diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index abb4ea6..fb428a2 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ on:
 
 jobs:
   build:
-    # we want to run ubuntu-latest but we'll pin to a specific version so CI is reproducable
+    # we want to run ubuntu-latest but we'll pin to a specific version so workflow is reproducable
     runs-on: ubuntu-24.04
 
     steps:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/publish-release-from-tag.yml b/.github/workflows/publish-release-from-tag.yml
index 00e9010..7248f1c 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/publish-release-from-tag.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/publish-release-from-tag.yml
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ on:
 jobs:
   validate-and-publish:
     name: Validate Tag and Publish Release
+    # we want to run ubuntu-latest but we'll pin to a specific version so workflow is reproducable
     runs-on: ubuntu-24.04
     steps:
       - name: Checkout code
diff --git a/build.gradle b/build.gradle
index a5d3047..0ac6555 100644
--- a/build.gradle
+++ b/build.gradle
@@ -6,28 +6,78 @@ plugins {
   id("io.freefair.lombok") version "9.0.0-rc2"
 }
 
-// Generate braintrust.properties at build time with smart versioning
-task generateBraintrustProperties {
-  description = 'Generate braintrust.properties with smart git-based versioning'
-  group = 'build'
+version = generateVersion() // we could cache but not worth the hassle
+group = 'dev.braintrust'
 
-  def outputDir = file("$buildDir/generated/resources")
-  def outputFile = file("$outputDir/braintrust.properties")
+java {
+  toolchain {
+    languageVersion = JavaLanguageVersion.of(17)
+    vendor = JvmVendorSpec.ADOPTIUM // eclipse JVM
+  }
+  withJavadocJar()
+  withSourcesJar()
+}
 
-  outputs.file outputFile
-  outputs.upToDateWhen { false } // Always regenerate to get latest version
+tasks.withType(JavaCompile).configureEach {
+  options.release = 17
+}
 
-  doLast {
-    outputDir.mkdirs()
+repositories {
+  mavenCentral()
+}
 
-    def version = generateVersion()
+ext {
+  otelVersion = '1.54.1'
+  jacksonVersion = '2.16.1'
+  junitVersion = '5.11.4'
+  slf4jVersion = '2.0.17'
+}
 
-    outputFile.text = "sdk.version=${version}\n"
+dependencies {
+  api "io.opentelemetry:opentelemetry-api:${otelVersion}"
+  api "io.opentelemetry:opentelemetry-sdk:${otelVersion}"
+  api "io.opentelemetry:opentelemetry-sdk-trace:${otelVersion}"
+  api "io.opentelemetry:opentelemetry-sdk-logs:${otelVersion}"
+  implementation "io.opentelemetry:opentelemetry-exporter-otlp:${otelVersion}"
+  implementation "io.opentelemetry:opentelemetry-exporter-logging:${otelVersion}"
+  implementation "io.opentelemetry:opentelemetry-sdk-testing:${otelVersion}"
+  implementation "io.opentelemetry:opentelemetry-semconv:1.30.1-alpha"
 
-    logger.info("Generated braintrust.properties with sdk.version=${version}")
-  }
+  implementation "com.fasterxml.jackson.core:jackson-databind:${jacksonVersion}"
+  implementation "com.fasterxml.jackson.datatype:jackson-datatype-jsr310:${jacksonVersion}"
+  implementation "com.fasterxml.jackson.datatype:jackson-datatype-jdk8:${jacksonVersion}"
+
+  implementation "org.slf4j:slf4j-api:${slf4jVersion}"
+  runtimeOnly "org.slf4j:slf4j-simple:${slf4jVersion}"
+
+  implementation 'org.apache.commons:commons-lang3:3.14.0'
+  implementation 'com.google.code.findbugs:jsr305:3.0.2' // for @Nullable annotations
+
+  testImplementation "org.junit.jupiter:junit-jupiter:${junitVersion}"
+  testImplementation "org.junit.jupiter:junit-jupiter-params:${junitVersion}"
+  testImplementation 'com.github.tomakehurst:wiremock-jre8:2.35.0'
+
+  // OAI instrumentation
+  compileOnly 'com.openai:openai-java:2.8.1'
+  testImplementation 'com.openai:openai-java:2.8.1'
+  implementation "io.opentelemetry.instrumentation:opentelemetry-openai-java-1.1:2.19.0-alpha"
 }
 
