diff --git a/esp/platform/espp.cpp b/esp/platform/espp.cpp
index 18477717f7d..5e61d9627fb 100644
--- a/esp/platform/espp.cpp
+++ b/esp/platform/espp.cpp
@@ -454,7 +454,8 @@ int init_main(int argc, const char* argv[])
             envpt.setown(createPTreeFromXMLFile(cfgfile, ipt_caseInsensitive));
 
             // NB: esp has no standard component config in bare-metal, this is loading defaultYaml only
-            espConfig.setown(loadConfiguration(defaultYaml, argv, "esp", "ESP", nullptr, nullptr));
+            //   disable initTracing here, it will be called explicitly below after global config is replaced
+            espConfig.setown(loadConfiguration(defaultYaml, argv, "esp", "ESP", nullptr, nullptr, nullptr, true, false));
 
             // legacy esp.xml will contain a generated global section if present in the environment.
             // replace the empty stub created by loadConfiguration with this environment globals section.
@@ -464,6 +465,7 @@ int init_main(int argc, const char* argv[])
                 Owned<IPropertyTree> currentConfig = getComponentConfig();
                 replaceComponentConfig(currentConfig, global);
             }
+            initTraceManager("esp", getComponentConfigSP(), getGlobalConfigSP());
         }
         Owned<IPropertyTree> procpt = NULL;
         if (envpt)
diff --git a/initfiles/componentfiles/configxml/esp.xsl b/initfiles/componentfiles/configxml/esp.xsl
index 5be41c5e960..9ee75f15727 100644
--- a/initfiles/componentfiles/configxml/esp.xsl
+++ b/initfiles/componentfiles/configxml/esp.xsl
@@ -70,14 +70,6 @@
             <!--
             # Generated for configuration info. accessed by getGlobalConfig()
             -->
-            <xsl:choose>
-                <xsl:when test="tracing">
-                    <xsl:copy-of select="./tracing"/>
-                </xsl:when>
-                <xsl:otherwise>
-                    <xsl:copy-of select="/Environment/Software/tracing"/>
-                </xsl:otherwise>
-            </xsl:choose>
             <global>
                 <expert>
                     <xsl:copy-of select="/Environment/Software/Globals/@* | /Environment/Software/Globals/*"/>
@@ -86,6 +78,14 @@
                     <xsl:copy-of select="/Environment/Software/RemoteStorage/*"/>
                 </storage>
                 <xsl:copy-of select="/Environment/Hardware/cost"/>
+                <xsl:choose>
+                    <xsl:when test="tracing">
+                        <xsl:copy-of select="./tracing"/>
+                    </xsl:when>
+                    <xsl:otherwise>
+                        <xsl:copy-of select="/Environment/Software/tracing"/>
+                    </xsl:otherwise>
+                </xsl:choose>
             </global>
         </xsl:copy>
     </xsl:template>
diff --git a/system/jlib/jptree.cpp b/system/jlib/jptree.cpp
index 994d916f422..1adf011e7de 100644
--- a/system/jlib/jptree.cpp
+++ b/system/jlib/jptree.cpp
@@ -9037,7 +9037,7 @@ static std::tuple<std::string, IPropertyTree *, IPropertyTree *> doLoadConfigura
     return std::make_tuple(std::string(absConfigFilename.str()), newComponentConfig.getClear(), newGlobalConfig.getClear());
 }
 
-jlib_decl IPropertyTree * loadConfiguration(IPropertyTree *componentDefault, const char * * argv, const char * componentTag, const char * envPrefix, const char * legacyFilename, IPropertyTree * (mapper)(IPropertyTree *), const char *altNameAttribute, bool monitor)
+jlib_decl IPropertyTree * loadConfiguration(IPropertyTree *componentDefault, const char * * argv, const char * componentTag, const char * envPrefix, const char * legacyFilename, IPropertyTree * (mapper)(IPropertyTree *), const char *altNameAttribute, bool monitor, bool initTracing)
 {
     assertex(configFileUpdater); // NB: loadConfiguration should always be called after configFileUpdater is initialized
     if (configFileUpdater->isInitialized())
@@ -9066,12 +9066,12 @@ jlib_decl IPropertyTree * loadConfiguration(IPropertyTree *componentDefault, con
     configFileUpdater->init(std::get<0>(result).c_str(), componentDefault, argv, componentTag, envPrefix, legacyFilename, mapper, altNameAttribute);
     if (monitor)
         configFileUpdater->startMonitoring();
-
-    initTraceManager(componentTag, componentConfiguration.get(), globalConfiguration.get());
+    if (initTracing)
+        initTraceManager(componentTag, componentConfiguration.get(), globalConfiguration.get());
     return componentConfiguration.getLink();
 }
 
