diff --git a/go/mysql/conn.go b/go/mysql/conn.go
index 925dfbfa8e4..d61549c92ef 100644
--- a/go/mysql/conn.go
+++ b/go/mysql/conn.go
@@ -787,15 +787,15 @@ func (c *Conn) writeOKPacketWithHeader(packetOk *PacketOK, headerType byte) erro
 	// assuming CapabilityClientProtocol41
 	length += 4 // status_flags + warnings
 
+	hasSessionTrack := c.Capabilities&CapabilityClientSessionTrack == CapabilityClientSessionTrack
+	hasGtidData := hasSessionTrack && packetOk.statusFlags&ServerSessionStateChanged == ServerSessionStateChanged
+
 	var gtidData []byte
-	if c.Capabilities&CapabilityClientSessionTrack == CapabilityClientSessionTrack {
+
+	if hasSessionTrack {
 		length += lenEncStringSize(packetOk.info) // info
-		if packetOk.statusFlags&ServerSessionStateChanged == ServerSessionStateChanged {
-			gtidData = getLenEncString([]byte(packetOk.sessionStateData))
-			gtidData = append([]byte{0x00}, gtidData...)
-			gtidData = getLenEncString(gtidData)
-			gtidData = append([]byte{0x03}, gtidData...)
-			gtidData = append(getLenEncInt(uint64(len(gtidData))), gtidData...)
+		if hasGtidData {
+			gtidData = encGtidData(packetOk.sessionStateData)
 			length += len(gtidData)
 		}
 	} else {
@@ -809,10 +809,10 @@ func (c *Conn) writeOKPacketWithHeader(packetOk *PacketOK, headerType byte) erro
 	data.writeLenEncInt(packetOk.lastInsertID)
 	data.writeUint16(packetOk.statusFlags)
 	data.writeUint16(packetOk.warnings)
-	if c.Capabilities&CapabilityClientSessionTrack == CapabilityClientSessionTrack {
+	if hasSessionTrack {
 		data.writeLenEncString(packetOk.info)
-		if packetOk.statusFlags&ServerSessionStateChanged == ServerSessionStateChanged {
-			data.writeEOFString(string(gtidData))
+		if hasGtidData {
+			data.writeEOFBytes(gtidData)
 		}
 	} else {
 		data.writeEOFString(packetOk.info)
@@ -820,39 +820,6 @@ func (c *Conn) writeOKPacketWithHeader(packetOk *PacketOK, headerType byte) erro
 	return c.writeEphemeralPacket()
 }
 
-func getLenEncString(value []byte) []byte {
-	data := getLenEncInt(uint64(len(value)))
-	return append(data, value...)
-}
-
-func getLenEncInt(i uint64) []byte {
-	var data []byte
-	switch {
-	case i < 251:
-		data = append(data, byte(i))
-	case i < 1<<16:
-		data = append(data, 0xfc)
-		data = append(data, byte(i))
-		data = append(data, byte(i>>8))
-	case i < 1<<24:
-		data = append(data, 0xfd)
-		data = append(data, byte(i))
-		data = append(data, byte(i>>8))
-		data = append(data, byte(i>>16))
-	default:
-		data = append(data, 0xfe)
-		data = append(data, byte(i))
-		data = append(data, byte(i>>8))
-		data = append(data, byte(i>>16))
-		data = append(data, byte(i>>24))
-		data = append(data, byte(i>>32))
-		data = append(data, byte(i>>40))
-		data = append(data, byte(i>>48))
-		data = append(data, byte(i>>56))
-	}
-	return data
-}
-
 func (c *Conn) WriteErrorAndLog(format string, args ...interface{}) bool {
 	return c.writeErrorAndLog(sqlerror.ERUnknownComError, sqlerror.SSNetError, format, args...)
 }
@@ -1290,7 +1257,6 @@ func (c *Conn) handleComPrepare(handler Handler, data []byte) (kontinue bool) {
 	c.PrepareData[c.StatementID] = prepare
 
 	fld, err := handler.ComPrepare(c, queries[0], bindVars)
-
 	if err != nil {
 		return c.writeErrorPacketFromErrorAndLog(err)
 	}
diff --git a/go/mysql/encoding.go b/go/mysql/encoding.go
index 6b33ffabfc2..b9d015e8948 100644
--- a/go/mysql/encoding.go
+++ b/go/mysql/encoding.go
@@ -332,6 +332,53 @@ func readLenEncStringAsBytesCopy(data []byte, pos int) ([]byte, int, bool) {
 	return result, pos + s, true
 }
 