+/**
+ * Use git to compute the sdk version
+ *
+ * This is written into braintrust.properties at build time and shipped into the distributed sdk jar
+ *
+ * - if we are on a tag (i.e. v0.0.3), use the tag
+ * - otherwise, use $mostRecentTag-$currentCommitSha
+ *
+ * Additionally, if the git workspace is not clean, append -DIRTY to the version
+ *
+ * Examples
+ * - v0.0.3
+ * - v0.0.3-c4af682
+ * - v0.0.3-c4af682-DIRTY
+ */
 def generateVersion() {
   // Check if workspace is clean
   def gitStatusProcess = ['git', 'status', '--porcelain'].execute()
@@ -85,54 +135,26 @@ def generateVersion() {
   return version
 }
 
-version = generateVersion() // we could cache but not worth the hassle
-group = 'dev.braintrust'
-
-java {
-  sourceCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_17
-  targetCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_17
-  withJavadocJar()
-  withSourcesJar()
-}
-
-repositories {
-  mavenCentral()
-}
-
-ext {
-  otelVersion = '1.54.1'
-  jacksonVersion = '2.16.1'
-  junitVersion = '5.11.4'
-  slf4jVersion = '2.0.17'
-}
+// Generate braintrust.properties at build time with smart versioning
+task generateBraintrustProperties {
+  description = 'Generate braintrust.properties with smart git-based versioning'
+  group = 'build'
 
-dependencies {
-  api "io.opentelemetry:opentelemetry-api:${otelVersion}"
-  api "io.opentelemetry:opentelemetry-sdk:${otelVersion}"
-  api "io.opentelemetry:opentelemetry-sdk-trace:${otelVersion}"
-  api "io.opentelemetry:opentelemetry-sdk-logs:${otelVersion}"
-  implementation "io.opentelemetry:opentelemetry-exporter-otlp:${otelVersion}"
-  implementation "io.opentelemetry:opentelemetry-exporter-logging:${otelVersion}"
-  implementation "io.opentelemetry:opentelemetry-sdk-testing:${otelVersion}"
-  implementation "io.opentelemetry:opentelemetry-semconv:1.30.1-alpha"
+  def outputDir = file("$buildDir/generated/resources")
+  def outputFile = file("$outputDir/braintrust.properties")
 
-  implementation "com.fasterxml.jackson.core:jackson-databind:${jacksonVersion}"
-  implementation "com.fasterxml.jackson.datatype:jackson-datatype-jsr310:${jacksonVersion}"
-  implementation "com.fasterxml.jackson.datatype:jackson-datatype-jdk8:${jacksonVersion}"
+  outputs.file outputFile
+  outputs.upToDateWhen { false } // Always regenerate to get latest version
 
-  implementation "org.slf4j:slf4j-api:${slf4jVersion}"
-  runtimeOnly "org.slf4j:slf4j-simple:${slf4jVersion}"
+  doLast {
+    outputDir.mkdirs()
 
-  implementation 'org.apache.commons:commons-lang3:3.14.0'
-  implementation 'com.google.code.findbugs:jsr305:3.0.2' // for @Nullable annotations
+    def version = generateVersion()
 
-  compileOnly 'com.openai:openai-java:2.8.1'
-  implementation "io.opentelemetry.instrumentation:opentelemetry-openai-java-1.1:2.19.0-alpha"
+    outputFile.text = "sdk.version=${version}\n"
 
