diff --git a/assignment-client/src/avatars/ScriptableAvatar.cpp b/assignment-client/src/avatars/ScriptableAvatar.cpp
index 16a49a8999..6f04cfa196 100644
--- a/assignment-client/src/avatars/ScriptableAvatar.cpp
+++ b/assignment-client/src/avatars/ScriptableAvatar.cpp
@@ -16,9 +16,13 @@
 #include <glm/gtx/transform.hpp>
 
 #include <shared/QtHelpers.h>
-#include <GLMHelpers.h>
 #include <AnimUtil.h>
+#include <ClientTraitsHandler.h>
+#include <GLMHelpers.h>
 
+ScriptableAvatar::ScriptableAvatar() {
+    _clientTraitsHandler = std::unique_ptr<ClientTraitsHandler>(new ClientTraitsHandler(this));
+}
 
 QByteArray ScriptableAvatar::toByteArrayStateful(AvatarDataDetail dataDetail, bool dropFaceTracking) {
     _globalPosition = getWorldPosition();
@@ -63,8 +67,6 @@ void ScriptableAvatar::setSkeletonModelURL(const QUrl& skeletonModelURL) {
     _animSkeleton.reset();
 
     AvatarData::setSkeletonModelURL(skeletonModelURL);
-
-    _clientTraitsHandler.markTraitChanged(AvatarTraits::SkeletonModelURL);
 }
 
 static AnimPose composeAnimPose(const FBXJoint& fbxJoint, const glm::quat rotation, const glm::vec3 translation) {
@@ -141,5 +143,5 @@ void ScriptableAvatar::update(float deltatime) {
         }
     }
 
-    _clientTraitsHandler.sendChangedTraitsToMixer();
+    _clientTraitsHandler->sendChangedTraitsToMixer();
 }
diff --git a/assignment-client/src/avatars/ScriptableAvatar.h b/assignment-client/src/avatars/ScriptableAvatar.h
index 201bfe67e8..89f9369133 100644
--- a/assignment-client/src/avatars/ScriptableAvatar.h
+++ b/assignment-client/src/avatars/ScriptableAvatar.h
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@
 #include <AnimationCache.h>
 #include <AnimSkeleton.h>
 #include <AvatarData.h>
-#include <ClientTraitsHandler.h>
 #include <ScriptEngine.h>
 
 /**jsdoc
@@ -125,6 +124,8 @@ class ScriptableAvatar : public AvatarData, public Dependency {
     Q_OBJECT
 public:
 
+    ScriptableAvatar();
+
     /**jsdoc
      * @function Avatar.startAnimation
      * @param {string} url
@@ -165,8 +166,6 @@ private:
     QStringList _maskedJoints;
     AnimationPointer _bind; // a sleazy way to get the skeleton, given the various library/cmake dependencies
     std::shared_ptr<AnimSkeleton> _animSkeleton;
-
-    ClientTraitsHandler _clientTraitsHandler { this };
 };
 
 #endif // hifi_ScriptableAvatar_h
diff --git a/interface/src/avatar/MyAvatar.cpp b/interface/src/avatar/MyAvatar.cpp
index 90d1ad257b..2c88f917a1 100755
--- a/interface/src/avatar/MyAvatar.cpp
+++ b/interface/src/avatar/MyAvatar.cpp
@@ -119,9 +119,9 @@ MyAvatar::MyAvatar(QThread* thread) :
     _goToOrientation(),
     _prevShouldDrawHead(true),
     _audioListenerMode(FROM_HEAD),
-    _hmdAtRestDetector(glm::vec3(0), glm::quat()),
-    _clientTraitsHandler(this)
+    _hmdAtRestDetector(glm::vec3(0), glm::quat())
 {
+    _clientTraitsHandler = std::unique_ptr<ClientTraitsHandler>(new ClientTraitsHandler(this));
 
     // give the pointer to our head to inherited _headData variable from AvatarData
     _headData = new MyHead(this);
@@ -514,7 +514,7 @@ void MyAvatar::update(float deltaTime) {
         sendIdentityPacket();
     }
 
-    _clientTraitsHandler.sendChangedTraitsToMixer();
+    _clientTraitsHandler->sendChangedTraitsToMixer();
 
     simulate(deltaTime);
 
@@ -1702,10 +1702,6 @@ void MyAvatar::setSkeletonModelURL(const QUrl& skeletonModelURL) {
     
     saveAvatarUrl();
     emit skeletonChanged();
-
-    if (previousSkeletonModelURL != _skeletonModelURL) {
-        _clientTraitsHandler.markTraitChanged(AvatarTraits::SkeletonModelURL);
-    }
 }
 
 void MyAvatar::removeAvatarEntities(const std::function<bool(const QUuid& entityID)>& condition) {
diff --git a/interface/src/avatar/MyAvatar.h b/interface/src/avatar/MyAvatar.h
index 8fdc4ba4e3..ba6348cc22 100644
--- a/interface/src/avatar/MyAvatar.h
+++ b/interface/src/avatar/MyAvatar.h
@@ -1334,7 +1334,6 @@ public slots:
      */
     void setAnimGraphUrl(const QUrl& url);  // thread-safe
 
-
     /**jsdoc
      * @function MyAvatar.getPositionForAudio
      * @returns {Vec3} 
@@ -1347,7 +1346,6 @@ public slots:
      */
     glm::quat getOrientationForAudio();
 
-
     /**jsdoc
      * @function MyAvatar.setModelScale
      * @param {number} scale
@@ -1776,8 +1774,6 @@ private:
 
     bool _haveReceivedHeightLimitsFromDomain { false };
     int _disableHandTouchCount { 0 };
-
-    ClientTraitsHandler _clientTraitsHandler;
 };
 
