From f4587392dbccf9d9558ab621795c9391df09d9dd Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: agessaman <adam@gessaman.com>
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 2026 19:49:50 -0700
Subject: [PATCH] fix(config): update auto_manage_contacts default behavior and
 documentation

Changed the default setting for `auto_manage_contacts` from `false` to `device` across configuration files and updated related documentation. This ensures that the device handles auto-addition of contacts while the bot manages capacity. Adjusted comments and documentation to reflect this change for clarity and consistency.
---
 config.ini.example                   |  13 ++-
 config.ini.minimal-example           |  12 ++-
 docs/command-reference.md            |   2 +-
 docs/repeater-commands.md            |   4 +-
 docs/service-installation.md         |   9 +-
 modules/core.py                      |   6 +-
 modules/message_handler.py           |   4 +-
 modules/repeater_manager.py          |  12 +--
 modules/scheduler.py                 |   8 +-
 modules/web_viewer/app.py            | 100 ++++++++++++-------
 modules/web_viewer/integration.py    | 143 +++++++++++++++++----------
 tests/test_web_viewer.py             |  52 ++++++++++
 tests/test_web_viewer_integration.py |  41 ++++++++
 13 files changed, 290 insertions(+), 116 deletions(-)

diff --git a/config.ini.example b/config.ini.example
index 6d0a3b0..684f613 100644
--- a/config.ini.example
+++ b/config.ini.example
@@ -211,10 +211,10 @@ advert_interval_hours = 0
 startup_advert = false
 
 # Auto-manage contact list when new contacts are discovered
-# device: Device handles auto-addition using standard auto-discovery mode, bot manages contact list capacity (purge old contacts when near limits)
+# device: Device handles auto-addition using standard auto-discovery mode, bot manages contact list capacity (purge old contacts when near limits) (default)
 # bot: Bot automatically adds new companion contacts to device, bot manages contact list capacity (purge old contacts when near limits)
-# false: Manual mode - no automatic actions, use !repeater commands to manage contacts (default)
-auto_manage_contacts = bot
+# false: Manual mode - no automatic actions, use !repeater commands to manage contacts
+auto_manage_contacts = device
 
 # When auto_manage_contacts = device, the bot schedules one-shot jobs after connect:
 #   - Firmware: manual per-type contact adds + overwrite oldest non-favourite on full + auto-add chat (companions) only (bitmask 0x03)
@@ -571,9 +571,12 @@ dm_only = true
 # CRITICAL: Only critical errors
 log_level = INFO
 
-# Log file path (leave empty for console only)
-# Bot will write logs to this file in addition to console
+# Log file path (leave empty for console/journald only)
+# Bot and web viewer write to this file in addition to console when set.
+# Empty: console only (captured by journald under systemd — preferred for services).
+# systemd service installs use: /var/log/meshcore-bot/meshcore_bot.log
 # Logs rotate at 5 MB with up to 3 backup files (e.g. meshcore_bot.log.1, .2, .3)
+# Web viewer file logs (when set) go beside this path as web_viewer.log
 log_file = meshcore_bot.log
 
 # Enable colored console output
diff --git a/config.ini.minimal-example b/config.ini.minimal-example
index 856a838..a0bcab7 100644
--- a/config.ini.minimal-example
+++ b/config.ini.minimal-example
@@ -149,10 +149,10 @@ advert_interval_hours = 0
 startup_advert = false
 
 # Auto-manage contact list when new contacts are discovered
-# device: Device handles auto-addition using standard auto-discovery mode, bot manages contact list capacity (purge old contacts when near limits)
+# device: Device handles auto-addition using standard auto-discovery mode, bot manages contact list capacity (purge old contacts when near limits) (default)
 # bot: Bot automatically adds new companion contacts to device, bot manages contact list capacity (purge old contacts when near limits)
-# false: Manual mode - no automatic actions, use !repeater commands to manage contacts (default)
-auto_manage_contacts = false
+# false: Manual mode - no automatic actions, use !repeater commands to manage contacts
+auto_manage_contacts = device
 
 # Database path for main bot database
 # Default: meshcore_bot.db
@@ -262,8 +262,10 @@ allow_private_urls = false
 # CRITICAL: Only critical errors
 log_level = INFO
 
