diff --git a/packages/agoric-cli/src/anylogger-agoric.js b/packages/agoric-cli/src/anylogger-agoric.js
index 6517690f332..1fa42ba1e9a 100644
--- a/packages/agoric-cli/src/anylogger-agoric.js
+++ b/packages/agoric-cli/src/anylogger-agoric.js
@@ -3,11 +3,11 @@ import anylogger from 'anylogger';
 import chalk from 'chalk';
 
 // Turn on debugging output with DEBUG=agoric
-
+const { DEBUG } = process.env;
 let selectedLevel = 'info';
-if (process.env.DEBUG === undefined) {
+if (DEBUG === undefined) {
   selectedLevel = 'log';
-} else if (process.env.DEBUG.includes('agoric')) {
+} else if (DEBUG.includes('agoric')) {
   selectedLevel = 'debug';
 }
 const defaultLevel = anylogger.levels[selectedLevel];
diff --git a/packages/agoric-cli/src/start.js b/packages/agoric-cli/src/start.js
index 4a161023877..ed56ee5ac81 100644
--- a/packages/agoric-cli/src/start.js
+++ b/packages/agoric-cli/src/start.js
@@ -52,6 +52,14 @@ export default async function startMain(progname, rawArgs, powers, opts) {
   const SOLO_IMAGE = `agoric/cosmic-swingset-solo:${opts.dockerTag}`;
 
   const pspawnEnv = { ...process.env };
+  if (opts.verbose > 1) {
+    // Loudly verbose logs (nondeterministic).
+    pspawnEnv.DEBUG = 'agoric,SwingSet:vat,SwingSet:ls';
+  } else if (opts.verbose) {
+    // Verbose vat logs (nondeterministic).
+    pspawnEnv.DEBUG = 'SwingSet:vat,SwingSet:ls';
+  }
+
   const pspawn = makePspawn({ env: pspawnEnv, spawn, log, chalk });
 
   // Turn on some debugging options.
@@ -686,14 +694,6 @@ export default async function startMain(progname, rawArgs, powers, opts) {
 
   const popts = opts;
 
-  if (popts.verbose > 1) {
-    // Enable verbose logs.
-    pspawnEnv.DEBUG = 'agoric';
-  } else if (!popts.verbose) {
-    // Disable more logs.
-    pspawnEnv.DEBUG = '';
-  }
-
   const args = rawArgs.slice(1);
   const profileName = args[0] || 'dev';
   const startFn = profiles[profileName];
diff --git a/packages/cosmic-swingset/src/anylogger-agoric.js b/packages/cosmic-swingset/src/anylogger-agoric.js
index 63b6bcaff41..3743cffc83d 100644
--- a/packages/cosmic-swingset/src/anylogger-agoric.js
+++ b/packages/cosmic-swingset/src/anylogger-agoric.js
@@ -3,25 +3,28 @@ import anylogger from 'anylogger';
 
 // Turn on debugging output with DEBUG=agoric
 
+const { DEBUG: debugEnv = '' } = process.env;
 let debugging;
+
 const filterOutPrefixes = [];
+// Mute vat logging unless requested, for determinism.
+if (!debugEnv.includes('SwingSet:vat')) {
+  filterOutPrefixes.push('SwingSet:vat:');
+}
+// Mute liveSlots logging unless requested, for determinism.
+if (!debugEnv.includes('SwingSet:ls')) {
+  filterOutPrefixes.push('SwingSet:ls:');
+}
+
 if (process.env.DEBUG === undefined) {
-  // DEBUG not set, default to log level.
-  debugging = 'log';
+  // DEBUG wasn't set, default to info level; quieter than normal.
+  debugging = 'info';
+} else if (debugEnv.includes('agoric')) {
+  // $DEBUG set and we're enabled; loudly verbose.
+  debugging = 'debug';
 } else {
-  if (!process.env.DEBUG.includes('SwingSet:vat')) {
-    filterOutPrefixes.push('SwingSet:vat:');
-  }
-  if (!process.env.DEBUG.includes('SwingSet:ls')) {
-    filterOutPrefixes.push('SwingSet:ls:');
-  }
-  if (process.env.DEBUG.includes('agoric')) {
-    // DEBUG set and we're enabled; verbose.
-    debugging = 'debug';
-  } else {
-    // DEBUG set but we're not enabled; quieter than normal.
-    debugging = 'info';
-  }
+  // $DEBUG set but we're not enabled; slightly louder than normal.
+  debugging = 'log';
 }
 const defaultLevel = anylogger.levels[debugging];