diff --git a/agent/agent-tooling/src/main/java/com/microsoft/applicationinsights/agent/internal/init/AppInsightsCertificate.java b/agent/agent-tooling/src/main/java/com/microsoft/applicationinsights/agent/internal/init/AppInsightsCertificate.java
index fdb744b88fc..80424758798 100644
--- a/agent/agent-tooling/src/main/java/com/microsoft/applicationinsights/agent/internal/init/AppInsightsCertificate.java
+++ b/agent/agent-tooling/src/main/java/com/microsoft/applicationinsights/agent/internal/init/AppInsightsCertificate.java
@@ -87,6 +87,12 @@ private String loadCertificates() {
   private String executeWithoutException(ProcessBuilder processBuilder) {
 
     try {
+      // to make sure the javaagent is not re-applied to the keytool process, which then creates
+      // a recursive hanging
+      // also helps to ensure other JVM args are not passed along
+      processBuilder.environment().put("JAVA_TOOL_OPTIONS", "");
+      processBuilder.environment().put("_JAVA_OPTIONS", "");
+
       Process process = processBuilder.start();
       OutputStream outputStream = process.getOutputStream();
       PrintWriter writer =
diff --git a/agent/agent-tooling/src/main/java/com/microsoft/applicationinsights/agent/internal/init/CommandExecutor.java b/agent/agent-tooling/src/main/java/com/microsoft/applicationinsights/agent/internal/init/CommandExecutor.java
index d620bf95901..8ddbb125f6f 100644
--- a/agent/agent-tooling/src/main/java/com/microsoft/applicationinsights/agent/internal/init/CommandExecutor.java
+++ b/agent/agent-tooling/src/main/java/com/microsoft/applicationinsights/agent/internal/init/CommandExecutor.java
@@ -22,6 +22,10 @@ static String execute(ProcessBuilder processBuilder) {
     IllegalStateException exitException = null;
     String result = null;
     try {
+      // to make sure the javaagent (and other JVM args) are not applied to the process
+      processBuilder.environment().put("JAVA_TOOL_OPTIONS", "");
+      processBuilder.environment().put("_JAVA_OPTIONS", "");
+
       Process process = processBuilder.start();
       int exitValue = process.waitFor();
       exitException =
diff --git a/smoke-tests/apps/CustomDimensions/src/smokeTest/java/com/microsoft/applicationinsights/smoketest/CustomDimensionsTest.java b/smoke-tests/apps/CustomDimensions/src/smokeTest/java/com/microsoft/applicationinsights/smoketest/CustomDimensionsTest.java
index 787c9d3ed75..7e4533c8604 100644
--- a/smoke-tests/apps/CustomDimensions/src/smokeTest/java/com/microsoft/applicationinsights/smoketest/CustomDimensionsTest.java
+++ b/smoke-tests/apps/CustomDimensions/src/smokeTest/java/com/microsoft/applicationinsights/smoketest/CustomDimensionsTest.java
@@ -20,7 +20,11 @@
 @UseAgent
 abstract class CustomDimensionsTest {
 
-  @RegisterExtension static final SmokeTestExtension testing = SmokeTestExtension.create();
+  // TODO (trask) find a better(?) place to test self-diagnostics trace level
+  //  instead of this seemingly ad-hoc location
+  @RegisterExtension
+  static final SmokeTestExtension testing =
+      SmokeTestExtension.builder().setSelfDiagnosticsLevel("trace").build();
 
   @Test
   @TargetUri("/test")
diff --git a/smoke-tests/framework/src/main/java/com/microsoft/applicationinsights/smoketest/SmokeTestExtension.java b/smoke-tests/framework/src/main/java/com/microsoft/applicationinsights/smoketest/SmokeTestExtension.java
index 492172cc5af..33ec1f637d8 100644
--- a/smoke-tests/framework/src/main/java/com/microsoft/applicationinsights/smoketest/SmokeTestExtension.java
+++ b/smoke-tests/framework/src/main/java/com/microsoft/applicationinsights/smoketest/SmokeTestExtension.java
@@ -91,6 +91,7 @@ public class SmokeTestExtension
   private final boolean readOnly;
   private final boolean usesGlobalIngestionEndpoint;
   private final boolean useOld3xAgent;
+  private final String selfDiagnosticsLevel;
   private final File javaagentFile;
 
   public static SmokeTestExtension create() {
@@ -107,13 +108,15 @@ public static SmokeTestExtensionBuilder builder() {
       boolean usesGlobalIngestionEndpoint,
       boolean skipHealthCheck,
       boolean readOnly,
-      boolean useOld3xAgent) {
+      boolean useOld3xAgent,
+      String selfDiagnosticsLevel) {
     this.skipHealthCheck = skipHealthCheck;
     this.readOnly = readOnly;
     this.dependencyContainer = dependencyContainer;
     this.dependencyContainerEnvVarName = dependencyContainerEnvVarName;
     this.usesGlobalIngestionEndpoint = usesGlobalIngestionEndpoint;
     this.useOld3xAgent = useOld3xAgent;
+    this.selfDiagnosticsLevel = selfDiagnosticsLevel;
 
     String javaagentPathSystemProperty =
         useOld3xAgent ? "ai.smoke-test.old-3x-javaagent-file" : "ai.smoke-test.javaagent-file";
@@ -369,6 +372,7 @@ protected Set<Integer> getLivenessCheckPorts() {
                     + FAKE_INGESTION_ENDPOINT
                     + ";LiveEndpoint="
                     + FAKE_INGESTION_ENDPOINT)
+            .withEnv("APPLICATIONINSIGHTS_SELF_DIAGNOSTICS_LEVEL", selfDiagnosticsLevel)
             .withNetwork(network)
             .withExposedPorts(8080)
             .withFileSystemBind(
diff --git a/smoke-tests/framework/src/main/java/com/microsoft/applicationinsights/smoketest/SmokeTestExtensionBuilder.java b/smoke-tests/framework/src/main/java/com/microsoft/applicationinsights/smoketest/SmokeTestExtensionBuilder.java
index e4d20af2cdc..18814fbbfbc 100644
--- a/smoke-tests/framework/src/main/java/com/microsoft/applicationinsights/smoketest/SmokeTestExtensionBuilder.java
+++ b/smoke-tests/framework/src/main/java/com/microsoft/applicationinsights/smoketest/SmokeTestExtensionBuilder.java
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ public class SmokeTestExtensionBuilder {
   private boolean skipHealthCheck;
   private boolean readOnly;
   private boolean useOld3xAgent;
+  private String selfDiagnosticsLevel = "info";
 
   public SmokeTestExtensionBuilder setDependencyContainer(
       String envVarName, GenericContainer<?> container) {
@@ -41,6 +42,11 @@ public SmokeTestExtensionBuilder useOld3xAgent() {
     return this;
   }
 
+  public SmokeTestExtensionBuilder setSelfDiagnosticsLevel(String selfDiagnosticsLevel) {
+    this.selfDiagnosticsLevel = selfDiagnosticsLevel;
+    return this;
+  }
+
   public SmokeTestExtension build() {
     return new SmokeTestExtension(
         dependencyContainer,
@@ -48,6 +54,7 @@ public SmokeTestExtension build() {
         usesGlobalIngestionEndpoint,
         skipHealthCheck,
         readOnly,
-        useOld3xAgent);
+        useOld3xAgent,
+        selfDiagnosticsLevel);
   }
 }