diff --git a/src/cursor/abstract_cursor.ts b/src/cursor/abstract_cursor.ts
index af688ebfb62..a69f9fbabf9 100644
--- a/src/cursor/abstract_cursor.ts
+++ b/src/cursor/abstract_cursor.ts
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ import { ReadConcern, type ReadConcernLike } from '../read_concern';
 import { ReadPreference, type ReadPreferenceLike } from '../read_preference';
 import { type AsyncDisposable, configureResourceManagement } from '../resource_management';
 import type { Server } from '../sdam/server';
-import { ClientSession, maybeClearPinnedConnection } from '../sessions';
+import { type ClientSession, maybeClearPinnedConnection } from '../sessions';
 import { type CSOTTimeoutContext, type Timeout, TimeoutContext } from '../timeout';
 import {
   addAbortListener,
@@ -227,7 +227,7 @@ export abstract class AbstractCursor<
   /** @internal */
   private cursorId: Long | null;
   /** @internal */
-  private cursorSession: ClientSession;
+  private cursorSession: ClientSession | null;
   /** @internal */
   private selectedServer?: Server;
   /** @internal */
@@ -352,11 +352,7 @@ export abstract class AbstractCursor<
       this.cursorOptions.maxAwaitTimeMS = options.maxAwaitTimeMS;
     }
 
-    if (options.session instanceof ClientSession) {
-      this.cursorSession = options.session;
-    } else {
-      this.cursorSession = this.cursorClient.startSession({ owner: this, explicit: false });
-    }
+    this.cursorSession = options.session ?? null;
 
     this.deserializationOptions = {
       ...this.cursorOptions,
@@ -413,7 +409,7 @@ export abstract class AbstractCursor<
   }
 
   /** @internal */
-  get session(): ClientSession {
+  get session(): ClientSession | null {
     return this.cursorSession;
   }
 
@@ -877,11 +873,12 @@ export abstract class AbstractCursor<
     this.trackCursor();
 
     // We only want to end this session if we created it, and it hasn't ended yet
-    if (this.cursorSession.explicit === false) {
+    if (this.cursorSession?.explicit === false) {
       if (!this.cursorSession.hasEnded) {
         this.cursorSession.endSession().then(undefined, squashError);
       }
-      this.cursorSession = this.cursorClient.startSession({ owner: this, explicit: false });
+
+      this.cursorSession = null;
     }
   }
 
@@ -907,6 +904,13 @@ export abstract class AbstractCursor<
         'Unexpected null selectedServer. A cursor creating command should have set this'
       );
     }
+
+    if (this.cursorSession == null) {
+      throw new MongoRuntimeError(
+        'Unexpected null session. A cursor creating command should have set this'
+      );
+    }
+
     const getMoreOptions = {
       ...this.cursorOptions,
       session: this.cursorSession,
@@ -941,6 +945,7 @@ export abstract class AbstractCursor<
       );
     }
     try {
+      this.cursorSession ??= this.cursorClient.startSession({ owner: this, explicit: false });
       const state = await this._initialize(this.cursorSession);
       // Set omitMaxTimeMS to the value needed for subsequent getMore calls
       this.cursorOptions.omitMaxTimeMS = this.cursorOptions.timeoutMS != null;
@@ -1032,41 +1037,57 @@ export abstract class AbstractCursor<
         return this.timeoutContext?.refreshed();
       }
     };
-    try {
-      if (
-        !this.isKilled &&
-        this.cursorId &&
-        !this.cursorId.isZero() &&
-        this.cursorNamespace &&
-        this.selectedServer &&
-        !this.cursorSession.hasEnded
-      ) {
-        this.isKilled = true;
-        const cursorId = this.cursorId;
-        this.cursorId = Long.ZERO;
-
-        await executeOperation(
-          this.cursorClient,
-          new KillCursorsOperation(cursorId, this.cursorNamespace, this.selectedServer, {
-            session: this.cursorSession
-          }),
-          timeoutContextForKillCursors()
-        );
+
+    const withEmitClose = async (fn: () => Promise<void>) => {
+      try {
+        await fn();
+      } finally {
+        this.emitClose();
       }
-    } catch (error) {
-      squashError(error);
-    } finally {
+    };
+
+    const close = async () => {
+      // if no session has been defined on the cursor, the cursor was never initialized
+      // or the cursor was re-wound and never re-iterated.  In either case, we
+      //   1. do not need to end the session (there is no session after all)
+      //   2. do not need to kill the cursor server-side
+      const session = this.cursorSession;
+      if (!session) return;
+
       try {
-        if (this.cursorSession?.owner === this) {
-          await this.cursorSession.endSession({ error });
-        }
-        if (!this.cursorSession?.inTransaction()) {
-          maybeClearPinnedConnection(this.cursorSession, { error });
+        if (
+          !this.isKilled &&
+          this.cursorId &&
+          !this.cursorId.isZero() &&
+          this.cursorNamespace &&
+          this.selectedServer &&
+          !session.hasEnded
+        ) {
+          this.isKilled = true;
+          const cursorId = this.cursorId;
+          this.cursorId = Long.ZERO;
+
+          await executeOperation(
+            this.cursorClient,
+            new KillCursorsOperation(cursorId, this.cursorNamespace, this.selectedServer, {
+              session
+            }),
+            timeoutContextForKillCursors()
+          );
         }
+      } catch (error) {
+        squashError(error);
       } finally {
-        this.emitClose();
+        if (session.owner === this) {
+          await session.endSession({ error });
+        }
+        if (!session.inTransaction()) {
+          maybeClearPinnedConnection(session, { error });
+        }
       }
-    }
+    };
+
+    await withEmitClose(close);
   }
 
