diff --git a/src/activitypub/actors.js b/src/activitypub/actors.js
index fab22475c3..b6288e4a11 100644
--- a/src/activitypub/actors.js
+++ b/src/activitypub/actors.js
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ Actors.assert = async (ids, options = {}) => {
 		return true;
 	}
 
-	// winston.verbose(`[activitypub/actors] Asserting ${ids.length} actor(s)`);
+	activitypub.helpers.log(`[activitypub/actors] Asserting ${ids.length} actor(s)`);
 
 	// NOTE: MAKE SURE EVERY DB ADDITION HAS A CORRESPONDING REMOVAL IN ACTORS.REMOVE!
 
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ Actors.assert = async (ids, options = {}) => {
 	const pubKeysMap = new Map();
 	let actors = await Promise.all(ids.map(async (id) => {
 		try {
-			// winston.verbose(`[activitypub/actors] Processing ${id}`);
+			activitypub.helpers.log(`[activitypub/actors] Processing ${id}`);
 			const actor = (typeof id === 'object' && id.hasOwnProperty('id')) ? id : await activitypub.get('uid', 0, id, { cache: process.env.CI === 'true' });
 			if (
 				!activitypub._constants.acceptableActorTypes.has(actor.type) ||
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ Actors.assert = async (ids, options = {}) => {
 				actor.followingCount = following.totalItems;
 			} catch (e) {
 				// no action required
-				// winston.verbose(`[activitypub/actor.assert] Unable to retrieve follower counts for ${actor.id}`);
+				activitypub.helpers.log(`[activitypub/actor.assert] Unable to retrieve follower counts for ${actor.id}`);
 			}
 
 			// Save url for backreference
diff --git a/src/activitypub/helpers.js b/src/activitypub/helpers.js
index b54366fa4c..d2539cfee4 100644
--- a/src/activitypub/helpers.js
+++ b/src/activitypub/helpers.js
@@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
 'use strict';
 
 const { generateKeyPairSync } = require('crypto');
+const process = require('process');
 const nconf = require('nconf');
+const winston = require('winston');
 const validator = require('validator');
 const cheerio = require('cheerio');
 const crypto = require('crypto');
@@ -25,6 +27,12 @@ const sha256 = payload => crypto.createHash('sha256').update(payload).digest('he
 
 const Helpers = module.exports;
 
+Helpers.log = (message) => {
+	if (process.env.NODE_ENV === 'development') {
+		winston.verbose(message);
+	}
+};
+
 Helpers.isUri = (value) => {
 	if (typeof value !== 'string') {
 		value = String(value);
@@ -106,7 +114,7 @@ Helpers.query = async (id) => {
 };
 
 Helpers.generateKeys = async (type, id) => {
-	// winston.verbose(`[activitypub] Generating RSA key-pair for ${type} ${id}`);
+	activitypub.helpers.log(`[activitypub] Generating RSA key-pair for ${type} ${id}`);
 	const {
 		publicKey,
 		privateKey,
diff --git a/src/activitypub/inbox.js b/src/activitypub/inbox.js
index da75f23627..708ed12ebc 100644
--- a/src/activitypub/inbox.js
+++ b/src/activitypub/inbox.js
@@ -182,7 +182,7 @@ inbox.delete = async (req) => {
 		// }
 
 		default: {
-			// winston.verbose(`[activitypub/inbox.delete] Object (${object}) does not exist locally. Doing nothing.`);
+			activitypub.helpers.log(`[activitypub/inbox.delete] Object (${object}) does not exist locally. Doing nothing.`);
 			break;
 		}
 	}
@@ -479,9 +479,7 @@ inbox.undo = async (req) => {
 			id = id || object.object; // remote announces
 			const exists = await posts.exists(id);
 			if (!exists) {
-				// winston.verbose(
-				// `[activitypub/inbox/undo] Attempted to undo announce of ${id} but couldn't find it, so doing nothing.
-				// `);
+				activitypub.helpers.log(`[activitypub/inbox/undo] Attempted to undo announce of ${id} but couldn't find it, so doing nothing.`);
 				break;
 			}
 
diff --git a/src/activitypub/index.js b/src/activitypub/index.js
index c378a2d9f9..37fb50d3b6 100644
--- a/src/activitypub/index.js
+++ b/src/activitypub/index.js
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ ActivityPub.actors = require('./actors');
 ActivityPub.instances = require('./instances');
 
