diff --git a/litellm/integrations/otel/presets/utils.py b/litellm/integrations/otel/presets/utils.py
index 2d7598b63c3..19bcdd71aff 100644
--- a/litellm/integrations/otel/presets/utils.py
+++ b/litellm/integrations/otel/presets/utils.py
@@ -32,12 +32,12 @@ def credential_gated_exporters(
     override filter still recognises which backend this provider speaks for.
     """
     return (
-        *(spec for spec in exporters if not _is_unconfigured_placeholder(spec)),
+        *(spec for spec in exporters if not is_unconfigured_placeholder(spec)),
         ExporterSpec(owner=owner, requires_headers=True),
     )
 
 
-def _is_unconfigured_placeholder(spec: "ExporterSpec") -> bool:
+def is_unconfigured_placeholder(spec: "ExporterSpec") -> bool:
     """Whether ``spec`` is the one ``_normalize`` folds in when nothing was configured.
 
     Every field at its default is what says the operator asked for nothing: an exporter
diff --git a/litellm/litellm_core_utils/litellm_logging.py b/litellm/litellm_core_utils/litellm_logging.py
index c155092fdbd..2b669abcfd7 100644
--- a/litellm/litellm_core_utils/litellm_logging.py
+++ b/litellm/litellm_core_utils/litellm_logging.py
@@ -4806,8 +4806,9 @@ def _maybe_construct_otel_v2(callback_name: str, _in_memory_loggers: list[Custom
     only when this request has a key/team destination for that backend and another
     V2 logger is already registered to carry the fan-out. The resulting logger keeps
     only its credential-gated exporter, while the registered logger owns operator
-    delivery. Without that carrier, the preset raises as it always did and the
-    caller falls through to the legacy path.
+    delivery. Without that carrier, a preset that raises or that ends up with nothing
+    but its gated exporter and the default console placeholder returns ``None``, so the
+    caller falls through to the legacy path exactly as before V2 landed.
     """
     from litellm.integrations.otel.model.config import is_otel_v2_enabled
 
@@ -4822,6 +4823,7 @@ def _maybe_construct_otel_v2(callback_name: str, _in_memory_loggers: list[Custom
         return None
     serves_a_destination: Final = callback_name in destination_backends()
     has_v2_logger: Final = any(isinstance(callback, OpenTelemetryV2) for callback in _in_memory_loggers)
+    carried: Final = serves_a_destination and has_v2_logger
     for callback in _in_memory_loggers:
         if (
             isinstance(callback, OpenTelemetryV2)
@@ -4830,20 +4832,15 @@ def _maybe_construct_otel_v2(callback_name: str, _in_memory_loggers: list[Custom
         ):
             return callback
     try:
-        built: Final = preset_fn(allow_missing_credentials=serves_a_destination and has_v2_logger)
+        built: Final = preset_fn(allow_missing_credentials=carried)
     except Exception:
         # If env vars are missing or the preset raises, defer to the legacy path
         # so customers get the same error story they had before V2 landed.
         return None
     gated: Final = _is_credential_gated(built)
-    has_operator_exporter: Final = any(
-        not _is_gated(spec) and bool(spec.model_dump(exclude_defaults=True)) for spec in built.exporters
-    )
-    if _exports_nowhere(built) and not (serves_a_destination and has_v2_logger):
+    if gated and not carried and not _has_operator_exporter(built):
         return None
-    if gated and not has_operator_exporter and not (serves_a_destination and has_v2_logger):
-        return None
-    config: Final = _only_the_gated_exporter(built) if gated and serves_a_destination and has_v2_logger else built
+    config: Final = _only_the_gated_exporter(built) if gated and carried else built
     if _exports_nowhere(config):
         verbose_logger.warning(
             "OTel V2: no operator credentials for '%s'; only key/team destinations will receive its traces",
@@ -4864,6 +4861,13 @@ def _is_credential_gated(config: "OpenTelemetryV2Config") -> bool:
     return any(_is_gated(spec) for spec in config.exporters)
 
 
+def _has_operator_exporter(config: "OpenTelemetryV2Config") -> bool:
+    """Whether the operator configured somewhere real to export, beyond the default console placeholder."""
+    from litellm.integrations.otel.presets.utils import is_unconfigured_placeholder
+
+    return any(not _is_gated(spec) and not is_unconfigured_placeholder(spec) for spec in config.exporters)
+
+
 def _only_the_gated_exporter(config: "OpenTelemetryV2Config") -> "OpenTelemetryV2Config":
     return config.model_copy(
         update={"exporters": [spec for spec in config.exporters if _is_gated(spec)]}  # mutable-ok: model_copy update
diff --git a/tests/test_litellm/integrations/otel/test_otel_v2_destinations.py b/tests/test_litellm/integrations/otel/test_otel_v2_destinations.py
index d52183638b8..f051c6dfcb0 100644
--- a/tests/test_litellm/integrations/otel/test_otel_v2_destinations.py
+++ b/tests/test_litellm/integrations/otel/test_otel_v2_destinations.py
@@ -1174,7 +1174,7 @@ class TestPresetDegradation:
             "https://otlp.nr-data.net",
         ]
 
-    def test_a_credentialless_newrelic_without_a_base_exporter_falls_back(self, monkeypatch, capsys):
+    def test_a_credentialless_newrelic_without_a_base_exporter_falls_back(self, monkeypatch):
         from litellm.litellm_core_utils.litellm_logging import _maybe_construct_otel_v2
 
         monkeypatch.delenv("NEW_RELIC_LICENSE_KEY", raising=False)
@@ -1187,7 +1187,6 @@ class TestPresetDegradation:
         is_otel_v2_enabled.cache_clear()
 
         assert logger is None
-        assert capsys.readouterr().out == ""
 
     def test_a_destination_for_one_backend_does_not_degrade_another(self, monkeypatch):
         from litellm.litellm_core_utils.litellm_logging import _maybe_construct_otel_v2