diff --git a/daemon/daemon.c b/daemon/daemon.c
index 1956e5287..79ce1ac1e 100644
--- a/daemon/daemon.c
+++ b/daemon/daemon.c
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@
 #include "version.h"
 
 static void usage       ( const char *, ... );
-static int  readargs    ( int, char ** );
+static void readargs    ( int, char **, int *, int * );
 static int  trylocksock ( void );
 static int  getlock     ( const char * );
 static int  getsock     ( const char * );
@@ -66,10 +66,10 @@ int
 main( int argc, char ** argv )
 {
     struct event_base * evbase;
-    int                 nofork, sockfd;
+    int                 nofork, debug, sockfd;
 
     setmyname( argv[0] );
-    nofork = readargs( argc, argv );
+    readargs( argc, argv, &nofork, &debug );
 
     if( !nofork )
     {
@@ -92,6 +92,7 @@ main( int argc, char ** argv )
     setupsigs( evbase );
     torrent_init( evbase );
     server_init( evbase );
+    server_debug( debug );
     server_listen( sockfd );
 
     event_dispatch();
@@ -115,11 +116,12 @@ usage( const char * msg, ... )
     }
 
     printf(
-  "usage: %s [-fh]\n"
+  "usage: %s [-dfh]\n"
   "\n"
   "Transmission %s (r%d) http://transmission.m0k.org/\n"
   "A free, lightweight BitTorrent client with a simple, intuitive interface\n"
   "\n"
+  "  -d --debug                Print data send and received, implies -f\n"
   "  -f --foreground           Run in the foreground and log to stderr\n"
   "  -h --help                 Display this message and exit\n"
   "\n"
@@ -128,34 +130,37 @@ usage( const char * msg, ... )
     exit( 0 );
 }
 
-int
-readargs( int argc, char ** argv )
+void
+readargs( int argc, char ** argv, int * nofork, int * debug )
 {
-    char optstr[] = "fh";
+    char optstr[] = "dfh";
     struct option longopts[] =
     {
+        { "debug",              no_argument,       NULL, 'd' },
         { "foreground",         no_argument,       NULL, 'f' },
         { "help",               no_argument,       NULL, 'h' },
         { NULL, 0, NULL, 0 }
     };
-    int opt, nofork;
+    int opt;
 
-    nofork = 0;
+    *nofork = 0;
+    *debug  = 0;
 
     while( 0 <= ( opt = getopt_long( argc, argv, optstr, longopts, NULL ) ) )
     {
         switch( opt )
         {
+            case 'd':
+                *debug = 1;
+                /* FALLTHROUGH */
             case 'f':
-                nofork = 1;
+                *nofork = 1;
                 break;
             default:
                 usage( NULL );
                 break;
         }
     }
-
-    return nofork;
 }
 
 int
diff --git a/daemon/server.c b/daemon/server.c
index c046d319a..d3c2f3637 100644
--- a/daemon/server.c
+++ b/daemon/server.c
@@ -84,6 +84,7 @@ INTCMP_FUNC( clientcmp, client, ev )
 
 static struct event_base * gl_base    = NULL;
 static struct ipc_funcs  * gl_tree    = NULL;
+static int                 gl_debug   = 0;
 static int                 gl_exiting = 0;
 static struct allclients   gl_clients = RB_INITIALIZER( &gl_clients );
 
@@ -137,6 +138,12 @@ server_init( struct event_base * base )
     return 0;
 }
 
+void
+server_debug( int enable )
+{
+    gl_debug = enable;
+}
+
 int
 server_listen( int fd )
 {
@@ -233,6 +240,11 @@ newclient( int fd, short event UNUSED, void * arg )
         old = RB_INSERT( allclients, &gl_clients, client );
         assert( NULL == old );
 
+        if( gl_debug )
+        {
+            printf( "*** new client %i\n", clfd );
+        }
+
         bufferevent_enable( clev, EV_READ );
         buf = ipc_mkvers( &buflen );
         if( 0 > queuemsg( client, buf, buflen ) )
@@ -286,6 +298,10 @@ byebye( struct bufferevent * ev, short what, void * arg UNUSED )
     RB_REMOVE( allclients, &gl_clients, client );
     bufferevent_free( ev );
     close( client->fd );
+    if( gl_debug )
+    {
+        printf( "*** client %i went bye-bye\n", client->fd );
+    }
     free( client );
 }
 
@@ -302,6 +318,13 @@ doread( struct bufferevent * ev, void * arg )
     buf = EVBUFFER_DATA( EVBUFFER_INPUT( ev ) );
     len = EVBUFFER_LENGTH( EVBUFFER_INPUT( ev ) );
 
+    if( gl_debug )
+    {
+        printf( "<<< %zu bytes from client %i: ", len, client->fd );
+        fwrite( buf, 1, len, stdout );
+        putc( '\n', stdout );
+    }
+
     if( IPC_MIN_MSG_LEN > len )
     {
         return;
@@ -349,6 +372,13 @@ queuemsg( struct client * client, uint8_t * buf, size_t buflen )
         return -1;
     }
 
+    if( gl_debug )
+    {
+        printf( ">>> %zu bytes to client %i: ", buflen, client->fd );
+        fwrite( buf, 1, buflen, stdout );
+        putc( '\n', stdout );
+    }
+
     if( 0 > bufferevent_write( client->ev, buf, buflen ) )
     {
         errnomsg( "failed to buffer %zd bytes of data for write", buflen );
diff --git a/daemon/server.h b/daemon/server.h
index a301f26d5..0921e50cf 100644
--- a/daemon/server.h
+++ b/daemon/server.h
@@ -27,7 +27,8 @@
 
 struct event_base;
 
-int server_init(   struct event_base * );
-int server_listen( int );
+int  server_init(   struct event_base * );
+void server_debug( int );
+int  server_listen( int );
 
 #endif /* TR_DAEMON_SERVER_H */
diff --git a/daemon/transmission-daemon.1 b/daemon/transmission-daemon.1
index 213db0056..03324fe63 100644
--- a/daemon/transmission-daemon.1
+++ b/daemon/transmission-daemon.1
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@
 .Nm transmission-daemon
 .Fl h
 .Nm
-.Op Fl f
+.Op Fl df
 .Sh DESCRIPTION
 The
 .Nm
@@ -38,6 +38,9 @@ program cures baldness, obesity and gout.
 .Pp
 The options are as follows:
 .Bl -tag -width Ds
+.It Fl d Fl -debug
+Print data send and received to and from clients to stdout, also implies
+.Fl f .
 .It Fl f Fl -foreground
 Run in the foreground and print errors to stderr instead of forking
 and logging errors with syslog.