diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index be2e07dac..27af4afab 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@
     "test:puterjs-api": "vitest run tests/puterJsApiTests",
     "start=gui": "nodemon --exec \"node dev-server.js\" ",
     "start": "npm run build:ts && node ./tools/run-selfhosted.js",
+    "dev": "npm run build:ts && DEVCONSOLE=1 node ./tools/run-selfhosted.js",
     "build": "cd src/gui; node ./build.js",
     "check-translations": "node tools/check-translations.js",
     "prepare": "husky",
diff --git a/src/backend/src/CoreModule.js b/src/backend/src/CoreModule.js
index 3b84a2a53..76c6e961e 100644
--- a/src/backend/src/CoreModule.js
+++ b/src/backend/src/CoreModule.js
@@ -269,7 +269,11 @@ const install = async ({ context, services, app, useapi, modapi }) => {
     });
     services.registerService('__refresh-assocs', RefreshAssociationsService);
     services.registerService('__prod-debugging', MakeProdDebuggingLessAwfulService);
-    if ( config.env == 'dev' && ! config.no_devconsole ) {
+    if ( config.env == 'dev' && ! config.no_devsocket ) {
+        const { DevSocketService } = require('./services/DevSocketService.js');
+        services.registerService('dev-socket', DevSocketService);
+    }
+    if ( (config.env == 'dev' && ! config.no_devconsole && process.env.DEVCONSOLE) || config.devconsole ) {
         const { DevConsoleService } = require('./services/DevConsoleService');
         services.registerService('dev-console', DevConsoleService);
     } else {
diff --git a/src/backend/src/modules/core/LogService.js b/src/backend/src/modules/core/LogService.js
index ddd323f3e..bea09b850 100644
--- a/src/backend/src/modules/core/LogService.js
+++ b/src/backend/src/modules/core/LogService.js
@@ -41,7 +41,17 @@ const WINSTON_LEVELS = {
     http: 30,
     verbose: 40,
     debug: 50,
-    silly: 60
+    silly: 60,
+};
+
+let display_log_level = process.env.DEBUG ? 100 : 3;
+const display_log_level_label = {
+    0: 'ERRO',
+    1: 'WARN',
+    2: 'INFO',
+    3: 'SYSTEM',
+    4: 'DEBUG',
+    100: 'ALL',
 };
 
 
@@ -193,7 +203,7 @@ class DevLogger {
 
         if ( this.off ) return;
         
-        if ( ! process.env.DEBUG && log_lvl.ordinal >= 4 ) return;
+        if ( ! process.env.DEBUG && log_lvl.ordinal > display_log_level ) return;
 
         const ld = Context.get('logdent', { allow_fallback: true })
         const prefix = globalThis.dev_console_indent_on
@@ -430,7 +440,22 @@ class LogService extends BaseService {
                     globalThis.dev_console_indent_on =
                         ! globalThis.dev_console_indent_on;
                 }
-            }
+            },
+            {
+                id: 'get-level',
+                description: 'get the current log level for displayed logs',
+                handler: async (args, log) => {
+                    log.log(`${display_log_level} (${display_log_level_label[display_log_level] ?? '?'})`);
+                },
+            },
+            {
+                id: 'set-level',
+                description: 'set the new log level for displayed logs',
+                handler: async (args, log) => {
+                    display_log_level = Number(args[0]);
+                    log.log(`${display_log_level} (${display_log_level_label[display_log_level] ?? '?'})`);
+                },
+            },
         ]);
     }
     /**
diff --git a/src/backend/src/services/DevSocketService.js b/src/backend/src/services/DevSocketService.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..bf87b2b43
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/backend/src/services/DevSocketService.js
@@ -0,0 +1,76 @@
+const BaseService = require("./BaseService");
+
+const path_ = require('node:path');
+const net = require('node:net');
+const fs = require('node:fs');
+
+const SOCKET_INTRO = `Nice, you've found the dev socket!
+This is a convenient debugging/diagnosis interface to Puter's backend
+that only runs in development mode. Any line of text sent over the socket
+stream beginning with the character \`{\` of \`[\` MUST be a valid JSON
+value; that goes for both incoming and outgoing messages.
+
+Try entering the 'help' command.
+`;
+
+class DevSocketService extends BaseService {
+    async ['__on_boot.consolidation'] () {
+        this.log.noticeme('dev socket service');
+        this.sock = process.env.DEV_SOCKET_PATH ??
+            path_.join(process.cwd(), 'dev.sock');
+
+        try {
+            fs.unlinkSync(this.sock);
+        } catch ( _err ) {
+            // NOOP
+        }
+
+        const svc_command = this.services.get('commands');
+
+        const server = net.createServer(conn => {
+
+            conn.setEncoding("utf8");
+            conn.write(SOCKET_INTRO + "\n");
+
+            let buf = "";
+            conn.on("data", (chunk) => {
+                buf += chunk;
+                let nl;
+                while ((nl = buf.indexOf("\n")) >= 0) {
+                    let line = buf.slice(0, nl); buf = buf.slice(nl + 1);
+                    line = line.trim();
+
+                    const logoutputs = [];
+                    const logfn = (...a) => {
+                        logoutputs.push(a.join(' '));
+                        conn.write(JSON.stringify(a) + "\n");
+                    };
+                    const log = {
+                        log: logfn,
+                        info: logfn,
+                        warn: logfn,
+                        error: logfn,
+                    };
+                    svc_command.executeRawCommand(line, log);
+                }
+            });
+        });
+
+        server.listen(this.sock, () => {
+            fs.chmodSync(this.sock, 0o600);
+        });
+        process.on('beforeExit', this.cleanup_.bind(this));
+    }
+    
+    cleanup_ () {
+        if ( this.cleaned_up ) return;
+        this.cleaned_up = true;
+
+        fs.unlinkSync(this.sock);
+    }
+}
+
+
+module.exports = {
+    DevSocketService,
+};