diff --git a/internal/tracerconfig/config.go b/internal/tracerconfig/config.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..16fd5a0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/tracerconfig/config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,76 @@
+// Package tracerconfig provides a bridge to eliminate circular dependencies between
+// the logger and tracing packages. It stores tracer configuration and provides
+// factory functions that can be used by the logger package without importing tracing.
+package tracerconfig
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"crypto/tls"
+	"crypto/x509"
+	"sync"
+
+	sdklog "go.opentelemetry.io/otel/sdk/log"
+)
+
+// GetClientCertificate defines a function type for providing client certificates for mutual TLS.
+// This is used when exporting telemetry data to secured OTLP endpoints that require
+// client certificate authentication.
+type GetClientCertificate func(*tls.CertificateRequestInfo) (*tls.Certificate, error)
+
+// Config provides configuration options for OpenTelemetry tracing setup.
+// It supplements standard OpenTelemetry environment variables with additional
+// NTP Pool-specific configuration including TLS settings for secure OTLP export.
+type Config struct {
+	ServiceName         string               // Service name for resource identification (overrides OTEL_SERVICE_NAME)
+	Environment         string               // Deployment environment (development, staging, production)
+	Endpoint            string               // OTLP endpoint hostname/port (e.g., "otlp.example.com:4317")
+	EndpointURL         string               // Complete OTLP endpoint URL (e.g., "https://otlp.example.com:4317/v1/traces")
+	CertificateProvider GetClientCertificate // Client certificate provider for mutual TLS
+	RootCAs             *x509.CertPool       // CA certificate pool for server verification
+}
+
+// ExporterFactory creates an OTLP log exporter using the provided configuration.
+// This allows the logger package to create exporters without importing the tracing package.
+type ExporterFactory func(context.Context, *Config) (sdklog.Exporter, error)
+
+// Global state for sharing configuration between packages
+var (
+	globalConfig    *Config
+	globalContext   context.Context
+	exporterFactory ExporterFactory
+	configMu        sync.RWMutex
+)
+
+// Store saves the tracer configuration and exporter factory for use by other packages.
+// This should be called by the tracing package during initialization.
+func Store(ctx context.Context, cfg *Config, factory ExporterFactory) {
+	configMu.Lock()
+	defer configMu.Unlock()
+	globalConfig = cfg
+	globalContext = ctx
+	exporterFactory = factory
+}
+
+// Get returns the stored tracer configuration, context, and exporter factory.
+// Returns nil values if no configuration has been stored yet.
+func Get() (*Config, context.Context, ExporterFactory) {
+	configMu.RLock()
+	defer configMu.RUnlock()
+	return globalConfig, globalContext, exporterFactory
+}
+
+// IsConfigured returns true if tracer configuration has been stored.
+func IsConfigured() bool {
+	configMu.RLock()
+	defer configMu.RUnlock()
+	return globalConfig != nil && globalContext != nil && exporterFactory != nil
+}
+
+// Clear removes the stored configuration. This is primarily useful for testing.
+func Clear() {
+	configMu.Lock()
+	defer configMu.Unlock()
+	globalConfig = nil
+	globalContext = nil
+	exporterFactory = nil
+}
diff --git a/logger/buffering_exporter.go b/logger/buffering_exporter.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6d7bdb1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/logger/buffering_exporter.go
@@ -0,0 +1,198 @@
+package logger
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"sync"
+	"time"
+
+	"go.ntppool.org/common/internal/tracerconfig"
+	otellog "go.opentelemetry.io/otel/sdk/log"
+)
+
+// bufferingExporter wraps an OTLP exporter and buffers logs until tracing is configured
+type bufferingExporter struct {
+	mu sync.RWMutex
+
+	// Buffered records while waiting for tracing config
+	buffer      [][]otellog.Record
+	bufferSize  int
+	maxBuffSize int
+
+	// Real exporter (created when tracing is configured)
+	exporter otellog.Exporter
+
+	// Thread-safe initialization
+	initOnce sync.Once
+	initErr  error
+
+	// Background checker
+	stopChecker chan struct{}
+	checkerDone chan struct{}
+}
+
+// newBufferingExporter creates a new exporter that buffers logs until tracing is configured
