diff --git a/cmd/crowdsec-cli/main.go b/cmd/crowdsec-cli/main.go
index a0805c853..d8d45b5a2 100644
--- a/cmd/crowdsec-cli/main.go
+++ b/cmd/crowdsec-cli/main.go
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ func initConfig() {
 	}
 
 	if !inSlice(os.Args[1], NoNeedConfig) {
-		csConfig, err = csconfig.NewConfig(ConfigFilePath, false, false)
+		csConfig, err = csconfig.NewConfig(ConfigFilePath, false, false, true)
 		if err != nil {
 			log.Fatal(err)
 		}
diff --git a/cmd/crowdsec/main.go b/cmd/crowdsec/main.go
index 1aec6b211..3544857ba 100644
--- a/cmd/crowdsec/main.go
+++ b/cmd/crowdsec/main.go
@@ -185,7 +185,7 @@ func newLogLevel(curLevelPtr *log.Level, f *Flags) *log.Level {
 	default:
 	}
 
-	if ret == *curLevelPtr {
+	if curLevelPtr != nil && ret == *curLevelPtr {
 		// avoid returning a new ptr to the same value
 		return curLevelPtr
 	}
@@ -194,6 +194,10 @@ func newLogLevel(curLevelPtr *log.Level, f *Flags) *log.Level {
 
 // LoadConfig returns a configuration parsed from configuration file
 func LoadConfig(cConfig *csconfig.Config) error {
+	if (cConfig.Common == nil || *cConfig.Common == csconfig.CommonCfg{}) {
+		return fmt.Errorf("unable to load configuration: common section is empty")
+	}
+
 	cConfig.Common.LogLevel = newLogLevel(cConfig.Common.LogLevel, flags)
 
 	if dumpFolder != "" {
diff --git a/cmd/crowdsec/run_in_svc.go b/cmd/crowdsec/run_in_svc.go
index b6035e5df..810a6edf3 100644
--- a/cmd/crowdsec/run_in_svc.go
+++ b/cmd/crowdsec/run_in_svc.go
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ func StartRunSvc() error {
 		},
 	})
 
-	cConfig, err = csconfig.NewConfig(flags.ConfigFile, flags.DisableAgent, flags.DisableAPI)
+	cConfig, err = csconfig.NewConfig(flags.ConfigFile, flags.DisableAgent, flags.DisableAPI, false)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
diff --git a/cmd/crowdsec/run_in_svc_windows.go b/cmd/crowdsec/run_in_svc_windows.go
index 40e19dfe5..33e4ce7f8 100644
--- a/cmd/crowdsec/run_in_svc_windows.go
+++ b/cmd/crowdsec/run_in_svc_windows.go
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ func WindowsRun() error {
 		err     error
 	)
 
-	cConfig, err = csconfig.NewConfig(flags.ConfigFile, flags.DisableAgent, flags.DisableAPI)
+	cConfig, err = csconfig.NewConfig(flags.ConfigFile, flags.DisableAgent, flags.DisableAPI, false)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
diff --git a/cmd/crowdsec/serve.go b/cmd/crowdsec/serve.go
index 8b9486d28..bec3e05db 100644
--- a/cmd/crowdsec/serve.go
+++ b/cmd/crowdsec/serve.go
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ func reloadHandler(sig os.Signal) (*csconfig.Config, error) {
 	crowdsecTomb = tomb.Tomb{}
 	pluginTomb = tomb.Tomb{}
 
-	cConfig, err := csconfig.NewConfig(flags.ConfigFile, flags.DisableAgent, flags.DisableAPI)
+	cConfig, err := csconfig.NewConfig(flags.ConfigFile, flags.DisableAgent, flags.DisableAPI, false)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
diff --git a/cmd/crowdsec/win_service.go b/cmd/crowdsec/win_service.go
index b5c59ca45..b4cfc3ab0 100644
--- a/cmd/crowdsec/win_service.go
+++ b/cmd/crowdsec/win_service.go
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ func runService(name string) error {
 		log.Warnf("Failed to open event log: %s", err)
 	}
 
-	cConfig, err := csconfig.NewConfig(flags.ConfigFile, flags.DisableAgent, flags.DisableAPI)
+	cConfig, err := csconfig.NewConfig(flags.ConfigFile, flags.DisableAgent, flags.DisableAPI, false)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/csconfig/config.go b/pkg/csconfig/config.go
index 68b84b945..c89f59fa0 100644
--- a/pkg/csconfig/config.go
+++ b/pkg/csconfig/config.go
@@ -46,8 +46,9 @@ func (c *Config) Dump() error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-func NewConfig(configFile string, disableAgent bool, disableAPI bool) (*Config, error) {
+func NewConfig(configFile string, disableAgent bool, disableAPI bool, quiet bool) (*Config, error) {
 	patcher := yamlpatch.NewPatcher(configFile, ".local")
+	patcher.SetQuiet(quiet)
 	fcontent, err := patcher.MergedPatchContent()
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
diff --git a/pkg/csconfig/config_test.go b/pkg/csconfig/config_test.go
index 7c3da496c..6f556245f 100644
--- a/pkg/csconfig/config_test.go
+++ b/pkg/csconfig/config_test.go
@@ -10,13 +10,13 @@ import (
 )
 