 ActivityPub.startJobs = () => {
-	// winston.verbose('[activitypub/jobs] Registering jobs.');
+	ActivityPub.helpers.log('[activitypub/jobs] Registering jobs.');
 	new CronJob('0 0 * * *', async () => {
 		try {
 			await ActivityPub.notes.prune();
@@ -188,9 +188,9 @@ ActivityPub.sign = async ({ key, keyId }, url, payload) => {
 };
 
 ActivityPub.verify = async (req) => {
-	// winston.verbose('[activitypub/verify] Starting signature verification...');
+	ActivityPub.helpers.log('[activitypub/verify] Starting signature verification...');
 	if (!req.headers.hasOwnProperty('signature')) {
-		// winston.verbose('[activitypub/verify]   Failed, no signature header.');
+		ActivityPub.helpers.log('[activitypub/verify]   Failed, no signature header.');
 		return false;
 	}
 
@@ -238,17 +238,17 @@ ActivityPub.verify = async (req) => {
 	// Verify the signature string via public key
 	try {
 		// Retrieve public key from remote instance
-		// winston.verbose(`[activitypub/verify] Retrieving pubkey for ${keyId}`);
+		ActivityPub.helpers.log(`[activitypub/verify] Retrieving pubkey for ${keyId}`);
 		const { publicKeyPem } = await ActivityPub.fetchPublicKey(keyId);
 
 		const verify = createVerify('sha256');
 		verify.update(signed_string);
 		verify.end();
-		// winston.verbose('[activitypub/verify] Attempting signed string verification');
+		ActivityPub.helpers.log('[activitypub/verify] Attempting signed string verification');
 		const verified = verify.verify(publicKeyPem, signature, 'base64');
 		return verified;
 	} catch (e) {
-		// winston.verbose('[activitypub/verify]   Failed, key retrieval or verification failure.');
+		ActivityPub.helpers.log('[activitypub/verify]   Failed, key retrieval or verification failure.');
 		return false;
 	}
 };
@@ -266,7 +266,7 @@ ActivityPub.get = async (type, id, uri, options) => {
 
 	const keyData = await ActivityPub.getPrivateKey(type, id);
 	const headers = id >= 0 ? await ActivityPub.sign(keyData, uri) : {};
-	// winston.verbose(`[activitypub/get] ${uri}`);
+	ActivityPub.helpers.log(`[activitypub/get] ${uri}`);
 	try {
 		const { response, body } = await request.get(uri, {
 			headers: {
@@ -313,7 +313,7 @@ pubsub.on(`activitypub-retry-queue:lruCache:del`, (keys) => {
 async function sendMessage(uri, id, type, payload, attempts = 1) {
 	const keyData = await ActivityPub.getPrivateKey(type, id);
 	const headers = await ActivityPub.sign(keyData, uri, payload);
-	// winston.verbose(`[activitypub/send] ${uri}`);
+	ActivityPub.helpers.log(`[activitypub/send] ${uri}`);
 	try {
 		const { response, body } = await request.post(uri, {
 			headers: {
@@ -324,7 +324,7 @@ async function sendMessage(uri, id, type, payload, attempts = 1) {
 		});
 
 		if (String(response.statusCode).startsWith('2')) {
-			// winston.verbose(`[activitypub/send] Successfully sent ${payload.type} to ${uri}`);
+			ActivityPub.helpers.log(`[activitypub/send] Successfully sent ${payload.type} to ${uri}`);
 		} else {
 			throw new Error(String(body));
 		}
@@ -337,7 +337,7 @@ async function sendMessage(uri, id, type, payload, attempts = 1) {
 			const timeoutId = setTimeout(() => sendMessage(uri, id, type, payload, attempts + 1), timeout);
 			ActivityPub.retryQueue.set(queueId, timeoutId);
 
