diff --git a/src/apptask.js b/src/apptask.js
index 794245b30..e49202f7e 100644
--- a/src/apptask.js
+++ b/src/apptask.js
@@ -331,7 +331,7 @@ function registerSubdomains(app, overwrite, callback) {
 
         const allDomains = [ { subdomain: app.location, domain: app.domain }].concat(app.alternateDomains);
 
-        debug(`registerSubdomain: Will register ${JSON.stringify(allDomains)}`);
+        debugApp(app, `registerSubdomain: Will register ${JSON.stringify(allDomains)}`);
 
         async.eachSeries(allDomains, function (domain, iteratorDone) {
             async.retry({ times: 200, interval: 5000 }, function (retryCallback) {
@@ -351,7 +351,7 @@ function registerSubdomains(app, overwrite, callback) {
 
                     domains.upsertDnsRecords(domain.subdomain, domain.domain, 'A', [ ip ], function (error) {
                         if (error && (error.reason === BoxError.BUSY || error.reason === BoxError.EXTERNAL_ERROR)) {
-                            debug('registerSubdomains: Upsert error. Will retry.', error.message);
+                            debugApp(app, 'registerSubdomains: Upsert error. Will retry.', error.message);
                             return retryCallback(new BoxError(BoxError.EXTERNAL_ERROR, error.message, { domain })); // try again
                         }
 
@@ -382,7 +382,7 @@ function unregisterSubdomains(app, allDomains, callback) {
                 domains.removeDnsRecords(domain.subdomain, domain.domain, 'A', [ ip ], function (error) {
                     if (error && error.reason === BoxError.NOT_FOUND) return retryCallback(null, null);
                     if (error && (error.reason === BoxError.SBUSY || error.reason === BoxError.EXTERNAL_ERROR)) {
-                        debug('registerSubdomains: Remove error. Will retry.', error.message);
+                        debugApp(app, 'registerSubdomains: Remove error. Will retry.', error.message);
                         return retryCallback(new BoxError(BoxError.EXTERNAL_ERROR, error.message, { domain })); // try again
                     }
 
@@ -432,7 +432,7 @@ function moveDataDir(app, targetDir, callback) {
     let resolvedSourceDir = apps.getDataDir(app, app.dataDir);
     let resolvedTargetDir = apps.getDataDir(app, targetDir);
 
-    debug(`moveDataDir: migrating data from ${resolvedSourceDir} to ${resolvedTargetDir}`);
+    debugApp(app, `moveDataDir: migrating data from ${resolvedSourceDir} to ${resolvedTargetDir}`);
 
     if (resolvedSourceDir === resolvedTargetDir) return callback();
 
@@ -465,6 +465,8 @@ function downloadImage(manifest, callback) {
 }
 
 function startApp(app, callback){
+    debugApp(app, 'startApp: starting container');
+
     if (app.runState === apps.RSTATE_STOPPED) return callback();
 
     async.series([
@@ -820,7 +822,7 @@ function update(app, args, progressCallback, callback) {
                 if (newTcpPorts[portName] || newUdpPorts[portName]) return callback(null); // port still in use
 
                 appdb.delPortBinding(currentPorts[portName], apps.PORT_TYPE_TCP, function (error) {
-                    if (error && error.reason === BoxError.NOT_FOUND) debug('update: portbinding does not exist in database', error);
+                    if (error && error.reason === BoxError.NOT_FOUND) debugApp(app, 'update: portbinding does not exist in database', error);
                     else if (error) return next(error);
 
                     // also delete from app object for further processing (the db is updated in the next step)