diff --git a/agent/src/main/java/com/appland/appmap/Agent.java b/agent/src/main/java/com/appland/appmap/Agent.java
index 6205216c..3de302b7 100644
--- a/agent/src/main/java/com/appland/appmap/Agent.java
+++ b/agent/src/main/java/com/appland/appmap/Agent.java
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 import java.util.jar.JarEntry;
 import java.util.jar.JarFile;
 
+import com.appland.appmap.util.Logger;
 import org.apache.commons.io.FilenameUtils;
 import org.apache.commons.io.IOUtils;
 import org.tinylog.TaggedLogger;
@@ -66,8 +67,10 @@ public static void premain(String agentArgs, Instrumentation inst) {
           "To disable the automatic creation of this log file, set the system property {} to 'true'",
           Properties.DISABLE_LOG_FILE_KEY);
     }
+    String implementationVersion = Agent.class.getPackage().getImplementationVersion();
+    Logger.printUserMessage("AppMap agent version %s starting\n", implementationVersion);
     logger.info("Agent version {}, current time mills: {}",
-        Agent.class.getPackage().getImplementationVersion(), start);
+            implementationVersion, start);
     logger.info("config: {}", AppMapConfig.get());
     logger.info("System properties: {}", System.getProperties());
     logger.debug(new Exception(), "whereAmI");
diff --git a/agent/src/main/java/com/appland/appmap/config/Properties.java b/agent/src/main/java/com/appland/appmap/config/Properties.java
index 5b8afb75..5c4c168e 100644
--- a/agent/src/main/java/com/appland/appmap/config/Properties.java
+++ b/agent/src/main/java/com/appland/appmap/config/Properties.java
@@ -9,6 +9,9 @@
 public class Properties {
   public static final String APPMAP_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY_KEY = "appmap.output.directory";
   public static final String DISABLE_LOG_FILE_KEY = "appmap.disableLogFile";
+
+  public static final Boolean Silent = resolveProperty("appmap.silent", false);
+
   public static final Boolean DisableLogFile = resolveProperty(DISABLE_LOG_FILE_KEY, true);
   public static final Boolean Debug = resolveProperty("appmap.debug", false);
   public static final Boolean DebugHooks = Debug || (System.getProperty("appmap.debug.hooks") != null);
diff --git a/agent/src/main/java/com/appland/appmap/record/Recording.java b/agent/src/main/java/com/appland/appmap/record/Recording.java
index 28256222..649b37d2 100644
--- a/agent/src/main/java/com/appland/appmap/record/Recording.java
+++ b/agent/src/main/java/com/appland/appmap/record/Recording.java
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.function.Function;
 
+import com.appland.appmap.util.Logger;
 import org.tinylog.TaggedLogger;
 
 import com.appland.appmap.config.AppMapConfig;
@@ -94,6 +95,7 @@ public Path moveTo(Path targetPath) {
             throw new RuntimeException(String.join(", ", errors));
         }
 
+        Logger.printUserMessage("AppMap recording saved to %s\n", targetPath.toAbsolutePath());
         return targetPath;
     }
 
diff --git a/agent/src/main/java/com/appland/appmap/util/Logger.java b/agent/src/main/java/com/appland/appmap/util/Logger.java
index 535a8b51..28ea3b5c 100644
--- a/agent/src/main/java/com/appland/appmap/util/Logger.java
+++ b/agent/src/main/java/com/appland/appmap/util/Logger.java
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package com.appland.appmap.util;
 
 import com.appland.appmap.config.AppMapConfig;
+import com.appland.appmap.config.Properties;
 
 public class Logger {
   private static final org.tinylog.TaggedLogger logger = AppMapConfig.getLogger(null);
@@ -25,4 +26,15 @@ public static void error(Throwable t) {
     println(t);
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Print a message on stderr unless the silent flag is set.
+   * @param format
+   * @param args
+   */
+  public static void printUserMessage(String format, Object... args) {
+    if (!Properties.Silent) {
+      System.err.printf(format, args);
+    }
+  }
+
 }
diff --git a/agent/test/classloading/classloading.bats b/agent/test/classloading/classloading.bats
index 7f9e517f..85bc3c82 100644
--- a/agent/test/classloading/classloading.bats
+++ b/agent/test/classloading/classloading.bats
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ setup_file() {
 }
 