+func newBufferingExporter() *bufferingExporter {
+	e := &bufferingExporter{
+		maxBuffSize: 1000, // Max number of batches to buffer
+		stopChecker: make(chan struct{}),
+		checkerDone: make(chan struct{}),
+	}
+
+	// Start background readiness checker
+	go e.checkReadiness()
+
+	return e
+}
+
+// Export implements otellog.Exporter
+func (e *bufferingExporter) Export(ctx context.Context, records []otellog.Record) error {
+	// Try initialization once
+	e.initOnce.Do(func() {
+		e.initErr = e.initialize()
+	})
+
+	// If initialization succeeded, use the exporter
+	if e.initErr == nil {
+		e.mu.RLock()
+		exporter := e.exporter
+		e.mu.RUnlock()
+
+		if exporter != nil {
+			return exporter.Export(ctx, records)
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Not ready yet, buffer the records
+	return e.bufferRecords(records)
+}
+
+// initialize attempts to create the real OTLP exporter using tracing config
+func (e *bufferingExporter) initialize() error {
+	cfg, ctx, factory := tracerconfig.Get()
+	if cfg == nil || ctx == nil || factory == nil {
+		return errors.New("tracer not configured yet")
+	}
+
+	// Add timeout for initialization
+	initCtx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(ctx, 10*time.Second)
+	defer cancel()
+
+	exporter, err := factory(initCtx, cfg)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to create OTLP exporter: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	e.mu.Lock()
+	e.exporter = exporter
+	flushErr := e.flushBuffer(initCtx)
+	e.mu.Unlock()
+
+	if flushErr != nil {
+		// Log but don't fail initialization
+		Setup().Warn("buffer flush failed during initialization", "error", flushErr)
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+// bufferRecords adds records to the buffer for later processing
+func (e *bufferingExporter) bufferRecords(records []otellog.Record) error {
+	e.mu.Lock()
+	defer e.mu.Unlock()
+
+	// Buffer the batch if we have space
+	if e.bufferSize < e.maxBuffSize {
+		// Clone records to avoid retention issues
+		cloned := make([]otellog.Record, len(records))
+		for i, r := range records {
+			cloned[i] = r.Clone()
+		}
+		e.buffer = append(e.buffer, cloned)
+		e.bufferSize++
+	}
+
+	// Always return success to BatchProcessor
+	return nil
+}
+
+// checkReadiness periodically checks if tracing is configured
+func (e *bufferingExporter) checkReadiness() {
+	defer close(e.checkerDone)
+
+	ticker := time.NewTicker(1 * time.Second) // Reduced frequency since OTLP handles retries
+	defer ticker.Stop()
+
+	for {
+		select {
+		case <-ticker.C:
+			// If initialization failed, reset sync.Once to allow retry
+			// The OTLP exporter will handle its own retry logic
+			if e.initErr != nil {
+				e.initOnce = sync.Once{}
+			} else if e.exporter != nil {
+				return // Exporter ready, checker no longer needed
+			}
+
+		case <-e.stopChecker:
+			return
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// flushBuffer sends all buffered batches through the real exporter
+func (e *bufferingExporter) flushBuffer(ctx context.Context) error {
+	if len(e.buffer) == 0 {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	flushCtx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(ctx, 30*time.Second)
+	defer cancel()
+
+	var lastErr error
+	for _, batch := range e.buffer {
+		if err := e.exporter.Export(flushCtx, batch); err != nil {
+			lastErr = err
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Clear buffer after flush attempt
+	e.buffer = nil
+	e.bufferSize = 0
+
+	return lastErr
+}
+
+// ForceFlush implements otellog.Exporter
+func (e *bufferingExporter) ForceFlush(ctx context.Context) error {
+	e.mu.RLock()
+	defer e.mu.RUnlock()
+
+	if e.exporter != nil {
+		return e.exporter.ForceFlush(ctx)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// Shutdown implements otellog.Exporter
+func (e *bufferingExporter) Shutdown(ctx context.Context) error {
+	// Stop the readiness checker from continuing
+	close(e.stopChecker)
+
+	// Give one final chance for TLS/tracing to become ready before fully shutting down
+	e.initOnce.Do(func() {
+		e.initErr = e.initialize()
+	})
+
+	// Wait for readiness checker goroutine to complete
+	<-e.checkerDone
+
+	e.mu.Lock()
+	defer e.mu.Unlock()
+
+	if e.exporter != nil {
+		return e.exporter.Shutdown(ctx)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/logger/logfmt.go b/logger/logfmt.go
index 9a81b51..67e54f3 100644
--- a/logger/logfmt.go
+++ b/logger/logfmt.go
@@ -16,23 +16,28 @@ type logfmt struct {
 	mu   sync.Mutex
 }
 
