diff --git a/extensions/hellodriver/hellodriver.js b/extensions/hellodriver/hellodriver.js
index fcadebc55..87621c607 100644
--- a/extensions/hellodriver/hellodriver.js
+++ b/extensions/hellodriver/hellodriver.js
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 const { kv } = extension.import('data');
 
-const spanify = extension.import('core').spanify;
-const svc_trace = extension.import('service:traceService');
+const span = extension.span;
 
 /**
  * Here we create an interface called 'hello-world'. This interface
@@ -69,7 +68,11 @@ extension.on('create.drivers', event => {
 
 extension.on('create.drivers', event => {
     event.createDriver('hello-world', 'slow-hello', {
-        greet: spanify('slow-hello:greet', async ({ subject }) => {
+        greet: span('slow-hello:greet', async ({ subject }) => {
+            await new Promise(rslv => setTimeout(rslv, 1000));
+            await span.run(async () => {
+                await new Promise(rslv => setTimeout(rslv, 1000));
+            });
             await new Promise(rslv => setTimeout(rslv, 1000));
             return `Hello, ${subject ?? 'World'}!`;
         }),
diff --git a/src/backend/src/Extension.js b/src/backend/src/Extension.js
index 4a364ab18..312dbe0cc 100644
--- a/src/backend/src/Extension.js
+++ b/src/backend/src/Extension.js
@@ -361,6 +361,29 @@ class Extension extends AdvancedBase {
         return extensionConsole;
     }
 
+    get tracer () {
+        const trace = this.import('tel').trace;
+        return trace.getTracer(`extension:${this.name}`);
+    }
+
+    get span () {
+        const span = (label, fn) => {
+            const spanify = this.import('core').spanify;
+            return spanify(label, fn, this.tracer);
+        };
+
+        // Add `.run` for more readable immediate invocation
+        span.run = (label, fn) => {
+            if ( typeof label === 'function' ) {
+                fn = label;
+                label = fn.name || 'span.run';
+            }
+            return span(label, fn)();
+        };
+
+        return span;
+    }
+
     /**
      * This method will create the "default service" for an extension.
      * This is specifically for Puter extensions that do not define their
diff --git a/src/backend/src/util/otelutil.js b/src/backend/src/util/otelutil.js
index f5d3e9789..593bedeb8 100644
--- a/src/backend/src/util/otelutil.js
+++ b/src/backend/src/util/otelutil.js
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ promises.push(tracer.startActiveSpan(`job:${job.id}`, (span) => {
 }));
 */
 
-const spanify = (label, fn) => async (...args) => {
+const spanify = (label, fn, tracer) => async (...args) => {
     const context = Context.get();
     if ( ! context ) {
         // We don't use the proper logger here because we would normally
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ const spanify = (label, fn) => async (...args) => {
         console.error('spanify failed', new Error('missing context'));
     }
 
-    const tracer = context.get('services').get('traceService').tracer;
+    tracer = tracer ?? context.get('services').get('traceService').tracer;
     let result;
     await tracer.startActiveSpan(label, async span => {
         result = await fn(...args);