-  testImplementation "org.junit.jupiter:junit-jupiter:${junitVersion}"
-  testImplementation "org.junit.jupiter:junit-jupiter-params:${junitVersion}"
-  testImplementation 'com.openai:openai-java:2.8.1'
-  testImplementation 'com.github.tomakehurst:wiremock-jre8:2.35.0'
+    logger.info("Generated braintrust.properties with sdk.version=${version}")
+  }
 }
 
 test {
@@ -170,7 +192,8 @@ jar {
     attributes(
       'Implementation-Title': 'Braintrust Java SDK',
       'Implementation-Version': version,
-      'Implementation-Vendor': 'Braintrust'
+      'Implementation-Vendor': 'Braintrust',
+      'Main-Class': 'dev.braintrust.trace.SDKMain'
     )
   }
 }
@@ -217,6 +240,7 @@ sourceSets {
 // Make sure properties are generated before compilation and packaging
 compileJava.dependsOn generateBraintrustProperties
 processResources.dependsOn generateBraintrustProperties
+sourcesJar.dependsOn generateBraintrustProperties
 jar.dependsOn generateBraintrustProperties
 
 // Configure Spotless for code formatting
@@ -238,6 +262,43 @@ spotless {
   }
 }
 
+task validateJavaVersion {
+  doLast {
+    def currentVersion = JavaVersion.current()
+    def requiredVersion = JavaVersion.VERSION_17
+
+    if (!currentVersion.isCompatibleWith(requiredVersion)) {
+      throw new GradleException(
+        "This project requires Java ${requiredVersion} or later. " +
+        "Current Java version: ${currentVersion} " +
+        "(${System.getProperty('java.version')}) " +
+        "from ${System.getProperty('java.home')}"
+      )
+    }
+    // println "✓ Using Java ${currentVersion} from ${System.getProperty('java.home')}"
+  }
+}
+
+
+// Task to test the jar by running it
+task testJar(type: Exec) {
+  description = 'Test the jar by running it and fail build if non-zero exit code'
+  group = 'verification'
+  dependsOn jar
+
+  commandLine 'java', '-jar', jar.archiveFile.get().asFile.absolutePath
+
+  doFirst {
+    // println "Testing jar: ${jar.archiveFile.get().asFile.absolutePath}"
+  }
+}
+
+// Run validation before compilation
+compileJava.dependsOn validateJavaVersion
+
+// Run jar test as part of check task
+check.dependsOn testJar
+
 // Task to install git hooks
 task installGitHooks(type: Exec) {
   description = 'Install git hooks for code formatting'
diff --git a/examples/build.gradle b/examples/build.gradle
index da37c7b..5eecf08 100644
--- a/examples/build.gradle
+++ b/examples/build.gradle
@@ -16,14 +16,10 @@ def braintrustLogLevel = System.getenv('BRAINTRUST_LOG_LEVEL') ?: 'info'
 
 dependencies {
   implementation project(':')
-  // TODO: not sure why I have to do this. I would have expected this to come over in the project root transitive deps
+  // To run otel examples
   implementation "io.opentelemetry:opentelemetry-exporter-otlp:${otelVersion}"
-
-  // Official OpenAI Java SDK
+  // to run OAI instrumentation examples
   implementation 'com.openai:openai-java:2.8.1'
-
-  // OkHttp for HTTP client (required by OpenAI SDK)
-  implementation 'com.squareup.okhttp3:okhttp:4.12.0'
 }
 