+// createTextHandlerOptions creates the common slog.HandlerOptions used by all logfmt handlers
+func createTextHandlerOptions() *slog.HandlerOptions {
+	return &slog.HandlerOptions{
+		ReplaceAttr: func(groups []string, a slog.Attr) slog.Attr {
+			if a.Key == slog.TimeKey && len(groups) == 0 {
+				return slog.Attr{}
+			}
+			if a.Key == slog.LevelKey && len(groups) == 0 {
+				return slog.Attr{}
+			}
+			return a
+		},
+	}
+}
+
 func newLogFmtHandler(next slog.Handler) slog.Handler {
 	buf := bytes.NewBuffer([]byte{})
 
 	h := &logfmt{
 		buf:  buf,
 		next: next,
-		txt: slog.NewTextHandler(buf, &slog.HandlerOptions{
-			ReplaceAttr: func(groups []string, a slog.Attr) slog.Attr {
-				if a.Key == slog.TimeKey && len(groups) == 0 {
-					return slog.Attr{}
-				}
-				if a.Key == slog.LevelKey && len(groups) == 0 {
-					return slog.Attr{}
-				}
-				return a
-			},
-		}),
+		txt:  slog.NewTextHandler(buf, createTextHandlerOptions()),
 	}
 
 	return h
@@ -43,10 +48,11 @@ func (h *logfmt) Enabled(ctx context.Context, lvl slog.Level) bool {
 }
 
 func (h *logfmt) WithAttrs(attrs []slog.Attr) slog.Handler {
+	buf := bytes.NewBuffer([]byte{})
 	return &logfmt{
-		buf:  bytes.NewBuffer([]byte{}),
+		buf:  buf,
 		next: h.next.WithAttrs(slices.Clone(attrs)),
-		txt:  h.txt.WithAttrs(slices.Clone(attrs)),
+		txt:  slog.NewTextHandler(buf, createTextHandlerOptions()).WithAttrs(slices.Clone(attrs)),
 	}
 }
 
@@ -54,10 +60,11 @@ func (h *logfmt) WithGroup(g string) slog.Handler {
 	if g == "" {
 		return h
 	}
+	buf := bytes.NewBuffer([]byte{})
 	return &logfmt{
-		buf:  bytes.NewBuffer([]byte{}),
+		buf:  buf,
 		next: h.next.WithGroup(g),
-		txt:  h.txt.WithGroup(g),
+		txt:  slog.NewTextHandler(buf, createTextHandlerOptions()).WithGroup(g),
 	}
 }
 
@@ -69,10 +76,22 @@ func (h *logfmt) Handle(ctx context.Context, r slog.Record) error {
 		panic("buffer wasn't empty")
 	}
 
-	h.txt.Handle(ctx, r)
-	r.Message = h.buf.String()
-	r.Message = strings.TrimSuffix(r.Message, "\n")
+	// Format using text handler to get the formatted message
+	err := h.txt.Handle(ctx, r)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	formattedMessage := h.buf.String()
+	formattedMessage = strings.TrimSuffix(formattedMessage, "\n")
 	h.buf.Reset()
 
