diff --git a/kernel/log.cc b/kernel/log.cc
index 03da07aa0..62d954ee5 100644
--- a/kernel/log.cc
+++ b/kernel/log.cc
@@ -164,10 +164,10 @@ static void log_id_cache_clear()
 	log_id_cache.clear();
 }
 
-void LogManager::logv_string(std::string_view prefix, std::string_view format, std::string str_in, LogSeverity severity) {
+void LogManager::logv_string(LogSeverity severity, std::string_view prefix, std::string_view format, std::string str_in) {
 	size_t remove_leading = 0;
 	while (format.size() > 1 && format[0] == '\n') {
-		logv_string(prefix, "\n", "\n", severity);
+		logv_string(severity, prefix, "\n", "\n");
 		format = format.substr(1);
 		++remove_leading;
 	}
@@ -230,13 +230,13 @@ void LogManager::logv_string(std::string_view prefix, std::string_view format, s
 	}
 }
 
-void LogManager::log_formatted_string(std::string_view prefix, std::string_view format, std::string str, LogSeverity severity)
+void LogManager::log_formatted_string(LogSeverity severity, std::string_view prefix, std::string_view format, std::string str)
 {
 	log_assert(!Multithreading::active());
 
 	if (log_make_debug && !is_debug(1))
 		return;
-	logv_string(prefix, format, std::move(str), severity);
+	logv_string(severity, prefix, format, std::move(str));
 }
 
 void LogManager::log_formatted_header(RTLIL::Design *design, std::string_view format, std::string str)
@@ -256,7 +256,7 @@ void LogManager::log_formatted_header(RTLIL::Design *design, std::string_view fo
 	for (int c : header_count)
 		header_id += stringf("%s%d", header_id.empty() ? "" : ".", c);
 
-	log_formatted_string(stringf("%s. ", header_id), format, std::move(str), LogSeverity::Header);
+	log_formatted_string(LogSeverity::Header, stringf("%s. ", header_id), format, std::move(str));
 	flush();
 
 	if (log_hdump_all)
@@ -312,12 +312,12 @@ void LogManager::log_formatted_warning(std::string_view prefix, std::string_view
 
 		if (log_warnings.count(message))
 		{
-			log_formatted_string(prefix, format, message, LogSeverity::Info);
+			log_formatted_string(LogSeverity::Info, prefix, format, message);
 			flush();
 		}
 		else
 		{
-			log_formatted_string(prefix, format, message, LogSeverity::Warning);
+			log_formatted_string(LogSeverity::Warning, prefix, format, message);
 			flush();
 			log_warnings.insert(message);
 		}
@@ -338,13 +338,13 @@ void LogManager::log_formatted_file_warning(std::string_view filename, int linen
 void LogManager::log_formatted_file_info(std::string_view filename, int lineno, std::string_view format, std::string str)
 {
 	std::string prefix = stringf("%s:%d: Info: ", filename, lineno);
-	log_formatted_string(prefix, format, std::move(str), LogSeverity::Info);
+	log_formatted_string(LogSeverity::Info, prefix, format, std::move(str));
 }
 
 void LogManager::log_suppressed() {
 	if (log_debug_suppressed && !log_make_debug) {
 		constexpr const char* format = "<suppressed ~%d debug messages>\n";
-		logv_string({}, format, stringf(format, log_debug_suppressed),LogSeverity::Info);
+		logv_string(LogSeverity::Info, {}, format, stringf(format, log_debug_suppressed));
 		log_debug_suppressed = 0;
 	}
 }
@@ -356,7 +356,7 @@ void LogManager::log_error_with_prefix(std::string_view prefix, std::string_view
 	log_make_debug = 0;
 	log_suppressed();
 
-	log_formatted_string(prefix, format, message, LogSeverity::Error);
+	log_formatted_string(LogSeverity::Error, prefix, format, message);
 	flush();
 
 	log_make_debug = bak_log_make_debug;
@@ -433,7 +433,7 @@ void log_yosys_abort_message(std::string_view file, int line, std::string_view f
 void LogManager::log_formatted_cmd_error(std::string_view format, std::string message)
 {
 	if (log_cmd_error_throw) {
-		log_formatted_string("ERROR: ", format, message, LogSeverity::Error);
+		log_formatted_string(LogSeverity::Error, "ERROR: ", format, message);
 		flush();
 
 		throw log_cmd_error_exception();
diff --git a/kernel/log.h b/kernel/log.h
index 5b82ee5f7..027128def 100644
--- a/kernel/log.h
+++ b/kernel/log.h
@@ -401,7 +401,7 @@ public:
 
 	void add_hdump(std::string name, std::string value) { log_hdump[name].insert(value); }
 
