags != 0 || avatarSpaceAvailable < AvatarDataPacket::MIN_BULK_PACKET_SIZE) {
                 // Weren't able to fit everything.
                 nodeList->sendPacket(std::move(avatarPacket), *destinationNode);
                 ++numPacketsSent;
diff --git a/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.cpp b/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.cpp
index 5c50805e3b..20456012a3 100644
--- a/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.cpp
+++ b/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.cpp
@@ -243,10 +243,12 @@ QByteArray AvatarData::toByteArray(AvatarDataDetail dataDetail, quint64 lastSent
     bool sendPALMinimum = (dataDetail == PALMinimum);
 
     lazyInitHeadData();
+    ASSERT(maxDataSize == 0 || maxDataSize >= AvatarDataPacket::MIN_BULK_PACKET_SIZE);
 
     // special case, if we were asked for no data, then just include the flags all set to nothing
     if (dataDetail == NoData) {
         AvatarDataPacket::HasFlags packetStateFlags = 0;
+        itemFlags = packetStateFlags;
 
         QByteArray avatarDataByteArray(getSessionUUID().toRfc4122().data(), NUM_BYTES_RFC4122_UUID + sizeof(packetStateFlags));
         avatarDataByteArray.append((char*) &packetStateFlags, sizeof packetStateFlags);
diff --git a/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.h b/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.h
index 057b351670..df7129b7a5 100644
--- a/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.h
+++ b/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.h
@@ -296,6 +296,8 @@ namespace AvatarDataPacket {
     } PACKED_END;
     const size_t FAR_GRAB_JOINTS_SIZE = 84;
     static_assert(sizeof(FarGrabJoints) == FAR_GRAB_JOINTS_SIZE, "AvatarDataPacket::FarGrabJoints size doesn't match.");
+
+    const size_t MIN_BULK_PACKET_SIZE = NUM_BYTES_RFC4122_UUID + HEADER_SIZE;
 }
 
 const float MAX_AUDIO_LOUDNESS = 1000.0f; // close enough for mouth animation