-	return h.next.Handle(ctx, r)
+	// Create a new record with the formatted message
+	newRecord := slog.NewRecord(r.Time, r.Level, formattedMessage, r.PC)
+	r.Attrs(func(a slog.Attr) bool {
+		newRecord.AddAttrs(a)
+		return true
+	})
+
+	return h.next.Handle(ctx, newRecord)
 }
diff --git a/logger/logger.go b/logger/logger.go
index f18ac0a..99961dd 100644
--- a/logger/logger.go
+++ b/logger/logger.go
@@ -29,10 +29,13 @@ import (
 	"os"
 	"strconv"
 	"sync"
+	"time"
 
 	slogtraceid "github.com/remychantenay/slog-otel"
 	slogmulti "github.com/samber/slog-multi"
 	"go.opentelemetry.io/contrib/bridges/otelslog"
+	"go.opentelemetry.io/otel/log/global"
+	otellog "go.opentelemetry.io/otel/sdk/log"
 )
 
 // ConfigPrefix allows customizing the environment variable prefix for configuration.
@@ -85,9 +88,28 @@ func setupStdErrHandler() slog.Handler {
 
 func setupOtlpLogger() *slog.Logger {
 	setupOtlp.Do(func() {
-		otlpLogger = slog.New(
-			newLogFmtHandler(otelslog.NewHandler("common")),
+		// Create our buffering exporter
+		// It will buffer until tracing is configured
+		bufferingExp := newBufferingExporter()
+
+		// Use BatchProcessor with our custom exporter
+		processor := otellog.NewBatchProcessor(bufferingExp,
+			otellog.WithExportInterval(10*time.Second),
+			otellog.WithMaxQueueSize(2048),
+			otellog.WithExportMaxBatchSize(512),
 		)
+
+		// Create logger provider
+		provider := otellog.NewLoggerProvider(
+			otellog.WithProcessor(processor),
+		)
+
+		// Set global provider
+		global.SetLoggerProvider(provider)
+
+		// Create slog handler
+		handler := newLogFmtHandler(otelslog.NewHandler("common"))
+		otlpLogger = slog.New(handler)
 	})
 	return otlpLogger
 }
diff --git a/tracing/tracing.go b/tracing/tracing.go
index 1fae4e0..d389879 100644
--- a/tracing/tracing.go
+++ b/tracing/tracing.go
@@ -41,21 +41,24 @@ import (
 	"crypto/tls"
 	"crypto/x509"
 	"errors"
+	"log/slog"
 	"os"
 	"slices"
 	"time"
 
-	"go.ntppool.org/common/logger"
+	"go.ntppool.org/common/internal/tracerconfig"
 	"go.ntppool.org/common/version"
 	"google.golang.org/grpc/credentials"
 
 	"go.opentelemetry.io/contrib/exporters/autoexport"
 	"go.opentelemetry.io/otel"
 	"go.opentelemetry.io/otel/attribute"
+	"go.opentelemetry.io/otel/exporters/otlp/otlplog/otlploggrpc"
+	"go.opentelemetry.io/otel/exporters/otlp/otlplog/otlploghttp"
 	"go.opentelemetry.io/otel/exporters/otlp/otlptrace"
 	"go.opentelemetry.io/otel/exporters/otlp/otlptrace/otlptracegrpc"
 	"go.opentelemetry.io/otel/exporters/otlp/otlptrace/otlptracehttp"
-	logglobal "go.opentelemetry.io/otel/log/global"
+	"go.opentelemetry.io/otel/log/global"
 	"go.opentelemetry.io/otel/propagation"
 	sdklog "go.opentelemetry.io/otel/sdk/log"
 	"go.opentelemetry.io/otel/sdk/resource"
@@ -70,10 +73,26 @@ const (
 
 	otelExporterOTLPProtoEnvKey       = "OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_PROTOCOL"
 	otelExporterOTLPTracesProtoEnvKey = "OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_TRACES_PROTOCOL"
+	otelExporterOTLPLogsProtoEnvKey   = "OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_LOGS_PROTOCOL"
 )
 
 var errInvalidOTLPProtocol = errors.New("invalid OTLP protocol - should be one of ['grpc', 'http/protobuf']")
 
