diff --git a/Assistant.hs b/Assistant.hs
index e529df4873..06f8d64e5c 100644
--- a/Assistant.hs
+++ b/Assistant.hs
@@ -163,28 +163,40 @@ type NamedThread = IO () -> IO (String, IO ())
 stopDaemon :: Annex ()
 stopDaemon = liftIO . Utility.Daemon.stopDaemon =<< fromRepo gitAnnexPidFile
 
-startDaemon :: Bool -> Bool -> Maybe (String -> FilePath -> IO ()) -> Annex ()
-startDaemon assistant foreground webappwaiter
-	| foreground = do
-		showStart (if assistant then "assistant" else "watch") "."
-		liftIO . Utility.Daemon.lockPidFile =<< fromRepo gitAnnexPidFile
-		go id
-	| otherwise = do
-		logfd <- liftIO . openLog =<< fromRepo gitAnnexLogFile
-		pidfile <- fromRepo gitAnnexPidFile
-		go $ Utility.Daemon.daemonize logfd (Just pidfile) False
+{- Starts the daemon. If the daemon is run in the foreground, once it's
+ - running, can start the browser.
+ -
+ - startbrowser is passed the url and html shim file, as well as the original
+ - stdout and stderr descriptors. -}
+startDaemon :: Bool -> Bool -> Maybe (Maybe Handle -> Maybe Handle -> String -> FilePath -> IO ()) -> Annex ()
+startDaemon assistant foreground startbrowser = do
+	pidfile <- fromRepo gitAnnexPidFile
+	logfd <- liftIO . openLog =<< fromRepo gitAnnexLogFile
+	if foreground
+		then do
+			liftIO $ Utility.Daemon.lockPidFile pidfile
+			origout <- liftIO $ catchMaybeIO $ 
+				fdToHandle =<< dup stdOutput
+			origerr <- liftIO $ catchMaybeIO $ 
+				fdToHandle =<< dup stdError
+			liftIO $ Utility.Daemon.redirLog logfd
+			showStart (if assistant then "assistant" else "watch") "."
+			start id $ 
+				case startbrowser of
+					Nothing -> Nothing
+					Just a -> Just $ a origout origerr
+		else
+			start (Utility.Daemon.daemonize logfd (Just pidfile) False) Nothing
   where
-	go d = startAssistant assistant d webappwaiter
+	start daemonize webappwaiter = withThreadState $ \st -> do
+		checkCanWatch
+		when assistant $ checkEnvironment
+		dstatus <- startDaemonStatus
+		liftIO $ daemonize $
+			flip runAssistant (go webappwaiter) 
+				=<< newAssistantData st dstatus
 
-startAssistant :: Bool -> (IO () -> IO ()) -> Maybe (String -> FilePath -> IO ()) -> Annex ()
-startAssistant assistant daemonize webappwaiter = withThreadState $ \st -> do
-	checkCanWatch
-	when assistant $ checkEnvironment
-	dstatus <- startDaemonStatus
-	liftIO $ daemonize $
-		flip runAssistant go =<< newAssistantData st dstatus
-  where
-	go = do
+	go webappwaiter = do
 		d <- getAssistant id
 #ifdef WITH_WEBAPP
 		urlrenderer <- liftIO newUrlRenderer
@@ -216,6 +228,7 @@ startAssistant assistant daemonize webappwaiter = withThreadState $ \st -> do
 			, assist $ glacierThread
 			, watch $ watchThread
 			]
+	
 		liftIO waitForTermination
 
 	watch a = (True, a)
diff --git a/Assistant/Threads/Watcher.hs b/Assistant/Threads/Watcher.hs
index 316f1fbaf3..f2702ec350 100644
--- a/Assistant/Threads/Watcher.hs
+++ b/Assistant/Threads/Watcher.hs
@@ -97,6 +97,7 @@ startupScan scanner = do
 		void $ liftIO $ cleanup
 		
 		liftAnnex $ showAction "started"
+		liftIO $ putStrLn ""
 		
 		modifyDaemonStatus_ $ \s -> s { scanComplete = True }
 
diff --git a/Command/WebApp.hs b/Command/WebApp.hs
index 581d6d4dd8..20a2ecdbea 100644
--- a/Command/WebApp.hs
+++ b/Command/WebApp.hs
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ import Assistant.Threads.WebApp
 import Assistant.WebApp
 import Assistant.Install
 import Utility.WebApp
-import Utility.Daemon (checkDaemon, lockPidFile)
+import Utility.Daemon (checkDaemon)
 import Init
 import qualified Git
 import qualified Git.Config
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ import Locations.UserConfig
 import System.Posix.Directory
 import Control.Concurrent
 import Control.Concurrent.STM
+import System.Process (env, std_out, std_err)
 
 def :: [Command]
 def = [noCommit $ noRepo startNoRepo $ dontCheck repoExists $ notBareRepo $
@@ -48,9 +49,10 @@ start' allowauto = do
 		browser <- fromRepo webBrowser
 		f <- liftIO . absPath =<< fromRepo gitAnnexHtmlShim
 		ifM (checkpid <&&> checkshim f)
-			( liftIO $ openBrowser browser f 
-			, startDaemon True True $ Just $
-				const $ openBrowser browser
+			( liftIO $ openBrowser browser f Nothing Nothing
+			, startDaemon True True $ Just $ 
+				\origout origerr _url htmlshim ->
+					openBrowser browser htmlshim origout origerr
 			)
 	auto
 		| allowauto = liftIO startNoRepo
@@ -117,30 +119,30 @@ firstRun = do
 		takeMVar v
 	mainthread v _url htmlshim = do
 		browser <- maybe Nothing webBrowser <$> Git.Config.global
-		openBrowser browser htmlshim
+		openBrowser browser htmlshim Nothing Nothing
 
