diff --git a/p2p/discover/v5_talk.go b/p2p/discover/v5_talk.go
index 10c4983d5a..dca09870d8 100644
--- a/p2p/discover/v5_talk.go
+++ b/p2p/discover/v5_talk.go
@@ -72,10 +72,11 @@ func (t *talkSystem) register(protocol string, handler TalkRequestHandler) {
 
 // handleRequest handles a talk request.
 func (t *talkSystem) handleRequest(id enode.ID, addr netip.AddrPort, req *v5wire.TalkRequest) {
-	var n *enode.Node
-	if n = t.transport.codec.SessionNode(id, addr.String()); n == nil {
-		log.Error("Got a TALKREQ from a node that has not completed the handshake", "id", id, "addr", addr)
-		return
+	n := t.transport.codec.SessionNode(id, addr.String())
+	if n == nil {
+		// The node must be contained in the session here, since we wouldn't have
+		// received the request otherwise.
+		panic("missing node in session")
 	}
 	t.mutex.Lock()
 	handler, ok := t.handlers[req.Protocol]
diff --git a/p2p/discover/v5_udp.go b/p2p/discover/v5_udp.go
index 893d00d470..677143fd60 100644
--- a/p2p/discover/v5_udp.go
+++ b/p2p/discover/v5_udp.go
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ type codecV5 interface {
 	CurrentChallenge(id enode.ID, addr string) *v5wire.Whoareyou
 
 	// SessionNode returns a node that has completed the handshake.
-	SessionNode(enode.ID, string) *enode.Node
+	SessionNode(id enode.ID, addr string) *enode.Node
 }
 
 // UDPv5 is the implementation of protocol version 5.
@@ -941,7 +941,7 @@ func (t *UDPv5) handleWhoareyou(p *v5wire.Whoareyou, fromID enode.ID, fromAddr n
 		c.err <- errors.New("remote wants handshake, but call has no ENR")
 		return
 	}
-
+	// Resend the call that was answered by WHOAREYOU.
 	t.log.Trace("<< "+p.Name(), "id", c.node.ID(), "addr", fromAddr)
 	if _, ok := t.noRespCallByAuth[p.Nonce]; !ok {
 		// Resend the call that was answered by WHOAREYOU.
diff --git a/p2p/discover/v5_udp_test.go b/p2p/discover/v5_udp_test.go
index 34450d803d..3a384aab12 100644
--- a/p2p/discover/v5_udp_test.go
+++ b/p2p/discover/v5_udp_test.go
@@ -181,29 +181,35 @@ func TestUDPv5_handshakeRepeatChallenge(t *testing.T) {
 	nonce1 := v5wire.Nonce{1}
 	nonce2 := v5wire.Nonce{2}
 	nonce3 := v5wire.Nonce{3}
-	check := func(p *v5wire.Whoareyou, wantNonce v5wire.Nonce) {
+	var firstAuthTag *v5wire.Nonce
+	check := func(p *v5wire.Whoareyou, authTag, wantNonce v5wire.Nonce) {
 		t.Helper()
 		if p.Nonce != wantNonce {
-			t.Error("wrong nonce in WHOAREYOU:", p.Nonce, wantNonce)
+			t.Error("wrong nonce in WHOAREYOU:", p.Nonce, "want:", wantNonce)
+		}
+		if firstAuthTag == nil {
+			firstAuthTag = &authTag
+		} else if authTag != *firstAuthTag {
+			t.Error("wrong auth tag in WHOAREYOU header:", authTag, "want:", *firstAuthTag)
 		}
 	}
 
 	// Unknown packet from unknown node.
 	test.packetIn(&v5wire.Unknown{Nonce: nonce1})
-	test.waitPacketOut(func(p *v5wire.Whoareyou, addr netip.AddrPort, _ v5wire.Nonce) {
-		check(p, nonce1)
+	test.waitPacketOut(func(p *v5wire.Whoareyou, addr netip.AddrPort, authTag v5wire.Nonce) {
+		check(p, authTag, nonce1)
 	})
 
 	// Second unknown packet. Here we expect the response to reference the
 	// first unknown packet.
 	test.packetIn(&v5wire.Unknown{Nonce: nonce2})
-	test.waitPacketOut(func(p *v5wire.Whoareyou, addr netip.AddrPort, _ v5wire.Nonce) {
-		check(p, nonce1)
+	test.waitPacketOut(func(p *v5wire.Whoareyou, addr netip.AddrPort, authTag v5wire.Nonce) {
+		check(p, authTag, nonce1)
 	})
 	// Third unknown packet. This should still return the first nonce.
 	test.packetIn(&v5wire.Unknown{Nonce: nonce3})
-	test.waitPacketOut(func(p *v5wire.Whoareyou, addr netip.AddrPort, _ v5wire.Nonce) {
-		check(p, nonce1)
+	test.waitPacketOut(func(p *v5wire.Whoareyou, addr netip.AddrPort, authTag v5wire.Nonce) {
+		check(p, authTag, nonce1)
 	})
 }
 
@@ -766,20 +772,30 @@ type testCodecFrame struct {
 }
 
 func (c *testCodec) Encode(toID enode.ID, addr string, p v5wire.Packet, _ *v5wire.Whoareyou) ([]byte, v5wire.Nonce, error) {
+	// To match the behavior of v5wire.Codec, we return the cached encoding of
+	// WHOAREYOU challenges.
+	if wp, ok := p.(*v5wire.Whoareyou); ok && len(wp.Encoded) > 0 {
+		return wp.Encoded, wp.Nonce, nil
+	}
+
 	c.ctr++
 	var authTag v5wire.Nonce
 	binary.BigEndian.PutUint64(authTag[:], c.ctr)
+	penc, _ := rlp.EncodeToBytes(p)
+	frame, err := rlp.EncodeToBytes(testCodecFrame{c.id, authTag, p.Kind(), penc})
+	if err != nil {
+		return frame, authTag, err
+	}
 