+// createOTLPLogExporter creates an OTLP log exporter using the provided configuration.
+// This function is used as the ExporterFactory for the tracerconfig bridge.
+func createOTLPLogExporter(ctx context.Context, cfg *tracerconfig.Config) (sdklog.Exporter, error) {
+	// Convert bridge config to local TracerConfig
+	tracerCfg := &TracerConfig{
+		ServiceName:         cfg.ServiceName,
+		Environment:         cfg.Environment,
+		Endpoint:            cfg.Endpoint,
+		EndpointURL:         cfg.EndpointURL,
+		CertificateProvider: cfg.CertificateProvider,
+		RootCAs:             cfg.RootCAs,
+	}
+	return newOTLPLogExporter(ctx, tracerCfg)
+}
+
 // https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-go/blob/main/exporters/otlp/otlptrace/otlptracehttp/example_test.go
 
 // TpShutdownFunc represents a function that gracefully shuts down telemetry providers.
@@ -98,10 +117,9 @@ func Start(ctx context.Context, spanName string, opts ...trace.SpanStartOption)
 	return Tracer().Start(ctx, spanName, opts...)
 }
 
-// GetClientCertificate defines a function type for providing client certificates for mutual TLS.
-// This is used when exporting telemetry data to secured OTLP endpoints that require
-// client certificate authentication.
-type GetClientCertificate func(*tls.CertificateRequestInfo) (*tls.Certificate, error)
+// GetClientCertificate is an alias for the type defined in tracerconfig.
+// This maintains backward compatibility for existing code.
+type GetClientCertificate = tracerconfig.GetClientCertificate
 
 // TracerConfig provides configuration options for OpenTelemetry tracing setup.
 // It supplements standard OpenTelemetry environment variables with additional
@@ -143,7 +161,18 @@ func SetupSDK(ctx context.Context, cfg *TracerConfig) (shutdown TpShutdownFunc,
 		cfg = &TracerConfig{}
 	}
 
-	log := logger.Setup()
+	// Store configuration for use by logger package via bridge
+	bridgeConfig := &tracerconfig.Config{
+		ServiceName:         cfg.ServiceName,
+		Environment:         cfg.Environment,
+		Endpoint:            cfg.Endpoint,
+		EndpointURL:         cfg.EndpointURL,
+		CertificateProvider: cfg.CertificateProvider,
+		RootCAs:             cfg.RootCAs,
+	}
+	tracerconfig.Store(ctx, bridgeConfig, createOTLPLogExporter)
+
+	log := slog.Default()
 
 	if serviceName := os.Getenv(svcNameKey); len(serviceName) == 0 {
 		if len(cfg.ServiceName) > 0 {
@@ -184,13 +213,21 @@ func SetupSDK(ctx context.Context, cfg *TracerConfig) (shutdown TpShutdownFunc,
 
 	var shutdownFuncs []func(context.Context) error
 	shutdown = func(ctx context.Context) error {
+		// Force flush the global logger provider before shutting down anything else
+		if loggerProvider := global.GetLoggerProvider(); loggerProvider != nil {
+			if sdkProvider, ok := loggerProvider.(*sdklog.LoggerProvider); ok {
+				if flushErr := sdkProvider.ForceFlush(ctx); flushErr != nil {
+					log.Warn("logger provider force flush failed", "err", flushErr)
+				}
+			}
+		}
+
 		var err error
 		// need to shutdown the providers first,
 		// exporters after which is the opposite
 		// order they are setup.
 		slices.Reverse(shutdownFuncs)
 		for _, fn := range shutdownFuncs {
-			// log.Warn("shutting down", "fn", fn)
 			err = errors.Join(err, fn(ctx))
 		}
 		shutdownFuncs = nil
@@ -225,13 +262,6 @@ func SetupSDK(ctx context.Context, cfg *TracerConfig) (shutdown TpShutdownFunc,
 	}
 	shutdownFuncs = append(shutdownFuncs, spanExporter.Shutdown)
 
