diff --git a/core/services/llo/delegate.go b/core/services/llo/delegate.go
index 7c05ffbe52a..3380b4f1bc5 100644
--- a/core/services/llo/delegate.go
+++ b/core/services/llo/delegate.go
@@ -35,9 +35,9 @@ type delegate struct {
 	cfg          DelegateConfig
 	reportCodecs map[llotypes.ReportFormat]datastreamsllo.ReportCodec
 
-	src datastreamsllo.ShouldRetireCache
-	ds  datastreamsllo.DataSource
-	t   services.Service
+	src   datastreamsllo.ShouldRetireCache
+	ds    datastreamsllo.DataSource
+	telem services.Service
 
 	oracles []Closer
 }
@@ -109,7 +109,13 @@ func (d *delegate) Start(ctx context.Context) error {
 		if !(len(d.cfg.ContractConfigTrackers) == 1 || len(d.cfg.ContractConfigTrackers) == 2) {
 			return fmt.Errorf("expected either 1 or 2 ContractConfigTrackers, got: %d", len(d.cfg.ContractConfigTrackers))
 		}
+
+		d.cfg.Logger.Debugw("Starting LLO job", "instances", len(d.cfg.ContractConfigTrackers), "jobName", d.cfg.JobName.ValueOrZero(), "captureEATelemetry", d.cfg.CaptureEATelemetry)
+
 		var merr error
+
+		merr = errors.Join(merr, d.telem.Start(ctx))
+
 		psrrc := NewPluginScopedRetirementReportCache(d.cfg.RetirementReportCache, d.cfg.OnchainKeyring, d.cfg.RetirementReportCodec)
 		for i, configTracker := range d.cfg.ContractConfigTrackers {
 			lggr := logger.Named(d.cfg.Logger, fmt.Sprintf("%d", i))
@@ -156,10 +162,11 @@ func (d *delegate) Start(ctx context.Context) error {
 }
 
 func (d *delegate) Close() error {
-	return d.StopOnce("LLODelegate", func() (err error) {
+	return d.StopOnce("LLODelegate", func() (merr error) {
 		for _, oracle := range d.oracles {
-			err = errors.Join(err, oracle.Close())
+			merr = errors.Join(merr, oracle.Close())
 		}
-		return err
+		merr = errors.Join(merr, d.telem.Close())
+		return merr
 	})
 }
diff --git a/core/services/llo/telemetry.go b/core/services/llo/telemetry.go
index 62b586f5cc8..d5c113c61ef 100644
--- a/core/services/llo/telemetry.go
+++ b/core/services/llo/telemetry.go
@@ -61,6 +61,12 @@ type telemeter struct {
 }
 
 func (t *telemeter) EnqueueV3PremiumLegacy(run *pipeline.Run, trrs pipeline.TaskRunResults, streamID uint32, opts llo.DSOpts, val llo.StreamValue, err error) {
+	if t.Service.Ready() != nil {
+		// This should never happen, telemeter should always be started BEFORE
+		// the oracle and closed AFTER it
+		t.eng.SugaredLogger.Errorw("Telemeter not ready, dropping observation", "run", run, "streamID", streamID, "opts", opts, "val", val, "err", err)
+		return
+	}
 	var adapterError *eautils.AdapterError
 	var dpInvariantViolationDetected bool
 	if errors.As(err, &adapterError) && adapterError.Name == adapterLWBAErrorName {