diff --git a/src/lib/fd.c b/src/lib/fd.c
index fb99eff63..5b2043b90 100644
--- a/src/lib/fd.c
+++ b/src/lib/fd.c
@@ -193,7 +193,7 @@ launch_pipe_process(int* pipe, int* pidfd){
   }
   if(p == 0){ // child
     if(dup2(pipes[1], STDOUT_FILENO) < 0 || dup2(pipes[1], STDERR_FILENO) < 0){
-      fprintf(stderr, "Couldn't dup() %d (%s)\n", pipes[1], strerror(errno));
+      logerror("Couldn't dup() %d (%s)\n", pipes[1], strerror(errno));
       exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
     }
   }else if(p > 0){ // parent
@@ -395,9 +395,10 @@ ncsubproc* ncsubproc_createvpe(ncplane* n, const ncsubproc_options* opts,
 #else
     exect(bin, arg, env);
 #endif
-//fprintf(stderr, "Error execv()ing %s\n", bin);
+    logerror("Error execing %s (%s?)\n", bin, strerror(errno));
     exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
   }else if(ret->pid < 0){
+    logerror("Error launching process (%s?)\n", strerror(errno));
     free(ret);
     return NULL;
   }
@@ -417,6 +418,7 @@ int ncsubproc_destroy(ncsubproc* n){
 //fprintf(stderr, "pid: %u pidfd: %d waittid: %u\n", n->pid, n->pidfd, n->waittid);
 #ifdef USING_PIDFD
     if(n->pidfd >= 0){
+      loginfo("Sending SIGKILL to pidfd %d\n", n->pidfd);
       if(syscall(__NR_pidfd_send_signal, n->pidfd, SIGKILL, NULL, 0)){
         kill(n->pid, SIGKILL);
       }
@@ -424,6 +426,7 @@ int ncsubproc_destroy(ncsubproc* n){
 #else
     pthread_mutex_lock(&n->lock);
     if(!n->waited){
+      loginfo("Sending SIGKILL to PID %d\n", n->pid);
       kill(n->pid, SIGKILL);
     }
     pthread_mutex_unlock(&n->lock);
diff --git a/src/lib/logging.h b/src/lib/logging.h
index f1fe36b32..d0c8225c3 100644
--- a/src/lib/logging.h
+++ b/src/lib/logging.h
@@ -10,6 +10,16 @@ void nclog(const char* fmt, ...);
 // logging
 extern int loglevel;
 
+#define logpanic(fmt, ...) do{ \
+  if(loglevel >= NCLOGLEVEL_PANIC){ \
+    nclog("%s:%d:" fmt, __func__, __LINE__, ##__VA_ARGS__); } \
+  } while(0);
+
+#define logfatal(fmt, ...) do{ \
+  if(loglevel >= NCLOGLEVEL_FATAL){ \
+    nclog("%s:%d:" fmt, __func__, __LINE__, ##__VA_ARGS__); } \
+  } while(0);
+
 #define logerror(fmt, ...) do{ \
   if(loglevel >= NCLOGLEVEL_ERROR){ \
     nclog("%s:%d:" fmt, __func__, __LINE__, ##__VA_ARGS__); } \
diff --git a/src/lib/notcurses.c b/src/lib/notcurses.c
index a852de921..7fa7e1dd5 100644
--- a/src/lib/notcurses.c
+++ b/src/lib/notcurses.c
@@ -241,12 +241,12 @@ int update_term_dimensions(int fd, int* rows, int* cols, tinfo* tcache,
   struct winsize ws;
   int i = ioctl(fd, TIOCGWINSZ, &ws);
   if(i < 0){
-    fprintf(stderr, "TIOCGWINSZ failed on %d (%s)\n", fd, strerror(errno));
+    logerror("TIOCGWINSZ failed on %d (%s)\n", fd, strerror(errno));
     return -1;
   }
   if(ws.ws_row <= 0 || ws.ws_col <= 0){
-    fprintf(stderr, "Bogus return from TIOCGWINSZ on %d (%d/%d)\n",
-            fd, ws.ws_row, ws.ws_col);
+    logerror("Bogus return from TIOCGWINSZ on %d (%d/%d)\n",
+           fd, ws.ws_row, ws.ws_col);
     return -1;
   }
   int rowsafe;
@@ -1082,7 +1082,7 @@ notcurses* notcurses_core_init(const notcurses_options* opts, FILE* outfp){
   }
   ret->ttyfd = get_tty_fd(ret->ttyfp);
   if(recursive_lock_init(&ret->pilelock)){
-    fprintf(stderr, "Couldn't initialize pile mutex\n");
+    logfatal("Couldn't initialize pile mutex\n");
     free(ret);
     return NULL;
   }
@@ -1113,7 +1113,7 @@ notcurses* notcurses_core_init(const notcurses_options* opts, FILE* outfp){
   loglevel = opts->loglevel;
   int termerr;
   if(setupterm(opts->termtype, ret->ttyfd, &termerr) != OK){
-    fprintf(stderr, "Terminfo error %d (see terminfo(3ncurses))\n", termerr);
+    logpanic("Terminfo error %d (see terminfo(3ncurses))\n", termerr);
     drop_signals(ret);
     fclose(ret->rstate.mstreamfp);
     pthread_mutex_destroy(&ret->statlock);
@@ -1142,7 +1142,7 @@ notcurses* notcurses_core_init(const notcurses_options* opts, FILE* outfp){
   }
   ret->stdplane = NULL;
   if((ret->stdplane = create_initial_ncplane(ret, dimy, dimx)) == NULL){
-    fprintf(stderr, "Couldn't create the initial plane (bad margins?)\n");
+    logerror("Couldn't create the initial plane (bad margins?)\n");
     goto err;
   }
   reset_term_attributes(&ret->tcache, ret->ttyfp);
@@ -1202,7 +1202,7 @@ notcurses* notcurses_core_init(const notcurses_options* opts, FILE* outfp){
   return ret;
 
 err:
-  fprintf(stderr, "Alas, you will not be going to space today.\n");
+  logpanic("Alas, you will not be going to space today.\n");
   // FIXME looks like we have some memory leaks on this error path?
   if(ret->rstate.mstreamfp){
     fclose(ret->rstate.mstreamfp);