-# Log file path (leave empty for console only)
-# Bot will write logs to this file in addition to console
+# Log file path (leave empty for console/journald only)
+# Bot and web viewer write to this file in addition to console when set.
+# Empty: console only (captured by journald under systemd — preferred for services).
+# systemd service installs use: /var/log/meshcore-bot/meshcore_bot.log
 # Logs rotate at 5 MB with up to 3 backup files (e.g. meshcore_bot.log.1, .2, .3)
 log_file = meshcore_bot.log
 
diff --git a/docs/command-reference.md b/docs/command-reference.md
index 197f89c..e2f804b 100644
--- a/docs/command-reference.md
+++ b/docs/command-reference.md
@@ -954,7 +954,7 @@ repeater stats
 - NEW_CONTACT events are automatically monitored
 - Repeaters are automatically cataloged when discovered
 - Contact list capacity is monitored in real-time
-- `auto_manage_contacts = device`: Firmware auto-adds **chat (companion)** peers only, with **overwrite oldest non-favourite** when the contact table is full; the bot schedules delayed jobs to set that firmware policy and to **favourite** keys in `Admin_ACL` plus the effective announcements ACL (same rules as the announcements command), then clear **favourite** on other contacts. The bot still runs capacity management on NEW_CONTACT (near-limit `manage_contact_list`) and does **not** call `add_contact` for new companions itself. **Contact limit** for logging and capacity is taken from the radio’s `max_contacts` and, if the live table is larger (under-reported max), raised to match the mesh so counts are not shown as over-capacity. **Companion auto-purge** never runs on the radio in this mode. Count-based **repeater** auto-purge only runs if the table grows **strictly above** that synced limit (normally off while the firmware manages slots).
+- `auto_manage_contacts = device` (default): Firmware auto-adds **chat (companion)** peers only, with **overwrite oldest non-favourite** when the contact table is full; the bot schedules delayed jobs to set that firmware policy and to **favourite** keys in `Admin_ACL` plus the effective announcements ACL (same rules as the announcements command), then clear **favourite** on other contacts. The bot still runs capacity management on NEW_CONTACT (near-limit `manage_contact_list`) and does **not** call `add_contact` for new companions itself. **Contact limit** for logging and capacity is taken from the radio’s `max_contacts` and, if the live table is larger (under-reported max), raised to match the mesh so counts are not shown as over-capacity. **Companion auto-purge** never runs on the radio in this mode. Count-based **repeater** auto-purge only runs if the table grows **strictly above** that synced limit (normally off while the firmware manages slots).
 - `auto_manage_contacts = bot`: Bot adds new companions via `add_contact` (full NEW_CONTACT payload), runs **manage-before-add** when the list is near limit, and **retries once** after `manage_contact_list` if the radio returns `TABLE_FULL`.
 - `auto_manage_contacts = false`: Manual mode - NEW_CONTACT companions are tracked in the database only; use `!repeater` commands to manage the device list.
 
diff --git a/docs/repeater-commands.md b/docs/repeater-commands.md
index 1f6a60c..ff3e795 100644
--- a/docs/repeater-commands.md
+++ b/docs/repeater-commands.md
@@ -594,8 +594,8 @@ Shows comprehensive help for all repeater commands.
 
 The repeater management system respects several configuration settings in `config.ini`:
 
-- `auto_manage_contacts` - Controls automatic contact management
-  - `device` - Device handles auto-addition, bot manages capacity
+- `auto_manage_contacts` - Controls automatic contact management (default: `device`)
+  - `device` - Device handles auto-addition, bot manages capacity (default)
   - `bot` - Bot automatically adds companion contacts and manages capacity
   - `false` - Manual mode (use commands to manage contacts)
 
diff --git a/docs/service-installation.md b/docs/service-installation.md
index 01d1b58..64474f5 100644
--- a/docs/service-installation.md
+++ b/docs/service-installation.md
@@ -122,6 +122,8 @@ local_dir_path = /var/lib/meshcore-bot/local
 log_file = /var/log/meshcore-bot/meshcore_bot.log
 ```
 
+Leave `log_file` empty to use journald only (no log files). The installer and `.deb` package rewrite relative `log_file` values to `/var/log/meshcore-bot/`.
+
 ### 6. Install the Service File
 
 ```bash
@@ -146,7 +148,7 @@ sudo systemctl status meshcore-bot
 
 ### View Logs
 ```bash
-# Real-time logs
+# Real-time logs (always available — stdout/stderr go to journald)
 sudo journalctl -u meshcore-bot -f
 
 # Recent logs
@@ -154,6 +156,11 @@ sudo journalctl -u meshcore-bot -n 100
 
 # Logs since boot
 sudo journalctl -u meshcore-bot -b
+
+# Optional file logs when [Logging] log_file is set (service default):
+#   /var/log/meshcore-bot/meshcore_bot.log
+#   /var/log/meshcore-bot/web_viewer.log
+sudo tail -f /var/log/meshcore-bot/meshcore_bot.log
 ```
 
 ### Enable/Disable Auto-start
diff --git a/modules/core.py b/modules/core.py
index b1f4b4a..97c493b 100644
--- a/modules/core.py
+++ b/modules/core.py
@@ -1068,10 +1068,10 @@ advert_interval_hours = 0
 startup_advert = false
 
