diff --git a/lix/libutil/logging.cc b/lix/libutil/logging.cc
index b0b656908..38e7f92d9 100644
--- a/lix/libutil/logging.cc
+++ b/lix/libutil/logging.cc
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
 #include "c-calls.hh"
+#include "libutil/error.hh"
+#include "lix-rs/utils.hh"
 #include "lix/libutil/config-impl.hh"
 #include "lix/libutil/environment-variables.hh"
 #include "lix/libutil/file-descriptor.hh"
@@ -7,6 +9,7 @@
 #include "lix/libutil/json.hh"
 #include "lix/libutil/position.hh"
 #include "lix/libutil/terminal.hh"
+#include "main.gen.hh"
 #include "manually-drop.hh"
 
 #include <algorithm>
@@ -138,9 +141,21 @@ public:
 
 Verbosity detail::verbosity = lvlInfo;
 
+namespace {
+struct InitRustVerbosity
+{
+    InitRustVerbosity(Verbosity v)
+    {
+        rust::lix::log::ffi::set_verbosity(v);
+    }
+};
+static InitRustVerbosity _initRustVerbosity{detail::verbosity};
+}
+
 void setVerbosity(Verbosity v)
 {
     detail::verbosity = v;
+    log::ffi::set_verbosity(v);
 }
 
 Verbosity verbosityFromIntClamped(int val)
@@ -459,3 +474,11 @@ std::string LogLineSplitter::finish()
     return std::move(line);
 }
 }
+
+namespace rust::exported_functions {
+Unit log_message(int lvl, Ref<Str> str)
+{
+    printMsg(nix::Verbosity(lvl), "%s", nix::Uncolored(to_std_string_view(str)));
+    return {};
+}
+}
diff --git a/lix/lix-rs/src/lib.rs b/lix/lix-rs/src/lib.rs
index b1619ae55..f45ba2b79 100644
--- a/lix/lix-rs/src/lib.rs
+++ b/lix/lix-rs/src/lib.rs
@@ -32,4 +32,117 @@ mod ffi {
     impl error::Error for Error {}
 }
 
+#[macro_use]
+pub(crate) mod log {
+    use std::fmt::{Debug, Display};
+
+    static mut VERBOSITY: i32 = 99;
+
+    // these MUST match the c++ struct exactly or log messages will be filtered incorrectly
+    #[allow(unused)]
+    pub const LVL_ERROR: i32 = 0;
+    #[allow(unused)]
+    pub const LVL_WARN: i32 = 1;
+    #[allow(unused)]
+    pub const LVL_NOTICE: i32 = 2;
+    #[allow(unused)]
+    pub const LVL_INFO: i32 = 3;
+    #[allow(unused)]
+    pub const LVL_TALKATIVE: i32 = 4;
+    #[allow(unused)]
+    pub const LVL_CHATTY: i32 = 5;
+    #[allow(unused)]
+    pub const LVL_DEBUG: i32 = 6;
+    #[allow(unused)]
+    pub const LVL_VOMIT: i32 = 7;
+
+    pub struct Colorize<T: Display + Debug>(pub T);
+
+    impl<T: Display + Debug> Display for Colorize<T> {
+        fn fmt(&self, f: &mut std::fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> std::fmt::Result {
+            f.write_str("\x1b[35;1m")?;
+            Display::fmt(&self.0, f)?;
+            f.write_str("\x1b[0m")
+        }
+    }
+
+    impl<T: Display + Debug> Debug for Colorize<T> {
+        fn fmt(&self, f: &mut std::fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> std::fmt::Result {
+            f.write_str("\x1b[35;1m")?;
+            Debug::fmt(&self.0, f)?;
+            f.write_str("\x1b[0m")
+        }
+    }
+
+    macro_rules! log_message {
+        ( __format plain: $e:expr ) => {
+            $e
+        };
+        ( __format: $e:expr ) => {
+            crate::log::Colorize($e)
+        };
+        ( $level:expr, $str:expr $(, $(plain)? $item:tt)* $(,)? ) => {
+            crate::generated::log_message(
+                $level,
+                &format!(
+                    $str,
+                    $( log_message!( __format: $item ) ),*
+                )
+            );
+        };
+    }
+
+    #[macro_export]
+    macro_rules! print_error {
+        ( $str:expr $(, $( $rest:tt )* )? ) => { log_message!(crate::log::LVL_ERROR, $str $($($rest)*)*) }
+    }
+    #[macro_export]
+    macro_rules! print_warning {
+        ( $str:expr $(, $( $rest:tt )* )? ) => { log_message!(crate::log::LVL_WARN, $str $($($rest)*)*) }
+    }
+    #[macro_export]
+    macro_rules! print_notice {
+        ( $str:expr $(, $( $rest:tt )* )? ) => { log_message!(crate::log::LVL_NOTICE, $str $($($rest)*)*) }
+    }
+    #[macro_export]
+    macro_rules! print_info {
+        ( $str:expr $(, $( $rest:tt )* )? ) => { log_message!(crate::log::LVL_INFO, $str $($($rest)*)*) }
+    }
+    #[macro_export]
+    macro_rules! print_talkative {
+        ( $str:expr $(, $( $rest:tt )* )? ) => { log_message!(crate::log::LVL_TALKATIVE, $str $($($rest)*)*) }
+    }
+    #[macro_export]
+    macro_rules! print_chatty {
+        ( $str:expr $(, $( $rest:tt )* )? ) => { log_message!(crate::log::LVL_CHATTY, $str $($($rest)*)*) }
+    }
+    #[macro_export]
+    macro_rules! print_debug {
+        ( $str:expr $(, $( $rest:tt )* )? ) => { log_message!(crate::log::LVL_DEBUG, $str $($($rest)*)*) }
+    }
+    #[macro_export]
+    macro_rules! print_vomit {
+        ( $str:expr $(, $( $rest:tt )* )? ) => { log_message!(crate::log::LVL_VOMIT, $str $($($rest)*)*) }
+    }
+
+    #[macro_export]
+    macro_rules! log_error {
+        ( $str:literal $($rest:tt)* ) => {
+            print_error!(concat!("\x1b[31;1merror:\x1b[0m ", $str), $($rest)*)
+        }
+    }
+    #[macro_export]
+    macro_rules! log_warning {
+        ( $str:literal $($rest:tt)* ) => {
+            print_warning!(concat!("\x1b[35;1mwarning:\x1b[0m ", $str), $($rest)*)
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub(crate) mod ffi {
+        pub unsafe fn set_verbosity(level: i32) {
+            super::VERBOSITY = level;
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 mod ffi_test;
diff --git a/lix/lix-rs/src/lib.zng b/lix/lix-rs/src/lib.zng
index 7f1c6a4c3..3e163f92b 100644
--- a/lix/lix-rs/src/lib.zng
+++ b/lix/lix-rs/src/lib.zng
@@ -28,3 +28,11 @@ mod crate::ffi {
         #layout_conservative(size = 16, align = 8);
     }
 }
+
+mod crate::log::ffi {
+    fn set_verbosity(i32);
+
+    extern "C++" {
+        safe fn log_message(i32, &str);
+    }
+}