diff --git a/depends/Makefile b/depends/Makefile
--- a/depends/Makefile
+++ b/depends/Makefile
@@ -209,7 +209,7 @@
 	@rm -rf $(SOURCES_PATH) x86_64* i686* arm* aarch64*
 
 clean:
-	@rm -rf $(WORK_PATH) $(BASE_CACHE) $(BUILD)
+	@rm -rf $(WORK_PATH) $(BASE_CACHE) $(BUILD) *.log
 
 install: check-packages $(host_prefix)/.stamp_$(final_build_id)
 
diff --git a/depends/README.md b/depends/README.md
--- a/depends/README.md
+++ b/depends/README.md
@@ -100,7 +100,10 @@
 - `JOBS`: Number of jobs to use for each package build
 - `FORCE_USE_SYSTEM_CLANG`: (EXPERTS ONLY) When cross-compiling for macOS, use Clang found in the
   system's `$PATH` rather than the default prebuilt release of Clang
-  from llvm.org. Clang 8 or later is required.
+  from llvm.org. Clang 8 or later is required
+- `LOG`: Use file-based logging for individual packages. During a package build its log file
+  resides in the `depends` directory, and the log file is printed out automatically in case
+  of build error. After successful build log files are moved along with package archives
 
 If some packages are not built, for example by building the depends with
 `make NO_WALLET=1`, the appropriate options should be set when building Bitcoin
diff --git a/depends/funcs.mk b/depends/funcs.mk
--- a/depends/funcs.mk
+++ b/depends/funcs.mk
@@ -67,6 +67,7 @@
 $(1)_patch_dir:=$(base_build_dir)/$(host)/$(1)/$($(1)_version)-$($(1)_build_id)/.patches-$($(1)_build_id)
 $(1)_prefixbin:=$($($(1)_type)_prefix)/bin/
 $(1)_cached:=$(BASE_CACHE)/$(host)/$(1)/$(1)-$($(1)_version)-$($(1)_build_id).tar.gz
+$(1)_build_log:=$(BASEDIR)/$(1)-$($(1)_version)-$($(1)_build_id).log
 $(1)_all_sources=$($(1)_file_name) $($(1)_extra_sources)
 
 #stamps
@@ -85,7 +86,7 @@
 # The default behavior for tar will try to set ownership when running as uid 0 and may not succeed, --no-same-owner disables this behavior
 $(1)_fetch_cmds ?= $(call fetch_file,$(1),$(subst \:,:,$$($(1)_download_path_fixed)),$$($(1)_download_file),$($(1)_file_name),$($(1)_sha256_hash))
 $(1)_extract_cmds ?= mkdir -p $$($(1)_extract_dir) && echo "$$($(1)_sha256_hash)  $$($(1)_source)" > $$($(1)_extract_dir)/.$$($(1)_file_name).hash &&  $(build_SHA256SUM) -c $$($(1)_extract_dir)/.$$($(1)_file_name).hash && tar --no-same-owner --strip-components=1 -xf $$($(1)_source)
-$(1)_preprocess_cmds ?=
+$(1)_preprocess_cmds ?= true
 $(1)_build_cmds ?=
 $(1)_config_cmds ?=
 $(1)_stage_cmds ?=
@@ -182,6 +183,10 @@
 endef
 
 define int_add_cmds
+ifneq ($(LOG),)
+$(1)_logging = >>$$($(1)_build_log) 2>&1 || { if test -f $$($(1)_build_log); then cat $$($(1)_build_log); fi; exit 1; }
+endif
+
 $($(1)_fetched):
 	mkdir -p $$(@D) $(SOURCES_PATH)
 	rm -f $$@
@@ -198,23 +203,23 @@
 	echo Preprocessing $(1)...
 	mkdir -p $$(@D) $($(1)_patch_dir)
 	$(foreach patch,$($(1)_patches),cd $(PATCHES_PATH)/$(1); cp $(patch) $($(1)_patch_dir) ;)
-	cd $$(@D); $($(1)_preprocess_cmds)
+	{ cd $$(@D); $($(1)_preprocess_cmds); } $$($(1)_logging)
 	touch $$@
 $($(1)_configured): | $($(1)_dependencies) $($(1)_preprocessed)
 	echo Configuring $(1)...
 	rm -rf $(host_prefix); mkdir -p $(host_prefix)/lib; cd $(host_prefix); $(foreach package,$($(1)_all_dependencies), tar --no-same-owner -xf $($(package)_cached); )
 	mkdir -p $$(@D)
-	+cd $$(@D); $($(1)_config_env) $($(1)_config_cmds)
+	+{ cd $$(@D); $($(1)_config_env) $($(1)_config_cmds); } $$($(1)_logging)
 	touch $$@
 $($(1)_built): | $($(1)_configured)
 	echo Building $(1)...
 	mkdir -p $$(@D)
-	+cd $$(@D); $($(1)_build_env) $($(1)_build_cmds)
+	+{ cd $$(@D); $($(1)_build_env) $($(1)_build_cmds); } $$($(1)_logging)
 	touch $$@
 $($(1)_staged): | $($(1)_built)
 	echo Staging $(1)...
 	mkdir -p $($(1)_staging_dir)/$(host_prefix)
-	cd $($(1)_build_dir); $($(1)_stage_env) $($(1)_stage_cmds)
+	+{ cd $($(1)_build_dir); $($(1)_stage_env) $($(1)_stage_cmds); } $$($(1)_logging)
 	rm -rf $($(1)_extract_dir)
 	touch $$@
 $($(1)_postprocessed): | $($(1)_staged)
@@ -228,6 +233,7 @@
 	rm -rf $$(@D) && mkdir -p $$(@D)
 	mv $$($(1)_staging_dir)/$$(@F) $$(@)
 	rm -rf $($(1)_staging_dir)
+	if test -f $($(1)_build_log); then mv $($(1)_build_log) $$(@D); fi
 $($(1)_cached_checksum): $($(1)_cached)
 	cd $$(@D); $(build_SHA256SUM) $$(<F) > $$(@)