diff --git a/packages/app/src/runtime/host-logger.test.ts b/packages/app/src/runtime/host-logger.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..fa53ca7668
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/app/src/runtime/host-logger.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+import { expect, it } from "vitest";
+import { createHostLogger } from "./host-logger";
+
+it("preserves the original transport cause and tolerates a cyclic cause chain", () => {
+  const lines: string[] = [];
+  const capture = (...values: unknown[]) => lines.push(values.map(String).join(" "));
+  const logger = createHostLogger(() => "test-host", {
+    log: capture,
+    warn: capture,
+    error: capture,
+  });
+  const transport = new Error("socket closed");
+  const wrapper = new Error("Subscription failed", { cause: transport });
+  Object.defineProperty(transport, "cause", { value: wrapper });
+  logger.error({ err: wrapper }, "subscription_error");
+  const record = JSON.parse(lines[0]!.slice("subscription_error ".length));
+  expect(record.err.cause.message).toBe("socket closed");
+  expect(record.err.cause.stack).toBe(transport.stack);
+  expect(record.err.cause.cause).toBe("[Circular]");
+});
+
+it("retains host and error details in the desktop's text-only console capture", () => {
+  const lines: { level: string; text: string }[] = [];
+  const capture =
+    (level: string) =>
+    (...values: unknown[]) => {
+      lines.push({ level, text: values.map(String).join(" ") });
+    };
+  const logger = createHostLogger(() => "offline-host", {
+    log: capture("info"),
+    warn: capture("warn"),
+    error: capture("error"),
+  });
+  logger.warn(
+    { err: { name: "Error", message: "malformed ready envelope" } },
+    "relay_e2ee_channel_error",
+  );
+  expect(lines).toEqual([
+    {
+      level: "warn",
+      text: 'relay_e2ee_channel_error {"serverId":"offline-host","err":{"name":"Error","message":"malformed ready envelope"}}',
+    },
+  ]);
+});
+
+it("keeps native Error messages and severity without failing on circular diagnostics", () => {
+  const lines: { level: string; text: string }[] = [];
+  const capture =
+    (level: string) =>
+    (...values: unknown[]) => {
+      lines.push({ level, text: values.map(String).join(" ") });
+    };
+  const logger = createHostLogger(() => "test-host", {
+    log: capture("info"),
+    warn: capture("warn"),
+    error: capture("error"),
+  });
+  const record: { err: Error; self?: object } = { err: new Error("connection lost") };
+  record.self = record;
+  logger.error(record, "Connection failed");
+  expect(lines[0]?.level).toBe("error");
+  expect(lines[0]?.text).toContain('"message":"connection lost"');
+  expect(lines[0]?.text).toContain('"serverId":"test-host"');
+  expect(lines[0]?.text).toContain('"[Circular]"');
+  logger.info({ status: "offline" }, "Host status");
+  expect(lines[1]).toEqual({
+    level: "info",
+    text: 'Host status {"serverId":"test-host","status":"offline"}',
+  });
+  logger.debug({ status: "offline" }, "Host status");
+  expect(lines).toHaveLength(2);
+});
diff --git a/packages/app/src/runtime/host-logger.ts b/packages/app/src/runtime/host-logger.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..3950038600
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/app/src/runtime/host-logger.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+import type { Logger } from "@getpaseo/client/internal/daemon-client";
+
+export function createHostLogger(
+  readServerId: () => string | undefined,
+  output: Pick<Console, "log" | "warn" | "error"> = console,
+): Logger {
+  const format = (record: object, message?: string): string => {
+    const seen = new WeakSet<object>();
+    const details = JSON.stringify(
+      { serverId: readServerId(), ...record },
+      (_key, value: unknown) => {
+        if (value && typeof value === "object") {
+          if (seen.has(value)) return "[Circular]";
+          seen.add(value);
+          if (value instanceof Error) {
+            return {
+              ...value,
+              name: value.name,
+              message: value.message,
+              stack: value.stack,
+              cause: value.cause,
+            };
+          }
+        }
+        return value;
+      },
+    );
+    return message ? `${message} ${details}` : details;
+  };
+  return {
+    debug: () => {},
+    info: (record, message) => output.log(format(record, message)),
+    warn: (record, message) => output.warn(format(record, message)),
+    error: (record, message) => output.error(format(record, message)),
+  };
+}
diff --git a/packages/app/src/runtime/host-runtime.ts b/packages/app/src/runtime/host-runtime.ts
index b6d10dc8c7..394c61d4bf 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/runtime/host-runtime.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/runtime/host-runtime.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { createHostPluginClientBundleStore } from "@/plugins/client-bundles";
 import { watchdog } from "@/watchdog";
+import { createHostLogger } from "./host-logger";
 import { createHostChannelTransport } from "@getpaseo/client/internal/hosts";
 import type { OwnedSubscription } from "@getpaseo/client";
 import type { HostDirectory } from "@getpaseo/protocol/hosts";
@@ -589,6 +590,7 @@ function createDefaultDeps(
         runtimeGeneration,
         capabilities: appCapabilities,
         trace: createPerformanceTrace({ host: host.serverId, connection: connection.id }),
+        logger: createHostLogger(() => host.serverId),
         providerSnapshots: "wire",
         createPluginClientBundleStore: createHostPluginClientBundleStore,
         ...(host.password ? { password: host.password } : {}),
@@ -669,6 +671,7 @@ function createDefaultDeps(
             null,
           ),
           reconnect: { enabled: false },
+          logger: createHostLogger(() => host.serverId),
           appVersion: resolveAppVersion() ?? undefined,
           createPluginClientBundleStore: createHostPluginClientBundleStore,
         });
diff --git a/packages/app/src/utils/test-daemon-connection.test.ts b/packages/app/src/utils/test-daemon-connection.test.ts
index 29382b5c89..88f36c6d0f 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/utils/test-daemon-connection.test.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/utils/test-daemon-connection.test.ts
@@ -2,9 +2,11 @@ import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 import type { DaemonClientConfig } from "@getpaseo/client/internal/daemon-client";
 import { DaemonAuthenticationError } from "@getpaseo/client/internal/daemon-client";
 import type { DaemonConnectionDependencies, DaemonProbeClient } from "./test-daemon-connection";
+import { createHostLogger } from "@/runtime/host-logger";
 
