diff --git a/packages/collector/test/apps/agentStub.js b/packages/collector/test/apps/agentStub.js
index 05799b9f06..8923789ac3 100644
--- a/packages/collector/test/apps/agentStub.js
+++ b/packages/collector/test/apps/agentStub.js
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ if (process.env.INSTANA_DEBUG === 'true') {
 // NOTE: we can leave the hardcoded port here as this file is not used in the test env!
 const port = process.env.AGENT_PORT || 42699;
 const uniqueAgentUuids = process.env.AGENT_UNIQUE_UUIDS === 'true';
+const slowHostResponse = process.env.SLOW_HOST_RESPONSE === 'true';
 const extraHeaders = process.env.EXTRA_HEADERS ? process.env.EXTRA_HEADERS.split(',') : [];
 const secretsMatcher = process.env.SECRETS_MATCHER ? process.env.SECRETS_MATCHER : 'contains-ignore-case';
 const secretsList = process.env.SECRETS_LIST ? process.env.SECRETS_LIST.split(',') : ['pass', 'secret', 'token'];
@@ -67,6 +68,14 @@ app.use(
 
 // Use this endpoint for the "checkHost" (agentHostLookup) functionality.
 app.get('/', (req, res) => {
+  if (slowHostResponse) {
+    setTimeout(() => {
+      res.json({ version: '1.1.999' });
+    }, 1000 * 3);
+
+    return;
+  }
+
   res.json({ version: '1.1.999' });
 });
 
@@ -133,6 +142,7 @@ app.put('/com.instana.plugin.nodejs.discovery', (req, res) => {
       response.tracing.disable = disable;
     }
   }
+
   res.send(response);
 });
 
diff --git a/packages/collector/test/apps/agentStubControls.js b/packages/collector/test/apps/agentStubControls.js
index 6088dbd2b6..8f5d16ae97 100644
--- a/packages/collector/test/apps/agentStubControls.js
+++ b/packages/collector/test/apps/agentStubControls.js
@@ -42,6 +42,10 @@ class AgentStubControls {
       env.SLOW_METRICS_REPLY = opts.slowMetricsReply.toString();
     }
 
+    if (opts.slowHostResponse) {
+      env.SLOW_HOST_RESPONSE = opts.slowHostResponse.toString();
+    }
+
     if (opts.enableSpanBatching) {
       env.ENABLE_SPANBATCHING = 'true';
     }
diff --git a/packages/collector/test/tracing/misc/activate_immediately/app.js b/packages/collector/test/tracing/misc/activate_immediately/app.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6d6e06c009
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/collector/test/tracing/misc/activate_immediately/app.js
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+/*
+ * (c) Copyright IBM Corp. 2025
+ */
+
+'use strict';
+
+// NOTE: c8 bug https://github.com/bcoe/c8/issues/166
+process.on('SIGTERM', () => {
+  process.disconnect();
+  process.exit(0);
+});
+
+require('../../../..')();
+
+const logPrefix = `Activate Immediately App (${process.pid}):\t`;
+const port = require('../../../test_util/app-port')();
+const express = require('express');
+const app = express();
+const agentPort = process.env.INSTANA_AGENT_PORT;
+
+app.get('/', (req, res) => {
+  res.send();
+});
+
+app.get('/trigger', async (req, res) => {
+  await fetch(`http://localhost:${agentPort}/ping`);
+  res.send();
+});
+
+app.listen(port, () => {
+  log(`Listening on port: ${port}`);
+});
+
+function log() {
+  /* eslint-disable no-console */
+  const args = Array.prototype.slice.call(arguments);
+  args[0] = logPrefix + args[0];
+  console.log.apply(console, args);
+}
diff --git a/packages/collector/test/tracing/misc/activate_immediately/test.js b/packages/collector/test/tracing/misc/activate_immediately/test.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..767a1defca
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/collector/test/tracing/misc/activate_immediately/test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+/*
+ * (c) Copyright IBM Corp. 2025
+ */
+
+'use strict';
+
+const expect = require('chai').expect;
+const constants = require('@instana/core').tracing.constants;
+const supportedVersion = require('@instana/core').tracing.supportedVersion;
+const config = require('../../../../../core/test/config');
+const testUtils = require('../../../../../core/test/test_util');
+const ProcessControls = require('../../../test_util/ProcessControls');
+const { AgentStubControls } = require('../../../apps/agentStubControls');
+const mochaSuiteFn = supportedVersion(process.versions.node) ? describe : describe.skip;
+
+mochaSuiteFn('tracing/activateImmediately', function () {
+  this.timeout(config.getTestTimeout());
+
+  let customAgent;
+  let appControls;
+
+  before(async () => {
+    customAgent = new AgentStubControls();
+
+    await customAgent.startAgent({
+      slowHostResponse: true
+    });
+
+    appControls = new ProcessControls({
+      dirname: __dirname,
+      useGlobalAgent: true,
+      agentControls: customAgent,
+      collectorUninitialized: true,
+      env: {
+        INSTANA_TRACE_IMMEDIATELY: 'true',
+        INSTANA_AGENT_REQUEST_TIMEOUT: '6000'
+      }
+    });
+
+    await appControls.start();
+    await testUtils.delay(100);
+
+    await appControls.sendRequest({
+      method: 'GET',
+      path: '/trigger'
+    });
+  });
+
+  beforeEach(async () => {
+    await customAgent.clearReceivedTraceData();
+  });
+
+  after(async () => {
+    await appControls.stop();
+    await customAgent.stopAgent();
+  });
+
+  afterEach(async () => {
+    await appControls.clearIpcMessages();
+  });
+
+  it('must trace', async () => {
+    return testUtils.retry(() =>
+      customAgent.getSpans().then(spans => {
+        expect(spans.length).to.equal(2);
+
+        testUtils.expectExactlyOneMatching(spans, [
+          span => expect(span.n).to.equal('node.http.server'),
+          span => expect(span.k).to.equal(constants.ENTRY)
+        ]);
+
+        testUtils.expectExactlyOneMatching(spans, [
+          span => expect(span.n).to.equal('node.http.client'),
+          span => expect(span.k).to.equal(constants.EXIT)
+        ]);
+      })
+    );
+  });
+});