diff --git a/box.js b/box.js
index a4e698a6a..3fc6f9a17 100755
--- a/box.js
+++ b/box.js
@@ -4,6 +4,12 @@
 
 require('supererror')({ splatchError: true });
 
+// remove timestamp from debug() based output
+require('debug').formatArgs = function formatArgs() {
+    arguments[0] = this.namespace + ' ' + arguments[0];
+    return arguments;
+};
+
 var appHealthMonitor = require('./src/apphealthmonitor.js'),
     async = require('async'),
     config = require('./src/config.js'),
diff --git a/janitor.js b/janitor.js
index 670e535ec..e4dfdf533 100755
--- a/janitor.js
+++ b/janitor.js
@@ -4,6 +4,12 @@
 
 require('supererror')({ splatchError: true });
 
+// remove timestamp from debug() based output
+require('debug').formatArgs = function formatArgs() {
+    arguments[0] = this.namespace + ' ' + arguments[0];
+    return arguments;
+};
+
 var assert = require('assert'),
     debug = require('debug')('box:janitor'),
     async = require('async'),
diff --git a/src/apptask.js b/src/apptask.js
index 5a48eecda..94832245f 100644
--- a/src/apptask.js
+++ b/src/apptask.js
@@ -25,6 +25,12 @@ exports = module.exports = {
 
 require('supererror')({ splatchError: true });
 
+// remove timestamp from debug() based output
+require('debug').formatArgs = function formatArgs() {
+    arguments[0] = this.namespace + ' ' + arguments[0];
+    return arguments;
+};
+
 var addons = require('./addons.js'),
     appdb = require('./appdb.js'),
     apps = require('./apps.js'),