 class FakeDaemonClient implements DaemonProbeClient {
   readonly lastError: string | null;
+  private connected = false;
 
   constructor(
     private readonly probe: FakeDaemonProbe,
@@ -17,9 +19,11 @@ class FakeDaemonClient implements DaemonProbeClient {
     if (this.probe.nextConnectError) {
       throw this.probe.nextConnectError;
     }
+    this.connected = true;
   }
 
   getLastServerInfoMessage() {
+    if (!this.connected) return null;
     return {
       serverId: "srv_probe_test",
       hostname: "probe-host",
@@ -27,11 +31,13 @@ class FakeDaemonClient implements DaemonProbeClient {
   }
 
   async close(): Promise<void> {
+    this.connected = false;
     this.probe.closedClients.push(this);
   }
 }
 
 class FakeDaemonProbe {
+  diagnosticLines: string[] = [];
   createdClients: FakeDaemonClient[] = [];
   closedClients: FakeDaemonClient[] = [];
   clientIdsRequested = 0;
@@ -39,6 +45,12 @@ class FakeDaemonProbe {
   nextLastError: string | null = null;
 
   readonly deps: DaemonConnectionDependencies<FakeDaemonClient> = {
+    createLogger: (readServerId) => {
+      const capture = (...values: unknown[]) => {
+        this.diagnosticLines.push(values.map(String).join(" "));
+      };
+      return createHostLogger(readServerId, { log: capture, warn: capture, error: capture });
+    },
     getClientId: async () => {
       this.clientIdsRequested += 1;
       return "cid_shared_probe_test";
@@ -76,6 +88,34 @@ describe("test-daemon-connection connectToDaemon", () => {
     probe = new FakeDaemonProbe();
   });
 
+  it.each([undefined, "srv_probe_test"])(
+    "logs learned host identity on an adopted probe initially given %s",
+    async (serverId) => {
+      const { connectToDaemon } = await import("./test-daemon-connection");
+      const result = await connectToDaemon(
+        { id: "direct:test", type: "directTcp", endpoint: "localhost:6767" },
+        { serverId },
+        probe.deps,
+      );
+      try {
+        result.client.config.logger!.error({ err: new Error("socket closed") }, "connection_error");
+        const record = JSON.parse(probe.diagnosticLines[0]!.slice("connection_error ".length));
+        expect(record.serverId).toBe("srv_probe_test");
+        expect(record.err.message).toBe("socket closed");
+        await result.client.close();
+        expect(result.client.getLastServerInfoMessage()).toBeNull();
+        result.client.config.logger!.error({ err: new Error("disconnected") }, "connection_error");
+        const closedRecord = JSON.parse(
+          probe.diagnosticLines[1]!.slice("connection_error ".length),
+        );
+        expect(closedRecord.serverId).toBe("srv_probe_test");
+        expect(closedRecord.err.message).toBe("disconnected");
+      } finally {
+        await result.client.close();
+      }
+    },
+  );
+
   it.each([
     { id: "direct:lan:6767", type: "directTcp" as const, endpoint: "lan:6767" },
     {
diff --git a/packages/app/src/utils/test-daemon-connection.ts b/packages/app/src/utils/test-daemon-connection.ts
index 1d1605af62..96400b4878 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/utils/test-daemon-connection.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/utils/test-daemon-connection.ts
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import {
 import type { DaemonClientConfig } from "@getpaseo/client/internal/daemon-client";
 import type { HostConnection } from "@/types/host-connection";
 import { createAppWebSocketFactory } from "@/runtime/websocket-factory";
+import { createHostLogger } from "@/runtime/host-logger";
 import { getOrCreateClientId } from "./client-id";
 import { resolveAppVersion } from "./app-version";
 import {
@@ -29,6 +30,7 @@ export interface DaemonProbeClient {
 }
 
 export interface DaemonConnectionDependencies<TClient extends DaemonProbeClient> {
+  createLogger: typeof createHostLogger;
   getClientId(): Promise<string>;
   resolveAppVersion(): string | null;
   createDesktopTransportFactory(): DaemonClientConfig["transportFactory"] | null;
@@ -37,6 +39,7 @@ export interface DaemonConnectionDependencies<TClient extends DaemonProbeClient>
 }
 
 const defaultDaemonConnectionDependencies: DaemonConnectionDependencies<DaemonClient> = {
+  createLogger: createHostLogger,
   getClientId: getOrCreateClientId,
   resolveAppVersion,
   createDesktopTransportFactory: createDesktopDaemonTransportFactory,
@@ -317,5 +320,9 @@ export async function connectToDaemon(
   deps: DaemonConnectionDependencies<DaemonProbeClient> = defaultDaemonConnectionDependencies,
 ): Promise<{ client: DaemonProbeClient; serverId: string; hostname: string | null }> {
   const config = await buildClientConfig(connection, options?.serverId, options, deps);
-  return connectAndProbe(config, resolveTimeout(connection, options), deps);
+  let serverId = options?.serverId;
+  config.logger = deps.createLogger(() => serverId);
+  const result = await connectAndProbe(config, resolveTimeout(connection, options), deps);
+  serverId = result.serverId;
+  return result;
 }