 # Auto-manage contact list when new contacts are discovered
-# device: Device handles auto-addition using standard auto-discovery mode, bot manages contact list capacity (purge old contacts when near limits)
+# device: Device handles auto-addition using standard auto-discovery mode, bot manages contact list capacity (purge old contacts when near limits) (default)
 # bot: Bot automatically adds new companion contacts to device, bot manages contact list capacity (purge old contacts when near limits)
-# false: Manual mode - no automatic actions, use !repeater commands to manage contacts (default)
-auto_manage_contacts = false
+# false: Manual mode - no automatic actions, use !repeater commands to manage contacts
+auto_manage_contacts = device
 
 [Admin_ACL]
 # Admin Access Control List (ACL) for restricted commands
diff --git a/modules/message_handler.py b/modules/message_handler.py
index 54db0eb..4fc26d4 100644
--- a/modules/message_handler.py
+++ b/modules/message_handler.py
@@ -3640,7 +3640,7 @@ class MessageHandler:
                     return
                 else:
                     # COMPANION: track in DB; device add behaviour depends on auto_manage_contacts
-                    auto_manage_setting = self.bot.config.get("Bot", "auto_manage_contacts", fallback="false").lower()
+                    auto_manage_setting = self.bot.config.get("Bot", "auto_manage_contacts", fallback="device").lower()
                     if known_contact:
                         self.logger.info(
                             "👤 Known companion advert: %s — auto_manage_contacts=%s",
@@ -3740,7 +3740,7 @@ class MessageHandler:
 
             # For unknown contact types, handle based on auto_manage_contacts setting
             if hasattr(self.bot, "repeater_manager"):
-                auto_manage_setting = self.bot.config.get("Bot", "auto_manage_contacts", fallback="false").lower()
+                auto_manage_setting = self.bot.config.get("Bot", "auto_manage_contacts", fallback="device").lower()
 
                 if auto_manage_setting == "device":
                     # Device mode: Let device handle auto-addition, bot manages capacity
diff --git a/modules/repeater_manager.py b/modules/repeater_manager.py
index f01bc0c..cf19da4 100644
--- a/modules/repeater_manager.py
+++ b/modules/repeater_manager.py
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ class RepeaterManager:
         self.contact_limit = 300  # MeshCore device limit (will be updated from device info)
         self.auto_purge_threshold = 280  # Start purging when 280+ contacts
         # Respect auto_manage_contacts: manual mode (false) = no auto-purge; device/bot = auto-purge on
-        auto_manage = bot.config.get('Bot', 'auto_manage_contacts', fallback='false').lower()
+        auto_manage = bot.config.get('Bot', 'auto_manage_contacts', fallback='device').lower()
         self._auto_manage_contacts = auto_manage
         self.auto_purge_enabled = (auto_manage != 'false')
 
@@ -2895,7 +2895,7 @@ class RepeaterManager:
         """Set companion-radio firmware: manual per-type adds + overwrite oldest non-favourite + chat-only (0x03)."""
         if not self.bot.meshcore or not hasattr(self.bot.meshcore, 'commands'):
             return False
-        if self.bot.config.get('Bot', 'auto_manage_contacts', fallback='false').lower() != 'device':
+        if self.bot.config.get('Bot', 'auto_manage_contacts', fallback='device').lower() != 'device':
             self.logger.info('Skipping firmware autoadd setup — auto_manage_contacts is not device')
             return False
         try:
@@ -2915,7 +2915,7 @@ class RepeaterManager:
 
     async def sync_device_mode_favourites_pass1(self) -> None:
         """Favourite all on-device contacts whose pubkey is in the protected set (admin + announcements ACL)."""
-        if self.bot.config.get('Bot', 'auto_manage_contacts', fallback='false').lower() != 'device':
+        if self.bot.config.get('Bot', 'auto_manage_contacts', fallback='device').lower() != 'device':
             return
         if not self.bot.meshcore or not hasattr(self.bot.meshcore, 'commands'):
             return
@@ -2930,7 +2930,7 @@ class RepeaterManager:
             self.logger.debug('get_contacts before favourite pass1: %s', e)
         contacts = getattr(self.bot.meshcore, 'contacts', None) or {}
         for pub_key, c in list(contacts.items()):
-            if self.bot.config.get('Bot', 'auto_manage_contacts', fallback='false').lower() != 'device':
+            if self.bot.config.get('Bot', 'auto_manage_contacts', fallback='device').lower() != 'device':
                 return
             pk = (pub_key or '').lower()
             if pk not in protected:
@@ -2956,7 +2956,7 @@ class RepeaterManager:
 