+// > encGtidData("xxx")
+//
+//	[07 03 05 00 03 78 78 78]
+//	 |  |  |  |  |  |------|
+//	 |  |  |  |  |  ^-------- "xxx"
+//	 |  |  |  |  ^------------ length of rest of bytes, 3
+//	 |  |  |  ^--------------- fixed 0x00
+//	 |  |  ^------------------ length of rest of bytes, 5
+//	 |  ^--------------------- fixed 0x03 (SESSION_TRACK_GTIDS)
+//	 ^------------------------ length of rest of bytes, 7
+//
+// This is ultimately lenencoded strings of length encoded strings, or:
+// > lenenc(0x03 + lenenc(0x00 + lenenc(data)))
+func encGtidData(data string) []byte {
+	const SessionTrackGtids = 0x03
+
+	// calculate total size up front to do 1 allocation
+	// encoded layout is:
+	// lenenc(0x03 + lenenc(0x00 + lenenc(data)))
+	dataSize := uint64(len(data))
+	dataLenEncSize := uint64(lenEncIntSize(dataSize))
+
+	wrapSize := uint64(dataSize + dataLenEncSize + 1)
+	wrapLenEncSize := uint64(lenEncIntSize(wrapSize))
+
+	totalSize := uint64(wrapSize + wrapLenEncSize + 1)
+	totalLenEncSize := uint64(lenEncIntSize(totalSize))
+
+	gtidData := make([]byte, int(totalSize+totalLenEncSize))
+
+	pos := 0
+	pos = writeLenEncInt(gtidData, pos, totalSize)
+
+	gtidData[pos] = SessionTrackGtids
+	pos++
+
+	pos = writeLenEncInt(gtidData, pos, wrapSize)
+
+	gtidData[pos] = 0x00
+	pos++
+
+	pos = writeLenEncInt(gtidData, pos, dataSize)
+	writeEOFString(gtidData, pos, data)
+
+	return gtidData
+}
+
 type coder struct {
 	data []byte
 	pos  int
@@ -397,3 +444,7 @@ func (d *coder) writeLenEncString(value string) {
 func (d *coder) writeEOFString(value string) {
 	d.pos += copy(d.data[d.pos:], value)
 }
+
+func (d *coder) writeEOFBytes(value []byte) {
+	d.pos += copy(d.data[d.pos:], value)
+}
diff --git a/go/mysql/encoding_test.go b/go/mysql/encoding_test.go
index 41f6c416993..c2b7013e2cb 100644
--- a/go/mysql/encoding_test.go
+++ b/go/mysql/encoding_test.go
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ package mysql
 
 import (
 	"bytes"
+	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
@@ -72,7 +73,6 @@ func TestEncLenInt(t *testing.T) {
 		// Check failed decoding.
 		_, _, ok = readLenEncInt(test.encoded[:len(test.encoded)-1], 0)
 		assert.False(t, ok, "readLenEncInt returned ok=true for shorter value %x", test.value)
-
 	}
 }
 
@@ -355,6 +355,27 @@ func TestWriteZeroes(t *testing.T) {
 	})
 }
 
+func TestEncGtidData(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		data   string
+		header []byte
+	}{
+		{"", []byte{0x04, 0x03, 0x02, 0x00, 0x00}},
+		{"xxx", []byte{0x07, 0x03, 0x05, 0x00, 0x03}},
+		{strings.Repeat("x", 256), []byte{
+			/* 264 */ 0xfc, 0x08, 0x01,
+			/* constant */ 0x03,
+			/* 260 */ 0xfc, 0x04, 0x01,
+			/* constant */ 0x00,
+			/* 256 */ 0xfc, 0x00, 0x01,
+		}},
+	}
+	for _, test := range tests {
+		got := encGtidData(test.data)
+		assert.Equal(t, append(test.header, test.data...), got)
+	}
+}
+
 func BenchmarkEncWriteInt(b *testing.B) {
 	buf := make([]byte, 16)
 
@@ -451,3 +472,10 @@ func BenchmarkEncReadInt(b *testing.B) {
 		}
 	})
 }
+
+func BenchmarkEncGtidData(b *testing.B) {
+	b.ReportAllocs()
+	for range b.N {
+		_ = encGtidData("xxx")
+	}
+}