 @test "Proxy" {
-  run \
+  run --separate-stderr \
     ./gradlew ${BATS_VERSION+-q} -PappmapJar="$AGENT_JAR" run --args "TestProxy"
   assert_success
   assert_json_eq ".events[0].defined_class" "com.appland.appmap.test.fixture.helloworld.HelloWorld"
diff --git a/agent/test/helper.bash b/agent/test/helper.bash
index a74a30f1..e11df0b5 100644
--- a/agent/test/helper.bash
+++ b/agent/test/helper.bash
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ _tests_helper() {
   if type -t bats_load_library &>/dev/null; then
     bats_load_library bats-support
     bats_load_library bats-assert
+    bats_require_minimum_version 1.5.0
   fi
 }
 
diff --git a/agent/test/http_client/httpclient/httpclient.bats b/agent/test/http_client/httpclient/httpclient.bats
index dfa0c546..e72d0372 100644
--- a/agent/test/http_client/httpclient/httpclient.bats
+++ b/agent/test/http_client/httpclient/httpclient.bats
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ setup_file() {
 }
 
 @test "request without query" {
-  run ./gradlew -q -PmainClass=httpclient.HttpClientTest run ${DEBUG} --args "${WS_URL}/vets"
+  run --separate-stderr ./gradlew -q -PmainClass=httpclient.HttpClientTest run ${DEBUG} --args "${WS_URL}/vets"
 
   assert_json_eq '.events[1].http_client_request.request_method' "GET"
   assert_json_eq '.events[1].http_client_request.url' "${WS_URL}/vets"
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ setup_file() {
 }
 
 @test "request with query" {
-  run ./gradlew -q -PmainClass=httpclient.HttpClientTest run ${DEBUG} --args "${WS_URL}/owners?lastName=davis"
+  run --separate-stderr ./gradlew -q -PmainClass=httpclient.HttpClientTest run ${DEBUG} --args "${WS_URL}/owners?lastName=davis"
 
   assert_json_eq '.events[1].http_client_request.url' "${WS_URL}/owners"
   assert_json_eq '.events[1].message | length' 1
@@ -30,14 +30,14 @@ setup_file() {
 }
 
 @test "request without Content-Type" {
-  run ./gradlew -q -PmainClass=httpclient.HttpClientTest run ${DEBUG} --args "${WS_URL}/no-content"
+  run --separate-stderr ./gradlew -q -PmainClass=httpclient.HttpClientTest run ${DEBUG} --args "${WS_URL}/no-content"
 
   assert_json_eq '.events[1].http_client_request.url' "${WS_URL}/no-content"
   assert_json_eq '.events[2].http_client_response.status' "200"
 }
 
 @test "request with HttpHost" {
-  run ./gradlew -q -PmainClass=httpclient.HttpHostTest run ${DEBUG} --args "${WS_HOST} ${WS_PORT} /owners?lastName=davis"
+  run --separate-stderr ./gradlew -q -PmainClass=httpclient.HttpHostTest run ${DEBUG} --args "${WS_HOST} ${WS_PORT} /owners?lastName=davis"
 
   assert_json_eq '.events[1].http_client_request.url' "${WS_URL}/owners"
   assert_json_eq '.events[1].message | length' 1
diff --git a/agent/test/petclinic/petclinic-tests.bats b/agent/test/petclinic/petclinic-tests.bats
index 0bd23257..bfa11557 100644
--- a/agent/test/petclinic/petclinic-tests.bats
+++ b/agent/test/petclinic/petclinic-tests.bats
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ run_petclinic_test() {
 
 @test "NoAppMap on method disables test recording" {
   run_petclinic_test "JUnit5Tests#testAnnotatedMethodNotRecorded"
-  assert_output 'passing annotated test, not recorded'
+  assert_output --partial 'passing annotated test, not recorded'
 
   run test \! -f ./tmp/appmap/junit/org_springframework_samples_petclinic_JUnit5Tests_testAnnotatedMethodNotRecorded.appmap.json
   assert_success
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ run_petclinic_test() {
 
 @test "NoAppMap on class disables test recording" {
   run_petclinic_test "JUnit5Tests\$TestClass#testAnnotatedClassNotRecorded"
-  assert_output "passing annotated class, not recorded"
+  assert_output --partial "passing annotated class, not recorded"
 
   run test \! -f ./tmp/appmap/junit/org_springframework_samples_petclinic_JUnit5Tests_testAnnotatedMethodNotRecorded.appmap.json
   assert_success