diff --git a/engine/graph/actions.go b/engine/graph/actions.go
index f764392d..a9e17d23 100644
--- a/engine/graph/actions.go
+++ b/engine/graph/actions.go
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import (
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/purpleidea/mgmt/engine"
+	engineUtil "github.com/purpleidea/mgmt/engine/util"
 	"github.com/purpleidea/mgmt/pgraph"
 	"github.com/purpleidea/mgmt/util/errwrap"
 
@@ -155,7 +156,7 @@ func (obj *Engine) Process(vertex pgraph.Vertex) error {
 		obj.Logf("%s: CheckApply(%t)", res, !noop)
 		// if this fails, don't UpdateTimestamp()
 		checkOK, err = res.CheckApply(!noop)
-		obj.Logf("%s: CheckApply(%t): Return(%t, %+v)", res, !noop, checkOK, err)
+		obj.Logf("%s: CheckApply(%t): Return(%t, %s)", res, !noop, checkOK, engineUtil.CleanError(err))
 	}
 
 	if checkOK && err != nil { // should never return this way
@@ -325,7 +326,7 @@ func (obj *Engine) Worker(vertex pgraph.Vertex) error {
 				obj.state[vertex].cuid.StartTimer()
 				obj.Logf("Watch(%s)", vertex)
 				err = res.Watch(obj.state[vertex].doneCtx) // run the watch normally
-				obj.Logf("Watch(%s): Exited(%+v)", vertex, err)
+				obj.Logf("Watch(%s): Exited(%s)", vertex, engineUtil.CleanError(err))
 				obj.state[vertex].cuid.StopTimer() // clean up nicely
 			}
 			if err == nil { // || err == engine.ErrClosed
@@ -534,7 +535,7 @@ Loop:
 			}
 			err = obj.Process(vertex)
 			if obj.Debug {
-				obj.Logf("Process(%s): Return(%+v)", vertex, err)
+				obj.Logf("Process(%s): Return(%s)", vertex, engineUtil.CleanError(err))
 			}
 			if err == nil {
 				break RetryLoop
diff --git a/engine/graph/engine.go b/engine/graph/engine.go
index 291bdcb0..a84c47f2 100644
--- a/engine/graph/engine.go
+++ b/engine/graph/engine.go
@@ -183,7 +183,7 @@ func (obj *Engine) Commit() error {
 		}
 		err := engine.Validate(res)
 		if obj.Debug {
-			obj.Logf("Validate(%s): Return(%+v)", res, err)
+			obj.Logf("Validate(%s): Return(%s)", res, engineUtil.CleanError(err))
 		}
 		if err != nil {
 			return errwrap.Wrapf(err, "the Res did not Validate")
@@ -239,7 +239,7 @@ func (obj *Engine) Commit() error {
 				obj.Logf("Worker(%s)", v)
 				// contains the Watch and CheckApply loops
 				err := obj.Worker(v)
-				obj.Logf("Worker(%s): Exited(%+v)", v, err)
+				obj.Logf("Worker(%s): Exited(%s)", v, engineUtil.CleanError(err))
 				obj.state[v].workerErr = err // store the error
 				// If the Rewatch metaparam is true, then this will get
 				// restarted if we do a graph cmp swap. This is why the
diff --git a/engine/graph/state.go b/engine/graph/state.go
index 9f682213..1b9321a2 100644
--- a/engine/graph/state.go
+++ b/engine/graph/state.go
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/purpleidea/mgmt/converger"
 	"github.com/purpleidea/mgmt/engine"
+	engineUtil "github.com/purpleidea/mgmt/engine/util"
 	"github.com/purpleidea/mgmt/pgraph"
 	"github.com/purpleidea/mgmt/util/errwrap"
 )
@@ -253,7 +254,7 @@ func (obj *State) Init() error {
 
 	err := res.Init(obj.init)
 	if obj.Debug {
-		obj.Logf("Init(%s): Return(%+v)", res, err)
+		obj.Logf("Init(%s): Return(%s)", res, engineUtil.CleanError(err))
 	}
 	if err != nil {
 		return errwrap.Wrapf(err, "could not Init() resource")
@@ -295,7 +296,7 @@ func (obj *State) Cleanup() error {
 
 	reterr := res.Cleanup()
 	if obj.Debug {
-		obj.Logf("Close(%s): Return(%+v)", res, reterr)
+		obj.Logf("Close(%s): Return(%s)", res, engineUtil.CleanError(reterr))
 	}
 
 	reterr = errwrap.Append(reterr, reverr)
diff --git a/engine/util/util.go b/engine/util/util.go
index c6c57fbd..b8f9a76e 100644
--- a/engine/util/util.go
+++ b/engine/util/util.go
@@ -400,3 +400,12 @@ func AutoEdgeCombiner(ae ...engine.AutoEdge) (engine.AutoEdge, error) {
 		ae: ae,
 	}, nil
 }
+
+// CleanError takes the engine errors and prints them on a single line.
+// TODO: maybe we can improve this here, it's a bit ugly.
+func CleanError(err error) string {
+	if err == nil {
+		return fmt.Sprintf("%v", err)
+	}
+	return strings.ReplaceAll(err.Error(), "\n", " ")
+}