     async def sync_device_mode_favourites_pass2(self) -> None:
         """Clear favourite bit for contacts not in the protected set."""
-        if self.bot.config.get('Bot', 'auto_manage_contacts', fallback='false').lower() != 'device':
+        if self.bot.config.get('Bot', 'auto_manage_contacts', fallback='device').lower() != 'device':
             return
         if not self.bot.meshcore or not hasattr(self.bot.meshcore, 'commands'):
             return
@@ -2969,7 +2969,7 @@ class RepeaterManager:
             self.logger.debug('get_contacts before favourite pass2: %s', e)
         contacts = getattr(self.bot.meshcore, 'contacts', None) or {}
         for pub_key, c in list(contacts.items()):
-            if self.bot.config.get('Bot', 'auto_manage_contacts', fallback='false').lower() != 'device':
+            if self.bot.config.get('Bot', 'auto_manage_contacts', fallback='device').lower() != 'device':
                 return
             pk = (pub_key or '').lower()
             if pk in protected:
diff --git a/modules/scheduler.py b/modules/scheduler.py
index 5119395..4ab4269 100644
--- a/modules/scheduler.py
+++ b/modules/scheduler.py
@@ -182,7 +182,7 @@ class MessageScheduler:
         """One-shot jobs for auto_manage_contacts=device: firmware autoadd + favourite hygiene."""
         if self._apscheduler is None:
             return
-        if self.bot.config.get('Bot', 'auto_manage_contacts', fallback='false').lower() != 'device':
+        if self.bot.config.get('Bot', 'auto_manage_contacts', fallback='device').lower() != 'device':
             return
         try:
             delay_fw = max(0, self.bot.config.getint('Bot', 'device_mode_firmware_delay_seconds', fallback=30))
@@ -241,18 +241,18 @@ class MessageScheduler:
         await self.bot.repeater_manager.sync_device_mode_favourites_pass2()
 
     def _device_mode_firmware_job_sync(self) -> None:
-        if self.bot.config.get('Bot', 'auto_manage_contacts', fallback='false').lower() != 'device':
+        if self.bot.config.get('Bot', 'auto_manage_contacts', fallback='device').lower() != 'device':
             self.logger.debug('Skipping device_mode_firmware job — not device mode')
             return
         self._run_async_on_main_loop(self._device_mode_firmware_coro(), timeout=120.0)
 
     def _device_mode_favourite_pass1_job_sync(self) -> None:
-        if self.bot.config.get('Bot', 'auto_manage_contacts', fallback='false').lower() != 'device':
+        if self.bot.config.get('Bot', 'auto_manage_contacts', fallback='device').lower() != 'device':
             return
         self._run_async_on_main_loop(self._device_mode_favourite_pass1_coro(), timeout=600.0)
 
     def _device_mode_favourite_pass2_job_sync(self) -> None:
-        if self.bot.config.get('Bot', 'auto_manage_contacts', fallback='false').lower() != 'device':
+        if self.bot.config.get('Bot', 'auto_manage_contacts', fallback='device').lower() != 'device':
             return
         self._run_async_on_main_loop(self._device_mode_favourite_pass2_coro(), timeout=600.0)
 
diff --git a/modules/web_viewer/app.py b/modules/web_viewer/app.py
index d50816f..1bae2d9 100644
--- a/modules/web_viewer/app.py
+++ b/modules/web_viewer/app.py
@@ -216,9 +216,6 @@ class BotDataViewer:
     }
 
     def __init__(self, db_path="meshcore_bot.db", repeater_db_path=None, config_path="config.ini"):
-        # Setup comprehensive logging
-        self._setup_logging()
-
         # Set bot root directory (project root) for path validation
         # This is the directory containing the modules folder
         self.bot_root = Path(os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), '..', '..')).resolve()
@@ -226,6 +223,20 @@ class BotDataViewer:
         if not os.path.isabs(config_path):
             config_path = str(self.bot_root / config_path)
 
+        # Load configuration before logging so [Logging] log_file can select
+        # journal/console-only vs file logging (same rules as the main bot).
+        self.config = self._load_config(config_path)
+        self.config_path = config_path  # kept for config.ini write-back endpoints
+
+        # Resolve db_path relative to the config file's directory — matches core.py's bot_root
+        # property which is Path(config_file).parent.resolve().  Using self.bot_root (the project
+        # code root, 2 dirs above app.py) as the base caused a mismatch when config.ini lived
+        # elsewhere (e.g. a separate deployment directory), resulting in a blank realtime monitor
+        # because the web viewer and bot opened different database files.
+        self._config_base = Path(config_path).parent.resolve() if os.path.exists(config_path) else self.bot_root
+
+        self._setup_logging()
+
         self.app = Flask(
             __name__,
             template_folder=os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), 'templates'),
@@ -280,17 +291,6 @@ class BotDataViewer:
         self._contacts_badge_cache_signature = None
         self._contacts_badge_cache_chunks: set[str] = set()
 