-	logExporter, err := autoexport.NewLogExporter(ctx)
-	if err != nil {
-		handleErr(err)
-		return
-	}
-	shutdownFuncs = append(shutdownFuncs, logExporter.Shutdown)
-
 	// Set up trace provider.
 	tracerProvider, err := newTraceProvider(spanExporter, res)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -241,19 +271,6 @@ func SetupSDK(ctx context.Context, cfg *TracerConfig) (shutdown TpShutdownFunc,
 	shutdownFuncs = append(shutdownFuncs, tracerProvider.Shutdown)
 	otel.SetTracerProvider(tracerProvider)
 
-	logProvider := sdklog.NewLoggerProvider(sdklog.WithResource(res),
-		sdklog.WithProcessor(
-			sdklog.NewBatchProcessor(logExporter, sdklog.WithExportBufferSize(10)),
-		),
-	)
-
-	logglobal.SetLoggerProvider(logProvider)
-	shutdownFuncs = append(shutdownFuncs, func(ctx context.Context) error {
-		logProvider.ForceFlush(ctx)
-		return logProvider.Shutdown(ctx)
-	},
-	)
-
 	if err != nil {
 		handleErr(err)
 		return
@@ -263,7 +280,7 @@ func SetupSDK(ctx context.Context, cfg *TracerConfig) (shutdown TpShutdownFunc,
 }
 
 func newOLTPExporter(ctx context.Context, cfg *TracerConfig) (sdktrace.SpanExporter, error) {
-	log := logger.Setup()
+	log := slog.Default()
 
 	var tlsConfig *tls.Config
 
@@ -330,6 +347,66 @@ func newOLTPExporter(ctx context.Context, cfg *TracerConfig) (sdktrace.SpanExpor
 	return exporter, err
 }
 
+func newOTLPLogExporter(ctx context.Context, cfg *TracerConfig) (sdklog.Exporter, error) {
+	log := slog.Default()
+
+	var tlsConfig *tls.Config
+
+	if cfg.CertificateProvider != nil {
+		tlsConfig = &tls.Config{
+			GetClientCertificate: cfg.CertificateProvider,
+			RootCAs:              cfg.RootCAs,
+		}
+	}
+
+	proto := os.Getenv(otelExporterOTLPLogsProtoEnvKey)
+	if proto == "" {
+		proto = os.Getenv(otelExporterOTLPProtoEnvKey)
+	}
+
+	// Fallback to default, http/protobuf.
+	if proto == "" {
+		proto = "http/protobuf"
+	}
+
+	switch proto {
+	case "grpc":
+		opts := []otlploggrpc.Option{
+			otlploggrpc.WithCompressor("gzip"),
+		}
+		if tlsConfig != nil {
+			opts = append(opts, otlploggrpc.WithTLSCredentials(credentials.NewTLS(tlsConfig)))
+		}
+		if len(cfg.Endpoint) > 0 {
+			log.Info("adding log option", "Endpoint", cfg.Endpoint)
+			opts = append(opts, otlploggrpc.WithEndpoint(cfg.Endpoint))
+		}
+		if len(cfg.EndpointURL) > 0 {
+			log.Info("adding log option", "EndpointURL", cfg.EndpointURL)
+			opts = append(opts, otlploggrpc.WithEndpointURL(cfg.EndpointURL))
+		}
+
+		return otlploggrpc.New(ctx, opts...)
+	case "http/protobuf", "http/json":
+		opts := []otlploghttp.Option{
+			otlploghttp.WithCompression(otlploghttp.GzipCompression),
+		}
+		if tlsConfig != nil {
+			opts = append(opts, otlploghttp.WithTLSClientConfig(tlsConfig))
+		}
+		if len(cfg.Endpoint) > 0 {
+			opts = append(opts, otlploghttp.WithEndpoint(cfg.Endpoint))
+		}
+		if len(cfg.EndpointURL) > 0 {
+			opts = append(opts, otlploghttp.WithEndpointURL(cfg.EndpointURL))
+		}
+
+		return otlploghttp.New(ctx, opts...)
+	default:
+		return nil, errInvalidOTLPProtocol
+	}
+}
+
 func newTraceProvider(traceExporter sdktrace.SpanExporter, res *resource.Resource) (*sdktrace.TracerProvider, error) {
 	traceProvider := sdktrace.NewTracerProvider(
 		sdktrace.WithResource(res),