diff --git a/internal/event/target/mqtt.go b/internal/event/target/mqtt.go
index 0448a383f..82e5809a8 100644
--- a/internal/event/target/mqtt.go
+++ b/internal/event/target/mqtt.go
@@ -213,8 +213,13 @@ func NewMQTTTarget(id string, args MQTTArgs, doneCh <-chan struct{}, loggerOnce
 		args.KeepAlive = 10 * time.Second
 	}
 
+	// Using hex here, to make sure we avoid 23
+	// character limit on client_id according to
+	// MQTT spec.
+	clientID := fmt.Sprintf("%x", time.Now().UnixNano())
+
 	options := mqtt.NewClientOptions().
-		SetClientID(id).
+		SetClientID(clientID).
 		SetCleanSession(true).
 		SetUsername(args.User).
 		SetPassword(args.Password).