diff --git a/assignment-client/src/AssignmentClientApp.cpp b/assignment-client/src/AssignmentClientApp.cpp
index d0e8eb2e0d..aafb9db5a2 100644
--- a/assignment-client/src/AssignmentClientApp.cpp
+++ b/assignment-client/src/AssignmentClientApp.cpp
@@ -129,7 +129,7 @@ AssignmentClientApp::AssignmentClientApp(int argc, char* argv[]) :
     // We want to configure the logging system as early as possible
     auto &logHandler = LogHandler::getInstance();
     if (parser.isSet(logOption)) {
-        if (!logHandler.parseOptions(parser.value(logOption).toUtf8())) {
+        if (!logHandler.parseOptions(parser.value(logOption).toUtf8(), logOption.names().first())) {
             QCoreApplication mockApp(argc, const_cast<char**>(argv)); // required for call to showHelp()
             parser.showHelp();
             Q_UNREACHABLE();
diff --git a/domain-server/src/DomainServer.cpp b/domain-server/src/DomainServer.cpp
index 0cf99c8d05..719ffa71dc 100644
--- a/domain-server/src/DomainServer.cpp
+++ b/domain-server/src/DomainServer.cpp
@@ -442,7 +442,7 @@ void DomainServer::parseCommandLine(int argc, char* argv[]) {
     // We want to configure the logging system as early as possible
     auto &logHandler = LogHandler::getInstance();
     if (parser.isSet(logOption)) {
-        if (!logHandler.parseOptions(parser.value(logOption).toUtf8())) {
+        if (!logHandler.parseOptions(parser.value(logOption).toUtf8(), logOption.names().first())) {
             QCoreApplication mockApp(argc, const_cast<char**>(argv)); // required for call to showHelp()
             parser.showHelp();
             Q_UNREACHABLE();
diff --git a/interface/src/main.cpp b/interface/src/main.cpp
index 4bc0d7743a..640789c282 100644
--- a/interface/src/main.cpp
+++ b/interface/src/main.cpp
@@ -311,7 +311,7 @@ int main(int argc, const char* argv[]) {
     // We want to configure the logging system as early as possible
     auto &logHandler = LogHandler::getInstance();
     if (parser.isSet(logOption)) {
-        if (!logHandler.parseOptions(parser.value(logOption).toUtf8())) {
+        if (!logHandler.parseOptions(parser.value(logOption).toUtf8(), logOption.names().first())) {
             QCoreApplication mockApp(argc, const_cast<char**>(argv)); // required for call to showHelp()
             parser.showHelp();
             Q_UNREACHABLE();
diff --git a/libraries/shared/src/LogHandler.cpp b/libraries/shared/src/LogHandler.cpp
index 2197c49dc4..e04a036b1a 100644
--- a/libraries/shared/src/LogHandler.cpp
+++ b/libraries/shared/src/LogHandler.cpp
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ LogHandler::LogHandler() {
     _useJournald = true;
 #endif
 
-    parseOptions(logOptions);
+    parseOptions(logOptions, "VIRCADIA_LOG_OPTIONS");
 }
 
 const char* stringForLogType(LogMsgType msgType) {
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ const QString DATE_STRING_FORMAT = "MM/dd hh:mm:ss";
 // the following will produce 11/18 13:55:36.999
 const QString DATE_STRING_FORMAT_WITH_MILLISECONDS = "MM/dd hh:mm:ss.zzz";
 
-bool LogHandler::parseOptions(QString logOptions) {
+bool LogHandler::parseOptions(const QString& logOptions, const QString& paramName) {
     QMutexLocker lock(&_mutex);
     auto optionList = logOptions.split(",");
 
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ bool LogHandler::parseOptions(QString logOptions) {
         } else if (option == "nojournald") {
             _useJournald = false;
         } else if (option != "") {
-            fprintf(stdout, "Unrecognized option in VIRCADIA_LOG_OPTIONS: '%s'\n", option.toUtf8().constData());
+            fprintf(stderr, "Unrecognized option in %s: '%s'\n", paramName.toUtf8().constData(), option.toUtf8().constData());
             return false;
         }
     }
diff --git a/libraries/shared/src/LogHandler.h b/libraries/shared/src/LogHandler.h
index 81ef0aff03..e64f8e29c3 100644
--- a/libraries/shared/src/LogHandler.h
+++ b/libraries/shared/src/LogHandler.h
@@ -53,10 +53,11 @@ public:
      * This parses the logging settings in the environment variable, or from the commandline
      *
      * @param options Option list
+     * @param paramName Name of the log option, for error reporting.
      * @return true Option list was parsed successfully
      * @return false There was an error
      */
-    bool parseOptions(QString options);
+    bool parseOptions(const QString& options, const QString &paramName);
 
     /**
      * @brief Set the name of the component that's producing log output