diff --git a/include/xrpl/telemetry/SpanGuard.h b/include/xrpl/telemetry/SpanGuard.h
index 46f1dcb63b..bdf8a4779e 100644
--- a/include/xrpl/telemetry/SpanGuard.h
+++ b/include/xrpl/telemetry/SpanGuard.h
@@ -447,7 +447,14 @@ public:
     setAttribute(std::string_view key, std::string_view value) noexcept;
 
     /**
-     * Set a string attribute (C-string overload). No-op on a null guard.
+     * Set a string attribute from a C string. No-op on a null guard.
+     *
+     * @param key   Attribute key.
+     * @param value Null-terminated text. A null pointer records nothing, since
+     * an empty value is already a meaningful value here.
+     * @note This overload is required, not a convenience. Without it a string
+     * literal binds to the bool overload, because pointer-to-bool is a standard
+     * conversion and beats the std::string_view one.
      */
     void
     setAttribute(std::string_view key, char const* value) noexcept;
@@ -739,7 +746,14 @@ public:
     setAttribute(std::string_view key, std::string_view value) noexcept;
 
     /**
-     * Set a string attribute (C-string overload). No-op on a null guard.
+     * Set a string attribute from a C string. No-op on a null guard.
+     *
+     * @param key   Attribute key.
+     * @param value Null-terminated text. A null pointer records nothing, since
+     * an empty value is already a meaningful value here.
+     * @note This overload is required, not a convenience. Without it a string
+     * literal binds to the bool overload, because pointer-to-bool is a standard
+     * conversion and beats the std::string_view one.
      */
     void
     setAttribute(std::string_view key, char const* value) noexcept;
diff --git a/src/libxrpl/telemetry/SpanGuard.cpp b/src/libxrpl/telemetry/SpanGuard.cpp
index 28d1572531..0069c3e464 100644
--- a/src/libxrpl/telemetry/SpanGuard.cpp
+++ b/src/libxrpl/telemetry/SpanGuard.cpp
@@ -408,7 +408,11 @@ SpanGuard::setAttribute(std::string_view key, std::string_view value) noexcept
 void
 SpanGuard::setAttribute(std::string_view key, char const* value) noexcept
 {
-    setAttribute(key, std::string_view(value));
+    // A std::string_view built from a pointer reads that pointer to find its
+    // length, so a null one is undefined behaviour. A null pointer carries no
+    // text, and an empty value already means something here, so record nothing.
+    if (value != nullptr)
+        setAttribute(key, std::string_view(value));
 }
 
 void