diff --git a/core/core.services.yml b/core/core.services.yml
index 9fe8324..bd14567 100644
--- a/core/core.services.yml
+++ b/core/core.services.yml
@@ -477,9 +477,10 @@ services:
       - { name: http_middleware, priority: 100 }
   http_middleware.session:
     class: Drupal\Core\StackMiddleware\Session
-    arguments: ['@session']
     tags:
       - { name: http_middleware, priority: 50 }
+    calls:
+      - [setContainer, ['@service_container']]
   language_manager:
     class: Drupal\Core\Language\LanguageManager
     arguments: ['@language.default']
diff --git a/core/lib/Drupal/Core/DrupalKernel.php b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/DrupalKernel.php
index bfa2c98..d8b77c6 100644
--- a/core/lib/Drupal/Core/DrupalKernel.php
+++ b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/DrupalKernel.php
@@ -573,7 +573,9 @@ public function prepareLegacyRequest(Request $request) {
     $this->preHandle($request);
     // Setup services which are normally initialized from within stack
     // middleware or during the request kernel event.
-    $request->setSession($this->container->get('session'));
+    if (PHP_SAPI !== 'cli') {
+      $request->setSession($this->container->get('session'));
+    }
     $request->attributes->set(RouteObjectInterface::ROUTE_OBJECT, new Route('<none>'));
     $request->attributes->set(RouteObjectInterface::ROUTE_NAME, '<none>');
     $this->container->get('request_stack')->push($request);
diff --git a/core/lib/Drupal/Core/StackMiddleware/Session.php b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/StackMiddleware/Session.php
index b45a16e..0fb786a 100644
--- a/core/lib/Drupal/Core/StackMiddleware/Session.php
+++ b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/StackMiddleware/Session.php
@@ -7,15 +7,22 @@
 
 namespace Drupal\Core\StackMiddleware;
 
+use Symfony\Component\DependencyInjection\ContainerAwareTrait;
 use Symfony\Component\HttpFoundation\Request;
-use Symfony\Component\HttpFoundation\Session\SessionInterface;
 use Symfony\Component\HttpKernel\HttpKernelInterface;
 
 /**
  * Wrap session logic around a HTTP request.
+ *
+ * Note, the session service is not injected into this class in order to prevent
+ * premature initialization of session storage (database). Instead the session
+ * is retrieved from the container only immediately before passing an incomming
+ * request on to the wrapped kernel.
  */
 class Session implements HttpKernelInterface {
 
+  use ContainerAwareTrait;
+
   /**
    * The wrapped HTTP kernel.
    *
@@ -24,31 +31,31 @@ class Session implements HttpKernelInterface {
   protected $httpKernel;
 
   /**
-   * The session.
+   * The session service name.
    *
-   * @var \Symfony\Component\HttpFoundation\Session\SessionInterface
+   * @var string
    */
-  protected $session;
+  protected $sessionServiceName;
 
   /**
    * Constructs a Session stack middleware object.
    *
    * @param \Symfony\Component\HttpKernel\HttpKernelInterface $http_kernel
    *   The decorated kernel.
-   * @param \Symfony\Component\HttpFoundation\Session\SessionInterface $session
-   *   The session.
+   * @param string $service_name
+   *   The name of the session service, defaults to "session".
    */
-  public function __construct(HttpKernelInterface $http_kernel, SessionInterface $session) {
+  public function __construct(HttpKernelInterface $http_kernel, $service_name = 'session') {
     $this->httpKernel = $http_kernel;
-    $this->session = $session;
+    $this->sessionServiceName = $service_name;
   }
 
   /**
    * {@inheritdoc}
    */
   public function handle(Request $request, $type = self::MASTER_REQUEST, $catch = TRUE) {
-    if ($type === self::MASTER_REQUEST) {
-      $request->setSession($this->session);
+    if ($type === self::MASTER_REQUEST && PHP_SAPI !== 'cli') {
+      $request->setSession($this->container->get($this->sessionServiceName));
     }
 
     $result = $this->httpKernel->handle($request, $type, $catch);