diff --git a/board/common/rootfs/etc/default/confd b/board/common/rootfs/etc/default/confd
index 7919fb44..3352c808 100644
--- a/board/common/rootfs/etc/default/confd
+++ b/board/common/rootfs/etc/default/confd
@@ -1 +1,5 @@
 CONFD_TIMEOUT=60
+#DEBUG=1
+
+# -v debug
+CONFD_ARGS=""
diff --git a/package/confd/confd.conf b/package/confd/confd.conf
index cc8d0572..1737f294 100644
--- a/package/confd/confd.conf
+++ b/package/confd/confd.conf
@@ -1,11 +1,9 @@
-#set DEBUG=1
-
 # Single daemon handles gen-config, datastore init, config load, and plugins
-#  log:prio:daemon.err
-service log:console env:/etc/default/confd           \
+service log:console env:/etc/default/confd        \
 	[S12345] <usr/ixinit> confd -f -v warning \
-		-F /etc/factory-config.cfg \
-		-S /cfg/startup-config.cfg \
-		-E /etc/failure-config.cfg \
-		-t $CONFD_TIMEOUT \
+		-F /etc/factory-config.cfg        \
+		-S /cfg/startup-config.cfg        \
+		-E /etc/failure-config.cfg        \
+		-t $CONFD_TIMEOUT                 \
+		$CONFD_ARGS                       \
 	-- Configuration daemon
diff --git a/src/confd/src/main.c b/src/confd/src/main.c
index f679d9df..a7f1cb28 100644
--- a/src/confd/src/main.c
+++ b/src/confd/src/main.c
@@ -656,9 +656,10 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 				log_level = LOG_WARNING;
 			else if (!strcmp(optarg, "info"))
 				log_level = LOG_NOTICE;
-			else if (!strcmp(optarg, "debug"))
+			else if (!strcmp(optarg, "debug")) {
 				log_level = LOG_DEBUG;
-			else {
+				debug = 1;
+			} else {
 				fprintf(stderr, "confd error: Invalid verbosity \"%s\"\n", optarg);
 				return EXIT_FAILURE;
 			}
@@ -696,6 +697,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 
 	if (getenv("DEBUG")) {
 		log_opts |= LOG_PERROR;
+		log_level = LOG_DEBUG;
 		debug = 1;
 	}
 	openlog("confd", log_opts, LOG_DAEMON);