diff --git a/java-bigtable/google-cloud-bigtable/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/bigtable/data/v2/internal/util/ClientConfigurationManager.java b/java-bigtable/google-cloud-bigtable/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/bigtable/data/v2/internal/util/ClientConfigurationManager.java
index 8f273dc34263..c7733a3da69b 100644
--- a/java-bigtable/google-cloud-bigtable/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/bigtable/data/v2/internal/util/ClientConfigurationManager.java
+++ b/java-bigtable/google-cloud-bigtable/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/bigtable/data/v2/internal/util/ClientConfigurationManager.java
@@ -395,8 +395,10 @@ private ClientConfiguration normalizeConfig(ClientConfiguration cfg) {
     // Inject overrides
     overrideConfig.ifPresent(builder::mergeFrom);
 
-    // When sessions are disabled make sure to clear out the config
-    if (cfg.getSessionConfiguration().getSessionLoad() == 0) {
+    // When sessions are disabled make sure to clear out the config. Read from the builder, not
+    // cfg, so that a nonzero session_load supplied via the override sys-prop is honoured even when
+    // the server-returned config has session_load=0.
+    if (builder.getSessionConfiguration().getSessionLoad() == 0) {
       builder.clearSessionConfiguration();
       return builder.build();
     }
diff --git a/java-bigtable/google-cloud-bigtable/src/test/java/com/google/cloud/bigtable/data/v2/internal/util/ClientConfigurationManagerTest.java b/java-bigtable/google-cloud-bigtable/src/test/java/com/google/cloud/bigtable/data/v2/internal/util/ClientConfigurationManagerTest.java
index 421e442831b8..d9ca7aaa9dc6 100644
--- a/java-bigtable/google-cloud-bigtable/src/test/java/com/google/cloud/bigtable/data/v2/internal/util/ClientConfigurationManagerTest.java
+++ b/java-bigtable/google-cloud-bigtable/src/test/java/com/google/cloud/bigtable/data/v2/internal/util/ClientConfigurationManagerTest.java
@@ -196,6 +196,40 @@ void testDisabledSessions() throws ExecutionException, InterruptedException {
         .isEqualToDefaultInstance();
   }
 
+  @Test
+  void testDisabledSessionsOverriddenBySysProp()
+      throws ExecutionException, InterruptedException, IOException {
+    // Server returns session_load=0 (sessions disabled from the server's perspective)…
+    ClientConfiguration.Builder disabledBuilder = manager.getDefaultConfig().toBuilder();
+    disabledBuilder.getSessionConfigurationBuilder().setSessionLoad(0);
+    service.config.set(disabledBuilder.build());
+
+    // …but a sys-prop override forces session_load>0 to opt this client into sessions.
+    manager.close();
+    String clientConfigOverrides =
+        TextFormat.printer()
+            .printToString(
+                ClientConfiguration.newBuilder()
+                    .setSessionConfiguration(
+                        SessionClientConfiguration.newBuilder().setSessionLoad(0.75f))
+                    .build());
+    Properties sysProps = new Properties();
+    sysProps.setProperty(ClientConfigurationManager.OVERRIDE_SYS_PROP_KEY, clientConfigOverrides);
+    manager =
+        new ClientConfigurationManager(
+            sysProps, FEATURE_FLAGS, CLIENT_INFO, channelProvider, noopDebugTracer, mockExecutor);
+
+    ClientConfiguration resolvedConfig = manager.start().get();
+
+    // The override must be honoured: session_load and the default SessionPoolConfiguration must
+    // survive normalization instead of being cleared as if sessions were disabled.
+    assertThat(resolvedConfig.getSessionConfiguration().getSessionLoad()).isEqualTo(0.75f);
+    assertThat(resolvedConfig.getSessionConfiguration().getSessionPoolConfiguration())
+        .isEqualTo(
+            manager.getDefaultConfig().getSessionConfiguration().getSessionPoolConfiguration());
+    assertThat(manager.areSessionsRequired()).isTrue();
+  }
+
   @Deprecated
   @Test
   void testMigrateSessionPool() throws ExecutionException, InterruptedException {