-	void log_formatted_string(std::string_view prefix, std::string_view format, std::string str, LogSeverity severity);
+	void log_formatted_string(LogSeverity severity, std::string_view prefix, std::string_view format, std::string str);
 	void log_formatted_header(RTLIL::Design *design, std::string_view format, std::string str);
 	void log_formatted_warning(std::string_view prefix, std::string_view format, std::string message);
 	void log_formatted_file_warning(std::string_view filename, int lineno, std::string_view format, std::string str);
@@ -429,7 +429,7 @@ public:
 	std::string finish_hasher();
 
 private:
-	void logv_string(std::string_view prefix, std::string_view format, std::string str_in, LogSeverity severity);
+	void logv_string(LogSeverity severity, std::string_view prefix, std::string_view format, std::string str_in);
 	[[noreturn]] void log_error_with_prefix(std::string_view prefix, std::string_view format, std::string message);
 
 	std::vector<std::unique_ptr<LogSink>> log_sinks;
@@ -473,23 +473,24 @@ static inline bool ys_debug(int = 0) { return false; }
 template <typename... Args>
 inline void log(FmtString<TypeIdentity<Args>...> fmt, const Args &... args)
 {
-	logger().log_formatted_string({}, fmt.format_string(), fmt.format(args...), LogSeverity::Info);
+	logger().log_formatted_string(LogSeverity::Info, {}, fmt.format_string(), fmt.format(args...));
 }
 
 template <typename... Args>
 inline void log_comment(FmtString<TypeIdentity<Args>...> fmt, const Args &... args)
 {
-	logger().log_formatted_string({}, fmt.format_string(), fmt.format(args...), LogSeverity::Comment);
+	logger().log_formatted_string(LogSeverity::Comment, {}, fmt.format_string(), fmt.format(args...));
 }
 
 template <typename... Args>
-inline void log_debug(FmtString<TypeIdentity<Args>...> fmt, const Args &... args)
+inline void log_formatted_string(LogSeverity severity, std::string_view prefix,
+		FmtString<TypeIdentity<Args>...> fmt, const Args &... args)
 {
-	if (!ys_debug(1))
-		return;
-	logger().log_formatted_string({}, fmt.format_string(), fmt.format(args...), LogSeverity::Debug);
+	logger().log_formatted_string(severity, prefix, fmt.format_string(), fmt.format(args...));
 }
 
+#define log_debug(...) do { if (ys_debug(1)) YOSYS_NAMESPACE_PREFIX log_formatted_string(YOSYS_NAMESPACE_PREFIX LogSeverity::Debug, {}, __VA_ARGS__); } while (0)
+
 template <typename... Args>
 inline void log_header(RTLIL::Design *design, FmtString<TypeIdentity<Args>...> fmt, const Args &... args)
 {
diff --git a/kernel/log_compat.cc b/kernel/log_compat.cc
index 07977d3e2..65f5105c1 100644
--- a/kernel/log_compat.cc
+++ b/kernel/log_compat.cc
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ void log(const char *format, ...)
 	va_start(ap, format);
 	std::string formatted = vstringf(format, ap);
 	va_end(ap);
-	logger().log_formatted_string({}, format, formatted, LogSeverity::Info);
+	logger().log_formatted_string(LogSeverity::Info, {}, format, formatted);
 }
 
 void log_compat(const char *format, ...)
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ void log_compat(const char *format, ...)
 	va_start(ap, format);
 	std::string formatted = vstringf(format, ap);
 	va_end(ap);
-	logger().log_formatted_string({}, format, formatted, LogSeverity::Info);
+	logger().log_formatted_string(LogSeverity::Info, {}, format, formatted);
 }
 
 YOSYS_NAMESPACE_END