-        # Load configuration
-        self.config = self._load_config(config_path)
-        self.config_path = config_path  # kept for config.ini write-back endpoints
-
-        # Resolve db_path relative to the config file's directory — matches core.py's bot_root
-        # property which is Path(config_file).parent.resolve().  Using self.bot_root (the project
-        # code root, 2 dirs above app.py) as the base caused a mismatch when config.ini lived
-        # elsewhere (e.g. a separate deployment directory), resulting in a blank realtime monitor
-        # because the web viewer and bot opened different database files.
-        self._config_base = Path(config_path).parent.resolve() if os.path.exists(config_path) else self.bot_root
-
         # Use [Bot] db_path when [Web_Viewer] db_path is unset
         bot_db = self.config.get('Bot', 'db_path', fallback='meshcore_bot.db')
         if (self.config.has_section('Web_Viewer') and self.config.has_option('Web_Viewer', 'db_path')
@@ -352,11 +352,27 @@ class BotDataViewer:
         self.logger.info("BotDataViewer initialized with Flask-SocketIO 5.x best practices")
 
     def _setup_logging(self):
-        """Setup comprehensive logging with rotation"""
+        """Setup logging; file handler only when [Logging] log_file is set.
+
+        Empty log_file (or missing [Logging] section) means console/journal only,
+        matching the main bot. When a log file is configured, viewer logs go next
+        to it as web_viewer.log (e.g. /var/log/meshcore-bot/web_viewer.log).
+        """
         from logging.handlers import RotatingFileHandler
 
-        # Create logs directory if it doesn't exist
-        os.makedirs('logs', exist_ok=True)
+        log_file = ''
+        log_max_bytes = 5 * 1024 * 1024
+        log_backup_count = 3
+        if getattr(self, 'config', None) is not None and self.config.has_section('Logging'):
+            log_file = self.config.get('Logging', 'log_file', fallback='').strip()
+            try:
+                log_max_bytes = self.config.getint('Logging', 'log_max_bytes', fallback=log_max_bytes)
+            except (configparser.Error, ValueError, TypeError):
+                pass
+            try:
+                log_backup_count = self.config.getint('Logging', 'log_backup_count', fallback=log_backup_count)
+            except (configparser.Error, ValueError, TypeError):
+                pass
 
         # Get or create logger (don't use basicConfig as it may conflict with existing logging)
         self.logger = logging.getLogger('modern_web_viewer')
@@ -365,29 +381,47 @@ class BotDataViewer:
         # Remove existing handlers to avoid duplicates
         self.logger.handlers.clear()
 
-        # Create rotating file handler (max 5MB per file, keep 3 backups)
-        file_handler = RotatingFileHandler(
-            'logs/web_viewer_modern.log',
-            maxBytes=5 * 1024 * 1024,  # 5 MB
-            backupCount=3,
-            encoding='utf-8'
-        )
-        file_handler.setLevel(logging.DEBUG)
-        file_formatter = logging.Formatter('%(asctime)s - %(name)s - %(levelname)s - %(message)s')
-        file_handler.setFormatter(file_formatter)
-        self.logger.addHandler(file_handler)
+        formatter = logging.Formatter('%(asctime)s - %(name)s - %(levelname)s - %(message)s')
 
-        # Create console handler
+        # Console handler (captured by journald under systemd)
         console_handler = logging.StreamHandler()
         console_handler.setLevel(logging.INFO)
-        console_formatter = logging.Formatter('%(asctime)s - %(name)s - %(levelname)s - %(message)s')
-        console_handler.setFormatter(console_formatter)
+        console_handler.setFormatter(formatter)
         self.logger.addHandler(console_handler)
 
         # Prevent propagation to root logger to avoid duplicate messages
         self.logger.propagate = False
 
-        self.logger.info("Web viewer logging initialized with rotation (5MB max, 3 backups)")
+        if not log_file:
+            self.logger.info("No log file specified, using console/journal logging only")
+            return
+
+        # Place viewer log beside the bot log (same directory as log_file)
+        bot_log_path = Path(resolve_path(log_file, self._config_base))
+        viewer_log_path = bot_log_path.parent / 'web_viewer.log'
+        try:
+            viewer_log_path.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+            file_handler = RotatingFileHandler(
+                str(viewer_log_path),
+                maxBytes=log_max_bytes,
+                backupCount=log_backup_count,
+                encoding='utf-8',
+            )
+            file_handler.setLevel(logging.DEBUG)
+            file_handler.setFormatter(formatter)
+            self.logger.addHandler(file_handler)
+            self.logger.info(
+                "Web viewer logging initialized (file=%s, max=%s bytes, backups=%s)",
+                viewer_log_path,
+                log_max_bytes,
+                log_backup_count,
+            )
+        except (OSError, PermissionError) as e:
+            self.logger.warning(
+                "Could not open web viewer log file %s: %s. Using console/journal only.",
+                viewer_log_path,
+                e,
+            )
 