 QScriptValue audioListenModeToScriptValue(QScriptEngine* engine, const AudioListenerMode& audioListenerMode);
diff --git a/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.cpp b/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.cpp
index c9d8049cd3..f32da39bba 100644
--- a/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.cpp
+++ b/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.cpp
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@
 
 #include "AvatarLogging.h"
 #include "AvatarTraits.h"
+#include "ClientTraitsHandler.h"
 
 //#define WANT_DEBUG
 
@@ -1897,6 +1898,10 @@ void AvatarData::setSkeletonModelURL(const QUrl& skeletonModelURL) {
 
     updateJointMappings();
 
+    if (_clientTraitsHandler) {
+        _clientTraitsHandler->markTraitChanged(AvatarTraits::SkeletonModelURL);
+    }
+
     emit skeletonModelURLChanged();
 }
 
diff --git a/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.h b/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.h
index 619f8e1722..a5d2d0749b 100644
--- a/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.h
+++ b/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.h
@@ -372,6 +372,8 @@ public:
     bool operator<(const AvatarPriority& other) const { return priority < other.priority; }
 };
 
+class ClientTraitsHandler;
+
 class AvatarData : public QObject, public SpatiallyNestable {
     Q_OBJECT
 
@@ -924,6 +926,7 @@ public:
      * @param {string} entityData
      */
     Q_INVOKABLE void updateAvatarEntity(const QUuid& entityID, const QByteArray& entityData);
+
     /**jsdoc
      * @function MyAvatar.clearAvatarEntity
      * @param {Uuid} entityID
@@ -1435,6 +1438,9 @@ protected:
     bool _hasProcessedFirstIdentity { false };
     float _density;
 
+    // null unless MyAvatar or ScriptableAvatar sending traits data to mixer
+    std::unique_ptr<ClientTraitsHandler> _clientTraitsHandler;
+
     template <typename T, typename F>
     T readLockWithNamedJointIndex(const QString& name, const T& defaultValue, F f) const {
         int index = getFauxJointIndex(name);
diff --git a/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarTraits.h b/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarTraits.h
index 121e1057c6..d30da0e1af 100644
--- a/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarTraits.h
+++ b/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarTraits.h
@@ -12,8 +12,8 @@
 #ifndef hifi_AvatarTraits_h
 #define hifi_AvatarTraits_h
 
+#include <algorithm>
 #include <cstdint>
-#include <set>
 #include <vector>
 
 namespace AvatarTraits {
@@ -23,7 +23,28 @@ namespace AvatarTraits {
         TotalTraitTypes
     };
 
-    using TraitTypeSet = std::set<TraitType>;
+    class TraitTypeSet {
+    public:
+        TraitTypeSet() {};
+        
+        TraitTypeSet(std::initializer_list<TraitType> types) {
+            for (auto type : types) {
+                _types[type] = true;
+            }
+        };
+
+        bool contains(TraitType type) const { return _types[type]; }
+
+        bool hasAny() const { return std::find(_types.begin(), _types.end(), true) != _types.end(); }
+        int size() const { return std::count(_types.begin(), _types.end(), true); }
+
+        void insert(TraitType type) { _types[type] = true; }
+        void erase(TraitType type) { _types[type] = false; }
+        void clear() { std::fill(_types.begin(), _types.end(), false); }
+    private:
+        std::vector<bool> _types = { AvatarTraits::TotalTraitTypes, false };
+    };
+
     const TraitTypeSet SimpleTraitTypes = { SkeletonModelURL };
 
     using TraitVersion = uint32_t;
@@ -35,6 +56,6 @@ namespace AvatarTraits {
     using TraitWireSize = uint16_t;
 
     using SimpleTraitVersions = std::vector<TraitVersion>;
-}
+};
 
 #endif // hifi_AvatarTraits_h
diff --git a/libraries/avatars/src/ClientTraitsHandler.cpp b/libraries/avatars/src/ClientTraitsHandler.cpp
index 2518dedf37..8b3ded1e1c 100644
--- a/libraries/avatars/src/ClientTraitsHandler.cpp
+++ b/libraries/avatars/src/ClientTraitsHandler.cpp
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ void ClientTraitsHandler::sendChangedTraitsToMixer() {
         auto changedTraitsCopy { _changedTraits };
         _changedTraits.clear();
 
-        if (_performInitialSend || changedTraitsCopy.count(AvatarTraits::SkeletonModelURL)) {
+        if (_performInitialSend || changedTraitsCopy.contains(AvatarTraits::SkeletonModelURL)) {
             traitsPacketList->startSegment();
             _owningAvatar->packTrait(AvatarTraits::SkeletonModelURL, *traitsPacketList);
             traitsPacketList->endSegment();
diff --git a/libraries/avatars/src/ClientTraitsHandler.h b/libraries/avatars/src/ClientTraitsHandler.h
index 3a2b70776c..1d4c67d0c4 100644
--- a/libraries/avatars/src/ClientTraitsHandler.h
+++ b/libraries/avatars/src/ClientTraitsHandler.h
@@ -26,10 +26,10 @@ public:
 
     void sendChangedTraitsToMixer();
 
-    bool hasChangedTraits() { return _changedTraits.size(); }
+    bool hasChangedTraits() { return _changedTraits.hasAny(); }
     void markTraitChanged(AvatarTraits::TraitType changedTrait) { _changedTraits.insert(changedTrait); }
 
-    bool hasTraitChanged(AvatarTraits::TraitType checkTrait) { return _changedTraits.count(checkTrait) > 0; }
+    bool hasTraitChanged(AvatarTraits::TraitType checkTrait) { return _changedTraits.contains(checkTrait) > 0; }
 
     void resetForNewMixer();