-jlib_decl IPropertyTree * loadConfiguration(const char * defaultYaml, const char * * argv, const char * componentTag, const char * envPrefix, const char * legacyFilename, IPropertyTree * (mapper)(IPropertyTree *), const char *altNameAttribute, bool monitor)
+jlib_decl IPropertyTree * loadConfiguration(const char * defaultYaml, const char * * argv, const char * componentTag, const char * envPrefix, const char * legacyFilename, IPropertyTree * (mapper)(IPropertyTree *), const char *altNameAttribute, bool monitor, bool initTracing)
 {
     if (componentConfiguration)
         throw makeStringExceptionV(99, "Configuration for component %s has already been initialised", componentTag);
@@ -9087,7 +9087,7 @@ jlib_decl IPropertyTree * loadConfiguration(const char * defaultYaml, const char
     else
         componentDefault.setown(createPTree(componentTag));
 
-    return loadConfiguration(componentDefault, argv, componentTag, envPrefix, legacyFilename, mapper, altNameAttribute, monitor);
+    return loadConfiguration(componentDefault, argv, componentTag, envPrefix, legacyFilename, mapper, altNameAttribute, monitor, initTracing);
 }
 
 void replaceComponentConfig(IPropertyTree *newComponentConfig, IPropertyTree *newGlobalConfig)
diff --git a/system/jlib/jptree.hpp b/system/jlib/jptree.hpp
index e52db5eec1a..35e74a9e07f 100644
--- a/system/jlib/jptree.hpp
+++ b/system/jlib/jptree.hpp
@@ -317,8 +317,8 @@ inline static bool isValidXPathChr(char c)
 jlib_decl void mergeConfiguration(IPropertyTree & target, const IPropertyTree & source, const char *altNameAttribute=nullptr, bool overwriteAttr=true);
 
 jlib_decl IPropertyTree * loadArgsIntoConfiguration(IPropertyTree *config, const char * * argv, std::initializer_list<const std::string> ignoreOptions = {});
-jlib_decl IPropertyTree * loadConfiguration(IPropertyTree * defaultConfig, const char * * argv, const char * componentTag, const char * envPrefix, const char * legacyFilename, IPropertyTree * (mapper)(IPropertyTree *), const char *altNameAttribute=nullptr, bool monitor=true);
-jlib_decl IPropertyTree * loadConfiguration(const char * defaultYaml, const char * * argv, const char * componentTag, const char * envPrefix, const char * legacyFilename, IPropertyTree * (mapper)(IPropertyTree *), const char *altNameAttribute=nullptr, bool monitor=true);
+jlib_decl IPropertyTree * loadConfiguration(IPropertyTree * defaultConfig, const char * * argv, const char * componentTag, const char * envPrefix, const char * legacyFilename, IPropertyTree * (mapper)(IPropertyTree *), const char *altNameAttribute=nullptr, bool monitor=true, bool initTracing=true);
+jlib_decl IPropertyTree * loadConfiguration(const char * defaultYaml, const char * * argv, const char * componentTag, const char * envPrefix, const char * legacyFilename, IPropertyTree * (mapper)(IPropertyTree *), const char *altNameAttribute=nullptr, bool monitor=true, bool initTracing=true);
 jlib_decl void replaceComponentConfig(IPropertyTree *newComponentConfig, IPropertyTree *newGlobalConfig);
 jlib_decl void initNullConfiguration();
 jlib_decl IPropertyTree * getCostsConfiguration();