   /** @internal */
diff --git a/src/cursor/run_command_cursor.ts b/src/cursor/run_command_cursor.ts
index d5b90eeda9d..0e9992a2aa4 100644
--- a/src/cursor/run_command_cursor.ts
+++ b/src/cursor/run_command_cursor.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import type { BSONSerializeOptions, Document } from '../bson';
 import { CursorResponse } from '../cmap/wire_protocol/responses';
 import type { Db } from '../db';
-import { MongoAPIError } from '../error';
+import { MongoAPIError, MongoRuntimeError } from '../error';
 import { executeOperation } from '../operations/execute_operation';
 import { GetMoreOperation } from '../operations/get_more';
 import { RunCommandOperation } from '../operations/run_command';
@@ -161,6 +161,12 @@ export class RunCommandCursor extends AbstractCursor {
 
   /** @internal */
   override async getMore(_batchSize: number): Promise<CursorResponse> {
+    if (!this.session) {
+      throw new MongoRuntimeError(
+        'Unexpected null session. A cursor creating command should have set this'
+      );
+    }
+
     // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-non-null-assertion
     const getMoreOperation = new GetMoreOperation(this.namespace, this.id!, this.server!, {
       ...this.cursorOptions,
diff --git a/test/integration/crud/misc_cursors.test.js b/test/integration/crud/misc_cursors.test.js
index ca35bdaef94..918b419a0c6 100644
--- a/test/integration/crud/misc_cursors.test.js
+++ b/test/integration/crud/misc_cursors.test.js
@@ -1676,22 +1676,24 @@ describe('Cursor', function () {
     const collection = await client.db().collection('test');
 
     const cursor = collection.find({});
+    await cursor.next();
+
     const clonedCursor = cursor.clone();
 
-    expect(cursor).to.have.property('session');
-    expect(clonedCursor).to.have.property('session');
-    expect(cursor.session).to.not.equal(clonedCursor.session);
+    expect(cursor).to.have.property('session').not.to.be.null;
+    expect(clonedCursor).to.have.property('session').to.be.null;
   });
 
   it('removes session when cloning an aggregation cursor', async function () {
     const collection = await client.db().collection('test');
 
     const cursor = collection.aggregate([{ $match: {} }]);
+    await cursor.next();
+
     const clonedCursor = cursor.clone();
 
-    expect(cursor).to.have.property('session');
-    expect(clonedCursor).to.have.property('session');
-    expect(cursor.session).to.not.equal(clonedCursor.session);
+    expect(cursor).to.have.property('session').not.to.be.null;
+    expect(clonedCursor).to.have.property('session').to.be.null;
   });
 
   it('destroying a stream stops it', async function () {
@@ -3598,42 +3600,38 @@ describe('Cursor', function () {
     });
 
     context('when executing on a find cursor', function () {
-      it('removes the existing session from the cloned cursor', function () {
+      it('removes the existing session from the cloned cursor', async function () {
         const docs = [{ name: 'test1' }, { name: 'test2' }];
-        return collection.insertMany(docs).then(() => {
-          const cursor = collection.find({}, { batchSize: 1 });
-          return cursor
-            .next()
-            .then(doc => {
-              expect(doc).to.exist;
-              const clonedCursor = cursor.clone();
-              expect(clonedCursor.cursorOptions.session).to.not.exist;
-              expect(clonedCursor.session).to.have.property('_serverSession', null); // session is brand new and has not been used
-            })
-            .finally(() => {
-              return cursor.close();
-            });
-        });
+        await collection.insertMany(docs);
+
+        const cursor = collection.find({}, { batchSize: 1 });
+        try {
+          const doc = await cursor.next();
+          expect(doc).to.exist;
+
+          const clonedCursor = cursor.clone();
+          expect(clonedCursor.session).to.be.null;
+        } finally {
+          await cursor.close();
+        }
       });
     });
 
