diff --git a/codex-rs/otel/README.md b/codex-rs/otel/README.md
index 0de50826a2..1140964f14 100644
--- a/codex-rs/otel/README.md
+++ b/codex-rs/otel/README.md
@@ -180,6 +180,12 @@ Modes:
 - OTLP: exports metrics via the OpenTelemetry OTLP exporter (HTTP or gRPC).
 - In-memory: records via `opentelemetry_sdk::metrics::InMemoryMetricExporter` for tests/assertions; call `shutdown()` to flush.
 
+Configured OTLP metrics exporters (HTTP or gRPC) default to delta temporality. Set
+`OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_METRICS_TEMPORALITY_PREFERENCE=cumulative` for backends that require
+cumulative metrics. The values `delta`, `cumulative`, and `lowmemory` are case-insensitive;
+unset, empty, or unrecognized values retain the delta default. This setting does not change
+the built-in Statsig exporter or on-demand runtime snapshots.
+
 `codex-otel` also provides `OtelExporter::Statsig`, a shorthand for exporting OTLP/HTTP JSON metrics
 to Statsig using Codex-internal defaults.
 
diff --git a/codex-rs/otel/src/metrics/client.rs b/codex-rs/otel/src/metrics/client.rs
index ca7fa74393..8bbb12cdc5 100644
--- a/codex-rs/otel/src/metrics/client.rs
+++ b/codex-rs/otel/src/metrics/client.rs
@@ -363,10 +363,16 @@ impl MetricsClient {
                 build_provider(resource, exporter, export_interval, runtime_reader.clone())
             }
             MetricsExporter::Otlp(exporter) => {
+                let temporality = otlp_metrics_temporality(
+                    &exporter,
+                    std::env::var("OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_METRICS_TEMPORALITY_PREFERENCE")
+                        .ok()
+                        .as_deref(),
+                );
                 let exporter = crate::network_policy::PolicyExporter {
                     exporter: build_otlp_metric_exporter(
                         exporter,
-                        Temporality::Delta,
+                        temporality,
                         &http_client_factory,
                     )?,
                     policy: http_client_factory.network_policy().clone(),
@@ -589,6 +595,19 @@ where
     (provider, meter)
 }
 
+fn otlp_metrics_temporality(exporter: &OtelExporter, preference: Option<&str>) -> Temporality {
+    // Select before resolving Statsig to OTLP so its built-in route stays Delta.
+    match exporter {
+        OtelExporter::None | OtelExporter::Statsig => Temporality::Delta,
+        OtelExporter::OtlpGrpc { .. } | OtelExporter::OtlpHttp { .. } => match preference {
+            Some(value) if value.eq_ignore_ascii_case("cumulative") => Temporality::Cumulative,
+            Some(value) if value.eq_ignore_ascii_case("lowmemory") => Temporality::LowMemory,
+            // Preserve Codex's existing default for unset, empty, or unknown values.
+            _ => Temporality::Delta,
+        },
+    }
+}
+
 fn build_otlp_metric_exporter(
     exporter: OtelExporter,
     temporality: Temporality,
diff --git a/codex-rs/otel/tests/suite/otlp_http_loopback.rs b/codex-rs/otel/tests/suite/otlp_http_loopback.rs
index d0cedbef52..3fd9249603 100644
--- a/codex-rs/otel/tests/suite/otlp_http_loopback.rs
+++ b/codex-rs/otel/tests/suite/otlp_http_loopback.rs
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ use codex_otel::Result;
 use codex_otel::current_span_w3c_trace_context;
 use codex_otel::set_parent_from_w3c_trace_context;
 use codex_protocol::protocol::W3cTraceContext;
+use pretty_assertions::assert_eq;
 use std::collections::BTreeMap;
 use std::collections::HashMap;
 use std::io::Read as _;
@@ -143,7 +144,34 @@ fn write_http_response(stream: &mut TcpStream, status: &str) -> std::io::Result<
 }
 
 #[test]
-fn otlp_http_exporter_sends_metrics_to_collector() -> Result<()> {
+fn otlp_http_exporter_honors_cumulative_temporality_env() -> Result<()> {
+    // Isolate the environment setting from other tests, including under Bazel/libtest.
+    const CHILD_ENV: &str = "CODEX_OTEL_TEMPORALITY_TEST_CHILD";
+    if std::env::var_os(CHILD_ENV).is_none() {
+        let current_thread = thread::current();
+        let output = std::process::Command::new(std::env::current_exe().expect("test executable"))
+            .args([
+                "--exact",
+                current_thread.name().expect("test name"),
+                "--nocapture",
+            ])
+            .env(CHILD_ENV, "1")
+            .env(
+                "OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_METRICS_TEMPORALITY_PREFERENCE",
+                "cumulative",
+            )
+            .env("OTEL_METRIC_EXPORT_INTERVAL", "60000")
+            .output()
+            .expect("run test with cumulative temporality configured");
+        assert!(
+            output.status.success(),
+            "{}{}",
+            String::from_utf8_lossy(&output.stdout),
+            String::from_utf8_lossy(&output.stderr),
+        );
+        return Ok(());
+    }
+
     let listener = TcpListener::bind("127.0.0.1:0").expect("bind");
     let addr = listener.local_addr().expect("local_addr");
     listener.set_nonblocking(true).expect("set_nonblocking");
@@ -252,6 +280,18 @@ fn otlp_http_exporter_sends_metrics_to_collector() -> Result<()> {
         "unexpected content-type: {content_type}"
     );
 
+    let payload: serde_json::Value = serde_json::from_slice(&request.body).expect("OTLP JSON");
+    let counter = payload["resourceMetrics"][0]["scopeMetrics"][0]["metrics"]
+        .as_array()
+        .expect("exported metrics")
+        .iter()
+        .find(|metric| metric["name"] == "codex.turns")
+        .expect("exported counter");
+    assert_eq!(
+        counter["sum"]["aggregationTemporality"],
+        serde_json::json!(2)
+    );
+
     let body = String::from_utf8_lossy(&request.body);
     assert!(
         body.contains("codex.turns"),