     def _load_config(self, config_path):
         """Load configuration from file"""
@@ -882,7 +916,7 @@ class BotDataViewer:
             bot_name = ''
             name_managed = False
             if self.config:
-                auto_manage = self.config.get('Bot', 'auto_manage_contacts', fallback='false').lower()
+                auto_manage = self.config.get('Bot', 'auto_manage_contacts', fallback='device').lower()
                 bot_name = (self.config.get('Bot', 'bot_name', fallback='') or '').strip()
                 try:
                     auto_update_name = self.config.getboolean('Bot', 'auto_update_device_name', fallback=True)
diff --git a/modules/web_viewer/integration.py b/modules/web_viewer/integration.py
index a7c2e99..8c13f40 100644
--- a/modules/web_viewer/integration.py
+++ b/modules/web_viewer/integration.py
@@ -871,10 +871,30 @@ class WebViewerIntegration:
         except Exception as e:
             self.logger.error(f"Error stopping web viewer: {e}")
 
+    def _viewer_log_dir(self, config_path: str) -> Path | None:
+        """Return directory for viewer stdout/stderr files, or None for journal-only.
+
+        Mirrors the main bot: empty [Logging] log_file means console/journal only
+        (no files under the install tree). When set, use that file's parent
+        (e.g. /var/log/meshcore-bot).
+        """
+        log_file = ''
+        try:
+            if self.bot.config.has_section('Logging'):
+                log_file = self.bot.config.get('Logging', 'log_file', fallback='').strip()
+        except Exception:
+            log_file = ''
+        if not log_file:
+            return None
+        config_base = Path(config_path).parent.resolve()
+        return Path(resolve_path(log_file, config_base)).parent
+
     def _run_viewer(self):
         """Run the web viewer in a separate process"""
         stdout_file = None
         stderr_file = None
+        stdout_path = None
+        stderr_path = None
 
         try:
             # Get the path to the web viewer script
@@ -895,28 +915,35 @@ class WebViewerIntegration:
             if self.debug:
                 cmd.append("--debug")
 
-            # Ensure logs directory exists
-            os.makedirs('logs', exist_ok=True)
+            # Avoid PIPE deadlock: either inherit stdio (journald under systemd)
+            # or redirect to files beside the configured log_file.
+            log_dir = self._viewer_log_dir(config_path)
+            if log_dir is None:
+                # Inherit parent stdout/stderr so systemd/journald captures them.
+                # Do not create ./logs under the (often read-only) install tree.
+                popen_stdout = None
+                popen_stderr = None
+            else:
+                log_dir.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+                stdout_path = log_dir / 'web_viewer_stdout.log'
+                stderr_path = log_dir / 'web_viewer_stderr.log'
+                # Open in write mode to prevent buffer blocking. Using 'w'
+                # (overwrite) instead of 'a' (append) since:
+                # - The web viewer already has proper logging to web_viewer.log
+                # - stdout/stderr are mainly for immediate debugging
+                # - Prevents unbounded log file growth
+                stdout_file = open(stdout_path, 'w')
+                stderr_file = open(stderr_path, 'w')
+                self._viewer_stdout_file = stdout_file
+                self._viewer_stderr_file = stderr_file
+                popen_stdout = stdout_file
+                popen_stderr = stderr_file
 
-            # Open log files in write mode to prevent buffer blocking
-            # This fixes the issue where subprocess.PIPE buffers (~64KB) fill up
-            # after ~5 minutes and cause the subprocess to hang.
-            # Using 'w' mode (overwrite) instead of 'a' (append) since:
-            # - The web viewer already has proper logging to web_viewer_modern.log
-            # - stdout/stderr are mainly for immediate debugging
-            # - Prevents unbounded log file growth
-            stdout_file = open('logs/web_viewer_stdout.log', 'w')
-            stderr_file = open('logs/web_viewer_stderr.log', 'w')
-
-            # Store file handles for proper cleanup
-            self._viewer_stdout_file = stdout_file
-            self._viewer_stderr_file = stderr_file
-
-            # Start the viewer process with log file redirection
+            # Start the viewer process
             self.viewer_process = subprocess.Popen(
                 cmd,
-                stdout=stdout_file,
-                stderr=stderr_file,
+                stdout=popen_stdout,
+                stderr=popen_stderr,
                 text=True
             )
 
