diff --git a/codex-rs/otel/src/provider.rs b/codex-rs/otel/src/provider.rs
index 88e6b85ae2..26f732da71 100644
--- a/codex-rs/otel/src/provider.rs
+++ b/codex-rs/otel/src/provider.rs
@@ -88,14 +88,12 @@ impl OtelProvider {
             return Ok(None);
         }
 
-        // Provider setup below installs process-global OTEL state that cannot
-        // be rolled back, so reject invalid trace metadata before any setup
-        // path can mutate those globals.
-        if trace_enabled && settings.span_attributes.keys().any(String::is_empty) {
-            return Err(Box::new(std::io::Error::new(
-                std::io::ErrorKind::InvalidInput,
-                "configured span attribute key must not be empty",
-            )));
+        // Provider setup installs process-global OTEL state that cannot be
+        // rolled back. Validate trace metadata before any setup path can
+        // mutate those globals, and keep span attribute checks aligned with
+        // config loading when traces are exported.
+        if trace_enabled {
+            crate::config::validate_span_attributes(&settings.span_attributes)?;
         }
         crate::trace_context::validate_tracestate_entries(&settings.tracestate)?;