diff --git a/service-t/native/libs/libnetworkstats/NetworkTraceHandler.cpp b/service-t/native/libs/libnetworkstats/NetworkTraceHandler.cpp
index 696a29a49e..3d22aac014 100644
--- a/service-t/native/libs/libnetworkstats/NetworkTraceHandler.cpp
+++ b/service-t/native/libs/libnetworkstats/NetworkTraceHandler.cpp
@@ -179,24 +179,25 @@ void NetworkTraceHandler::Write(const std::vector<PacketTrace>& packets,
     bundle.bytes += pkt.length;
   }
 
-  // If state was cleared, emit a separate packet to indicate it. This uses the
-  // overall minTs so it is sorted before any packets that follow.
   NetworkTraceState* incr_state = ctx.GetIncrementalState();
-  if (!bundles.empty() && mInternLimit && incr_state->cleared) {
-    auto clear = ctx.NewTracePacket();
-    clear->set_sequence_flags(TracePacket::SEQ_INCREMENTAL_STATE_CLEARED);
-    clear->set_timestamp(minTs);
-    incr_state->cleared = false;
-  }
-
   for (const auto& kv : bundles) {
     const BundleKey& key = kv.first;
     const BundleDetails& details = kv.second;
 
     auto dst = ctx.NewTracePacket();
-    dst->set_sequence_flags(TracePacket::SEQ_NEEDS_INCREMENTAL_STATE);
     dst->set_timestamp(details.minTs);
 
+    // Incremental state is only used when interning. Set the flag based on
+    // whether state was cleared. Leave the flag empty in non-intern configs.
+    if (mInternLimit > 0) {
+      if (incr_state->cleared) {
+        dst->set_sequence_flags(TracePacket::SEQ_INCREMENTAL_STATE_CLEARED);
+        incr_state->cleared = false;
+      } else {
+        dst->set_sequence_flags(TracePacket::SEQ_NEEDS_INCREMENTAL_STATE);
+      }
+    }
+
     auto* event = FillWithInterning(incr_state, key, dst.get());
 
     int count = details.time_and_len.size();
diff --git a/service-t/native/libs/libnetworkstats/NetworkTraceHandlerTest.cpp b/service-t/native/libs/libnetworkstats/NetworkTraceHandlerTest.cpp
index c9eb183046..27dce759f0 100644
--- a/service-t/native/libs/libnetworkstats/NetworkTraceHandlerTest.cpp
+++ b/service-t/native/libs/libnetworkstats/NetworkTraceHandlerTest.cpp
@@ -136,6 +136,7 @@ TEST_F(NetworkTraceHandlerTest, WriteBasicFields) {
   EXPECT_THAT(events[0].network_packet().ip_proto(), 6);
   EXPECT_THAT(events[0].network_packet().tcp_flags(), 1);
   EXPECT_THAT(events[0].network_packet().length(), 100);
+  EXPECT_THAT(events[0].has_sequence_flags(), false);
 }
 
 TEST_F(NetworkTraceHandlerTest, WriteDirectionAndPorts) {
@@ -374,20 +375,28 @@ TEST_F(NetworkTraceHandlerTest, Interning) {
   ASSERT_EQ(events[0].interned_data().packet_context().size(), 1);
   EXPECT_EQ(events[0].interned_data().packet_context(0).iid(), 1);
   EXPECT_EQ(events[0].interned_data().packet_context(0).ctx().uid(), 123);
+  EXPECT_EQ(events[0].sequence_flags(),
+            TracePacket::SEQ_INCREMENTAL_STATE_CLEARED);
 
   // First time seen, emit new interned data, bundle uses iid instead of ctx.
   EXPECT_EQ(events[1].network_packet_bundle().iid(), 2);
   ASSERT_EQ(events[1].interned_data().packet_context().size(), 1);
   EXPECT_EQ(events[1].interned_data().packet_context(0).iid(), 2);
   EXPECT_EQ(events[1].interned_data().packet_context(0).ctx().uid(), 456);
+  EXPECT_EQ(events[1].sequence_flags(),
+            TracePacket::SEQ_NEEDS_INCREMENTAL_STATE);
 
   // Not enough room in intern table (limit 2), inline the context.
   EXPECT_EQ(events[2].network_packet_bundle().ctx().uid(), 789);
   EXPECT_EQ(events[2].interned_data().packet_context().size(), 0);
+  EXPECT_EQ(events[2].sequence_flags(),
+            TracePacket::SEQ_NEEDS_INCREMENTAL_STATE);
 
   // Second time seen, no need to re-emit interned data, only record iid.
   EXPECT_EQ(events[3].network_packet_bundle().iid(), 1);
   EXPECT_EQ(events[3].interned_data().packet_context().size(), 0);
+  EXPECT_EQ(events[3].sequence_flags(),
+            TracePacket::SEQ_NEEDS_INCREMENTAL_STATE);
 }
 
 }  // namespace bpf
diff --git a/service-t/native/libs/libnetworkstats/include/netdbpf/NetworkTraceHandler.h b/service-t/native/libs/libnetworkstats/include/netdbpf/NetworkTraceHandler.h
index 80871c6313..9bc777baeb 100644
--- a/service-t/native/libs/libnetworkstats/include/netdbpf/NetworkTraceHandler.h
+++ b/service-t/native/libs/libnetworkstats/include/netdbpf/NetworkTraceHandler.h
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ struct BundleEq {
 // loss). When state is cleared, the state object is replaced with a new default
 // constructed instance.
 struct NetworkTraceState {
-  bool cleared;
+  bool cleared = true;
   std::unordered_map<BundleKey, uint64_t, BundleHash, BundleEq> iids;
 };