@@ -926,32 +953,37 @@ class WebViewerIntegration:
             # Check if it started successfully
             if self.viewer_process and self.viewer_process.poll() is not None:
                 # Process failed immediately - read from log files for error reporting
-                stdout_file.flush()
-                stderr_file.flush()
-
-                # Read last few lines from stderr for error reporting
-                try:
-                    stderr_file.close()
-                    with open('logs/web_viewer_stderr.log') as f:
-                        stderr_lines = f.readlines()[-20:]  # Last 20 lines
-                        stderr = ''.join(stderr_lines)
-                except Exception:
-                    stderr = "Could not read stderr log"
-
-                # Read last few lines from stdout for error reporting
-                try:
-                    stdout_file.close()
-                    with open('logs/web_viewer_stdout.log') as f:
-                        stdout_lines = f.readlines()[-20:]  # Last 20 lines
-                        stdout = ''.join(stdout_lines)
-                except Exception:
-                    stdout = "Could not read stdout log"
+                stderr = ""
+                stdout = ""
+                if stderr_file is not None and stderr_path is not None:
+                    with suppress(Exception):
+                        stderr_file.flush()
+                        stderr_file.close()
+                    try:
+                        with open(stderr_path) as f:
+                            stderr = ''.join(f.readlines()[-20:])
+                    except Exception:
+                        stderr = "Could not read stderr log"
+                if stdout_file is not None and stdout_path is not None:
+                    with suppress(Exception):
+                        stdout_file.flush()
+                        stdout_file.close()
+                    try:
+                        with open(stdout_path) as f:
+                            stdout = ''.join(f.readlines()[-20:])
+                    except Exception:
+                        stdout = "Could not read stdout log"
 
                 self.logger.error(f"Web viewer failed to start. Return code: {self.viewer_process.returncode}")
                 if stderr and stderr.strip():
                     self.logger.error(f"Web viewer startup error: {stderr}")
                 if stdout and stdout.strip():
                     self.logger.error(f"Web viewer startup output: {stdout}")
+                elif log_dir is None:
+                    self.logger.error(
+                        "Web viewer startup output is in the service journal "
+                        "(empty [Logging] log_file; stdio inherited)"
+                    )
 
                 self.viewer_process = None
                 self._viewer_stdout_file = None
@@ -986,25 +1018,28 @@ class WebViewerIntegration:
 
             # Process exited - read from log files for error reporting if needed
             if self.viewer_process and self.viewer_process.returncode != 0:
-                stdout_file.flush()
-                stderr_file.flush()
-
-                # Read last few lines from stderr for error reporting
-                try:
-                    stderr_file.close()
-                    with open('logs/web_viewer_stderr.log') as f:
-                        stderr_lines = f.readlines()[-20:]  # Last 20 lines
-                        stderr = ''.join(stderr_lines)
-                except Exception:
-                    stderr = "Could not read stderr log"
-
-                # Close stdout file as well
-                with suppress(Exception):
-                    stdout_file.close()
+                stderr = ""
+                if stderr_file is not None and stderr_path is not None:
+                    with suppress(Exception):
+                        stderr_file.flush()
+                        stderr_file.close()
+                    try:
+                        with open(stderr_path) as f:
+                            stderr = ''.join(f.readlines()[-20:])
+                    except Exception:
+                        stderr = "Could not read stderr log"
+                if stdout_file is not None:
+                    with suppress(Exception):
+                        stdout_file.close()
 
                 self.logger.error(f"Web viewer process exited with code {self.viewer_process.returncode}")
                 if stderr and stderr.strip():
                     self.logger.error(f"Web viewer stderr: {stderr}")
+                elif log_dir is None:
+                    self.logger.error(
+                        "Web viewer stderr is in the service journal "
+                        "(empty [Logging] log_file; stdio inherited)"
+                    )
 
                 self._viewer_stdout_file = None
                 self._viewer_stderr_file = None
diff --git a/tests/test_web_viewer.py b/tests/test_web_viewer.py
index f3a2baa..0187838 100644
--- a/tests/test_web_viewer.py
+++ b/tests/test_web_viewer.py
@@ -3552,6 +3552,58 @@ class TestDbPathResolutionFromConfigDir:
         )
 
