diff --git a/plugins/tracing/src/instrumentation.ts b/plugins/tracing/src/instrumentation.ts
index 7ad72dd..97bb8f3 100644
--- a/plugins/tracing/src/instrumentation.ts
+++ b/plugins/tracing/src/instrumentation.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { LangfuseSpanProcessor } from "@langfuse/otel";
+import { setLangfuseTracerProvider } from "@langfuse/tracing";
 import { NodeTracerProvider } from "@opentelemetry/sdk-trace-node";
 
 import type { Config } from "./config.js";
@@ -37,10 +38,14 @@ export function setupInstrumentation(config: Config): Instrumentation {
   });
   provider.register();
 
+  // Bind explicitly: the global registry can refuse the registration silently.
+  setLangfuseTracerProvider(provider);
+
   return {
     shutdown: async () => {
       await spanProcessor.forceFlush();
       await provider.shutdown();
+      setLangfuseTracerProvider(null);
     },
   };
 }
diff --git a/plugins/tracing/test/instrumentation.test.ts b/plugins/tracing/test/instrumentation.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6edbaf5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/tracing/test/instrumentation.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,103 @@
+import * as fs from "node:fs";
+import * as os from "node:os";
+import * as path from "node:path";
+import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+
+import { getLangfuseTracerProvider, setLangfuseTracerProvider } from "@langfuse/tracing";
+import type { ReadableSpan, SpanProcessor } from "@opentelemetry/sdk-trace-base";
+import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+
+import type { Config } from "../src/config.js";
+import { setupInstrumentation } from "../src/instrumentation.js";
+import { convertRollout } from "../src/trace.js";
+
+// Capture the spans the plugin's own span processor receives, so the assertion
+// needs no network and no Langfuse credentials.
+const captured: ReadableSpan[] = [];
+
+vi.mock("@langfuse/otel", () => ({
+  LangfuseSpanProcessor: class implements SpanProcessor {
+    onStart(): void {}
+    onEnd(span: ReadableSpan): void {
+      captured.push(span);
+    }
+    async forceFlush(): Promise<void> {}
+    async shutdown(): Promise<void> {}
+  },
+}));
+
+const OTEL_API_KEY = Symbol.for("opentelemetry.js.api.1");
+
+const baseConfig: Config = {
+  enabled: true,
+  public_key: "pk-lf-test",
+  secret_key: "sk-lf-test",
+  base_url: "https://cloud.langfuse.com",
+  max_chars: 20_000,
+  debug: false,
+  fail_on_error: false,
+};
+
+const fixturesRoot = path.join(path.dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "fixtures/sessions");
+
+function stageFixtures(): string {
+  const dir = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "lf-codex-instr-"));
+  fs.cpSync(fixturesRoot, path.join(dir, "sessions"), { recursive: true });
+  return path.join(dir, "sessions", "2026", "06", "03");
+}
+
+/**
+ * Put a foreign provider in the OpenTelemetry global registry. The registry
+ * then refuses the plugin's own registration, which is what happens when
+ * another instrumentation loads first in the hook process.
+ */
+function occupyGlobalRegistry(): unknown {
+  const previous = (globalThis as Record<symbol, unknown>)[OTEL_API_KEY];
+  const noopTracer = {
+    startSpan: () => {
+      throw new Error("span created on the foreign global provider");
+    },
+    startActiveSpan: () => {
+      throw new Error("span created on the foreign global provider");
+    },
+  };
+  (globalThis as Record<symbol, unknown>)[OTEL_API_KEY] = {
+    version: "1.9.1",
+    trace: { getTracer: () => noopTracer },
+  };
+  return previous;
+}
+
+let previousGlobal: unknown;
+
+beforeEach(() => {
+  captured.length = 0;
+  previousGlobal = occupyGlobalRegistry();
+});
+
+afterEach(() => {
+  (globalThis as Record<symbol, unknown>)[OTEL_API_KEY] = previousGlobal;
+  setLangfuseTracerProvider(null);
+});
+
+describe("setupInstrumentation", () => {
+  it("exports spans when the global registry already holds another provider", async () => {
+    const instrumentation = setupInstrumentation(baseConfig);
+    const dir = stageFixtures();
+
+    await convertRollout(path.join(dir, "rollout-basic-main.jsonl"), { config: baseConfig });
+    await instrumentation.shutdown();
+
+    const root = captured.find((s) => s.name === "Codex Turn");
+    expect(root, "the turn span never reached the plugin's span processor").toBeDefined();
+  });
+
+  it("releases the provider on shutdown", async () => {
+    const instrumentation = setupInstrumentation(baseConfig);
+    const bound = getLangfuseTracerProvider();
+
+    await instrumentation.shutdown();
+
+    expect(getLangfuseTracerProvider()).not.toBe(bound);
+  });
+});