diff --git a/litellm/integrations/otel/langfuse_logger.py b/litellm/integrations/otel/langfuse_logger.py
index 177bba0c1e1..d029b153c52 100644
--- a/litellm/integrations/otel/langfuse_logger.py
+++ b/litellm/integrations/otel/langfuse_logger.py
@@ -8,8 +8,8 @@ from litellm.integrations.otel.mappers.langfuse import (
     LANGFUSE_OBSERVATION_OUTPUT,
     LangfuseMapper,
 )
-from litellm.integrations.otel.model.metadata import caller_trace_controls
 from litellm.integrations.otel.model.request_io import request_input, response_output, stream_output
+from litellm.integrations.otel.model.trace_controls import caller_trace_controls
 from litellm.integrations.otel.plumbing.context import request_root_span
 
 if TYPE_CHECKING:
diff --git a/litellm/integrations/otel/mappers/langfuse.py b/litellm/integrations/otel/mappers/langfuse.py
index 11a199966b9..8651cd15945 100644
--- a/litellm/integrations/otel/mappers/langfuse.py
+++ b/litellm/integrations/otel/mappers/langfuse.py
@@ -22,12 +22,12 @@ from litellm.integrations.otel.mappers.utils import (
     output_messages,
     serialize_messages,
 )
-from litellm.integrations.otel.model.metadata import TraceControls
 from litellm.integrations.otel.model.payloads import (
     LLMCallSpanData,
     LLMRequestParams,
     LLMUsage,
 )
+from litellm.integrations.otel.model.trace_controls import TraceControls
 
 LANGFUSE_OBSERVATION_INPUT: Final = "langfuse.observation.input"
 LANGFUSE_OBSERVATION_OUTPUT: Final = "langfuse.observation.output"
diff --git a/litellm/integrations/otel/model/metadata.py b/litellm/integrations/otel/model/metadata.py
index 8a5383e981a..2fdbc826803 100644
--- a/litellm/integrations/otel/model/metadata.py
+++ b/litellm/integrations/otel/model/metadata.py
@@ -36,33 +36,19 @@ model. They coincide on the SDK path, which is correct.
 
 from __future__ import annotations
 
-from collections.abc import Iterator, Mapping, Sequence
+from collections.abc import Iterator, Mapping
 from dataclasses import dataclass, field
 from types import MappingProxyType
 from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Any, Final, cast
 
 from litellm.constants import LITELLM_LOGGING_NO_UPSTREAM_LLM_CALL
 from litellm.integrations.otel.model.semconv import resolve_operation
-from litellm.integrations.otel.model.utils import as_str, to_seconds
+from litellm.integrations.otel.model.trace_controls import TraceControls, caller_trace_controls
+from litellm.integrations.otel.model.utils import as_str, as_str_mapping, to_seconds
 
 if TYPE_CHECKING:
     from litellm.types.utils import StandardLoggingPayload
 
-LANGFUSE_HEADER_PREFIX: Final = "langfuse_"
-
-
-@dataclass(frozen=True, slots=True)
-class TraceControls:
-    """The caller's trace-level Langfuse controls: ``metadata.trace_name`` / ``trace_user_id`` / ``session_id`` /
-    ``tags`` on the request (SDK or proxy body), with the proxy's ``langfuse_<control>`` headers winning over the
-    body for the scalar ones. Mutation controls (``trace_id``, ``existing_trace_id``, ``update_trace_keys``) are
-    deliberately not carried."""
-
-    name: str | None = None
-    user_id: str | None = None
-    session_id: str | None = None
-    tags: tuple[str, ...] = ()
-
 
 @dataclass(frozen=True)
 class RequestIdentity:
@@ -251,38 +237,6 @@ class LLMCallEvent:
         )
 
