diff --git a/dnscrypt-proxy/example-dnscrypt-proxy.toml b/dnscrypt-proxy/example-dnscrypt-proxy.toml
index 15c7e385..7a36cacc 100644
--- a/dnscrypt-proxy/example-dnscrypt-proxy.toml
+++ b/dnscrypt-proxy/example-dnscrypt-proxy.toml
@@ -406,7 +406,7 @@ cache_neg_max_ttl = 600
 [query_log]
 
   ## Path to the query log file (absolute, or relative to the same directory as the config file)
-  ## On non-Windows systems, can be /dev/stdout to log to the standard output (also set log_files_max_size to 0)
+  ## Can be set to /dev/stdout in order to log to the standard output.
 
   # file = 'query.log'
 
diff --git a/dnscrypt-proxy/logger.go b/dnscrypt-proxy/logger.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..03e40d66
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dnscrypt-proxy/logger.go
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"io"
+	"os"
+
+	"github.com/jedisct1/dlog"
+	"gopkg.in/natefinch/lumberjack.v2"
+)
+
+func Logger(logMaxSize int, logMaxAge int, logMaxBackups int, fileName string) io.Writer {
+	if fileName == "/dev/stdout" {
+		return os.Stdout
+	}
+	if st, _ := os.Stat(fileName); st != nil && !st.Mode().IsRegular() {
+		if st.Mode().IsDir() {
+			dlog.Fatalf("[%v] is a directory", fileName)
+		}
+		fp, err := os.OpenFile(fileName, os.O_WRONLY|os.O_APPEND|os.O_CREATE, 0644)
+		if err != nil {
+			dlog.Fatalf("Unable to access [%v]: [%v]", fileName, err)
+		}
+		return fp
+	}
+	logger := &lumberjack.Logger{LocalTime: true, MaxSize: logMaxSize, MaxAge: logMaxAge, MaxBackups: logMaxBackups, Filename: fileName, Compress: true}
+
+	return logger
+}
diff --git a/dnscrypt-proxy/plugin_block_ip.go b/dnscrypt-proxy/plugin_block_ip.go
index b0e9239f..52b7f8f9 100644
--- a/dnscrypt-proxy/plugin_block_ip.go
+++ b/dnscrypt-proxy/plugin_block_ip.go
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@ import (
 	iradix "github.com/hashicorp/go-immutable-radix"
 	"github.com/jedisct1/dlog"
 	"github.com/miekg/dns"
-	"gopkg.in/natefinch/lumberjack.v2"
 )
 
 type PluginBlockIP struct {
@@ -72,7 +71,7 @@ func (plugin *PluginBlockIP) Init(proxy *Proxy) error {
 	if len(proxy.blockIPLogFile) == 0 {
 		return nil
 	}
-	plugin.logger = &lumberjack.Logger{LocalTime: true, MaxSize: proxy.logMaxSize, MaxAge: proxy.logMaxAge, MaxBackups: proxy.logMaxBackups, Filename: proxy.blockIPLogFile, Compress: true}
+	plugin.logger = Logger(proxy.logMaxSize, proxy.logMaxAge, proxy.logMaxBackups, proxy.blockIPLogFile)
 	plugin.format = proxy.blockIPFormat
 
 	return nil
diff --git a/dnscrypt-proxy/plugin_block_name.go b/dnscrypt-proxy/plugin_block_name.go
index fbfdc5d6..74dadc51 100644
--- a/dnscrypt-proxy/plugin_block_name.go
+++ b/dnscrypt-proxy/plugin_block_name.go
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/jedisct1/dlog"
 	"github.com/miekg/dns"
-	lumberjack "gopkg.in/natefinch/lumberjack.v2"
 )
 
