diff --git a/core-program.cabal b/core-program.cabal
--- a/core-program.cabal
+++ b/core-program.cabal
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 -- see: https://github.com/sol/hpack
 
 name:           core-program
-version:        0.3.4.0
+version:        0.3.4.1
 synopsis:       Opinionated Haskell Interoperability
 description:    A library to help build command-line programs, both tools and
                 longer-running daemons.
diff --git a/lib/Core/Program/Context.hs b/lib/Core/Program/Context.hs
--- a/lib/Core/Program/Context.hs
+++ b/lib/Core/Program/Context.hs
@@ -25,7 +25,6 @@
     handleTelemetryChoice,
     Exporter (..),
     Forwarder (..),
-    emptyForwarder,
     None (..),
     isNone,
     configure,
@@ -35,7 +34,7 @@
     getContext,
     fmapContext,
     subProgram,
-    Boom(..),
+    Boom (..),
 ) where
 
 import Chrono.TimeStamp (TimeStamp, getCurrentTimeNanoseconds)
@@ -135,12 +134,6 @@
     { telemetryHandlerFrom :: [Datum] -> IO ()
     }
 
-emptyForwarder :: Forwarder
-emptyForwarder =
-    Forwarder
-        { telemetryHandlerFrom = \_ -> pure ()
-        }
-
 {- |
 Internal context for a running program. You access this via actions in the
 'Program' monad. The principal item here is the user-supplied top-level
@@ -185,7 +178,7 @@
       outputChannelFrom :: TQueue (Maybe Rope)
     , telemetryChannelFrom :: TQueue (Maybe Datum)
     , -- machinery for telemetry
-      telemetryForwarderFrom :: Forwarder
+      telemetryForwarderFrom :: Maybe Forwarder
     , currentDatumFrom :: MVar Datum
     , applicationDataFrom :: MVar τ
     }
@@ -373,7 +366,7 @@
             , verbosityLevelFrom = level -- will be filled in handleVerbosityLevel
             , outputChannelFrom = out
             , telemetryChannelFrom = tel
-            , telemetryForwarderFrom = emptyForwarder
+            , telemetryForwarderFrom = Nothing
             , currentDatumFrom = v
             , applicationDataFrom = u
             }
@@ -459,7 +452,7 @@
         result <- lookupEnv var
         return $ case result of
             Just value -> insertKeyValue name (Value value) acc
-            Nothing -> acc
+            Nothing -> insertKeyValue name Empty acc
 
 handleVerbosityLevel :: Context τ -> IO (MVar Verbosity)
 handleVerbosityLevel context = do
@@ -515,7 +508,7 @@
                 -- and return it
                 pure
                     context
-                        { telemetryForwarderFrom = forwarder
+                        { telemetryForwarderFrom = Just forwarder
                         }
   where
     lookupExporter :: Rope -> [Exporter] -> Maybe Exporter
@@ -525,10 +518,10 @@
             False -> lookupExporter target exporters
             True -> Just exporter
 
-{-|
+{- |
 A utility exception for those occasions when you just need to go "boom".
 -}
 data Boom = Boom
-  deriving Show
+    deriving (Show)
 
 instance Exception Boom
diff --git a/lib/Core/Program/Execute.hs b/lib/Core/Program/Execute.hs
--- a/lib/Core/Program/Execute.hs
+++ b/lib/Core/Program/Execute.hs
@@ -365,8 +365,20 @@
 -- the technique used   by **io-streams** to just pass along a stream of Maybes,
 -- with Nothing signalling end-of-stream is exactly good enough for our needs.
 --
-processTelemetryMessages :: Forwarder -> MVar Verbosity -> TQueue (Maybe Rope) -> TQueue (Maybe Datum) -> IO ()
-processTelemetryMessages processor v out tel = do
+processTelemetryMessages :: Maybe Forwarder -> MVar Verbosity -> TQueue (Maybe Rope) -> TQueue (Maybe Datum) -> IO ()
+processTelemetryMessages Nothing _ _ tel = do
+    ignoreForever tel
+  where
+    ignoreForever queue = do
+        possibleItem <- atomically $ do
+            readTQueue queue -- blocks
+        case possibleItem of
+            -- time to shutdown
+            Nothing -> pure ()
+            -- otherwise igonore
+            Just _ -> do
+                ignoreForever queue
+processTelemetryMessages (Just processor) v out tel = do
     Safe.catch
         (loopForever action v out tel)
         (collapseHandler "telemetry processing collapsed")
diff --git a/lib/Core/Program/Logging.hs b/lib/Core/Program/Logging.hs
--- a/lib/Core/Program/Logging.hs
+++ b/lib/Core/Program/Logging.hs
@@ -140,7 +140,6 @@
     debug,
     debugS,
     debugR,
-
     -- internal
     internal,
     isEvent,
@@ -163,6 +162,7 @@
 import Core.Text.Colour
 import Core.Text.Rope
 import Core.Text.Utilities
+import Data.Maybe (isJust)
 
 data Message = Message TimeStamp Severity Rope (Maybe Rope)
 
@@ -456,12 +456,18 @@
             !value' <- evaluate value
             putMessage context (Message now SeverityDebug label (Just value'))
 
+isTelemetry :: Context t -> Bool
+isTelemetry context =
+    let forwarder = telemetryForwarderFrom context
+     in isJust forwarder
+
 internal :: Rope -> Rope -> Program τ ()
 internal label value = do
     context <- ask
     liftIO $ do
         level <- readMVar (verbosityLevelFrom context)
-        when (isDebug level) $ do
+
+        when ((isDebug level) && (isTelemetry context)) $ do
             now <- getCurrentTimeNanoseconds
             !value' <- evaluate value
             putMessage context (Message now SeverityInternal (label <> value') Nothing)