diff --git a/lib/tracing/README.md b/lib/tracing/README.md
index 42eb8c536..9d26d6f78 100644
--- a/lib/tracing/README.md
+++ b/lib/tracing/README.md
@@ -127,8 +127,8 @@ try {
 
 ## Dependencies
 
-`@opentelemetry/api` is a hard dependency (inert until an SDK is registered).
-The SDK-core packages (`sdk-node`, `sdk-trace-base`, `resources`,
-`exporter-trace-otlp-http`) are **optional** dependencies, required lazily in
-`init()`. The `instrumentation-*` packages are **not** arsenal dependencies —
-consumers bring their own and pass them via the `instrumentations` thunk.
+`@opentelemetry/api` plus the SDK-core packages (`sdk-node`, `sdk-trace-base`,
+`resources`, `exporter-trace-otlp-http`) are hard dependencies, lazy-required
+inside `init()` so OTEL-off processes never load them. The `instrumentation-*`
+packages are **not** arsenal dependencies — consumers bring their own and pass
+them via the `instrumentations` thunk.
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index dd8896c37..820b5d100 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
     "engines": {
         "node": ">=20"
     },
-    "version": "8.4.11",
+    "version": "8.4.12",
     "config": {
         "mongodbMemoryServer": {
             "version": "8.0.23"
@@ -30,6 +30,10 @@
         "@azure/storage-blob": "^12.31.0",
         "@js-sdsl/ordered-set": "^4.4.2",
         "@opentelemetry/api": "^1.9.1",
+        "@opentelemetry/exporter-trace-otlp-http": "^0.219.0",
+        "@opentelemetry/resources": "^2.8.0",
+        "@opentelemetry/sdk-node": "^0.219.0",
+        "@opentelemetry/sdk-trace-base": "^2.8.0",
         "@scality/hdclient": "^1.3.2",
         "@smithy/node-http-handler": "^4.3.0",
         "@smithy/protocol-http": "^5.3.5",
@@ -62,10 +66,6 @@
         "xml2js": "^0.6.2"
     },
     "optionalDependencies": {
-        "@opentelemetry/exporter-trace-otlp-http": "^0.219.0",
-        "@opentelemetry/resources": "^2.8.0",
-        "@opentelemetry/sdk-node": "^0.219.0",
-        "@opentelemetry/sdk-trace-base": "^2.8.0",
         "ioctl": "^2.0.2"
     },
     "devDependencies": {