diff --git a/src/vs/base/parts/storage/node/storage.ts b/src/vs/base/parts/storage/node/storage.ts
index d6eca3ac03f00e63084299981a28d7e5379924ae..b99c08a358fa0625cba24067d08977a34acd8afb 100644
--- a/src/vs/base/parts/storage/node/storage.ts
+++ b/src/vs/base/parts/storage/node/storage.ts
@@ -412,11 +412,17 @@ export class SQLiteStorageDatabase implements IStorageDatabase {
 }
 
 class SQLiteStorageDatabaseLogger {
+
+	// to reduce lots of output, require an environment variable to enable tracing
+	// this helps when running with --verbose normally where the storage tracing
+	// might hide useful output to look at
+	static readonly VSCODE_TRACE_STORAGE = 'VSCODE_TRACE_STORAGE';
+
 	private readonly logTrace: ((msg: string) => void) | undefined;
 	private readonly logError: ((error: string | Error) => void) | undefined;
 
 	constructor(options?: ISQLiteStorageDatabaseLoggingOptions) {
-		if (options && typeof options.logTrace === 'function') {
+		if (options && typeof options.logTrace === 'function' && process.env[SQLiteStorageDatabaseLogger.VSCODE_TRACE_STORAGE]) {
 			this.logTrace = options.logTrace;
 		}
 
diff --git a/src/vs/code/electron-browser/sharedProcess/sharedProcessMain.ts b/src/vs/code/electron-browser/sharedProcess/sharedProcessMain.ts
index 345404e4499f2a2eec677f8e47500485fb91182b..3aa7cce16e8ed3bed3a27c9de761a40674d17fad 100644
--- a/src/vs/code/electron-browser/sharedProcess/sharedProcessMain.ts
+++ b/src/vs/code/electron-browser/sharedProcess/sharedProcessMain.ts
@@ -322,7 +322,7 @@ class SharedProcessMain extends Disposable {
 				return;
 			}
 
-			logService.error(message);
+			logService.error(`[uncaught exception in sharedProcess]: ${message}`);
 		});
 	}
 }
diff --git a/src/vs/code/electron-main/app.ts b/src/vs/code/electron-main/app.ts
index 9150c1da288fbf0702217d03e1f0919f227ee2c6..3f85072d57173d55b66639bb567dd749f7688ea2 100644
--- a/src/vs/code/electron-main/app.ts
+++ b/src/vs/code/electron-main/app.ts
@@ -149,19 +149,19 @@ export class CodeApplication extends Disposable {
 			event.preventDefault();
 		});
 		app.on('remote-get-global', (event, sender, module) => {
-			this.logService.trace(`App#on(remote-get-global): prevented on ${module}`);
+			this.logService.trace(`app#on(remote-get-global): prevented on ${module}`);
 
 			event.preventDefault();
 		});
 		app.on('remote-get-builtin', (event, sender, module) => {
-			this.logService.trace(`App#on(remote-get-builtin): prevented on ${module}`);
+			this.logService.trace(`app#on(remote-get-builtin): prevented on ${module}`);
 
 			if (module !== 'clipboard') {
 				event.preventDefault();
 			}
 		});
 		app.on('remote-get-current-window', event => {
-			this.logService.trace(`App#on(remote-get-current-window): prevented`);
+			this.logService.trace(`app#on(remote-get-current-window): prevented`);
 
 			event.preventDefault();
 		});
@@ -170,7 +170,7 @@ export class CodeApplication extends Disposable {
 				return; // the driver needs access to web contents
 			}
 
