diff --git a/pkgs/clan-cli/clan_cli/custom_logger.py b/pkgs/clan-cli/clan_cli/custom_logger.py
index 09b63068b..ef05384c3 100644
--- a/pkgs/clan-cli/clan_cli/custom_logger.py
+++ b/pkgs/clan-cli/clan_cli/custom_logger.py
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import logging
 from typing import Any, Callable
 from pathlib import Path
+import inspect
 
 grey = "\x1b[38;20m"
 yellow = "\x1b[33;20m"
@@ -10,10 +11,16 @@ green = "\u001b[32m"
 blue = "\u001b[34m"
 
 
-def get_formatter(color: str) -> Callable[[logging.LogRecord], logging.Formatter]:
-    def myformatter(record: logging.LogRecord) -> logging.Formatter:
+
+def get_formatter(color: str) -> Callable[[logging.LogRecord, bool], logging.Formatter]:
+    def myformatter(record: logging.LogRecord, with_location: bool) -> logging.Formatter:
         reset = "\x1b[0m"
         filepath = Path(record.pathname).resolve()
+        if not with_location:
+            return logging.Formatter(
+                f"{color}%(levelname)s{reset}: %(message)s"
+            )
+
         return logging.Formatter(
             f"{color}%(levelname)s{reset}: %(message)s\n       {filepath}:%(lineno)d::%(funcName)s\n"
         )
@@ -31,11 +38,32 @@ FORMATTER = {
 
 class CustomFormatter(logging.Formatter):
     def format(self, record: logging.LogRecord) -> str:
-        return FORMATTER[record.levelno](record).format(record)
+        return FORMATTER[record.levelno](record, True).format(record)
+
+
+class ThreadFormatter(logging.Formatter):
+    def format(self, record: logging.LogRecord) -> str:
+        return FORMATTER[record.levelno](record, False).format(record)
+
+def get_caller() -> str:
+    frame = inspect.currentframe()
+    if frame is None:
+        return "unknown"
+    caller_frame = frame.f_back
+    if caller_frame is None:
+        return "unknown"
+    caller_frame = caller_frame.f_back
+    if caller_frame is None:
+        return "unknown"
+    frame_info = inspect.getframeinfo(caller_frame)
+    ret = f"{frame_info.filename}:{frame_info.lineno}::{frame_info.function}"
+    return ret
 
 
 def register(level: Any) -> None:
-    ch = logging.StreamHandler()
-    ch.setLevel(level)
-    ch.setFormatter(CustomFormatter())
-    logging.basicConfig(level=level, handlers=[ch])
+    handler = logging.StreamHandler()
+    handler.setLevel(level)
+    handler.setFormatter(CustomFormatter())
+    logger = logging.getLogger("registerHandler")
+    logger.addHandler(handler)
+    #logging.basicConfig(level=level, handlers=[handler])
diff --git a/pkgs/clan-cli/clan_cli/secrets/sops_generate.py b/pkgs/clan-cli/clan_cli/secrets/sops_generate.py
index a8af2ece5..d067e7104 100644
--- a/pkgs/clan-cli/clan_cli/secrets/sops_generate.py
+++ b/pkgs/clan-cli/clan_cli/secrets/sops_generate.py
@@ -95,6 +95,7 @@ def generate_secrets_from_nix(
 ) -> None:
     generate_host_key(flake_name, machine_name)
     errors = {}
+
     with TemporaryDirectory() as d:
         # if any of the secrets are missing, we regenerate all connected facts/secrets
         for secret_group, secret_options in secret_submodules.items():
diff --git a/pkgs/clan-cli/clan_cli/task_manager.py b/pkgs/clan-cli/clan_cli/task_manager.py
index fa68ac9d6..227551d57 100644
--- a/pkgs/clan-cli/clan_cli/task_manager.py
+++ b/pkgs/clan-cli/clan_cli/task_manager.py
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ from pathlib import Path
 from typing import Any, Iterator, Optional, Type, TypeVar
 from uuid import UUID, uuid4
 
+from .custom_logger import get_caller, ThreadFormatter, CustomFormatter
 from .errors import ClanError
 
 
@@ -38,7 +39,8 @@ class Command:
         cwd: Optional[Path] = None,
     ) -> None:
         self.running = True
-        self.log.debug(f"Running command: {shlex.join(cmd)}")
+        self.log.debug(f"Command: {shlex.join(cmd)}")
+        self.log.debug(f"Caller: {get_caller()}")
 
         cwd_res = None
         if cwd is not None:
@@ -94,7 +96,13 @@ class BaseTask:
     def __init__(self, uuid: UUID, num_cmds: int) -> None:
         # constructor
         self.uuid: UUID = uuid
-        self.log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+        handler = logging.StreamHandler()
+        handler.setLevel(logging.DEBUG)
+        handler.setFormatter(ThreadFormatter())
+        logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+        logger.addHandler(handler)
+        self.log = logger
+        self.log = logger
         self.procs: list[Command] = []
         self.status = TaskStatus.NOTSTARTED
         self.logs_lock = threading.Lock()
diff --git a/pkgs/clan-cli/clan_cli/vms/create.py b/pkgs/clan-cli/clan_cli/vms/create.py
index 09d371555..b2b171a56 100644
--- a/pkgs/clan-cli/clan_cli/vms/create.py
+++ b/pkgs/clan-cli/clan_cli/vms/create.py
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ from ..dirs import specific_flake_dir
 from ..nix import nix_build, nix_config, nix_shell
 from ..task_manager import BaseTask, Command, create_task
 from .inspect import VmConfig, inspect_vm
+import pydantic
 
