diff --git a/plugin/index.ts b/plugin/index.ts
index eb2748e..310f788 100644
--- a/plugin/index.ts
+++ b/plugin/index.ts
@@ -10,17 +10,23 @@ import { startModeratorPresence, stopModeratorPresence } from "./moderator-prese
 let noReplyProcess: ChildProcess | null = null;
 
 function startNoReplyApi(logger: { info: (m: string) => void; warn: (m: string) => void }, pluginDir: string, port = 8787): void {
+  logger.info(`dirigent: startNoReplyApi called, pluginDir=${pluginDir}`);
+
   if (noReplyProcess) {
     logger.info("dirigent: no-reply API already running, skipping");
     return;
   }
 
   const serverPath = path.resolve(pluginDir, "..", "no-reply-api", "server.mjs");
+  logger.info(`dirigent: resolved serverPath=${serverPath}`);
+
   if (!fs.existsSync(serverPath)) {
     logger.warn(`dirigent: no-reply API server not found at ${serverPath}, skipping`);
     return;
   }
 
+  logger.info(`dirigent: no-reply API server found, spawning process...`);
+
   noReplyProcess = spawn(process.execPath, [serverPath], {
     env: { ...process.env, PORT: String(port) },
     stdio: ["ignore", "pipe", "pipe"],
@@ -512,12 +518,23 @@ export default {
 
     // Gateway lifecycle: start/stop no-reply API and moderator bot with the gateway
     api.on("gateway_start", () => {
+      api.logger.info(`dirigent: gateway_start event received, pluginDir=${pluginDir}`);
+
+      // Check no-reply-api server file exists
+      const serverPath = path.resolve(pluginDir, "..", "no-reply-api", "server.mjs");
+      api.logger.info(`dirigent: checking no-reply-api server at ${serverPath}, exists=${fs.existsSync(serverPath)}`);
+
       startNoReplyApi(api.logger, pluginDir);
 
       const live = getLivePluginConfig(api, baseConfig as DirigentConfig);
+      api.logger.info(`dirigent: config loaded, moderatorBotToken=${live.moderatorBotToken ? "[set]" : "[not set]"}`);
+
       if (live.moderatorBotToken) {
+        api.logger.info("dirigent: starting moderator bot presence...");
         startModeratorPresence(live.moderatorBotToken, api.logger);
-        api.logger.info("dirigent: moderator bot presence starting");
+        api.logger.info("dirigent: moderator bot presence started");
+      } else {
+        api.logger.info("dirigent: moderator bot not starting - no moderatorBotToken in config");
       }
     });