 
+class TestWebViewerLoggingRespectsLogFile:
+    """Web viewer file logging follows [Logging] log_file like the main bot."""
+
+    def _write_config(self, config_dir: Path, log_file: str | None) -> str:
+        cfg = configparser.ConfigParser()
+        cfg["Connection"] = {"connection_type": "serial", "serial_port": "/dev/ttyUSB0"}
+        cfg["Bot"] = {"bot_name": "TestBot", "db_path": "bot.db", "prefix_bytes": "1"}
+        cfg["Channels"] = {"monitor_channels": "general"}
+        cfg["Path_Command"] = {"max_hops": "5", "timeout": "30"}
+        if log_file is not None:
+            cfg["Logging"] = {"log_file": log_file}
+        config_path = str(config_dir / "config.ini")
+        with open(config_path, "w") as fh:
+            cfg.write(fh)
+        return config_path
+
+    def _make_viewer(self, config_path: str) -> BotDataViewer:
+        with (
+            patch.object(BotDataViewer, "_start_database_polling", lambda self: None),
+            patch.object(BotDataViewer, "_start_log_tailing", lambda self: None),
+            patch.object(BotDataViewer, "_start_cleanup_scheduler", lambda self: None),
+        ):
+            return BotDataViewer(config_path=config_path)
+
+    def test_empty_log_file_is_console_only(self, tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+        from logging.handlers import RotatingFileHandler
+
+        config_dir = tmp_path / "cfg"
+        config_dir.mkdir()
+        config_path = self._write_config(config_dir, log_file="")
+        v = self._make_viewer(config_path)
+        assert not any(isinstance(h, RotatingFileHandler) for h in v.logger.handlers)
+        assert not (config_dir / "logs").exists()
+        assert not (config_dir / "web_viewer.log").exists()
+        assert not (tmp_path / "logs").exists()
+
+    def test_log_file_writes_beside_bot_log(self, tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+        from logging.handlers import RotatingFileHandler
+
+        config_dir = tmp_path / "cfg"
+        log_dir = tmp_path / "varlog"
+        config_dir.mkdir()
+        log_dir.mkdir()
+        bot_log = log_dir / "meshcore_bot.log"
+        config_path = self._write_config(config_dir, log_file=str(bot_log))
+        v = self._make_viewer(config_path)
+        assert any(isinstance(h, RotatingFileHandler) for h in v.logger.handlers)
+        assert (log_dir / "web_viewer.log").exists()
+        assert not (config_dir / "logs").exists()
+        assert not (tmp_path / "logs").exists()
+
+
 class TestRadioDebugConfig:
     """Tests for GET/POST /api/config/radio-debug endpoints."""
 
diff --git a/tests/test_web_viewer_integration.py b/tests/test_web_viewer_integration.py
index 977f307..b234944 100644
--- a/tests/test_web_viewer_integration.py
+++ b/tests/test_web_viewer_integration.py
@@ -598,3 +598,44 @@ class TestIntegrationTimeoutConfig:
         assert wvi.viewer_stop_force_timeout_sec == 4
         assert wvi.port_cleanup_lsof_timeout_sec == 8
         assert wvi.port_cleanup_kill_timeout_sec == 1
+
+
+class TestViewerLogDir:
+    """Web viewer subprocess log dir follows [Logging] log_file."""
+
+    def test_empty_log_file_returns_none(self):
+        from modules.web_viewer.integration import WebViewerIntegration
+
+        bot = _make_bot()
+        bot.config.add_section("Logging")
+        bot.config.set("Logging", "log_file", "")
+        with patch("modules.web_viewer.integration.BotIntegration._init_http_session"), \
+             patch("modules.web_viewer.integration.BotIntegration._init_packet_stream_table"), \
+             patch("modules.web_viewer.integration.BotIntegration._start_drain_thread"):
+            wvi = WebViewerIntegration(bot)
+        assert wvi._viewer_log_dir("/tmp/config.ini") is None
+
+    def test_missing_logging_section_returns_none(self):
+        from modules.web_viewer.integration import WebViewerIntegration
+
+        bot = _make_bot()
+        assert not bot.config.has_section("Logging")
+        with patch("modules.web_viewer.integration.BotIntegration._init_http_session"), \
+             patch("modules.web_viewer.integration.BotIntegration._init_packet_stream_table"), \
+             patch("modules.web_viewer.integration.BotIntegration._start_drain_thread"):
+            wvi = WebViewerIntegration(bot)
+        assert wvi._viewer_log_dir("/tmp/config.ini") is None
+
+    def test_absolute_log_file_uses_parent(self, tmp_path: Path):
+        from modules.web_viewer.integration import WebViewerIntegration
+
+        bot = _make_bot()
+        log_dir = tmp_path / "var" / "log" / "meshcore-bot"
+        log_dir.mkdir(parents=True)
+        bot.config.add_section("Logging")
+        bot.config.set("Logging", "log_file", str(log_dir / "meshcore_bot.log"))
+        with patch("modules.web_viewer.integration.BotIntegration._init_http_session"), \
+             patch("modules.web_viewer.integration.BotIntegration._init_packet_stream_table"), \
+             patch("modules.web_viewer.integration.BotIntegration._start_drain_thread"):
+            wvi = WebViewerIntegration(bot)
+        assert wvi._viewer_log_dir(str(tmp_path / "config.ini")) == log_dir.resolve()