 type BlockedNames struct {
@@ -126,7 +125,7 @@ func (plugin *PluginBlockName) Init(proxy *Proxy) error {
 	if len(proxy.blockNameLogFile) == 0 {
 		return nil
 	}
-	blockedNames.logger = &lumberjack.Logger{LocalTime: true, MaxSize: proxy.logMaxSize, MaxAge: proxy.logMaxAge, MaxBackups: proxy.logMaxBackups, Filename: proxy.blockNameLogFile, Compress: true}
+	blockedNames.logger = Logger(proxy.logMaxSize, proxy.logMaxAge, proxy.logMaxBackups, proxy.blockNameLogFile)
 	blockedNames.format = proxy.blockNameFormat
 
 	return nil
diff --git a/dnscrypt-proxy/plugin_nx_log.go b/dnscrypt-proxy/plugin_nx_log.go
index 440a7453..fce62a68 100644
--- a/dnscrypt-proxy/plugin_nx_log.go
+++ b/dnscrypt-proxy/plugin_nx_log.go
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/jedisct1/dlog"
 	"github.com/miekg/dns"
-	lumberjack "gopkg.in/natefinch/lumberjack.v2"
 )
 
 type PluginNxLog struct {
@@ -26,7 +25,7 @@ func (plugin *PluginNxLog) Description() string {
 }
 
 func (plugin *PluginNxLog) Init(proxy *Proxy) error {
-	plugin.logger = &lumberjack.Logger{LocalTime: true, MaxSize: proxy.logMaxSize, MaxAge: proxy.logMaxAge, MaxBackups: proxy.logMaxBackups, Filename: proxy.nxLogFile, Compress: true}
+	plugin.logger = Logger(proxy.logMaxSize, proxy.logMaxAge, proxy.logMaxBackups, proxy.nxLogFile)
 	plugin.format = proxy.nxLogFormat
 
 	return nil
diff --git a/dnscrypt-proxy/plugin_query_log.go b/dnscrypt-proxy/plugin_query_log.go
index d32812f3..5a806647 100644
--- a/dnscrypt-proxy/plugin_query_log.go
+++ b/dnscrypt-proxy/plugin_query_log.go
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/jedisct1/dlog"
 	"github.com/miekg/dns"
-	lumberjack "gopkg.in/natefinch/lumberjack.v2"
 )
 
 type PluginQueryLog struct {
@@ -28,7 +27,7 @@ func (plugin *PluginQueryLog) Description() string {
 }
 
 func (plugin *PluginQueryLog) Init(proxy *Proxy) error {
-	plugin.logger = &lumberjack.Logger{LocalTime: true, MaxSize: proxy.logMaxSize, MaxAge: proxy.logMaxAge, MaxBackups: proxy.logMaxBackups, Filename: proxy.queryLogFile, Compress: true}
+	plugin.logger = Logger(proxy.logMaxSize, proxy.logMaxAge, proxy.logMaxBackups, proxy.queryLogFile)
 	plugin.format = proxy.queryLogFormat
 	plugin.ignoredQtypes = proxy.queryLogIgnoredQtypes
 
diff --git a/dnscrypt-proxy/plugin_whitelist_name.go b/dnscrypt-proxy/plugin_whitelist_name.go
index c33f3f20..c086b2f1 100644
--- a/dnscrypt-proxy/plugin_whitelist_name.go
+++ b/dnscrypt-proxy/plugin_whitelist_name.go
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/jedisct1/dlog"
 	"github.com/miekg/dns"
-	lumberjack "gopkg.in/natefinch/lumberjack.v2"
 )
 
 type PluginWhitelistName struct {
@@ -68,7 +67,7 @@ func (plugin *PluginWhitelistName) Init(proxy *Proxy) error {
 	if len(proxy.whitelistNameLogFile) == 0 {
 		return nil
 	}
-	plugin.logger = &lumberjack.Logger{LocalTime: true, MaxSize: proxy.logMaxSize, MaxAge: proxy.logMaxAge, MaxBackups: proxy.logMaxBackups, Filename: proxy.whitelistNameLogFile, Compress: true}
+	plugin.logger = Logger(proxy.logMaxSize, proxy.logMaxAge, proxy.logMaxBackups, proxy.whitelistNameLogFile)
 	plugin.format = proxy.whitelistNameFormat
 
 	return nil