diff --git a/src/etc/inc/system.inc b/src/etc/inc/system.inc
index 5941a3066..882fa97dd 100644
--- a/src/etc/inc/system.inc
+++ b/src/etc/inc/system.inc
@@ -600,7 +600,7 @@ function system_staticroutes_configure($interface = '')
     }
 }
 
-function system_syslogd_start($verbose = false, $restart = false, $async = false)
+function system_syslogd_start($verbose = false)
 {
     global $config;
 
@@ -609,17 +609,13 @@ function system_syslogd_start($verbose = false, $restart = false, $async = false
         flush();
     }
 
-    if ($async) {
-        // Loopback in background
-        configd_run('syslog restart', true);
+    configd_run('template reload OPNsense/Syslog');
+    mwexecf('/usr/local/opnsense/scripts/syslog/generate_certs');
+
+    if (isvalidpid('/var/run/syslog-ng.pid')) {
+        mwexecf('/usr/local/sbin/syslog-ng-ctl reload');
     } else {
-        configd_run('template reload OPNsense/Syslog');
-        mwexecf("/usr/local/opnsense/scripts/syslog/generate_certs");
-        if (!$restart && isvalidpid('/var/run/syslog-ng.pid')) {
-            mwexecf("/usr/local/sbin/syslog-ng-ctl reload");
-        } else {
-            mwexecf("/usr/sbin/service syslog-ng restart");
-        }
+        mwexecf('/usr/sbin/service syslog-ng restart');
     }
 
     if ($verbose) {
@@ -627,12 +623,9 @@ function system_syslogd_start($verbose = false, $restart = false, $async = false
     }
 }
 
-/**
- * stop syslog-ng
- */
 function system_syslogd_stop()
 {
-    mwexecf("/usr/sbin/service syslog-ng stop");
+    mwexecf('/usr/sbin/service syslog-ng stop');
 }
 
 /*
diff --git a/src/etc/rc.bootup b/src/etc/rc.bootup
index 2c373b77c..cd2b5dcb5 100755
--- a/src/etc/rc.bootup
+++ b/src/etc/rc.bootup
@@ -122,8 +122,11 @@ system_powerd_configure(true);
  * Give syslogd a kick after everything else has been
  * initialized, otherwise it can occasionally fail to
  * route syslog messages properly on both IPv4 and IPv6.
+ *
+ * XXX dynamic addressing might not be set up here yet,
+ * because these events are blocked by /var/run/booting
  */
-system_syslogd_start(true, true);
+system_syslogd_start(true);
 
 system_console_unmute();
 
diff --git a/src/etc/rc.configure_firmware b/src/etc/rc.configure_firmware
index 0a8dacc49..a05def2c4 100755
--- a/src/etc/rc.configure_firmware
+++ b/src/etc/rc.configure_firmware
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ convert_config(true);
 system_firmware_configure(true);
 system_trust_configure(true);
 system_login_configure(true);
-system_syslogd_start(true, false, true);
+system_syslogd_start(true);
 
 /* flush user-facing caches */
 (new OPNsense\Core\ACL())->invalidateCache();
diff --git a/src/etc/rc.configure_plugins b/src/etc/rc.configure_plugins
index ea92c9f27..51d8d110b 100755
--- a/src/etc/rc.configure_plugins
+++ b/src/etc/rc.configure_plugins
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ $script = !empty($argv[1]) ? $argv[1] : 'POST_INSTALL';
 
 /* reload subsystem that may have changed */
 if ($script == 'POST_INSTALL') {
-    system_syslogd_start(true, false, true);
+    system_syslogd_start(true);
 }
 
 /* flush user-facing caches */
diff --git a/src/www/diag_logs_settings.php b/src/www/diag_logs_settings.php
index 6236b18e7..c88084a24 100644
--- a/src/www/diag_logs_settings.php
+++ b/src/www/diag_logs_settings.php
@@ -36,7 +36,9 @@ require_once("system.inc");
 
 function clear_all_log_files()
 {
-    $it = new RecursiveDirectoryIterator("/var/log");
+    system_syslogd_stop();
+
+    $it = new RecursiveDirectoryIterator('/var/log');
     foreach(new RecursiveIteratorIterator($it) as $file) {
         if ($file->isFile() && strpos($file->getFilename(), '.log') > -1) {
             if (strpos($file->getFilename(), 'flowd') === false) {
@@ -44,6 +46,7 @@ function clear_all_log_files()
             }
         }
     }
+
     system_syslogd_start();
     plugins_configure('dhcp');
 }
@@ -107,7 +110,7 @@ if ($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] === 'GET') {
 
             write_config();
 
-            system_syslogd_start(false, true);
+            system_syslogd_start();
 
             if (($oldnologdefaultblock !== isset($config['syslog']['nologdefaultblock']))
               || ($oldnologdefaultpass !== isset($config['syslog']['nologdefaultpass']))