diff --git a/ddtrace/tracer/option.go b/ddtrace/tracer/option.go
index 9175c20efe..0c787261f9 100644
--- a/ddtrace/tracer/option.go
+++ b/ddtrace/tracer/option.go
@@ -1290,6 +1290,10 @@ func setHeaderTags(headerAsTags []string) bool {
 	globalconfig.ClearHeaderTags()
 	for _, h := range headerAsTags {
 		header, tag := normalizer.HeaderTag(h)
+		if len(header) == 0 || len(tag) == 0 {
+			log.Debug("Header-tag input is in unsupported format; dropping input value %v", h)
+			continue
+		}
 		globalconfig.SetHeaderTag(header, tag)
 	}
 	return true
diff --git a/ddtrace/tracer/option_test.go b/ddtrace/tracer/option_test.go
index d4259e9f5c..514046e1ed 100644
--- a/ddtrace/tracer/option_test.go
+++ b/ddtrace/tracer/option_test.go
@@ -1392,6 +1392,28 @@ func TestWithHeaderTags(t *testing.T) {
 		assert.Equal(ext.HTTPRequestHeaders+".2_h_e_a_d_e_r", globalconfig.HeaderTag("2.h.e.a.d.e.r"))
 	})
 
+	t.Run("envvar-invalid", func(t *testing.T) {
+		defer globalconfig.ClearHeaderTags()
+		t.Setenv("DD_TRACE_HEADER_TAGS", "header1:")
+
+		assert := assert.New(t)
+		newConfig()
+
+		assert.Equal(0, globalconfig.HeaderTagsLen())
+	})
+
+	t.Run("envvar-partially-invalid", func(t *testing.T) {
+		defer globalconfig.ClearHeaderTags()
+		t.Setenv("DD_TRACE_HEADER_TAGS", "header1,header2:")
+
+		assert := assert.New(t)
+		newConfig()
+
+		assert.Equal(1, globalconfig.HeaderTagsLen())
+		fmt.Println(globalconfig.HeaderTagMap())
+		assert.Equal(ext.HTTPRequestHeaders+".header1", globalconfig.HeaderTag("Header1"))
+	})
+
 	t.Run("env-override", func(t *testing.T) {
 		defer globalconfig.ClearHeaderTags()
 		assert := assert.New(t)