Worked on the DataDog/dd-trace-rb repository to enhance distributed tracing reliability and interoperability with the Datadog agent. Developed a configurable trace propagation feature, allowing flexible handling of distributed trace contexts across service boundaries. Addressed tracestate encoding by enforcing UTF-8, resolving serialization issues with MessagePack and ensuring compatibility with Rack and OpenTelemetry inputs. Expanded end-to-end testing using Ruby to verify tracestate round-trip integrity and updated documentation and RBS signatures for maintainability. Refactored encoding helpers and improved test coverage for edge cases, focusing on long-term stability and business value. The work demonstrated depth in backend development and distributed tracing systems.