 		_wait <- takeMVar v
 
 		state <- Annex.new =<< Git.CurrentRepo.get
-		Annex.eval state $ do
-			dummydaemonize
-			startAssistant True id $ Just $ sendurlback v
-	sendurlback v url _htmlshim = putMVar v url
+		Annex.eval state $
+			startDaemon True True $ Just $ sendurlback v
+	sendurlback v _origout _origerr url _htmlshim = putMVar v url
 
-	{- Set up the pid file in the new repo. -}
-	dummydaemonize = liftIO . lockPidFile =<< fromRepo gitAnnexPidFile
-
-openBrowser :: Maybe FilePath -> FilePath -> IO ()
-openBrowser cmd htmlshim = go $ maybe runBrowser runCustomBrowser cmd
+openBrowser :: Maybe FilePath -> FilePath -> Maybe Handle -> Maybe Handle -> IO ()
+openBrowser cmd htmlshim outh errh = do
+	hPutStrLn (fromMaybe stdout outh) $ "Launching web browser on " ++ url
+	environ <- cleanEnvironment
+	(_, _, _, pid) <- createProcess p
+		{ env = environ
+		, std_out = maybe Inherit UseHandle outh
+		, std_err = maybe Inherit UseHandle errh
+		}
+	exitcode <- waitForProcess pid
+	unless (exitcode == ExitSuccess) $
+		hPutStrLn (fromMaybe stderr errh) "failed to start web browser"
   where
 	url = fileUrl htmlshim
-	go a = do
-		putStrLn ""
-		putStrLn $ "Launching web browser on " ++ url
-		env <- cleanEnvironment
-		unlessM (a url env) $
-			error $ "failed to start web browser"
-	runCustomBrowser c u = boolSystemEnv c [Param u]
+	p = proc (fromMaybe browserCommand cmd) [htmlshim]
 
 {- web.browser is a generic git config setting for a web browser program -}
 webBrowser :: Git.Repo -> Maybe FilePath
diff --git a/Utility/Daemon.hs b/Utility/Daemon.hs
index 16245268ee..185ea3e681 100644
--- a/Utility/Daemon.hs
+++ b/Utility/Daemon.hs
@@ -34,16 +34,22 @@ daemonize logfd pidfile changedirectory a = do
 		when changedirectory $
 			setCurrentDirectory "/"
 		nullfd <- openFd "/dev/null" ReadOnly Nothing defaultFileFlags
-		_ <- redir nullfd stdInput
-		mapM_ (redir logfd) [stdOutput, stdError]
-		closeFd logfd
+		redir nullfd stdInput
+		redirLog logfd
 		a
 		out
-	redir newh h = do
-		closeFd h
-		dupTo newh h
 	out = exitImmediately ExitSuccess
 
+redirLog :: Fd -> IO ()
+redirLog logfd = do
+	mapM_ (redir logfd) [stdOutput, stdError]
+	closeFd logfd
+
+redir :: Fd -> Fd -> IO ()
+redir newh h = do
+	closeFd h
+	void $ dupTo newh h
+
 {- Locks the pid file, with an exclusive, non-blocking lock.
  - Writes the pid to the file, fully atomically.
  - Fails if the pid file is already locked by another process. -}
diff --git a/Utility/WebApp.hs b/Utility/WebApp.hs
index 51300c9cf1..c6aae9db5d 100644
--- a/Utility/WebApp.hs
+++ b/Utility/WebApp.hs
@@ -40,16 +40,12 @@ import Control.Concurrent
 localhost :: String
 localhost = "localhost"
 
-{- Runs a web browser on a given url.
- -
- - Note: The url *will* be visible to an attacker. -}
-runBrowser :: String -> (Maybe [(String, String)]) -> IO Bool
-runBrowser url env = boolSystemEnv cmd [Param url] env
-  where
+{- Command to use to run a web browser. -}
+browserCommand :: FilePath
 #ifdef darwin_HOST_OS
-	cmd = "open"
+browserCommand = "open"
 #else
-	cmd = "xdg-open"
+browserCommand = "xdg-open"
 #endif
 
 {- Binds to a socket on localhost, and runs a webapp on it.
diff --git a/debian/changelog b/debian/changelog
index 67c955fea3..344081fa3c 100644
--- a/debian/changelog
+++ b/debian/changelog
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ git-annex (3.20130115) UNRELEASED; urgency=low
     variable quoting in different versions of shakespeare-js.
   * webapp: Avoid an error if a transfer is stopped just as it finishes.
     Closes: #698184 
+  * webapp: Now always logs to .git/annex/daemon.log.
 
  -- Joey Hess <joeyh@debian.org>  Mon, 14 Jan 2013 18:35:01 -0400