diff --git a/command/src/logging/logs.rs b/command/src/logging/logs.rs
index 9bf025d56..032209357 100644
--- a/command/src/logging/logs.rs
+++ b/command/src/logging/logs.rs
@@ -12,7 +12,6 @@ use std::{
 
 use mio::net::UnixDatagram;
 use prost::{encoding::encoded_len_varint, Message};
-use rand::{distributions::Alphanumeric, thread_rng, Rng};
 
 use crate::{
     config::Config,
@@ -59,9 +58,12 @@ pub struct InnerLogger {
     version: u8,
     directives: Vec<LogDirective>,
     backend: LoggerBackend,
+    log_target: String,
     pub colored: bool,
     /// target of the access logs
     access_backend: Option<LoggerBackend>,
+    /// used to revive the backend for access logs
+    access_logs_target: Option<String>,
     /// how to format the access logs
     access_format: AccessLogFormat,
     access_colored: bool,
@@ -99,8 +101,10 @@ impl Default for Logger {
                     level: LogLevelFilter::Error,
                 }],
                 backend: LoggerBackend::Stdout(stdout()),
+                log_target: "stdout".to_string(),
                 colored: false,
                 access_backend: None,
+                access_logs_target: None,
                 access_format: AccessLogFormat::Ascii,
                 access_colored: false,
                 buffer: LoggerBuffer(Vec::with_capacity(4096)),
@@ -120,12 +124,20 @@ impl Logger {
     pub fn init(
         tag: String,
         spec: &str,
-        backend: LoggerBackend,
+        log_target: &str,
         colored: bool,
-        access_backend: Option<LoggerBackend>,
+        access_logs_target: Option<&str>,
         access_format: Option<AccessLogFormat>,
         access_colored: Option<bool>,
     ) {
+        println!("setting log target to {log_target}");
+        let backend = target_or_default(log_target);
+
+        println!("setting target of access logs to {access_logs_target:?}");
+        let access_backend = access_logs_target.map(|target| {
+            target_to_backend(target).expect("could not setup logger for access logs")
+        });
+
         let (directives, _errors) = parse_logging_spec(spec);
         LOGGER.with(|logger| {
             let mut logger = logger.borrow_mut();
@@ -142,7 +154,9 @@ impl Logger {
                     _ => false,
                 };
                 logger.backend = backend;
+                logger.log_target = log_target.to_owned();
                 logger.access_backend = access_backend;
+                logger.access_logs_target = access_logs_target.map(ToOwned::to_owned);
                 logger.access_format = access_format.unwrap_or(AccessLogFormat::Ascii);
                 logger.tag = tag;
                 logger.pid = unsafe { libc::getpid() };
@@ -293,6 +307,11 @@ impl InnerLogger {
 
         if let Err(e) = io_result {
             println!("Could not write access log to {}: {e:?}", backend.as_ref());
+            println!(
+                "trying to revive the backend of access logs to {:?}, or defaulting to {}",
+                self.access_logs_target, self.log_target
+            );
+            backend.revive(self.access_logs_target.as_ref().unwrap_or(&self.log_target));
         }
     }
 
@@ -337,6 +356,17 @@ pub enum LoggerBackend {
     File(crate::writer::MultiLineWriter<File>),
 }
 
+impl LoggerBackend {
+    fn revive(&mut self, log_target: &str) {
+        match target_to_backend(log_target) {
+            Ok(backend) => *self = backend,
+            Err(err) => {
+                println!("could not revive logger backend: {err}");
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 #[repr(usize)]
 #[derive(Clone, Copy, Eq, Debug)]
 pub enum LogLevel {
@@ -614,18 +644,14 @@ pub fn setup_logging(
     log_level: &str,
     tag: &str,
 ) {
-    let backend = target_or_default(log_target);
-
-    let access_backend = access_logs_target.map(target_or_default);
-
     let log_level = env::var("RUST_LOG").unwrap_or(log_level.to_string());
 
     Logger::init(
         tag.to_string(),
         &log_level,
-        backend,
+        log_target,
         log_colored,
-        access_backend,
+        access_logs_target,
         access_logs_format,
         access_logs_colored,
     );
@@ -668,18 +694,11 @@ pub fn target_to_backend(target: &str) -> Result<LoggerBackend, LogError> {
     }
 
     if let Some(addr) = target.strip_prefix("unix://") {
-        let path = Path::new(addr);
-        let mut dir = env::temp_dir();
-        let s: String = thread_rng()
-            .sample_iter(&Alphanumeric)
-            .take(12)
-            .map(|c| c as char)
-            .collect();
-        dir.push(s);
-        let socket = UnixDatagram::bind(dir).unwrap();
+        let socket = UnixDatagram::unbound().map_err(LogError::CreateUnixSocket)?;
+
         socket
-            .connect(path)
-            .map_err(|e| LogError::InvalidLogTarget(target.to_owned(), e.to_string()))?;
+            .connect(addr)
+            .map_err(|e| LogError::ConnectToUnixSocket(target.to_owned(), e))?;
 
         return Ok(LoggerBackend::Unix(socket));
     }
@@ -1012,7 +1031,7 @@ macro_rules! setup_test_logger {
         $crate::logging::Logger::init(
             module_path!().to_string(),
             "error",
-            $crate::logging::LoggerBackend::Stdout(::std::io::stdout()),
+            "stdout",
             false,
             None,
             None,
diff --git a/command/src/logging/mod.rs b/command/src/logging/mod.rs
index c23c4d80c..e3ab0e049 100644
--- a/command/src/logging/mod.rs
+++ b/command/src/logging/mod.rs
@@ -22,4 +22,8 @@ pub enum LogError {
     InvalidLogTarget(String, String),
     #[error("could not connect to TCP socket {0}: {1}")]
     TcpConnect(String, std::io::Error),
+    #[error("could not create unbound UNIX datagram: {0}")]
+    CreateUnixSocket(std::io::Error),
+    #[error("could not connect to UNIX datagram {0}: {1}")]
+    ConnectToUnixSocket(String, std::io::Error),
 }