diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 49fc873685..1006c723c8 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -141,21 +141,18 @@ if(rocksdb)
 endif()
 
 # OpenTelemetry distributed tracing (optional).
-# When ON, links against opentelemetry-cpp and defines XRPL_ENABLE_TELEMETRY so
+# When on, links against opentelemetry-cpp and defines XRPL_ENABLE_TELEMETRY so
 # that SpanGuard factory methods produce real OTel spans.
-# When OFF, all tracing code compiles to no-ops with zero overhead and
+# When off, all tracing code compiles to no-ops with zero overhead and
 # opentelemetry-cpp is not needed at all.
 #
-# The value below is temporarily ON so that CI compiles the telemetry code
-# paths while this feature is in review. OFF is the intended shipped default;
-# flipping it back is tracked as a separate change. Do not rely on the current
-# value - select it explicitly with cmake -Dtelemetry=ON|OFF or
-# conan install -o telemetry=True|False.
+# There is no CMake option. The one switch is `conan install -o telemetry=`,
+# which decides whether opentelemetry-cpp is fetched and sets the variable read
+# below through the generated toolchain.
 #
-# -DXRPL_ENABLE_TELEMETRY=OFF does not turn anything off: that name is only a
-# compile definition added below, not a CMake option, so CMake just lists it as
-# an unused variable at the end of configuration.
-option(telemetry "Enable OpenTelemetry tracing" ON)
+# -DXRPL_ENABLE_TELEMETRY=OFF turns nothing off: that name is only a compile
+# definition added below, so CMake lists it as an unused variable at the end of
+# configuration.
 if(telemetry)
     find_package(opentelemetry-cpp CONFIG REQUIRED)
     add_compile_definitions(XRPL_ENABLE_TELEMETRY)
diff --git a/docs/build/telemetry.md b/docs/build/telemetry.md
index 14f7d1d5a9..134cca5f63 100644
--- a/docs/build/telemetry.md
+++ b/docs/build/telemetry.md
@@ -32,14 +32,10 @@ such as Grafana Tempo.
 
 Telemetry is gated twice — once at compile time and once at runtime:
 
-- **Compile time**: The Conan option `telemetry` and CMake option `telemetry` decide
-  whether the OTel SDK is linked in and `XRPL_ENABLE_TELEMETRY` is defined.
+- **Compile time**: The Conan option `telemetry` must be `True`. It is the only switch: there is no CMake option, because `conan install` writes the value into the generated toolchain and CMake reads it from there.
   When off, all `SpanGuard` calls compile to inline no-ops (defined in `SpanGuard.h`)
   with zero overhead — no OTel SDK dependency required.
-  The option is currently `True`/`ON` on the telemetry branches so that CI builds and
-  exercises the instrumented code; **`False`/`OFF` is the intended default once this
-  feature is merged.** Pass the value you want explicitly rather than relying on the
-  default.
+  Pass the value you want explicitly rather than relying on the default.
 - **Runtime**: Telemetry is **off by default** — the `[telemetry]` config section must
   set `enabled=1`. When disabled at runtime, a no-op implementation is used even in a
   build that has the SDK compiled in.
@@ -110,10 +106,9 @@ cmake --build . --parallel $(nproc)
 
 ## Building without telemetry
 
-Pass `-o telemetry=False` to `conan install`, and `-Dtelemetry=OFF` to CMake if you
-configure without the Conan-generated toolchain. Do not just omit the option — it then
-resolves to whatever the current default is, and that default is `True` on the
-telemetry branches.
+Pass `-o telemetry=False` to `conan install`. That is the whole switch: CMake takes the
+value from the generated toolchain, so there is no CMake flag to pass as well. Do not just
+omit the option — it then resolves to whatever the recipe's current default is.
 
 The `opentelemetry-cpp` dependency will not be downloaded,
 the `XRPL_ENABLE_TELEMETRY` preprocessor define will not be set,
@@ -124,7 +119,7 @@ The resulting binary is identical to one built before telemetry support was adde
 > CMake option — it is only a compile definition added when `telemetry` is on. Passing it
 > on the command line leaves telemetry compiled in; CMake merely lists it at the end of
 > configuration under `Manually-specified variables were not used by the project`.
-> Use `-Dtelemetry=OFF`.
+> Use `-o telemetry=False` on `conan install`.
 
 ## Troubleshooting