 
-def caller_trace_controls(kwargs: Mapping[str, object]) -> TraceControls:
-    request: Final = _as_str_mapping(kwargs.get("litellm_params"))
-    if request is None:
-        return TraceControls()
-    proxy_request: Final = _as_str_mapping(request.get("proxy_server_request"))
-    headers: Final = (_as_str_mapping(proxy_request.get("headers")) if proxy_request is not None else None) or {}
-    bodies: Final = tuple(
-        metadata
-        for key in ("metadata", "litellm_metadata")
-        if (metadata := _as_str_mapping(request.get(key))) is not None
-    )
-
-    def scalar(control: str) -> str | None:
-        from_header: Final = as_str(headers.get(f"{LANGFUSE_HEADER_PREFIX}{control}"))
-        if from_header:
-            return from_header
-        return next((value for body in bodies if (value := as_str(body.get(control)))), None)
-
-    return TraceControls(
-        name=scalar("trace_name"),
-        user_id=scalar("trace_user_id"),
-        session_id=scalar("session_id"),
-        tags=next((tags for body in bodies if (tags := _str_items(body.get("tags")))), ()),
-    )
-
-
-def _str_items(value: object) -> tuple[str, ...]:
-    if not isinstance(value, (list, tuple)):
-        return ()
-    return tuple(item for item in cast("Sequence[object]", value) if isinstance(item, str) and item)
-
-
 def time_to_first_chunk_seconds(kwargs: Mapping[str, Any]) -> float | None:
     """Seconds from the upstream request being issued (``api_call_start_time``)
     to the first streamed chunk (``completion_start_time``); ``None`` for
@@ -317,15 +271,8 @@ def auth_metadata(payload: StandardLoggingPayload | None, kwargs: Mapping[str, o
     )
 
 
-def _as_str_mapping(value: object) -> Mapping[str, object] | None:
-    """A read-only view of ``value`` when it is a mapping, else ``None``."""
-    if not isinstance(value, Mapping):
-        return None
-    return cast("Mapping[str, object]", value)  # cast-ok: isinstance-guarded, JSON metadata has str keys
-
-
 def _string_entries(value: object) -> Mapping[str, str] | None:
-    entries: Final = _as_str_mapping(value)
+    entries: Final = as_str_mapping(value)
     if entries is None:
         return None
     typed: Final = MappingProxyType({key: item for key, item in entries.items() if isinstance(item, str)})
@@ -341,18 +288,18 @@ def _metadata_dicts(
     litellm copies it onto ``metadata``, but both are yielded so a route that
     populates only one is still covered.
     """
-    payload_view: Final = _as_str_mapping(payload)
+    payload_view: Final = as_str_mapping(payload)
     if payload_view is not None:
-        payload_metadata: Final = _as_str_mapping(payload_view.get("metadata"))
+        payload_metadata: Final = as_str_mapping(payload_view.get("metadata"))
         if payload_metadata is not None:
             yield payload_metadata
-    params: Final = _as_str_mapping(kwargs.get("litellm_params"))
+    params: Final = as_str_mapping(kwargs.get("litellm_params"))
     if params is None:
         return
     yield from (
         metadata
         for key in ("metadata", "litellm_metadata")
-        if (metadata := _as_str_mapping(params.get(key))) is not None
+        if (metadata := as_str_mapping(params.get(key))) is not None
     )
 
 
diff --git a/litellm/integrations/otel/model/payloads.py b/litellm/integrations/otel/model/payloads.py
index 068c3a38e21..33da1549fd5 100644
--- a/litellm/integrations/otel/model/payloads.py
+++ b/litellm/integrations/otel/model/payloads.py
@@ -10,11 +10,7 @@ from types import MappingProxyType
 from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, ClassVar, Final, cast
 from urllib.parse import urlsplit
 
