diff --git a/cmd/ateapi/internal/controlapi/update_actor.go b/cmd/ateapi/internal/controlapi/update_actor.go
index 987a2ca86..28d756267 100644
--- a/cmd/ateapi/internal/controlapi/update_actor.go
+++ b/cmd/ateapi/internal/controlapi/update_actor.go
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ func (s *Service) UpdateActor(ctx context.Context, req *ateapipb.UpdateActorRequ
 		return nil, toGRPCStatusError(errs)
 	}
 	actorRef := resources.ActorRefFromObjectRef(req.GetActor())
+	setSpanActorRefAttributes(ctx, actorRef)
 
 	actor, err := s.persistence.GetActor(ctx, actorRef)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -50,6 +51,7 @@ func (s *Service) UpdateActor(ctx context.Context, req *ateapipb.UpdateActorRequ
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("while updating actor: %w", err)
 	}
 
+	setSpanActorAttributes(ctx, updated)
 	return &ateapipb.UpdateActorResponse{Actor: updated}, nil
 }
 
diff --git a/cmd/ateapi/internal/controlapi/update_actor_test.go b/cmd/ateapi/internal/controlapi/update_actor_test.go
index a24a2ff57..0f890d43e 100644
--- a/cmd/ateapi/internal/controlapi/update_actor_test.go
+++ b/cmd/ateapi/internal/controlapi/update_actor_test.go
@@ -15,10 +15,16 @@
 package controlapi
 
 import (
+	"context"
 	"testing"
 
-	"github.com/agent-substrate/substrate/pkg/proto/ateapipb"
+	"go.opentelemetry.io/otel/attribute"
+	"google.golang.org/grpc/codes"
+	"google.golang.org/grpc/status"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/validation/field"
+
+	"github.com/agent-substrate/substrate/internal/ateattr"
+	"github.com/agent-substrate/substrate/pkg/proto/ateapipb"
 )
 
 func TestValidateUpdateActorRequest(t *testing.T) {
@@ -89,3 +95,64 @@ func TestValidateUpdateActorRequest(t *testing.T) {
 		})
 	}
 }
+
+func TestUpdateActor_StampsFullSpanIdentity(t *testing.T) {
+	ns := namespaceForTest("ns-span-update")
+	tc := setupTest(t, ns)
+	defer tc.cleanup()
+	createTemplate(t, tc, ns)
+
+	if _, err := tc.service.CreateActor(context.Background(), &ateapipb.CreateActorRequest{
+		Actor: &ateapipb.Actor{
+			Metadata:               &ateapipb.ResourceMetadata{Atespace: testAtespace, Name: testActorID},
+			ActorTemplateNamespace: ns,
+			ActorTemplateName:      "tmpl1",
+		},
+	}); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("seed CreateActor: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	attrs := recordRootSpanAttrs(t, func(ctx context.Context) {
+		if _, err := tc.service.UpdateActor(ctx, &ateapipb.UpdateActorRequest{
+			Actor: &ateapipb.ObjectRef{Atespace: testAtespace, Name: testActorID},
+			WorkerSelector: &ateapipb.Selector{
+				MatchLabels: map[string]string{"env": "prod"},
+			},
+		}); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("UpdateActor: %v", err)
+		}
+	})
+
+	assertSpanStr(t, attrs, ateattr.AtespaceKey, testAtespace)
+	assertSpanStr(t, attrs, ateattr.ActorNameKey, testActorID)
+	assertSpanStr(t, attrs, ateattr.TemplateNameKey, "tmpl1")
+	assertSpanStr(t, attrs, ateattr.TemplateNamespaceKey, ns)
+	if v, ok := attrs[ateattr.ActorUIDKey]; !ok || v.Type() != attribute.STRING || v.AsString() == "" {
+		t.Errorf("%s = %v, want non-empty server-assigned uid", ateattr.ActorUIDKey, v.Emit())
+	}
+	if v, ok := attrs[ateattr.ActorVersionKey]; !ok || v.Type() != attribute.INT64 || v.AsInt64() != 2 {
+		t.Errorf("%s = %v, want int64 2 (updated version)", ateattr.ActorVersionKey, v.Emit())
+	}
+}
+
+func TestUpdateActor_FailedLookupStampsRefIdentityOnly(t *testing.T) {
+	ns := namespaceForTest("ns-span-update-err")
+	tc := setupTest(t, ns)
+	defer tc.cleanup()
+
+	attrs := recordRootSpanAttrs(t, func(ctx context.Context) {
+		if _, err := tc.service.UpdateActor(ctx, &ateapipb.UpdateActorRequest{
+			Actor: &ateapipb.ObjectRef{Atespace: testAtespace, Name: testActorID},
+		}); status.Code(err) != codes.NotFound {
+			t.Fatalf("UpdateActor(missing) error = %v, want code NotFound", err)
+		}
+	})
+
+	assertSpanStr(t, attrs, ateattr.AtespaceKey, testAtespace)
+	assertSpanStr(t, attrs, ateattr.ActorNameKey, testActorID)
+	for _, k := range []attribute.Key{ateattr.ActorUIDKey, ateattr.TemplateNameKey, ateattr.TemplateNamespaceKey, ateattr.ActorVersionKey} {
+		if _, ok := attrs[k]; ok {
+			t.Errorf("unexpected %s on failed-update span", k)
+		}
+	}
+}