diff --git a/flow/Trace.cpp b/flow/Trace.cpp
index cca638f7ad..0872a502ae 100644
--- a/flow/Trace.cpp
+++ b/flow/Trace.cpp
@@ -1218,3 +1218,8 @@ void TraceEventFields::validateFormat() const {
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+std::string traceableStringToString(const char* value, size_t S) {
+	ASSERT_WE_THINK(value[S - 1] == '\0');
+	return std::string(value, S - 1); // Exclude trailing \0 byte
+}
diff --git a/flow/Trace.h b/flow/Trace.h
index b26699f6bd..69ee6175cf 100644
--- a/flow/Trace.h
+++ b/flow/Trace.h
@@ -262,6 +262,8 @@ struct TraceableString<const char*> {
 	}
 };
 
+std::string traceableStringToString(const char* value, size_t S);
+
 template<size_t S>
 struct TraceableString<char[S]> {
 	static const char* begin(const char* value) {
@@ -272,9 +274,7 @@ struct TraceableString<char[S]> {
 		return iter - value == S - 1; // Exclude trailing \0 byte
 	}
 
-	static std::string toString(const char* value) {
-		return std::string(value, S - 1); // Exclude trailing \0 byte
-	}
+	static std::string toString(const char* value) { return traceableStringToString(value, S); }
 };
 
 template<>