 application {
diff --git a/src/main/java/dev/braintrust/trace/BraintrustTracing.java b/src/main/java/dev/braintrust/trace/BraintrustTracing.java
index 778c3a8..bcf013b 100644
--- a/src/main/java/dev/braintrust/trace/BraintrustTracing.java
+++ b/src/main/java/dev/braintrust/trace/BraintrustTracing.java
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@
 import io.opentelemetry.sdk.trace.export.BatchSpanProcessor;
 import io.opentelemetry.semconv.resource.attributes.ResourceAttributes;
 import java.time.Duration;
-import java.util.Properties;
 import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
 import java.util.stream.Stream;
 import javax.annotation.Nonnull;
@@ -32,7 +31,7 @@ public final class BraintrustTracing {
     public static final String PARENT_KEY = "braintrust.parent";
     static final String OTEL_SERVICE_NAME = "braintrust-app";
     static final String INSTRUMENTATION_NAME = "braintrust-java";
-    static final String INSTRUMENTATION_VERSION = loadVersionFromProperties();
+    static final String INSTRUMENTATION_VERSION = SDKMain.loadVersionFromProperties();
 
     /**
      * Quick start method that sets up global OpenTelemetry with Braintrust defaults. <br>
@@ -88,12 +87,7 @@ public static void enable(
         final Duration exportInterval = Duration.ofSeconds(5);
         final int maxQueueSize = 2048;
         final int maxExportBatchSize = 512;
-        log.info(
-                "Initializing Braintrust OpenTelemetry with service={}, instrumentation-name={},"
-                        + " instrumentation-version={}",
-                OTEL_SERVICE_NAME,
-                INSTRUMENTATION_NAME,
-                INSTRUMENTATION_VERSION);
+        log.info(sdkInfoLogMessage());
 
         // Create resource first so BraintrustSpanProcessor can access service.name
         var resourceBuilder =
@@ -161,14 +155,15 @@ public static Tracer getTracer(OpenTelemetry openTelemetry) {
         return openTelemetry.getTracer(INSTRUMENTATION_NAME, INSTRUMENTATION_VERSION);
     }
 
-    private static String loadVersionFromProperties() {
-        try (var is = BraintrustTracing.class.getResourceAsStream("/braintrust.properties")) {
-            var props = new Properties();
-            props.load(is);
-            return props.getProperty("sdk.version");
-        } catch (Exception e) {
-            throw new RuntimeException("unable to determine sdk version", e);
-        }
+    private static String sdkInfoLogMessage() {
+        return "Initializing Braintrust OpenTelemetry with service=%s, instrumentation-name=%s, instrumentation-version=%s, jvm-version=%s, jvm-vendor=%s, jvm-name=%s"
+                .formatted(
+                        OTEL_SERVICE_NAME,
+                        INSTRUMENTATION_NAME,
+                        INSTRUMENTATION_VERSION,
+                        System.getProperty("java.runtime.version"),
+                        System.getProperty("java.vendor"),
+                        System.getProperty("java.vm.name"));
     }
 
     private BraintrustTracing() {}
diff --git a/src/main/java/dev/braintrust/trace/SDKMain.java b/src/main/java/dev/braintrust/trace/SDKMain.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..143ff87
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/java/dev/braintrust/trace/SDKMain.java
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+package dev.braintrust.trace;
+
+import java.util.Properties;
+
+class SDKMain {
+    /**
+     * Called by the build system to verify internals of the SDK. Prints sdk version to stdout.
+     *
+     * <p>Be mindful of classloading here. Otel is not shipped in the jar, so referencing otel
+     * classes directly or indirectly will fail the build with a NoClassDefFound error.
+     */
+    public static void main(String... args) {
+        var sdkVersion = loadVersionFromProperties();
+        if (null == sdkVersion || sdkVersion.isEmpty()) {
+            throw new RuntimeException("sdk version not found: %s".formatted(sdkVersion));
+        }
+        System.out.println(sdkVersion);
+    }
+
+    static String loadVersionFromProperties() {
+        try (var is = SDKMain.class.getResourceAsStream("/braintrust.properties")) {
+            var props = new Properties();
+            props.load(is);
+            return props.getProperty("sdk.version");
+        } catch (Exception e) {
+            throw new RuntimeException("unable to determine sdk version", e);
+        }
+    }
+}