-			// winston.verbose(`[activitypub/send] Added ${payload.type} to ${uri} to retry queue for ${timeout}ms`);
+			ActivityPub.helpers.log(`[activitypub/send] Added ${payload.type} to ${uri} to retry queue for ${timeout}ms`);
 		} else {
 			winston.warn(`[activitypub/send] Max attempts reached for ${payload.type} to ${uri}; giving up on sending`);
 		}
diff --git a/src/activitypub/notes.js b/src/activitypub/notes.js
index 5841d68d0f..7506c43f2e 100644
--- a/src/activitypub/notes.js
+++ b/src/activitypub/notes.js
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ Notes.assert = async (uid, input, options = { skipChecks: false }) => {
 	members.unshift(await posts.exists(mainPid));
 	if (tid && members.every(Boolean)) {
 		// All cached, return early.
-		// winston.verbose('[notes/assert] No new notes to process.');
+		activitypub.helpers.log('[notes/assert] No new notes to process.');
 		unlock(id);
 		return { tid, count: 0 };
 	}
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ Notes.assert = async (uid, input, options = { skipChecks: false }) => {
 		return post;
 	}).filter((p, idx) => !members[idx]);
 	const count = unprocessed.length;
-	// winston.verbose(`[notes/assert] ${count} new note(s) found.`);
+	activitypub.helpers.log(`[notes/assert] ${count} new note(s) found.`);
 
 	let tags;
 	if (!hasTid) {
@@ -399,7 +399,7 @@ Notes.syncUserInboxes = async function (tid, uid) {
 		.filter(uid => !uids.has(parseInt(uid, 10)))
 		.map((uid => `uid:${uid}:inbox`));
 
-	// winston.verbose(`[activitypub/syncUserInboxes] Syncing tid ${tid} with ${uids.size} inboxes`);
+	activitypub.helpers.log(`[activitypub/syncUserInboxes] Syncing tid ${tid} with ${uids.size} inboxes`);
 	await Promise.all([
 		db.sortedSetsRemove(removeKeys, tid),
 		db.sortedSetsAdd(keys, keys.map(() => score || Date.now()), tid),
diff --git a/src/api/activitypub.js b/src/api/activitypub.js
index a303a80e04..7443ba2653 100644
--- a/src/api/activitypub.js
+++ b/src/api/activitypub.js
@@ -177,7 +177,7 @@ activitypubApi.create.note = enabledCheck(async (caller, { pid, post }) => {
 
 	const allowed = await privileges.posts.can('topics:read', pid, activitypub._constants.uid);
 	if (!allowed) {
-		// winston.verbose(`[activitypub/api] Not federating creation of pid ${pid} to the fediverse due to privileges.`);
+		activitypub.helpers.log(`[activitypub/api] Not federating creation of pid ${pid} to the fediverse due to privileges.`);
 		return;
 	}
 
@@ -272,9 +272,7 @@ activitypubApi.update.note = enabledCheck(async (caller, { post }) => {
 
 	const allowed = await privileges.posts.can('topics:read', post.pid, activitypub._constants.uid);
 	if (!allowed) {
-		// winston.verbose(
-		// `[activitypub/api] Not federating update of pid ${post.pid} to the fediverse due to privileges.`
-		// );
+		activitypub.helpers.log(`[activitypub/api] Not federating update of pid ${post.pid} to the fediverse due to privileges.`);
 		return;
 	}
 
@@ -321,7 +319,7 @@ activitypubApi.delete.note = enabledCheck(async (caller, { pid }) => {
 
 	const allowed = await privileges.posts.can('topics:read', pid, activitypub._constants.uid);
 	if (!allowed) {
-		// winston.verbose(`[activitypub/api] Not federating update of pid ${pid} to the fediverse due to privileges.`);
+		activitypub.helpers.log(`[activitypub/api] Not federating update of pid ${pid} to the fediverse due to privileges.`);
 		return;
 	}
 
@@ -369,7 +367,7 @@ activitypubApi.announce.note = enabledCheck(async (caller, { tid }) => {
 	const uid = await posts.getPostField(pid, 'uid'); // author
 	const allowed = await privileges.posts.can('topics:read', pid, activitypub._constants.uid);
 	if (!allowed) {
-		// winston.verbose(`[activitypub/api] Not federating announce of pid ${pid} to the fediverse due to privileges.`);
+		activitypub.helpers.log(`[activitypub/api] Not federating announce of pid ${pid} to the fediverse due to privileges.`);
 		return;
 	}
 
diff --git a/src/middleware/activitypub.js b/src/middleware/activitypub.js
index a8812ef06c..f7183f6f36 100644
--- a/src/middleware/activitypub.js
+++ b/src/middleware/activitypub.js
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ middleware.verify = async function (req, res, next) {
 
 	const verified = await activitypub.verify(req);
 	if (!verified && req.method === 'POST') {
-		// winston.verbose('[middleware/activitypub] HTTP signature verification failed.');
+		activitypub.helpers.log('[middleware/activitypub] HTTP signature verification failed.');
 		return res.sendStatus(400);
 	}
 
