Return extracted SpanContext when it is sampled but invalid

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -9,6 +9,11 @@
 * Logging: Output event name in `SystemOutLogRecordExporter`
   ([#8609](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-java/pull/8609))
 
+### Shims
+
+* OpenTracing: Return the extracted `SpanContext` when it is sampled but invalid
+  ([#8634](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-java/pull/8634))
+
 ## Version 1.64.0 (2026-07-10)
 
 ### API

opentracing-shim/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/opentracingshim/Propagation.java

@@ -46,7 +46,9 @@ <C> SpanContextShim extractTextMap(Format<C> format, TextMapExtract carrier) {
 
     Span span = Span.fromContext(context);
     Baggage baggage = Baggage.fromContext(context);
-    if (!span.getSpanContext().isValid() && baggage.isEmpty()) {
+    if (!span.getSpanContext().isValid()
+        && !span.getSpanContext().isSampled()
+        && baggage.isEmpty()) {
       return null;
     }
 

opentracing-shim/src/test/java/io/opentelemetry/opentracingshim/TracerShimTest.java

@@ -14,9 +14,15 @@
 import io.opentelemetry.api.OpenTelemetry;
 import io.opentelemetry.api.baggage.Baggage;
 import io.opentelemetry.api.baggage.propagation.W3CBaggagePropagator;
+import io.opentelemetry.api.trace.SpanId;
+import io.opentelemetry.api.trace.TraceFlags;
+import io.opentelemetry.api.trace.TraceId;
+import io.opentelemetry.api.trace.TraceState;
 import io.opentelemetry.api.trace.TracerProvider;
 import io.opentelemetry.context.Context;
+import io.opentelemetry.context.propagation.TextMapGetter;
 import io.opentelemetry.context.propagation.TextMapPropagator;
+import io.opentelemetry.context.propagation.TextMapSetter;
 import io.opentelemetry.internal.testing.slf4j.SuppressLogger;
 import io.opentelemetry.sdk.OpenTelemetrySdk;
 import io.opentelemetry.sdk.testing.junit5.OpenTelemetryExtension;
@@ -32,9 +38,11 @@
 import io.opentracing.tag.StringTag;
 import io.opentracing.tag.Tag;
 import io.opentracing.tag.Tags;
+import java.util.Collection;
 import java.util.Collections;
 import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.Map;
+import javax.annotation.Nullable;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.AfterEach;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.BeforeEach;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
@@ -350,6 +358,21 @@ void extract_onlyBaggage() {
     assertThat(spanContextShim.getBaggage()).isEqualTo(baggage);
   }
 
+  @Test
+  void extract_invalidButSampledSpanContext() {
+    tracerShim =
+        new TracerShim(provider, new InvalidButSampledPropagator(), TextMapPropagator.noop());
+
+    SpanContext spanContext =
+        tracerShim.extract(Format.Builtin.TEXT_MAP, new TextMapAdapter(new HashMap<>()));
+
+    assertThat(spanContext).isNotNull();
+    SpanContextShim spanContextShim = (SpanContextShim) spanContext;
+    assertThat(spanContextShim.getSpanContext().isValid()).isFalse();
+    assertThat(spanContextShim.getSpanContext().isSampled()).isTrue();
+    assertThat(spanContextShim.getBaggage().isEmpty()).isTrue();
+  }
+
   @Test
   void extract_emptyCarrier_withActiveSpan_returnsNull() {
     Span span = tracerShim.buildSpan("one").start();
@@ -467,4 +490,26 @@ void noopDoesNotCrash() {
 
     assertThat(((SpanShim) span).getSpan().isRecording()).isFalse();
   }
+
+  /** Extracts an invalid but sampled {@code SpanContext}, as {@code jaeger-debug-id} headers do. */
+  private static class InvalidButSampledPropagator implements TextMapPropagator {
+    @Override
+    public Collection<String> fields() {
+      return Collections.emptyList();
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public <C> void inject(Context context, @Nullable C carrier, TextMapSetter<C> setter) {}
+
+    @Override
+    public <C> Context extract(Context context, @Nullable C carrier, TextMapGetter<C> getter) {
+      return context.with(
+          io.opentelemetry.api.trace.Span.wrap(
+              io.opentelemetry.api.trace.SpanContext.create(
+                  TraceId.getInvalid(),
+                  SpanId.getInvalid(),
+                  TraceFlags.getSampled(),
+                  TraceState.getDefault())));
+    }
+  }
 }