diff --git a/docs/doctoring/opentelemetry-packaging-extra.md b/docs/doctoring/opentelemetry-packaging-extra.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..dd9c173b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/doctoring/opentelemetry-packaging-extra.md
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+# OpenTelemetry packaging extra
+
+## Operator action
+
+Install the package-owned instrumentation API with the reviewed optional extra:
+
+```bash
+pip install 'pg-llm-batch[observability]'
+```
+
+This extra installs `opentelemetry-api>=1.44,<2` and does **not** install
+`opentelemetry-sdk`. The base package remains OpenTelemetry-independent.
+Applications that want exported telemetry must separately select, configure,
+and operate a compatible SDK, resource attributes, processors or readers,
+exporters, collector endpoints, sampling, credentials, and retention.
+
+This separation follows the OpenTelemetry library-instrumentation boundary:
+libraries depend on the API, while the embedding application owns the SDK and
+emission pipeline. It also uses the Python packaging `optional-dependencies`
+contract, which maps an extra to conditional `Requires-Dist` metadata rather
+than silently widening every installation.
+
+## Supply-chain and compatibility boundary
+
+The `observability` extra is represented in `pyproject.toml`, the built
+wheel/sdist metadata, and the repository `uv.lock`. The lock is generated and
+verified with repository-pinned uv 0.12.3; it must not be hand edited. Clean
+installation tests prove both directions:
+
+- base wheel: `opentelemetry` is absent;
+- `pg-llm-batch[observability]`: the OpenTelemetry API is present and
+  `pg_llm_batch.observability.OpenTelemetryBatchAPIClient` is importable.
+
+`opentelemetry-sdk` remains a host deployment decision. Installing the package
+extra alone is not evidence that telemetry is exported, retained, secured, or
+compliant with any certification regime.
+
+## Rollback
+
+A host can remove package-level OpenTelemetry support by reinstalling the base
+package without the extra. The host must separately remove or reconfigure any
+SDK/exporter components it owns. Package rollback does not delete host telemetry
+or change backend retention.
+
+## References
+
+OpenTelemetry Authors. (n.d.). *Instrumentation*. OpenTelemetry. Retrieved
+August 14, 2026, from
+https://opentelemetry.io/docs/languages/python/instrumentation/
+
+Python Packaging Authority. (n.d.). *pyproject.toml specification*. Python
+Packaging User Guide. Retrieved August 14, 2026, from
+https://packaging.python.org/en/latest/specifications/pyproject-toml/
+
+Python Packaging Authority. (n.d.). *Core metadata specifications*. Python
+Packaging User Guide. Retrieved August 14, 2026, from
+https://packaging.python.org/en/latest/specifications/core-metadata/
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index d1aba037..701c84e7 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ dependencies = [
 ]
 
 [project.optional-dependencies]
+observability = ["opentelemetry-api>=1.44,<2"]
 secrets = ["cryptography>=50.0.0"]
 test = [
     "pytest>=7.4",
diff --git a/tests/test_opentelemetry_optional_dependency.py b/tests/test_opentelemetry_optional_dependency.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c396387f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_opentelemetry_optional_dependency.py
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+"""Contract tests for the first-class OpenTelemetry optional dependency."""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from pathlib import Path
+
+try:
+    import tomllib
+except ModuleNotFoundError:  # pragma: no cover - Python 3.10
+    import tomli as tomllib
+
+
+ROOT = Path(__file__).resolve().parents[1]
+OBSERVABILITY_API_REQUIREMENT = "opentelemetry-api>=1.44,<2"
+
+
+def _project_metadata() -> dict[str, object]:
+    """Load the package metadata used by build and installation tooling."""
+    return tomllib.loads((ROOT / "pyproject.toml").read_text(encoding="utf-8"))[
+        "project"
+    ]
+
+
+def test_observability_extra_declares_api_only_dependency() -> None:
+    """Package metadata exposes bounded API-only OpenTelemetry installation."""
+    project = _project_metadata()
+    extras = project["optional-dependencies"]
+
+    assert extras["observability"] == [OBSERVABILITY_API_REQUIREMENT]
+    assert not any(
+        requirement.startswith("opentelemetry-sdk")
+        for requirement in extras["observability"]
+    )
+
+
+def test_base_runtime_remains_opentelemetry_independent() -> None:
+    """The default install must not silently acquire telemetry dependencies."""
+    project = _project_metadata()
+    dependencies = project["dependencies"]
+
+    assert not any(
+        requirement.startswith("opentelemetry-") for requirement in dependencies
+    )
+
+
+def test_observability_extra_has_one_explicit_runtime_requirement() -> None:
+    """Keep the optional installation surface minimal and reviewable."""
+    project = _project_metadata()
+    extras = project["optional-dependencies"]
+
+    assert set(extras) >= {"observability", "secrets", "test"}
+    assert len(extras["observability"]) == 1
diff --git a/uv.lock b/uv.lock
index e3d21b0b..47b9e2dc 100644
--- a/uv.lock
+++ b/uv.lock
@@ -653,6 +653,18 @@ wheels = [
     { url = "https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/81/08/7036c080d7117f28a4af526d794aab6a84463126db031b007717c1a6676e/multidict-6.7.1-py3-none-any.whl", hash = "sha256:55d97cc6dae627efa6a6e548885712d4864b81110ac76fa4e534c03819fa4a56", size = 12319, upload-time = "2026-01-26T02:46:44.004Z" },
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "opentelemetry-api"
+version = "1.44.0"
+source = { registry = "https://pypi.org/simple" }
+dependencies = [
+    { name = "typing-extensions" },
+]
+sdist = { url = "https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/ee/8b/aa9e2d8b8dfa7c946f7dec5d1f8f6ba8eca062f43509a06bdb5ce93d26c0/opentelemetry_api-1.44.0.tar.gz", hash = "sha256:67647e5e9566edcf421166fdf022b3537f818635daa852b289e34604dc6fb33a", size = 72406, upload-time = "2026-07-16T15:25:32.678Z" }
+wheels = [
+    { url = "https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/ca/6f/a04e900f465ff3221ccc395522503e2d10e79fa21f2723c8e177aae1e0d1/opentelemetry_api-1.44.0-py3-none-any.whl", hash = "sha256:94b98c893a91b88657eaac1e3ba89618cdb85be6918196705354f34728b2cdef", size = 60018, upload-time = "2026-07-16T15:25:11.657Z" },
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "packaging"
 version = "26.2"
@@ -672,6 +684,9 @@ dependencies = [
 ]
 
 [package.optional-dependencies]
+observability = [
+    { name = "opentelemetry-api" },
+]
 secrets = [
     { name = "cryptography" },
 ]
@@ -694,11 +709,12 @@ requires-dist = [
     { name = "aiohttp", specifier = ">=3.14.3" },
     { name = "cryptography", marker = "extra == 'secrets'", specifier = ">=50.0.0" },
     { name = "cryptography", marker = "extra == 'test'", specifier = ">=50.0.0" },
+    { name = "opentelemetry-api", marker = "extra == 'observability'", specifier = ">=1.44,<2" },
     { name = "psycopg", extras = ["binary"], specifier = ">=3.1" },
     { name = "pytest", marker = "extra == 'test'", specifier = ">=7.4" },
     { name = "pytest-asyncio", marker = "extra == 'test'", specifier = ">=0.23" },
 ]
-provides-extras = ["secrets", "test"]
+provides-extras = ["observability", "secrets", "test"]
 
 [package.metadata.requires-dev]
 dev = [