diff --git a/cmd/camput/camput.go b/cmd/camput/camput.go
index 043391be1..bf2482222 100644
--- a/cmd/camput/camput.go
+++ b/cmd/camput/camput.go
@@ -163,7 +163,9 @@ func newUploader() *Uploader {
 		httpStats, _ = tr.(*httputil.StatsTransport)
 		cc.SetHTTPClient(&http.Client{Transport: tr})
 	}
-	if !*cmdmain.FlagVerbose {
+	if *cmdmain.FlagVerbose {
+		cc.SetLogger(log.New(cmdmain.Stderr, "", log.LstdFlags))
+	} else {
 		cc.SetLogger(nil)
 	}
 
diff --git a/cmd/camput/files.go b/cmd/camput/files.go
index f3042e1ba..239187d7a 100644
--- a/cmd/camput/files.go
+++ b/cmd/camput/files.go
@@ -145,6 +145,12 @@ func (c *fileCmd) RunCommand(args []string) error {
 	if c.deleteAfterUpload && !c.filePermanodes {
 		return cmdmain.UsageError("Can't set use --delete_after_upload without --filenodes")
 	}
+	// TODO(mpl): do it for other modes too. Or even better, do it once for all modes.
+	if *cmdmain.FlagVerbose {
+		log.SetOutput(cmdmain.Stderr)
+	} else {
+		log.SetOutput(ioutil.Discard)
+	}
 	up := getUploader()
 	if c.memstats {
 		sr := new(statspkg.Receiver)
@@ -247,9 +253,6 @@ func (c *fileCmd) RunCommand(args []string) error {
 				vlog.Printf("Directories not supported in vivify mode; skipping %v\n", filename)
 				continue
 			}
-			if !*cmdmain.FlagVerbose {
-				log.SetOutput(ioutil.Discard)
-			}
 			t := up.NewTreeUpload(filename)
 			t.Start()
 			lastPut, err = t.Wait()
diff --git a/pkg/test/world.go b/pkg/test/world.go
index bba3609f4..5795bb227 100644
--- a/pkg/test/world.go
+++ b/pkg/test/world.go
@@ -236,9 +236,24 @@ func (w *World) Cmd(binary string, args ...string) *exec.Cmd {
 }
 
 func (w *World) CmdWithEnv(binary string, env []string, args ...string) *exec.Cmd {
-	cmd := exec.Command(filepath.Join(w.camRoot, "bin", binary), args...)
+	hasVerbose := func() bool {
+		for _, v := range args {
+			if v == "-verbose" || v == "--verbose" {
+				return true
+			}
+		}
+		return false
+	}
+	var cmd *exec.Cmd
 	switch binary {
 	case "camget", "camput", "camtool", "cammount":
+		// TODO(mpl): lift the camput restriction when we have a unified logging mechanism
+		if binary == "camput" && !hasVerbose() {
+			// camput and camtool are the only ones to have a -verbose flag through cmdmain
+			// but camtool is never used. (and cammount does not even have a -verbose).
+			args = append([]string{"-verbose"}, args...)
+		}
+		cmd = exec.Command(filepath.Join(w.camRoot, "bin", binary), args...)
 		clientConfigDir := filepath.Join(w.camRoot, "config", "dev-client-dir")
 		cmd.Env = append([]string{
 			"CAMLI_CONFIG_DIR=" + clientConfigDir,
@@ -295,7 +310,7 @@ func RunCmd(c *exec.Cmd) (output string, err error) {
 	c.Stdout = &stdout
 	err = c.Run()
 	if err != nil {
-		return "", fmt.Errorf("Error running command %+v: Stdout:\n%s\nStderrr:\n%s\n", c, stdout.String(), stderr.String())
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("Error running command %+v: Stdout:\n%s\nStderr:\n%s\n", c, stdout.String(), stderr.String())
 	}
 	return stdout.String(), nil
 }