diff --git a/index-server.js b/index-server.js
index f523c930..ecb73fc9 100644
--- a/index-server.js
+++ b/index-server.js
@@ -2,11 +2,9 @@
 // In an ideal world this would be run in the same process/context of
 // atom-shell but there are many hurdles atm, see
 // https://github.com/atom/atom-shell/issues/533
-var logger = require('fastlog')('', 'debug', '<${timestamp}>');
 
 // increase the libuv threadpool size to 1.5x the number of logical CPUs.
 process.env.UV_THREADPOOL_SIZE = Math.ceil(Math.max(4, require('os').cpus().length * 1.5));
-
 process.title = 'mapbox-studio';
 
 if (process.platform === 'win32') {
@@ -16,10 +14,6 @@ if (process.platform === 'win32') {
     process.env.PATH = '';
 }
 
-process.on('exit', function(code) {
-    console.warn('Mapbox Studio exited with', code + '.');
-});
-
 var tm = require('./lib/tm');
 var path = require('path');
 var getport = require('getport');
@@ -30,6 +24,7 @@ config.shell = config.shell || false;
 config.port = config.port || undefined;
 config.test = config.test || false;
 config.cwd = path.resolve(config.cwd || process.env.HOME);
+var logger = require('fastlog')('', 'debug', '<${timestamp}>');
 
 var usage = function usage() {
   var str = [
@@ -51,12 +46,12 @@ var usage = function usage() {
 }
 
 if (config.version) {
-    console.log(package_json.version);
+    logger.debug(package_json.version);
     process.exit(0);
 }
 
 if (config.help || config.h) {
-    console.log(usage());
+    logger.debug(usage());
     process.exit(0);
 }
 
@@ -85,6 +80,6 @@ function listen(err) {
 function finish(err) {
     if (err) throw err;
     server.emit('ready');
-    console.log('Mapbox Studio @ http://localhost:'+tm.config().port+'/');
+    logger.debug('Mapbox Studio @ http://localhost:'+tm.config().port+'/');
 }
 
diff --git a/index-shell.js b/index-shell.js
index 109b3e6c..47e60b4c 100644
--- a/index-shell.js
+++ b/index-shell.js
@@ -10,45 +10,40 @@ var node = path.resolve(path.join(__dirname, 'vendor', 'node'));
 var script = path.resolve(path.join(__dirname, 'index-server.js'));
 var shellLog = path.join(process.env.HOME, '.mapbox-studio', 'shell.log');
 var logger = require('fastlog')('', 'debug', '<${timestamp}>');
-
-log(shellLog, 10e6, function(err) {
-    if (err) throw err;
-});
-
-// Start the server child process.
-var server = spawn(node, [script, '--shell=true']);
-server.on('exit', process.exit);
-server.stdout.once('data', function(data) {
-    var matches = data.toString().match(/Mapbox Studio @ http:\/\/localhost:([0-9]+)\//);
-    if (!matches) {
-        console.warn('Server port not found');
-        process.exit(1);
-    }
-    var serverPort = matches[1];
-    loadURL();
-});
-server.stdout.pipe(process.stdout);
-server.stderr.pipe(process.stderr);
-
-process.on('exit', function(code) {
-    console.warn('Mapbox Studio exited with', code + '.');
-});
-
 var serverPort = null;
 var mainWindow = null;
+// set up shell.log and log rotation
+log(shellLog, 10e6, shellsetup);
 
-// // TEMP!
-// var serverPort = 3000;
-// loadURL();
+function shellsetup(err){
+    process.on('exit', function(code) {
+        logger.debug('Mapbox Studio exited with', code + '.');
+    });
 
-// Report crashes to our server.
-require('crash-reporter').start();
+    // Start the server child process.
+    var server = spawn(node, [script, '--shell=true']);
+    server.on('exit', process.exit);
+    server.stdout.once('data', function(data) {
+        var matches = data.toString().match(/Mapbox Studio @ http:\/\/localhost:([0-9]+)\//);
+        if (!matches) {
+            console.warn('Server port not found');
+            process.exit(1);
+        }
+        serverPort = matches[1];
+        logger.debug('Mapbox Studio @ http://localhost:'+serverPort+'/');
+        loadURL();
+    });
+
+    // Report crashes to our server.
+    require('crash-reporter').start();
+
+    atom.on('window-all-closed', function() {
+        if (server) server.kill();
+        process.exit();
+    });
 
-atom.on('window-all-closed', function() {
-    if (server) server.kill();
-    process.exit();
-});
-atom.on('ready', makeWindow);
+    atom.on('ready', makeWindow);
+};
 
 function makeWindow() {
     // Create the browser window.
diff --git a/lib/server.js b/lib/server.js
index 2eb1dd14..65cb5dcc 100755
--- a/lib/server.js
+++ b/lib/server.js
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ var gazetteer = require('gazetteer');
 var carto = require('carto');
 var version = require('./../package.json').version.replace(/^\s+|\s+$/g, '');
 var nocache = Math.random().toString(36).substr(-8);
-var logger = require('fastlog')('debug', 'error', '${level} <${timestamp}>');
+var logger = require('fastlog')('', 'debug', '<${timestamp}> ${level}');
 var mapnik = require('mapnik');
 if (!carto.tree.Reference.setVersion(mapnik.versions.mapnik)) {
     throw new Error("Could not set mapnik version to " + mapnik.versions.mapnik);