---
title: Logging
description: Ping CLI supports diagnostic logging to help developers troubleshoot issues and understand the CLI's internal behavior. The default log level is WARN. To see more detailed output, set PINGCLI_LOG_LEVEL to DEBUG or INFO.
component: pingcli
version: 1.0
page_id: pingcli:using_pingcli:logging
canonical_url: https://developer.pingidentity.com/pingcli/1.0/using_pingcli/logging.html
revdate: June 5, 2026
section_ids:
  enabling-logging: Enabling logging
  log-levels: Log levels
  writing-logs-to-a-file: Writing logs to a file
  using-flags: Using flags
  persisting-log-settings-in-a-profile: Persisting log settings in a profile
  learn-more: Learn more
---

# Logging

Ping CLI supports diagnostic logging to help developers troubleshoot issues and understand the CLI's internal behavior. The default log level is `WARN`. To see more detailed output, set `PINGCLI_LOG_LEVEL` to `DEBUG` or `INFO`.

## Enabling logging

Set the `PINGCLI_LOG_LEVEL` environment variable to control log verbosity:

```console
export PINGCLI_LOG_LEVEL=DEBUG
pingcli pingone environments list
```

Log output is written to stderr by default.

## Log levels

The following log levels are available, listed from most verbose to least verbose:

| Level   | Description                                                                                                                                             |
| ------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `DEBUG` | Detailed operational messages useful for debugging, including API request and response metadata.                                                        |
| `INFO`  | General informational messages confirming that Ping CLI is operating as expected.                                                                       |
| `WARN`  | Warnings about conditions that are not errors but may indicate unexpected behavior or configuration that should be reviewed. This is the default level. |
| `ERROR` | Error conditions that caused a command to fail or behave unexpectedly.                                                                                  |

## Writing logs to a file

To write log output to a file, set the `PINGCLI_LOG_FILE` environment variable:

```console
export PINGCLI_LOG_LEVEL=DEBUG
export PINGCLI_LOG_FILE=./pingcli.log
pingcli pingone environments list
```

When `PINGCLI_LOG_FILE` is set, log messages are written to the specified file in NDJSON format with structured fields including `timestamp`, `level`, `message`, `cli_function`, and `connector`. This makes file logs suitable for ingestion into observability tooling.

File logging uses its own independent log level, controlled by `PINGCLI_LOG_FILE_LEVEL` (default: `DEBUG`). This lets you capture verbose file logs while keeping console output at a higher level.

|   |                                                                                                                     |
| - | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
|   | If `PINGCLI_LOG_FILE_LEVEL` is set without `PINGCLI_LOG_FILE`, the CLI emits a warning and the value has no effect. |

## Using flags

All three log settings are also available as persistent flags on every command:

| Flag               | Environment variable     | Default  |
| ------------------ | ------------------------ | -------- |
| `--log-level`      | `PINGCLI_LOG_LEVEL`      | `WARN`   |
| `--log-file`       | `PINGCLI_LOG_FILE`       | Disabled |
| `--log-file-level` | `PINGCLI_LOG_FILE_LEVEL` | `DEBUG`  |

Precedence, from highest to lowest: flag > environment variable > profile configuration > default.

## Persisting log settings in a profile

To avoid setting environment variables on every command, persist log settings using `pingcli config set`:

```console
pingcli config set log.level=DEBUG
pingcli config set log.file=/path/to/file.ndjson
pingcli config set log.fileLevel=INFO
```

To configure settings for a specific profile, add the `--profile` flag:

```console
pingcli config set --profile myprofile log.level=DEBUG
```

You can find a complete list of configuration keys in [Configuration settings reference](../settings_reference/configuration-settings-reference.html).

## Learn more

* [pingcli config set](../command_reference/pingcli_config_set.html)

* [Configuration settings reference](../settings_reference/configuration-settings-reference.html)

* [OpenTelemetry](telemetry.html)