diff --git a/.changeset/few-chicken-prove.md b/.changeset/few-chicken-prove.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..355ba41f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/few-chicken-prove.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@hyperdx/node-logger': patch
+---
+
+style: reuse LOG_PREFIX
diff --git a/.changeset/sixty-kiwis-ring.md b/.changeset/sixty-kiwis-ring.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..178ad5e3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/sixty-kiwis-ring.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@hyperdx/node-opentelemetry': patch
+---
+
+feat: debug mode
diff --git a/packages/node-logger/src/debug.ts b/packages/node-logger/src/debug.ts
index d757f3b7..91b4d079 100644
--- a/packages/node-logger/src/debug.ts
+++ b/packages/node-logger/src/debug.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import debug from 'debug';
 
 import { name as PKG_NAME, version as PKG_VERSION } from '../package.json';
 
-const LOG_PREFIX = `[${PKG_NAME} v${PKG_VERSION}]`;
+export const LOG_PREFIX = `[${PKG_NAME} v${PKG_VERSION}]`;
 
 export default (message: string) =>
   debug('hyperdx')(`${LOG_PREFIX} ${message}`);
diff --git a/packages/node-logger/src/logger.ts b/packages/node-logger/src/logger.ts
index 538a8242..bea605d3 100644
--- a/packages/node-logger/src/logger.ts
+++ b/packages/node-logger/src/logger.ts
@@ -5,9 +5,9 @@ import stripAnsi from 'strip-ansi';
 import { isPlainObject, isString } from 'lodash';
 
 import { ILogger, createLogger, jsonToString } from './_logger';
-import { name as PKG_NAME, version as PKG_VERSION } from '../package.json';
+import { LOG_PREFIX as _LOG_PREFIX } from './debug';
 
-const LOG_PREFIX = `⚠️  [${PKG_NAME} v${PKG_VERSION}]`;
+const LOG_PREFIX = `⚠️  ${_LOG_PREFIX}`;
 
 // internal types
 export type HdxLog = {
diff --git a/packages/node-opentelemetry/package.json b/packages/node-opentelemetry/package.json
index 4a2d0f68..04cbba29 100644
--- a/packages/node-opentelemetry/package.json
+++ b/packages/node-opentelemetry/package.json
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@
     "@opentelemetry/sdk-metrics": "^1.15.0",
     "@opentelemetry/sdk-node": "^0.41.0",
     "@opentelemetry/semantic-conventions": "^1.15.0",
+    "debug": "^4.3.4",
     "lodash": "^4.17.21",
     "tslib": "^2.5.3"
   },
diff --git a/packages/node-opentelemetry/src/debug.ts b/packages/node-opentelemetry/src/debug.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..299729ff
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/node-opentelemetry/src/debug.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+import debug from 'debug';
+
+import { name as PKG_NAME, version as PKG_VERSION } from '../package.json';
+
+const NAMESPACE = 'hyperdx';
+
+const env = process.env;
+
+export const LOG_PREFIX = `[${PKG_NAME} v${PKG_VERSION}]`;
+
+export const HDX_DEBUG_MODE_ENABLED = env.DEBUG?.includes(NAMESPACE);
+
+export default (message: string) =>
+  debug(NAMESPACE)(`${LOG_PREFIX} ${message}`);
diff --git a/packages/node-opentelemetry/src/logger.ts b/packages/node-opentelemetry/src/logger.ts
index 04590859..fb3de831 100644
--- a/packages/node-opentelemetry/src/logger.ts
+++ b/packages/node-opentelemetry/src/logger.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 // @ts-ignore
 import { HyperDXWinston } from '@hyperdx/node-logger';
 
+import hdx from './debug';
+
 const env = process.env;
 
 const HYPERDX_API_KEY = (env.HYPERDX_API_KEY ??
@@ -8,12 +10,14 @@ const HYPERDX_API_KEY = (env.HYPERDX_API_KEY ??
 
 const SERVICE_NAME = env.OTEL_SERVICE_NAME as string;
 
