diff --git a/mantle/cmd/kola/qemuexec.go b/mantle/cmd/kola/qemuexec.go
index bf48552a46..3f151107b9 100644
--- a/mantle/cmd/kola/qemuexec.go
+++ b/mantle/cmd/kola/qemuexec.go
@@ -61,6 +61,8 @@ var (
 
 	devshell        bool
 	devshellConsole bool
+
+	consoleFile string
 )
 
 func init() {
@@ -81,6 +83,7 @@ func init() {
 	cmdQemuExec.Flags().StringArrayVar(&bindrw, "bind-rw", nil, "Same as above, but writable")
 	cmdQemuExec.Flags().BoolVarP(&forceConfigInjection, "inject-ignition", "", false, "Force injecting Ignition config using guestfs")
 	cmdQemuExec.Flags().BoolVar(&propagateInitramfsFailure, "propagate-initramfs-failure", false, "Error out if the system fails in the initramfs")
+	cmdQemuExec.Flags().StringVarP(&consoleFile, "console-to-file", "", "", "Filepath in which to save serial console logs")
 
 }
 
@@ -114,6 +117,10 @@ func runQemuExec(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 
 	if devshellConsole {
 		devshell = true
+
+		if consoleFile != "" {
+			return fmt.Errorf("Cannot use console devshell and --console-to-file")
+		}
 	}
 	if devshell {
 		if directIgnition {
@@ -244,6 +251,7 @@ func runQemuExec(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 		builder.EnableUsermodeNetworking(h)
 	}
 	builder.InheritConsole = true
+	builder.ConsoleFile = consoleFile
 	builder.Append(args...)
 
 	if devshell && !devshellConsole {
diff --git a/mantle/cmd/kola/testiso.go b/mantle/cmd/kola/testiso.go
index dd62d57c30..d5eda68aa3 100644
--- a/mantle/cmd/kola/testiso.go
+++ b/mantle/cmd/kola/testiso.go
@@ -185,7 +185,7 @@ func newQemuBuilder(outdir string) (*platform.QemuBuilder, *conf.Conf, error) {
 	}
 
 	if !builder.InheritConsole {
-		builder.ConsoleToFile(filepath.Join(outdir, "console.txt"))
+		builder.ConsoleFile = filepath.Join(outdir, "console.txt")
 	}
 	config, err := conf.EmptyIgnition().Render(kola.IsIgnitionV2())
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/mantle/platform/machine/qemuiso/cluster.go b/mantle/platform/machine/qemuiso/cluster.go
index 94ec8860b5..9389473873 100644
--- a/mantle/platform/machine/qemuiso/cluster.go
+++ b/mantle/platform/machine/qemuiso/cluster.go
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ func (qc *Cluster) NewMachineWithQemuOptions(userdata *conf.UserData, options pl
 		builder.Firmware = qc.flight.opts.Firmware
 	}
 	builder.Hostname = fmt.Sprintf("qemu%d", qc.BaseCluster.AllocateMachineSerial())
-	builder.ConsoleToFile(qm.consolePath)
+	builder.ConsoleFile = qm.consolePath
 
 	if qc.flight.opts.Memory != "" {
 		memory, err := strconv.ParseInt(qc.flight.opts.Memory, 10, 32)
diff --git a/mantle/platform/machine/unprivqemu/cluster.go b/mantle/platform/machine/unprivqemu/cluster.go
index 723a36ae0a..40beeaa3b7 100644
--- a/mantle/platform/machine/unprivqemu/cluster.go
+++ b/mantle/platform/machine/unprivqemu/cluster.go
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ func (qc *Cluster) NewMachineWithQemuOptions(userdata *conf.UserData, options pl
 	builder.Firmware = qc.flight.opts.Firmware
 	builder.Swtpm = qc.flight.opts.Swtpm
 	builder.Hostname = fmt.Sprintf("qemu%d", qc.BaseCluster.AllocateMachineSerial())
-	builder.ConsoleToFile(qm.consolePath)
+	builder.ConsoleFile = qm.consolePath
 
 	if qc.flight.opts.Memory != "" {
 		memory, err := strconv.ParseInt(qc.flight.opts.Memory, 10, 32)
diff --git a/mantle/platform/qemu.go b/mantle/platform/qemu.go
index 31ed7354f6..354a7b8110 100644
--- a/mantle/platform/qemu.go
+++ b/mantle/platform/qemu.go
@@ -303,6 +303,9 @@ type QemuBuilder struct {
 	ForceConfigInjection bool
 	configInjected       bool
 
+	// File to which to redirect the serial console
+	ConsoleFile string
+
 	// Memory defaults to 1024 on most architectures, others it may be 2048
 	Memory int
 	// Processors < 0 means to use host count, unset means 1, values > 1 are directly used
@@ -436,11 +439,6 @@ func virtio(device, args string) string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("virtio-%s-%s,%s", device, suffix, args)
 }
 
-// ConsoleToFile configures the instance to have a serial console, logging to `path`.
-func (builder *QemuBuilder) ConsoleToFile(path string) {
-	builder.Append("-display", "none", "-chardev", "file,id=log,path="+path, "-serial", "chardev:log")
-}
-
 // EnableUsermodeNetworking configure forwarding for all requested ports,
 // via usermode network helpers.
 func (builder *QemuBuilder) EnableUsermodeNetworking(h []HostForwardPort) {
@@ -1307,6 +1305,12 @@ func (builder *QemuBuilder) Exec() (*QemuInstance, error) {
 		fdnum++
 	}
 
+	if builder.ConsoleFile != "" {
+		builder.Append("-display", "none", "-chardev", "file,id=log,path="+builder.ConsoleFile, "-serial", "chardev:log")
+	} else {
+		builder.Append("-serial", "mon:stdio")
+	}
+
 	// And the custom arguments
 	argv = append(argv, builder.Argv...)
 
diff --git a/src/cmdlib.sh b/src/cmdlib.sh
index c264f9c3d6..c73eefcb38 100755
--- a/src/cmdlib.sh
+++ b/src/cmdlib.sh
@@ -500,7 +500,8 @@ EOF
     echo "$@" > "${tmp_builddir}"/cmd.sh
 
     touch "${runvm_console}"
-    kola_args=(kola qemuexec -m 2048 --auto-cpus -U --workdir none)
+    kola_args=(kola qemuexec -m 2048 --auto-cpus -U --workdir none \
+               --console-to-file "${runvm_console}")
     base_qemu_args=(-drive 'if=none,id=root,format=raw,snapshot=on,file='"${vmbuilddir}"'/root,index=1' \
                     -device 'virtio-blk,drive=root'
                     -kernel "${vmbuilddir}/kernel" -initrd "${vmbuilddir}/initrd" \
@@ -518,7 +519,6 @@ EOF
 
     if [ -z "${RUNVM_SHELL:-}" ]; then
         if ! "${kola_args[@]}" -- "${base_qemu_args[@]}" \
-            -serial file:"${runvm_console}" \
             -device virtserialport,chardev=virtioserial0,name=cosa-cmdout \
             -chardev stdio,id=virtioserial0 \
             "${qemu_args[@]}" <&-; then # the <&- here closes stdin otherwise qemu waits forever