diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index 048b10b3..31fe7d7e 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -4630,6 +4630,16 @@ dependencies = [
  "zbus_systemd",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "orb-telemetry"
+version = "0.0.0"
+dependencies = [
+ "console-subscriber",
+ "tracing",
+ "tracing-journald",
+ "tracing-subscriber",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "orb-thermal-cam-ctrl"
 version = "0.0.5"
@@ -4660,7 +4670,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "async-trait",
  "chrono",
  "clap",
- "console-subscriber",
+ "color-eyre",
  "dashmap",
  "derive_more",
  "eyre",
@@ -4669,6 +4679,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "orb-messages 0.0.0 (git+https://github.com/worldcoin/orb-messages?rev=787ab78581b705af0946bcfe3a0453b64af2193f)",
  "orb-rgb",
  "orb-sound",
+ "orb-telemetry",
  "orb-uart",
  "pid",
  "prost 0.12.6",
@@ -4678,7 +4689,6 @@ dependencies = [
  "tokio",
  "tokio-stream",
  "tracing",
- "tracing-subscriber",
  "zbus",
 ]
 
diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 8a88e3f4..8d37b1ab 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -15,18 +15,19 @@ members = [
   "hil",
   "mcu-interface",
   "mcu-util",
-  "ui",
-  "ui/cone",
-  "ui/pid",
-  "ui/sound",
-  "ui/uart",
   "qr-link",
   "security-utils",
   "seek-camera/sys",
   "seek-camera/wrapper",
   "slot-ctrl",
   "supervisor",
+  "telemetry",
   "thermal-cam-ctrl",
+  "ui",
+  "ui/cone",
+  "ui/pid",
+  "ui/sound",
+  "ui/uart",
   "update-agent",
   "update-agent/core",
   "update-verifier",
@@ -81,6 +82,7 @@ orb-build-info.path = "build-info"
 orb-const-concat.path = "const-concat"
 orb-security-utils.path = "security-utils"
 orb-slot-ctrl.path = "slot-ctrl"
+orb-telemetry.path = "telemetry"
 orb-update-agent-core.path = "update-agent/core"
 orb-zbus-proxies.path = "zbus-proxies"
 
diff --git a/telemetry/Cargo.toml b/telemetry/Cargo.toml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..08104544
--- /dev/null
+++ b/telemetry/Cargo.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+[package]
+name = "orb-telemetry"
+version = "0.0.0"
+description = "Standardized telemetry setup for the orb"
+authors = ["Ryan Butler <thebutlah@users.noreply.github.com>"]
+publish = false
+
+edition.workspace = true
+license.workspace = true
+repository.workspace = true
+rust-version.workspace = true
+
+[dependencies]
+tracing-journald.workspace = true
+tracing-subscriber.workspace = true
+tracing.workspace = true
+
+[target.'cfg(tokio_unstable)'.dependencies]
+console-subscriber.workspace = true
+
+[lints.rust.unexpected_cfgs]
+level = "warn"
+check-cfg = ['cfg(tokio_unstable)']
diff --git a/telemetry/src/lib.rs b/telemetry/src/lib.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b5cd6b10
--- /dev/null
+++ b/telemetry/src/lib.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,84 @@
+use std::io::IsTerminal as _;
+
+use tracing::level_filters::LevelFilter;
+use tracing_subscriber::{
+    layer::SubscriberExt as _, util::SubscriberInitExt as _, EnvFilter,
+};
+
+#[derive(Debug)]
+pub struct TelemetryConfig {
+    syslog_identifier: Option<String>,
+    global_filter: EnvFilter,
+}
+
+impl TelemetryConfig {
+    /// Provides all required arguments for telemetry configuration.
+    /// - `log_identifier` will be used for journald, if appropriate.
+    #[expect(clippy::new_without_default, reason = "may add required args later")]
+    pub fn new() -> Self {
+        Self {
+            syslog_identifier: None,
+            global_filter: EnvFilter::builder()
+                .with_default_directive(LevelFilter::INFO.into())
+                .from_env_lossy(),
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Enables journald, and uses the provided syslog identifier.
+    ///
+    /// If you run the application in a tty, stderr will be used instead.
+    pub fn with_journald(self, syslog_identifier: &str) -> Self {
+        Self {
+            syslog_identifier: Some(syslog_identifier.to_owned()),
+            ..self
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Override the global filter to a custom filter.
+    /// Only do this if actually necessary to deviate from the orb's defaults.
+    pub fn with_global_filter(self, filter: EnvFilter) -> Self {
+        Self {
+            global_filter: filter,
+            ..self
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Initializes the telemetry config. Call this only once, at the beginning of the
+    /// program.
+    ///
+    /// Calling this more than once or when another tracing subscriber is registered
+    /// will cause a panic.
+    pub fn init(self) {
+        let registry = tracing_subscriber::registry();
+        // The type is only there to get it to compile.
+        let tokio_console_layer: Option<tracing_subscriber::layer::Identity> = None;
+        #[cfg(tokio_unstable)]
+        let tokio_console_layer = console_subscriber::spawn();
+        // Checking for a terminal helps detect if we are running under systemd.
+        let journald_layer = if !std::io::stderr().is_terminal() {
+            self.syslog_identifier.and_then(|syslog_identifier| {
+                tracing_journald::layer()
+                    .inspect_err(|err| {
+                        eprintln!(
+                            "failed connecting to journald socket. \
+                        will write to stderr: {err}"
+                        );
+                    })
+                    .map(|layer| layer.with_syslog_identifier(syslog_identifier))
+                    .ok()
+            })
+        } else {
+            None
+        };
+        let stderr_layer = journald_layer
+            .is_none()
+            .then(|| tracing_subscriber::fmt::layer().with_writer(std::io::stderr));
+        assert!(stderr_layer.is_some() || journald_layer.is_some());
+        registry
+            .with(tokio_console_layer)
+            .with(stderr_layer)
+            .with(journald_layer)
+            .with(self.global_filter)
+            .init();
+    }
+}
diff --git a/ui/Cargo.toml b/ui/Cargo.toml
index f3f1954c..6c25b5c8 100644
--- a/ui/Cargo.toml
+++ b/ui/Cargo.toml
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ rust-version.workspace = true
 [dependencies]
 async-trait = "0.1.74"
 clap.workspace = true
+color-eyre.workspace = true
 dashmap = "5.5.3"
 derive_more.workspace = true
 eyre.workspace = true
@@ -21,6 +22,7 @@ orb-build-info.path = "../build-info"
 orb-messages.workspace = true
 orb-rgb.path = "rgb"
 orb-sound.path = "sound"
+orb-telemetry.workspace = true
 orb-uart.path = "uart"
 pid.path = "pid"
 prost = "0.12.3"
@@ -29,13 +31,9 @@ serde.workspace = true
 serde_json = "1.0.108"
 tokio-stream = "0.1.14"
 tokio.workspace = true
-tracing-subscriber.workspace = true
 tracing.workspace = true
 zbus.workspace = true
 
