diff --git a/nix/templates/harness-base.nix b/nix/templates/harness-base.nix
index ecb00ca8..59f29d0d 100644
--- a/nix/templates/harness-base.nix
+++ b/nix/templates/harness-base.nix
@@ -174,6 +174,65 @@ in
     visible = false;
   };
 
+  options.hyperhive.otel = {
+    enable = lib.mkEnableOption ''
+      exporting this agent's Claude Code stats (token usage, cost, tool
+      calls) to an OTLP endpoint via Claude Code's built-in OpenTelemetry.
+      Each agent's harness exports its own stats directly to the collector,
+      so it keeps working even when hive-c0re is down. Meant to be enabled
+      hive-wide (one switch for every agent) - there is no per-agent
+      opt-in flag beyond this option
+    '';
+
+    endpoint = lib.mkOption {
+      type = lib.types.str;
+      default = "";
+      example = "https://collector.example.com/otel";
+      description = ''
+        OTLP collector endpoint, set as `OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_ENDPOINT`.
+        Required when `enable` is true.
+      '';
+    };
+
+    protocol = lib.mkOption {
+      type = lib.types.enum [
+        "http/protobuf"
+        "http/json"
+        "grpc"
+      ];
+      default = "http/protobuf";
+      description = ''
+        OTLP wire protocol, set as `OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_PROTOCOL`.
+      '';
+    };
+
+    headersCredential = lib.mkOption {
+      type = lib.types.nullOr lib.types.path;
+      default = null;
+      example = "/run/secrets/otel-headers";
+      description = ''
+        Path to an operator-provided secret file whose contents become
+        `OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_HEADERS` (e.g.
+        `Authorization=Bearer <token>`). Loaded via systemd
+        `LoadCredential` into the unit-private credential store at
+        runtime, so the token is never copied into the nix store or
+        exposed in the process argv. Leave null if the endpoint needs no
+        auth header.
+      '';
+    };
+
+    extraResourceAttributes = lib.mkOption {
+      type = lib.types.str;
+      default = "";
+      example = "deployment.environment=prod";
+      description = ''
+        Extra comma-separated entries appended to
+        `OTEL_RESOURCE_ATTRIBUTES` after the built-in
+        `service.name` / `agent` / `hive` / `swarm` labels.
+      '';
+    };
+  };
+
   options.hyperhive.allowedRecipients = lib.mkOption {
     type = lib.types.listOf lib.types.str;
     default = [ ];
@@ -722,6 +781,11 @@ in
     '';
 
     assertions = [
+      # OTEL export needs an endpoint to point at.
+      {
+        assertion = !config.hyperhive.otel.enable || config.hyperhive.otel.endpoint != "";
+        message = "hyperhive.otel.enable is true but hyperhive.otel.endpoint is empty.";
+      }
       # Guard the inputs-routed-as-output pattern: the agent flake.nix is
       # expected to set `_module.args.flakeInputs = builtins.removeAttrs inputs ["self"]`.
       # If `self` leaks into flakeInputs the agent gets a spurious attrset
@@ -1640,6 +1704,34 @@ in
     systemd.services.hive-ag3nt =
       let
         binary = "hive";
+        otel = config.hyperhive.otel;
+        # Claude Code's native OpenTelemetry is env-driven; the harness
+        # spawns `claude` as a child which inherits this unit's env, so
+        # setting these here is all it takes to export per-agent stats.
+        otelEnv = lib.optionalAttrs otel.enable {
+          CLAUDE_CODE_ENABLE_TELEMETRY = "1";
+          OTEL_METRICS_EXPORTER = "otlp";
+          OTEL_LOGS_EXPORTER = "otlp";
+          OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_PROTOCOL = otel.protocol;
+          OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_ENDPOINT = otel.endpoint;
+        };
+        # When OTEL is on, wrap the harness launch so (1) the bearer-token
+        # header is read from the systemd credential at start (never in the
+        # nix store or argv) and (2) the resource attributes are assembled
+        # from this agent's name (known at build time) plus the hive/swarm
+        # names (inherited HYPERHIVE_HIVE_NAME / HYPERHIVE_SWARM_NAME env,
+        # the same vars `identity::hive_name`/`swarm_name` read at runtime).
+        otelExecStart = pkgs.writeShellScript "hive-serve-otel" ''
+          set -eu
+          if [ -n "''${CREDENTIALS_DIRECTORY:-}" ] && [ -r "$CREDENTIALS_DIRECTORY/otel-headers" ]; then
+            OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_HEADERS="$(cat "$CREDENTIALS_DIRECTORY/otel-headers")"
+            export OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_HEADERS
+          fi
+          export OTEL_RESOURCE_ATTRIBUTES="service.name=hyperhive-agent,agent=${userName},hive=''${HYPERHIVE_HIVE_NAME:-unknown},swarm=''${HYPERHIVE_SWARM_NAME:-unknown}${
+            lib.optionalString (otel.extraResourceAttributes != "") ",${otel.extraResourceAttributes}"
+          }"
+          exec ${pkgs.hyperhive}/bin/${binary} serve
+        '';
       in
       {
         description = "${binary} harness";
@@ -1662,9 +1754,10 @@ in
           # `hive_c0re::agent_sockets::socket_path_for(name)` so lifecycle
           # bind-mounts and gateway upstream config stay in sync.
           HIVE_WEB_SOCKET = "/run/hive-agent/${userName}/web.sock";
-        };
+        }
+        // otelEnv;
         serviceConfig = {
-          ExecStart = "${pkgs.hyperhive}/bin/${binary} serve";
+          ExecStart = if otel.enable then "${otelExecStart}" else "${pkgs.hyperhive}/bin/${binary} serve";
           Restart = "on-failure";
           RestartSec = 2;
           # Per-service runtime dir owned by `User=` below; the harness
@@ -1674,6 +1767,9 @@ in
           RuntimeDirectory = "hive-config";
           User = userName;
           Group = userName;
+        }
+        // lib.optionalAttrs (otel.enable && otel.headersCredential != null) {
+          LoadCredential = [ "otel-headers:${otel.headersCredential}" ];
         };
       };