@@ -49,26 +49,26 @@ middleware.verify = async function (req, res, next) {
 		}
 	}
 
-	// winston.verbose('[middleware/activitypub] HTTP signature verification passed.');
+	activitypub.helpers.log('[middleware/activitypub] HTTP signature verification passed.');
 	next();
 };
 
 middleware.assertPayload = async function (req, res, next) {
 	// Checks the validity of the incoming payload against the sender and rejects on failure
-	// winston.verbose('[middleware/activitypub] Validating incoming payload...');
+	activitypub.helpers.log('[middleware/activitypub] Validating incoming payload...');
 
 	// Sanity-check payload schema
 	const required = ['id', 'type', 'actor', 'object'];
 	if (!required.every(prop => req.body.hasOwnProperty(prop))) {
-		// winston.verbose('[middleware/activitypub] Request body missing required properties.');
+		activitypub.helpers.log('[middleware/activitypub] Request body missing required properties.');
 		return res.sendStatus(400);
 	}
-	// winston.verbose('[middleware/activitypub] Request body check passed.');
+	activitypub.helpers.log('[middleware/activitypub] Request body check passed.');
 
 	// History check
 	const seen = await db.isSortedSetMember('activities:datetime', req.body.id);
 	if (seen) {
-		// winston.verbose(`[middleware/activitypub] Activity already seen, ignoring (${req.body.id}).`);
+		activitypub.helpers.log(`[middleware/activitypub] Activity already seen, ignoring (${req.body.id}).`);
 		return res.sendStatus(200);
 	}
 
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ middleware.assertPayload = async function (req, res, next) {
 	const { hostname } = new URL(actor);
 	const allowed = await activitypub.instances.isAllowed(hostname);
 	if (!allowed) {
-		// winston.verbose(`[middleware/activitypub] Blocked incoming activity from ${hostname}.`);
+		activitypub.helpers.log(`[middleware/activitypub] Blocked incoming activity from ${hostname}.`);
 		return res.sendStatus(403);
 	}
 	await db.sortedSetAdd('instances:lastSeen', Date.now(), hostname);
@@ -99,10 +99,10 @@ middleware.assertPayload = async function (req, res, next) {
 		const objectHostname = new URL(object.id).hostname;
 		// require that all actors have the same hostname as the object for now
 		if (!actorHostnames.every(actorHostname => actorHostname === objectHostname)) {
-			// winston.verbose('[middleware/activitypub] Origin check failed, stripping object down to id.');
+			activitypub.helpers.log('[middleware/activitypub] Origin check failed, stripping object down to id.');
 			req.body.object = [object.id];
 		}
-		// winston.verbose('[middleware/activitypub] Origin check passed.');
+		activitypub.helpers.log('[middleware/activitypub] Origin check passed.');
 	}
 
 	// Cross-check key ownership against received actor
@@ -114,10 +114,10 @@ middleware.assertPayload = async function (req, res, next) {
 		return [v.substring(0, index), v.slice(index + 1)];
 	})).get('keyId');
 	if (`"${compare}"` !== keyId) {
-		// winston.verbose('[middleware/activitypub] Key ownership cross-check failed.');
+		activitypub.helpers.log('[middleware/activitypub] Key ownership cross-check failed.');
 		return res.sendStatus(403);
 	}
-	// winston.verbose('[middleware/activitypub] Key ownership cross-check passed.');
+	activitypub.helpers.log('[middleware/activitypub] Key ownership cross-check passed.');
 
 	next();
 };
@@ -125,12 +125,12 @@ middleware.assertPayload = async function (req, res, next) {
 middleware.resolveObjects = async function (req, res, next) {
 	const { type, object } = req.body;
 	if (type !== 'Delete' && (typeof object === 'string' || (Array.isArray(object) && object.every(o => typeof o === 'string')))) {
-		// winston.verbose('[middleware/activitypub] Resolving object(s)...');
+		activitypub.helpers.log('[middleware/activitypub] Resolving object(s)...');
 		try {
 			req.body.object = await activitypub.helpers.resolveObjects(object);
-			// winston.verbose('[middleware/activitypub] Object(s) successfully resolved.');
+			activitypub.helpers.log('[middleware/activitypub] Object(s) successfully resolved.');
 		} catch (e) {
-			// winston.verbose('[middleware/activitypub] Failed to resolve object(s).');
+			activitypub.helpers.log('[middleware/activitypub] Failed to resolve object(s).');
 			return res.sendStatus(424);
 		}
 	}