 func TestNormalLoad(t *testing.T) {
-	_, err := NewConfig("./tests/config.yaml", false, false)
+	_, err := NewConfig("./tests/config.yaml", false, false, false)
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 
-	_, err = NewConfig("./tests/xxx.yaml", false, false)
+	_, err = NewConfig("./tests/xxx.yaml", false, false, false)
 	assert.EqualError(t, err, "while reading yaml file: open ./tests/xxx.yaml: "+cstest.FileNotFoundMessage)
 
-	_, err = NewConfig("./tests/simulation.yaml", false, false)
+	_, err = NewConfig("./tests/simulation.yaml", false, false, false)
 	assert.EqualError(t, err, "./tests/simulation.yaml: yaml: unmarshal errors:\n  line 1: field simulation not found in type csconfig.Config")
 }
 
diff --git a/pkg/yamlpatch/patcher.go b/pkg/yamlpatch/patcher.go
index fb76b92e7..43a2a0cb8 100644
--- a/pkg/yamlpatch/patcher.go
+++ b/pkg/yamlpatch/patcher.go
@@ -13,15 +13,24 @@ import (
 type Patcher struct {
 	BaseFilePath  string
 	PatchFilePath string
+	quiet bool
 }
 
 func NewPatcher(filePath string, suffix string) *Patcher {
 	return &Patcher{
 		BaseFilePath:  filePath,
 		PatchFilePath: filePath + suffix,
+		quiet: false,
 	}
 }
 
+
+// SetQuiet sets the quiet flag, which will log as DEBUG_LEVEL instead of INFO
+func (p *Patcher) SetQuiet(quiet bool) {
+	p.quiet = quiet
+}
+
+
 // read a single YAML file, check for errors (the merge package doesn't) then return the content as bytes.
 func readYAML(filePath string) ([]byte, error) {
 	var content []byte
@@ -55,13 +64,19 @@ func (p *Patcher) MergedPatchContent() ([]byte, error) {
 	var over []byte
 
 	over, err = readYAML(p.PatchFilePath)
-	// optional file, ignore if it does not exist
-	if err != nil && !errors.Is(err, os.ErrNotExist) {
+	if errors.Is(err, os.ErrNotExist) {
+		return base, nil
+	}
+
+	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
-	if err == nil {
-		log.Debugf("Patching yaml: '%s' with '%s'", p.BaseFilePath, p.PatchFilePath)
+
+	logf := log.Infof
+	if p.quiet {
+		logf = log.Debugf
 	}
+	logf("Patching yaml: '%s' with '%s'", p.BaseFilePath, p.PatchFilePath)
 
 	var patched *bytes.Buffer
 
@@ -138,7 +153,11 @@ func (p *Patcher) PrependedPatchContent() ([]byte, error) {
 		if err = decodeDocuments(patchFile, &result, true); err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
-		log.Infof("Prepending yaml: '%s' with '%s'", p.BaseFilePath, p.PatchFilePath)
+		logf := log.Infof
+		if p.quiet {
+			logf = log.Debugf
+		}
+		logf("Prepending yaml: '%s' with '%s'", p.BaseFilePath, p.PatchFilePath)
 	}
 
 	baseFile, err = os.Open(p.BaseFilePath)
diff --git a/tests/bats/01_crowdsec.bats b/tests/bats/01_crowdsec.bats
index a60b576dd..756dd8eac 100644
--- a/tests/bats/01_crowdsec.bats
+++ b/tests/bats/01_crowdsec.bats
@@ -52,10 +52,21 @@ teardown() {
     # errors that cause program termination are printed to stderr, not only logs
     config_set '.db_config.type="meh"'
     run -1 --separate-stderr "${CROWDSEC}"
-    refute_output
     assert_stderr --partial "unable to create database client: unknown database type 'meh'"
 }
 
+@test "crowdsec - bad configuration (empty/missing common section)" {
+    config_set '.common={}'
+    run -1 --separate-stderr "${CROWDSEC}"
+    refute_output
+    assert_stderr --partial "unable to load configuration: common section is empty"
+
+    config_set 'del(.common)'
+    run -1 --separate-stderr "${CROWDSEC}"
+    refute_output
+    assert_stderr --partial "unable to load configuration: common section is empty"
+}
+
 @test "CS_LAPI_SECRET not strong enough" {
     CS_LAPI_SECRET=foo run -1 --separate-stderr timeout 2s "${CROWDSEC}"
     assert_stderr --partial "api server init: unable to run local API: controller init: CS_LAPI_SECRET not strong enough"