     context('when executing on an aggregation cursor', function () {
-      it('removes the existing session from the cloned cursor', function () {
+      it('removes the existing session from the cloned cursor', async function () {
         const docs = [{ name: 'test1' }, { name: 'test2' }];
-        return collection.insertMany(docs).then(() => {
-          const cursor = collection.aggregate([{ $match: {} }], { batchSize: 1 });
-          return cursor
-            .next()
-            .then(doc => {
-              expect(doc).to.exist;
-              const clonedCursor = cursor.clone();
-              expect(clonedCursor.cursorOptions.session).to.not.exist;
-              expect(clonedCursor.session).to.have.property('_serverSession', null); // session is brand new and has not been used
-            })
-            .finally(() => {
-              return cursor.close();
-            });
-        });
+        await collection.insertMany(docs);
+
+        const cursor = collection.aggregate([{ $match: {} }], { batchSize: 1 });
+        try {
+          const doc = await cursor.next();
+          expect(doc).to.exist;
+
+          const clonedCursor = cursor.clone();
+          expect(clonedCursor.session).to.be.null;
+        } finally {
+          await cursor.close();
+        }
       });
     });
   });
diff --git a/test/integration/node-specific/abstract_cursor.test.ts b/test/integration/node-specific/abstract_cursor.test.ts
index 2ca0459419e..4eb1b521dfe 100644
--- a/test/integration/node-specific/abstract_cursor.test.ts
+++ b/test/integration/node-specific/abstract_cursor.test.ts
@@ -23,6 +23,43 @@ import { clearFailPoint, configureFailPoint } from '../../tools/utils';
 import { filterForCommands } from '../shared';
 
 describe('class AbstractCursor', function () {
+  describe('lazy implicit session acquisition', function () {
+    let client: MongoClient;
+    let collection: Collection;
+    const docs = [{ count: 0 }, { count: 10 }];
+
+    beforeEach(async function () {
+      client = this.configuration.newClient();
+
+      collection = client.db('abstract_cursor_integration').collection('test');
+
+      await collection.insertMany(docs);
+    });
+
+    afterEach(async function () {
+      await collection.deleteMany({});
+      await client.close();
+    });
+
+    it('does not allocate a session when the cursor is constructed', function () {
+      const cursor = collection.find();
+      expect(cursor.session).to.be.null;
+    });
+
+    it('allocates a session once the cursor is initialized', async function () {
+      const cursor = collection.find({}, { batchSize: 1 });
+      await cursor.next();
+      expect(cursor.session).not.to.be.null;
+    });
+
+    it('sets the session to `null` when rewound', async function () {
+      const cursor = collection.find({}, { batchSize: 1 });
+      await cursor.next();
+      cursor.rewind();
+      expect(cursor.session).to.be.null;
+    });
+  });
+
   describe('regression tests NODE-5372', function () {
     let client: MongoClient;
     let collection: Collection;
diff --git a/test/unit/cursor/abstract_cursor.test.ts b/test/unit/cursor/abstract_cursor.test.ts
index bb68a74318a..7665c8744f2 100644
--- a/test/unit/cursor/abstract_cursor.test.ts
+++ b/test/unit/cursor/abstract_cursor.test.ts
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ import {
   AbstractCursor,
   type AbstractCursorOptions,
   type Callback,
-  ClientSession,
+  type ClientSession,
   type ExecutionResult,
   MongoClient,
   ns,
@@ -32,9 +32,9 @@ describe('class AbstractCursor', () => {
   });
 
   context('#constructor', () => {
-    it('creates a session if none passed in', () => {
+    it('does not create a session if none passed in', () => {
       const cursor = new ConcreteCursor(client);
-      expect(cursor).to.have.property('session').that.is.instanceOf(ClientSession);
+      expect(cursor).to.have.property('session').that.is.null;
     });
 
     it('uses the passed in session', async () => {
diff --git a/test/unit/cursor/aggregation_cursor.test.ts b/test/unit/cursor/aggregation_cursor.test.ts
index 82ae18745b0..e0d7a1223c1 100644
--- a/test/unit/cursor/aggregation_cursor.test.ts
+++ b/test/unit/cursor/aggregation_cursor.test.ts
@@ -29,10 +29,9 @@ describe('class AggregationCursor', () => {
   });
 
   context('clone()', () => {
-    it('returns a new cursor with a different session', () => {
+    it('returns a new cursor', () => {
       const cloned = cursor.clone();
       expect(cursor).to.not.equal(cloned);
-      expect(cursor.session).to.not.equal(cloned.session);
     });
   });