-			this.logService.trace(`App#on(remote-get-current-web-contents): prevented`);
+			this.logService.trace(`app#on(remote-get-current-web-contents): prevented`);
 
 			event.preventDefault();
 		});
@@ -921,8 +921,8 @@ export class CodeApplication extends Disposable {
 				const WindowsMutex = (require.__$__nodeRequire('windows-mutex') as typeof import('windows-mutex')).Mutex;
 				const mutex = new WindowsMutex(win32MutexName);
 				once(this.lifecycleMainService.onWillShutdown)(() => mutex.release());
-			} catch (e) {
-				this.logService.error(e);
+			} catch (error) {
+				this.logService.error(error);
 			}
 		}
 
diff --git a/src/vs/code/electron-main/sharedProcess.ts b/src/vs/code/electron-main/sharedProcess.ts
index f060b0ffdf5330a772a2a5aeabd0b34f72a356e4..812a4dd1e975bfb2deda57305cc37904222bf13a 100644
--- a/src/vs/code/electron-main/sharedProcess.ts
+++ b/src/vs/code/electron-main/sharedProcess.ts
@@ -202,9 +202,9 @@ export class SharedProcess extends Disposable implements ISharedProcess {
 		this.window.on('close', this.windowCloseListener);
 
 		// Crashes & Unrsponsive & Failed to load
-		this.window.webContents.on('render-process-gone', (event, details) => this.logService.error(`[VS Code]: sharedProcess crashed (detail: ${details?.reason})`));
-		this.window.on('unresponsive', () => this.logService.error('[VS Code]: detected unresponsive sharedProcess window'));
-		this.window.webContents.on('did-fail-load', (event, errorCode, errorDescription) => this.logService.warn('[VS Code]: fail to load sharedProcess window, ', errorDescription));
+		this.window.webContents.on('render-process-gone', (event, details) => this.logService.error(`SharedProcess: crashed (detail: ${details?.reason})`));
+		this.window.on('unresponsive', () => this.logService.error('SharedProcess: detected unresponsive window'));
+		this.window.webContents.on('did-fail-load', (event, errorCode, errorDescription) => this.logService.warn('SharedProcess: failed to load window, ', errorDescription));
 	}
 
 	spawn(userEnv: NodeJS.ProcessEnv): void {
diff --git a/src/vs/code/electron-main/window.ts b/src/vs/code/electron-main/window.ts
index ec9cdf004e746d9ce40c0e7b611fb6846008e937..eadfba7eb78db4465f480553708d9713cea87db3 100644
--- a/src/vs/code/electron-main/window.ts
+++ b/src/vs/code/electron-main/window.ts
@@ -413,7 +413,7 @@ export class CodeWindow extends Disposable implements ICodeWindow {
 		// Crashes & Unrsponsive & Failed to load
 		this._win.webContents.on('render-process-gone', (event, details) => this.onWindowError(WindowError.CRASHED, details));
 		this._win.on('unresponsive', () => this.onWindowError(WindowError.UNRESPONSIVE));
-		this._win.webContents.on('did-fail-load', (event, errorCode, errorDescription) => this.logService.warn('[VS Code]: fail to load workbench window, ', errorDescription));
+		this._win.webContents.on('did-fail-load', (event, errorCode, errorDescription) => this.logService.warn('Main: failed to load workbench window, ', errorDescription));
 
 		// Window close
 		this._win.on('closed', () => {
@@ -552,7 +552,7 @@ export class CodeWindow extends Disposable implements ICodeWindow {
 	private onWindowError(error: WindowError.UNRESPONSIVE): void;
 	private onWindowError(error: WindowError.CRASHED, details: RenderProcessGoneDetails): void;
 	private onWindowError(error: WindowError, details?: RenderProcessGoneDetails): void {
-		this.logService.error(error === WindowError.CRASHED ? `[VS Code]: renderer process crashed (detail: ${details?.reason})` : '[VS Code]: detected unresponsive');
+		this.logService.error(error === WindowError.CRASHED ? `Main: renderer process crashed (detail: ${details?.reason})` : 'Main: detected unresponsive');
 
 		// If we run extension tests from CLI, showing a dialog is not
 		// very helpful in this case. Rather, we bring down the test run
diff --git a/src/vs/code/node/cliProcessMain.ts b/src/vs/code/node/cliProcessMain.ts
index c935723ec65020f81aed4c513bb569c575945a0a..ee189f83229658867980d167ec942f4334babf8c 100644
--- a/src/vs/code/node/cliProcessMain.ts
+++ b/src/vs/code/node/cliProcessMain.ts
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ class CliMain extends Disposable {
 				return;
 			}
 
-			logService.error(message);
+			logService.error(`[uncaught exception in CLI]: ${message}`);
 		});
 	}