 
 class BuildVmTask(BaseTask):
@@ -58,6 +59,7 @@ class BuildVmTask(BaseTask):
 
             env = os.environ.copy()
             env["CLAN_DIR"] = str(self.vm.flake_url)
+
             env["PYTHONPATH"] = str(
                 ":".join(sys.path)
             )  # TODO do this in the clanCore module
@@ -70,7 +72,7 @@ class BuildVmTask(BaseTask):
                     env=env,
                 )
             else:
-                cmd.run(["echo", "won't generate secrets for non local clan"])
+                self.log.warning("won't generate secrets for non local clan")
 
             cmd = next(cmds)
             cmd.run(
diff --git a/pkgs/clan-cli/clan_cli/webui/api_inputs.py b/pkgs/clan-cli/clan_cli/webui/api_inputs.py
index d3a9545c0..959f118b5 100644
--- a/pkgs/clan-cli/clan_cli/webui/api_inputs.py
+++ b/pkgs/clan-cli/clan_cli/webui/api_inputs.py
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 def validate_path(base_dir: Path, value: Path) -> Path:
     user_path = (base_dir / value).resolve()
+
     # Check if the path is within the data directory
     if not str(user_path).startswith(str(base_dir)):
         if not str(user_path).startswith("/tmp/pytest"):
diff --git a/pkgs/clan-cli/default.nix b/pkgs/clan-cli/default.nix
index 03c1017fa..22031e155 100644
--- a/pkgs/clan-cli/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/clan-cli/default.nix
@@ -11,6 +11,8 @@
 , pytest-xdist
 , pytest-subprocess
 , pytest-timeout
+, remote-pdb
+, ipdb
 , python3
 , runCommand
 , setuptools
@@ -47,6 +49,8 @@ let
     pytest-subprocess
     pytest-xdist
     pytest-timeout
+    remote-pdb
+    ipdb
     openssh
     git
     gnupg
diff --git a/pkgs/clan-cli/pyproject.toml b/pkgs/clan-cli/pyproject.toml
index 88c0c945f..92d58cee9 100644
--- a/pkgs/clan-cli/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pkgs/clan-cli/pyproject.toml
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ clan_cli = [ "config/jsonschema/*", "webui/assets/**/*"]
 testpaths = "tests"
 faulthandler_timeout = 60
 log_level = "DEBUG"
-log_format = "%(levelname)s: %(message)s\n       %(pathname)s:%(lineno)d::%(funcName)s"
+log_format = "%(levelname)s: %(message)s"
 addopts = "--cov . --cov-report term --cov-report html:.reports/html --no-cov-on-fail --durations 5 --color=yes --maxfail=1 --new-first -nauto" # Add --pdb for debugging
 norecursedirs = "tests/helpers"
 markers = [ "impure" ]
diff --git a/pkgs/clan-cli/shell.nix b/pkgs/clan-cli/shell.nix
index 8b93571ea..de011121c 100644
--- a/pkgs/clan-cli/shell.nix
+++ b/pkgs/clan-cli/shell.nix
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ mkShell {
 
     export PATH="$tmp_path/python/bin:${checkScript}/bin:$PATH"
     export PYTHONPATH="$source:$tmp_path/python/${pythonWithDeps.sitePackages}:"
+    export PYTHONBREAKPOINT=ipdb.set_trace
 
     export XDG_DATA_DIRS="$tmp_path/share''${XDG_DATA_DIRS:+:$XDG_DATA_DIRS}"
     export fish_complete_path="$tmp_path/share/fish/vendor_completions.d''${fish_complete_path:+:$fish_complete_path}"
diff --git a/pkgs/clan-cli/tests/helpers/cli.py b/pkgs/clan-cli/tests/helpers/cli.py
index 6a22e3b35..d82c21d46 100644
--- a/pkgs/clan-cli/tests/helpers/cli.py
+++ b/pkgs/clan-cli/tests/helpers/cli.py
@@ -4,24 +4,11 @@ import logging
 import shlex
 
 from clan_cli import create_parser
+from clan_cli.custom_logger import get_caller
 
 log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 
-def get_caller() -> str:
-    frame = inspect.currentframe()
-    if frame is None:
-        return "unknown"
-    caller_frame = frame.f_back
-    if caller_frame is None:
-        return "unknown"
-    caller_frame = caller_frame.f_back
-    if caller_frame is None:
-        return "unknown"
-    frame_info = inspect.getframeinfo(caller_frame)
-    ret = f"{frame_info.filename}:{frame_info.lineno}::{frame_info.function}"
-    return ret
-
 
 class Cli:
     def __init__(self) -> None:
diff --git a/pkgs/clan-cli/tests/test_vms_api_create.py b/pkgs/clan-cli/tests/test_vms_api_create.py
index fc2c7b3da..84b304196 100644
--- a/pkgs/clan-cli/tests/test_vms_api_create.py
+++ b/pkgs/clan-cli/tests/test_vms_api_create.py
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ def generic_create_vm_test(api: TestClient, flake: Path, vm: str) -> None:
     assert (
         data["status"] == "FINISHED"
     ), f"Expected to be finished, but got {data['status']} ({data})"
-
+ 
 
 @pytest.mark.skipif(not os.path.exists("/dev/kvm"), reason="Requires KVM")
 @pytest.mark.impure