-from litellm.integrations.otel.model.metadata import (
-    RequestContext,
-    RequestIdentity,
-    TraceControls,
-)
+from litellm.integrations.otel.model.metadata import RequestContext, RequestIdentity
 from litellm.integrations.otel.model.semconv import (
     GenAIOperation,
     GenAIOutputType,
@@ -23,6 +19,7 @@ from litellm.integrations.otel.model.semconv import (
     resolve_output_type,
     resolve_provider,
 )
+from litellm.integrations.otel.model.trace_controls import TraceControls
 from litellm.integrations.otel.model.utils import (
     as_bool,
     as_float,
diff --git a/litellm/integrations/otel/model/trace_controls.py b/litellm/integrations/otel/model/trace_controls.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..884c51a420b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/litellm/integrations/otel/model/trace_controls.py
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+"""The caller's Langfuse trace controls, parsed from the live callback kwargs."""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from collections.abc import Mapping
+from dataclasses import dataclass
+from typing import Final
+
+from pydantic import TypeAdapter, ValidationError
+
+from litellm.integrations.otel.model.utils import as_str, as_str_mapping
+
+LANGFUSE_HEADER_PREFIX: Final = "langfuse_"
+_ITEMS: Final = TypeAdapter(tuple[object, ...])
+
+
+@dataclass(frozen=True, slots=True)
+class TraceControls:
+    """The caller's trace-level Langfuse controls: ``metadata.trace_name`` / ``trace_user_id`` / ``session_id`` /
+    ``tags`` on the request (SDK or proxy body), with the proxy's ``langfuse_<control>`` headers winning over the
+    body for the scalar ones. Mutation controls (``trace_id``, ``existing_trace_id``, ``update_trace_keys``) are
+    deliberately not carried."""
+
+    name: str | None = None
+    user_id: str | None = None
+    session_id: str | None = None
+    tags: tuple[str, ...] = ()
+
+
+def caller_trace_controls(kwargs: Mapping[str, object]) -> TraceControls:
+    request: Final = as_str_mapping(kwargs.get("litellm_params"))
+    if request is None:
+        return TraceControls()
+    proxy_request: Final = as_str_mapping(request.get("proxy_server_request"))
+    headers: Final = (as_str_mapping(proxy_request.get("headers")) if proxy_request is not None else None) or {}
+    bodies: Final = tuple(
+        metadata
+        for key in ("metadata", "litellm_metadata")
+        if (metadata := as_str_mapping(request.get(key))) is not None
+    )
+
+    def scalar(control: str) -> str | None:
+        from_header: Final = as_str(headers.get(f"{LANGFUSE_HEADER_PREFIX}{control}"))
+        if from_header:
+            return from_header
+        return next((value for body in bodies if (value := as_str(body.get(control)))), None)
+
+    return TraceControls(
+        name=scalar("trace_name"),
+        user_id=scalar("trace_user_id"),
+        session_id=scalar("session_id"),
+        tags=next((tags for body in bodies if (tags := _str_items(body.get("tags")))), ()),
+    )
+
+
+def _str_items(value: object) -> tuple[str, ...]:
+    try:
+        items: Final = _ITEMS.validate_python(value)
+    except ValidationError:
+        return ()
+    return tuple(item for item in items if isinstance(item, str) and item)
diff --git a/litellm/integrations/otel/model/utils.py b/litellm/integrations/otel/model/utils.py
index fb35e9abf51..a3276f30078 100644
--- a/litellm/integrations/otel/model/utils.py
+++ b/litellm/integrations/otel/model/utils.py
@@ -8,7 +8,13 @@ parsing lives in :mod:`litellm.integrations.otel.plumbing.providers` instead,
 because it delegates to the OTel SDK's own W3C Baggage parser.
 """
 
+from collections.abc import Mapping
 from datetime import datetime
+from typing import Final
+
+from pydantic import TypeAdapter, ValidationError
+
+_STR_MAPPING: Final = TypeAdapter(Mapping[str, object])
 
 
 def as_str(value: object) -> str | None:
@@ -55,6 +61,13 @@ def as_bool(value: object) -> bool | None:
     return bool(value)
 
 
+def as_str_mapping(value: object) -> Mapping[str, object] | None:
+    try:
+        return _STR_MAPPING.validate_python(value)
+    except ValidationError:
+        return None
+
+
 def as_str_tuple(value: object) -> tuple[str, ...] | None:
     if value is None:
         return None
diff --git a/tests/test_litellm/integrations/otel/test_otel_v2_sources_of_truth.py b/tests/test_litellm/integrations/otel/test_otel_v2_sources_of_truth.py
index d42077d6e6a..c5c77a12a62 100644
--- a/tests/test_litellm/integrations/otel/test_otel_v2_sources_of_truth.py
+++ b/tests/test_litellm/integrations/otel/test_otel_v2_sources_of_truth.py
@@ -28,7 +28,8 @@ from litellm.integrations.otel import (
 )
 from litellm.integrations.otel.mappers.genai import GenAIMapper
 from litellm.integrations.otel.model import spans as spans_mod
-from litellm.integrations.otel.model.metadata import LLMCallEvent, TraceControls, caller_trace_controls
+from litellm.integrations.otel.model.metadata import LLMCallEvent
+from litellm.integrations.otel.model.trace_controls import TraceControls, caller_trace_controls
 from litellm.integrations.otel.model.payloads import (
     LLMCallSpanData,
     RequestIdentity,
diff --git a/tests/test_litellm/integrations/otel/test_otel_v2_vendor_mappers.py b/tests/test_litellm/integrations/otel/test_otel_v2_vendor_mappers.py
index 81c9c2cdc9a..bd83357305e 100644
--- a/tests/test_litellm/integrations/otel/test_otel_v2_vendor_mappers.py
+++ b/tests/test_litellm/integrations/otel/test_otel_v2_vendor_mappers.py
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ from litellm.integrations.otel.mappers import (
     WeaveMapper,
     resolve_mappers,
 )
-from litellm.integrations.otel.model.metadata import TraceControls
+from litellm.integrations.otel.model.trace_controls import TraceControls
 from litellm.integrations.otel.model.payloads import (
     LLMCallSpanData,
     LLMRequestParams,