diff --git a/include/MySQL_Variables.h b/include/MySQL_Variables.h
index 64a27a92b..6633ce243 100644
--- a/include/MySQL_Variables.h
+++ b/include/MySQL_Variables.h
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ public:
 
 	bool verify_variable(MySQL_Session* session, int idx) const;
 	bool update_variable(MySQL_Session* session, session_status status, int &_rc);
-	bool on_connect_to_backend(MySQL_Session* session);
+	bool on_connect_to_backend(MySQL_Connection *myconn);
 };
 
 #endif // #ifndef MYSQL_VARIABLES_H
diff --git a/lib/MySQL_Session.cpp b/lib/MySQL_Session.cpp
index 20d30ceea..626f17dad 100644
--- a/lib/MySQL_Session.cpp
+++ b/lib/MySQL_Session.cpp
@@ -2494,7 +2494,7 @@ bool MySQL_Session::handler_again___status_CONNECTING_SERVER(int *_rc) {
 					myds->myconn->send_quit = false;
 					myds->myconn->reusable = false;
 				}
-				mysql_variables.on_connect_to_backend(this);
+				mysql_variables.on_connect_to_backend(myds->myconn);
 				NEXT_IMMEDIATE_NEW(st);
 				break;
 			case -1:
@@ -6332,7 +6332,7 @@ void MySQL_Session::create_new_session_and_reset_connection(MySQL_Data_Stream *_
 	mc->async_state_machine = ASYNC_IDLE; // may not be true, but is used to correctly perform error handling
 	new_myds->DSS = STATE_MARIADB_QUERY;
 	thread->register_session_connection_handler(new_sess,true);
-	mysql_variables.on_connect_to_backend(this);
+	mysql_variables.on_connect_to_backend(mc);
 	if (new_myds->mypolls==NULL) {
 		thread->mypolls.add(POLLIN|POLLOUT, new_myds->fd, new_myds, thread->curtime);
 	}
diff --git a/lib/MySQL_Variables.cpp b/lib/MySQL_Variables.cpp
index 074042673..7e55cbf50 100644
--- a/lib/MySQL_Variables.cpp
+++ b/lib/MySQL_Variables.cpp
@@ -44,15 +44,15 @@ MySQL_Variables::MySQL_Variables() {
 
 MySQL_Variables::~MySQL_Variables() {}
 
-bool MySQL_Variables::on_connect_to_backend(MySQL_Session* session) {
-	if (!session || !session->mybe || !session->mybe->server_myds || !session->mybe->server_myds->myconn) return false;
-	auto be_version = session->mybe->server_myds->myconn->mysql->server_version;
+bool MySQL_Variables::on_connect_to_backend(MySQL_Connection *myconn) {
+	assert(myconn);
+	auto be_version = myconn->mysql->server_version;
 
 	// verify this is not galera cluster
 	// assume galera cluster has two dashes in a version
 	char* first_dash = strstr(be_version, "-");
 	if (!first_dash || !strstr(first_dash+1, "-")) {
-		session->mybe->server_myds->myconn->var_absent[SQL_WSREP_SYNC_WAIT] = true;
+		myconn->var_absent[SQL_WSREP_SYNC_WAIT] = true;
 	}
 
 	return true;