-[target.'cfg(tokio_unstable)'.dependencies]
-console-subscriber.workspace = true
-
 [build-dependencies]
 orb-build-info = { path = "../build-info", features = ["build-script"] }
 
diff --git a/ui/examples/ui-replay.rs b/ui/examples/ui-replay.rs
index c0107af5..455fb86f 100644
--- a/ui/examples/ui-replay.rs
+++ b/ui/examples/ui-replay.rs
@@ -1,16 +1,13 @@
 use chrono::{DateTime, Utc};
 use clap::Parser;
-use eyre::{Context, ContextCompat, Result};
+use color_eyre::{eyre::WrapErr, Result};
+use eyre::OptionExt;
 use std::fs::File;
 use std::io;
 use std::io::BufRead;
 use std::str::FromStr;
 use tokio::time::sleep;
-use tracing::level_filters::LevelFilter;
 use tracing::{debug, info, warn};
-use tracing_subscriber::layer::SubscriberExt;
-use tracing_subscriber::util::SubscriberInitExt;
-use tracing_subscriber::{fmt, EnvFilter};
 use zbus::Connection;
 
 const RECORDS_FILE: &str = "worldcoin-ui-logs.txt";
@@ -56,7 +53,7 @@ impl FromStr for EventRecord {
         // split line to take everything after "UI event:"
         let (_, event) = line
             .split_once("UI event: ")
-            .wrap_err(format!("Unable to split line: {}", line))?;
+            .ok_or_eyre(format!("Unable to split line: {}", line))?;
         let event = event.to_string();
         match timestamp_str.parse::<DateTime<Utc>>() {
             Ok(timestamp) => {
@@ -70,14 +67,8 @@ impl FromStr for EventRecord {
 
 #[tokio::main]
 async fn main() -> Result<()> {
-    tracing_subscriber::registry()
-        .with(fmt::layer())
-        .with(
-            EnvFilter::builder()
-                .with_default_directive(LevelFilter::INFO.into())
-                .from_env_lossy(),
-        )
-        .init();
+    color_eyre::install()?;
+    orb_telemetry::TelemetryConfig::new().init();
 
     let args = Args::parse();
     let connection = Connection::session().await?;
diff --git a/ui/src/main.rs b/ui/src/main.rs
index 0f03d281..ebe176f7 100644
--- a/ui/src/main.rs
+++ b/ui/src/main.rs
@@ -11,9 +11,6 @@ use futures::channel::mpsc;
 use orb_build_info::{make_build_info, BuildInfo};
 use tokio::time;
 use tracing::debug;
-use tracing_subscriber::layer::SubscriberExt;
-use tracing_subscriber::util::SubscriberInitExt;
-use tracing_subscriber::{filter::LevelFilter, fmt, EnvFilter};
 
 use crate::engine::{Engine, EventChannel};
 use crate::observer::listen;
@@ -29,6 +26,7 @@ pub mod sound;
 
 const INPUT_CAPACITY: usize = 100;
 const BUILD_INFO: BuildInfo = make_build_info!();
+const SYSLOG_IDENTIFIER: &str = "worldcoin-ui";
 
 /// Utility args
 #[derive(Parser, Debug)]
@@ -112,16 +110,9 @@ async fn get_hw_version() -> Result<Hardware> {
 
 #[tokio::main]
 async fn main() -> Result<()> {
-    let registry = tracing_subscriber::registry();
-    #[cfg(tokio_unstable)]
-    let registry = registry.with(console_subscriber::spawn());
-    registry
-        .with(fmt::layer())
-        .with(
-            EnvFilter::builder()
-                .with_default_directive(LevelFilter::INFO.into())
-                .from_env_lossy(),
-        )
+    color_eyre::install()?;
+    orb_telemetry::TelemetryConfig::new()
+        .with_journald(SYSLOG_IDENTIFIER)
         .init();
 
     let args = Args::parse();