+	// Store recently sent challenges.
 	if w, ok := p.(*v5wire.Whoareyou); ok {
-		// Store recently sent Whoareyou challenges.
+		w.Nonce = authTag
+		w.Encoded = frame
 		if c.sentChallenges == nil {
 			c.sentChallenges = make(map[enode.ID]*v5wire.Whoareyou)
 		}
 		c.sentChallenges[toID] = w
 	}
-
-	penc, _ := rlp.EncodeToBytes(p)
-	frame, err := rlp.EncodeToBytes(testCodecFrame{c.id, authTag, p.Kind(), penc})
 	return frame, authTag, err
 }
 
diff --git a/p2p/discover/v5wire/encoding.go b/p2p/discover/v5wire/encoding.go
index 773d2addd9..ec5ef8a261 100644
--- a/p2p/discover/v5wire/encoding.go
+++ b/p2p/discover/v5wire/encoding.go
@@ -189,8 +189,10 @@ func (c *Codec) Encode(id enode.ID, addr string, packet Packet, challenge *Whoar
 	)
 	switch {
 	case packet.Kind() == WhoareyouPacket:
-		if sentWhoareyou := c.sc.getHandshake(id, addr); sentWhoareyou != nil {
-			return sentWhoareyou.encoded, sentWhoareyou.Nonce, nil
+		// just send the WHOAREYOU packet raw again, rather than the re-encoded challenge data
+		w := packet.(*Whoareyou)
+		if len(w.Encoded) > 0 {
+			return w.Encoded, w.Nonce, nil
 		}
 		head, err = c.encodeWhoareyou(id, packet.(*Whoareyou))
 	case challenge != nil:
@@ -218,25 +220,26 @@ func (c *Codec) Encode(id enode.ID, addr string, packet Packet, challenge *Whoar
 	// Encode header data.
 	c.writeHeaders(&head)
 
-	var enc []byte
 	// Store sent WHOAREYOU challenges.
 	if challenge, ok := packet.(*Whoareyou); ok {
 		challenge.ChallengeData = bytesCopy(&c.buf)
-		enc, err = c.EncodeRaw(id, head, msgData)
+		enc, err := c.EncodeRaw(id, head, msgData)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, Nonce{}, err
 		}
-		challenge.encoded = enc
+		challenge.Encoded = bytes.Clone(enc)
 		c.sc.storeSentHandshake(id, addr, challenge)
 		return enc, head.Nonce, err
-	} else if msgData == nil {
+	}
+
+	if msgData == nil {
 		headerData := c.buf.Bytes()
 		msgData, err = c.encryptMessage(session, packet, &head, headerData)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, Nonce{}, err
 		}
 	}
-	enc, err = c.EncodeRaw(id, head, msgData)
+	enc, err := c.EncodeRaw(id, head, msgData)
 	return enc, head.Nonce, err
 }
 
@@ -260,12 +263,6 @@ func (c *Codec) CurrentChallenge(id enode.ID, addr string) *Whoareyou {
 	return c.sc.getHandshake(id, addr)
 }
 
-// SessionNode returns the node associated.
-// This will return nil while a handshake is in progress.
-func (c *Codec) SessionNode(id enode.ID, addr string) *enode.Node {
-	return c.sc.readNode(id, addr)
-}
-
 func (c *Codec) writeHeaders(head *Header) {
 	c.buf.Reset()
 	c.buf.Write(head.IV[:])
@@ -659,6 +656,10 @@ func (c *Codec) decryptMessage(input, nonce, headerData, readKey []byte) (Packet
 	return DecodeMessage(msgdata[0], msgdata[1:])
 }
 
+func (c *Codec) SessionNode(id enode.ID, addr string) *enode.Node {
+	return c.sc.readNode(id, addr)
+}
+
 // checkValid performs some basic validity checks on the header.
 // The packetLen here is the length remaining after the static header.
 func (h *StaticHeader) checkValid(packetLen int, protocolID [6]byte) error {
diff --git a/p2p/discover/v5wire/msg.go b/p2p/discover/v5wire/msg.go
index ca8ddb77ba..089fd4ebdc 100644
--- a/p2p/discover/v5wire/msg.go
+++ b/p2p/discover/v5wire/msg.go
@@ -72,8 +72,10 @@ type (
 		// This must be set by the caller of Encode.
 		Node *enode.Node
 
-		sent    mclock.AbsTime // for handshake GC.
-		encoded []byte         // Encoded packet raw data for sending out
+		sent mclock.AbsTime // for handshake GC.
+
+		// Encoded is packet raw data for sending out, but should not be include in the RLP encoding.
+		Encoded []byte `rlp:"-"`
 	}
 
 	// PING is sent during liveness checks.
diff --git a/p2p/discover/v5wire/session.go b/p2p/discover/v5wire/session.go
index 53a6947942..5a2166b143 100644
--- a/p2p/discover/v5wire/session.go
+++ b/p2p/discover/v5wire/session.go
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ func (sc *SessionCache) readNode(id enode.ID, addr string) *enode.Node {
 // storeNewSession stores new encryption keys in the cache.
 func (sc *SessionCache) storeNewSession(id enode.ID, addr string, s *session, n *enode.Node) {
 	if n == nil {
-		panic("session must caches a non-nil node")
+		panic("nil node in storeNewSession")
 	}
 	s.node = n
 	sc.sessions.Add(sessionID{id, addr}, s)