-export const getWinsonTransport = (maxLevel = 'info') =>
-  new HyperDXWinston({
+export const getWinsonTransport = (maxLevel = 'info') => {
+  hdx('Initializing winston transport');
+  return new HyperDXWinston({
     apiKey: HYPERDX_API_KEY,
     maxLevel,
     service: SERVICE_NAME,
   });
+};
 
 export const getPinoTransport = (maxLevel = 'info') => ({
   target: '@hyperdx/node-logger/build/src/pino',
diff --git a/packages/node-opentelemetry/src/patch.ts b/packages/node-opentelemetry/src/patch.ts
index 7bbe0764..576296f9 100644
--- a/packages/node-opentelemetry/src/patch.ts
+++ b/packages/node-opentelemetry/src/patch.ts
@@ -3,9 +3,7 @@ import _ from 'lodash';
 // @ts-ignore
 import { Logger, parseWinstonLog } from '@hyperdx/node-logger/build/src/logger';
 
-import { name as PKG_NAME, version as PKG_VERSION } from '../package.json';
-
-const LOG_PREFIX = `[${PKG_NAME} v${PKG_VERSION}]`;
+import hdx from './debug';
 
 const env = process.env;
 
@@ -51,7 +49,7 @@ export const patchConsoleLog = () => {
       service: SERVICE_NAME,
     });
 
-    console.warn(`${LOG_PREFIX} Capturing console logs...`);
+    hdx(`Capturing console logs...`);
 
     const _log = (level: string, ...args: any[]) => {
       const parsedLog = parseWinstonLog({
diff --git a/packages/node-opentelemetry/src/tracing.ts b/packages/node-opentelemetry/src/tracing.ts
index 1f0a9fd3..c68a8d03 100644
--- a/packages/node-opentelemetry/src/tracing.ts
+++ b/packages/node-opentelemetry/src/tracing.ts
@@ -2,13 +2,21 @@ import { NodeSDK } from '@opentelemetry/sdk-node';
 import { OTLPTraceExporter } from '@opentelemetry/exporter-trace-otlp-proto';
 import { getNodeAutoInstrumentations } from '@opentelemetry/auto-instrumentations-node';
 
+import hdx, {
+  HDX_DEBUG_MODE_ENABLED,
+  LOG_PREFIX as _LOG_PREFIX,
+} from './debug';
 import { patchConsoleLog } from './patch';
-import { name as PKG_NAME, version as PKG_VERSION } from '../package.json';
 
-const LOG_PREFIX = `[${PKG_NAME} v${PKG_VERSION}]`;
+const LOG_PREFIX = `⚠️  ${_LOG_PREFIX}`;
 
 const env = process.env;
 
+// enable otel debug mode if HDX_DEBUG_MODE_ENABLED is set
+if (HDX_DEBUG_MODE_ENABLED) {
+  env.OTEL_LOG_LEVEL = 'debug';
+}
+
 // set default otel env vars
 env.OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_ENDPOINT =
   env.OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_ENDPOINT ?? 'https://in-otel.hyperdx.io';
@@ -21,9 +29,11 @@ env.OTEL_TRACES_SAMPLER_ARG = env.OTEL_TRACES_SAMPLER_ARG ?? '1';
 if (env.HYPERDX_API_KEY) {
   env.OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_HEADERS = `${env.OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_HEADERS},authorization=${env.HYPERDX_API_KEY}`;
 } else {
-  console.warn(`⚠️  ${LOG_PREFIX} HYPERDX_API_KEY is not set`);
+  console.warn(`${LOG_PREFIX} HYPERDX_API_KEY is not set`);
 }
 
+hdx('Initializing opentelemetry SDK');
+
 const sdk = new NodeSDK({
   traceExporter: new OTLPTraceExporter({
     timeoutMillis: 60000,
@@ -56,10 +66,11 @@ if (env.OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_ENDPOINT && env.OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_HEADERS) {
       2,
     )})...`,
   );
+  hdx('Starting opentelemetry SDK');
   sdk.start();
 } else {
   console.warn(
-    `⚠️  ${LOG_PREFIX} OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_ENDPOINT and OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_HEADERS are not set, tracing is disabled`,
+    `${LOG_PREFIX} OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_ENDPOINT and OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_HEADERS are not set, tracing is disabled`,
   );
 }
 
@@ -68,6 +79,7 @@ patchConsoleLog();
 
 // Graceful shutdown
 process.on('SIGTERM', () => {
+  hdx('SIGTERM received, shutting down');
   sdk
     .shutdown()
     .then(