diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index 9493ff1..679c1fa 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -2,20 +2,50 @@
 # It is not intended for manual editing.
 version = 3
 
+[[package]]
+name = "cfg-if"
+version = "1.0.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "baf1de4339761588bc0619e3cbc0120ee582ebb74b53b4efbf79117bd2da40fd"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "distributed-systems-flyio"
 version = "0.1.0"
 dependencies = [
+ "rand",
  "serde",
  "serde_json",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "getrandom"
+version = "0.2.11"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "fe9006bed769170c11f845cf00c7c1e9092aeb3f268e007c3e760ac68008070f"
+dependencies = [
+ "cfg-if",
+ "libc",
+ "wasi",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "itoa"
 version = "1.0.10"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "b1a46d1a171d865aa5f83f92695765caa047a9b4cbae2cbf37dbd613a793fd4c"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "libc"
+version = "0.2.151"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "302d7ab3130588088d277783b1e2d2e10c9e9e4a16dd9050e6ec93fb3e7048f4"
+
+[[package]]
+name = "ppv-lite86"
+version = "0.2.17"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "5b40af805b3121feab8a3c29f04d8ad262fa8e0561883e7653e024ae4479e6de"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "proc-macro2"
 version = "1.0.73"
@@ -34,6 +64,36 @@ dependencies = [
  "proc-macro2",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "rand"
+version = "0.8.5"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "34af8d1a0e25924bc5b7c43c079c942339d8f0a8b57c39049bef581b46327404"
+dependencies = [
+ "libc",
+ "rand_chacha",
+ "rand_core",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "rand_chacha"
+version = "0.3.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "e6c10a63a0fa32252be49d21e7709d4d4baf8d231c2dbce1eaa8141b9b127d88"
+dependencies = [
+ "ppv-lite86",
+ "rand_core",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "rand_core"
+version = "0.6.4"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "ec0be4795e2f6a28069bec0b5ff3e2ac9bafc99e6a9a7dc3547996c5c816922c"
+dependencies = [
+ "getrandom",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "ryu"
 version = "1.0.16"
@@ -87,3 +147,9 @@ name = "unicode-ident"
 version = "1.0.12"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "3354b9ac3fae1ff6755cb6db53683adb661634f67557942dea4facebec0fee4b"
+
+[[package]]
+name = "wasi"
+version = "0.11.0+wasi-snapshot-preview1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "9c8d87e72b64a3b4db28d11ce29237c246188f4f51057d65a7eab63b7987e423"
diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index b00f412..bec9802 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -6,5 +6,6 @@ edition = "2021"
 # See more keys and their definitions at https://doc.rust-lang.org/cargo/reference/manifest.html
 
 [dependencies]
+rand = { version = "0.8.5", features = ["small_rng"] }
 serde = { version = "1.0.193", features = ["serde_derive"] }
 serde_json = "1.0.109"
diff --git a/src/lib.rs b/src/lib.rs
index 1c3377e..ab07bc3 100644
--- a/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src/lib.rs
@@ -1,10 +1,13 @@
 pub mod types;
+
 use crate::types::Message;
+use rand::{rngs::SmallRng, Rng, SeedableRng};
 use std::{
     cell::RefCell,
     collections::HashMap,
     io::{stdin, stdout, BufRead, Error as IoError, Stdin, Stdout, Write},
     rc::Rc,
+    time::{SystemTime, UNIX_EPOCH},
 };
 
 pub struct Malestorm<'a> {
@@ -16,6 +19,7 @@ pub struct Malestorm<'a> {
 struct Node {
     id: String,
     nodes: Vec<String>,
+    rng: SmallRng,
 }
 
 struct MalestormIo {
@@ -25,10 +29,15 @@ struct MalestormIo {
 
 impl<'a> Default for Malestorm<'a> {
     fn default() -> Self {
+        let seed = SystemTime::now()
+            .duration_since(UNIX_EPOCH)
+            .expect("time went backwards??");
+
         Self {
             node: RefCell::new(Node {
                 id: String::new(),
                 nodes: Vec::new(),
+                rng: SmallRng::seed_from_u64(seed.as_secs()),
             }),
             io: MalestormIo {
                 stdin: stdin(),
@@ -112,6 +121,15 @@ impl<'a> Malestorm<'a> {
         node.nodes = nodes;
     }
 
+    pub fn generate_client_id(&self) -> String {
+        let mut node = self.node.borrow_mut();
+
+        let s2: u64 = node.rng.gen();
+        let s1 = &node.id;
+
+        format!("{}_{}", s1, s2)
+    }
+
     pub fn register(
         &mut self,
         name: &'a str,
diff --git a/src/main.rs b/src/main.rs
index 58a748b..618b687 100644
--- a/src/main.rs
+++ b/src/main.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 use distributed_systems_flyio::{
-    types::{EchoMessage, InitMessage, Message},
+    types::{EchoMessage, GenerateMessage, InitMessage, Message},
     Malestorm,
 };
 use std::rc::Rc;
@@ -40,5 +40,19 @@ fn main() {
         },
     );
 
+    program.register(
+        "generate",
+        |mut msg: Message, program: Rc<Malestorm>| -> Result<(), String> {
+            msg.body.message_type = "generate_ok".into();
+            msg.body.message_body = serde_json::to_value(GenerateMessage {
+                id: program.generate_client_id(),
+            })
+            .unwrap();
+
+            program
+                .reply(msg)
+                .map_err(|e| format!("generate: error in writing response: {}", e))
+        },
+    );
     program.run();
 }
diff --git a/src/types.rs b/src/types.rs
index 6c6763a..a2a01ed 100644
--- a/src/types.rs
+++ b/src/types.rs
@@ -35,6 +35,12 @@ pub struct InitMessage {
     pub nodes: Vec<String>,
 }
 
+#[derive(Debug, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+#[serde(deny_unknown_fields)]
+pub struct GenerateMessage {
+    pub id: String,
+}
+
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod test {