diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 094ce508..0f51490f 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -345,10 +345,11 @@ There are two utilities provided:
 - `build`: builds your application and returns the `fastify` instance without calling the `listen` method.
 - `listen`: starts your application and returns the `fastify` instance listening on the configured port.
 
-Both of these utilities have the `function(arg, pluginOptions)` parameters:
+Both of these utilities have the `function(arg, pluginOptions, serverOptions)` parameters:
 
 - `cliArgs`: is a string or a string array within the same arguments passed to the `fastify-cli` command.
 - `pluginOptions`: is an object containing the options provided to the started plugin (eg: `app.js`).
+- `serverOptions`: is an object containing the additional options provided to fastify server, similar to the `--options` command line argument
 
 ```js
 // load the utility helper functions
@@ -369,6 +370,31 @@ test('test my application', async t => {
 })
 ```
 
+Log output is consumed by tap. If log messages should be logged to the console 
+the logger needs to be configured to output to stderr instead of stdout. 
+
+```js
+const logger = {
+  transport: {
+    target: 'pino-pretty',
+    options: {
+      destination: 2,
+    },
+  },
+}
+const argv = ['app.js']
+test('test my application with logging enabled', async t => {
+  const app = await build(argv, {}, { logger })
+  t.teardown(() => app.close())
+
+  // test your application here:
+  const res = await app.inject('/')
+  t.same(res.json(), { hello: 'one' })
+})
+```
+
+
+
 
 ## Contributing
 If you feel you can help in any way, be it with examples, extra testing, or new features please open a pull request or open an issue.
diff --git a/helper.js b/helper.js
index 8950372b..bfb893b9 100644
--- a/helper.js
+++ b/helper.js
@@ -3,13 +3,13 @@
 const { runFastify } = require('./start')
 
 module.exports = {
-  build (args, additionalOptions = {}) {
+  build (args, additionalOptions = {}, serverOptions = {}) {
     Object.defineProperty(additionalOptions, 'ready', {
       value: true,
       enumerable: false,
       writable: false
     })
-    return runFastify(args, additionalOptions)
+    return runFastify(args, additionalOptions, serverOptions)
   },
   listen: runFastify
 }
diff --git a/start.js b/start.js
index be93552c..2562efc2 100755
--- a/start.js
+++ b/start.js
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ function stop (message) {
   exit(message)
 }
 
-async function runFastify (args, additionalOptions) {
+async function runFastify (args, additionalOptions, serverOptions) {
   const opts = parseArgs(args)
   if (opts.require) {
     if (typeof opts.require === 'string') {
@@ -126,6 +126,10 @@ async function runFastify (args, additionalOptions) {
     }
   }
 
+  if (serverOptions) {
+    Object.assign(options, serverOptions)
+  }
+
   const fastify = Fastify(
     opts.options ? Object.assign(options, file.options) : options
   )
diff --git a/test/helper.test.js b/test/helper.test.js
index cdcc5aa2..7150f19e 100644
--- a/test/helper.test.js
+++ b/test/helper.test.js
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ const util = require('util')
 const fs = require('fs')
 const path = require('path')
 const { test } = require('tap')
+const stream = require('stream')
 
 const helper = require('../helper')
 
@@ -99,3 +100,27 @@ test('should start fastify', async t => {
   t.teardown(() => app.close())
   t.ok(app.server.listening)
 })
+
+test('should start fastify with custom logger configuration', async t => {
+  const argv = ['./examples/plugin.js']
+  const lines = []
+  const dest = new stream.Writable({
+    write: function (chunk, enc, cb) {
+      lines.push(JSON.parse(chunk))
+      cb()
+    }
+  })
+
+  const app = await helper.listen(argv, {}, {
+    logger: {
+      level: 'warn',
+      stream: dest
+    }
+  })
+  t.teardown(() => app.close())
+  app.log.info('test')
+  t.same(lines.length, 0)
+  app.log.warn('test')
+  t.same(lines.length, 1)
+  t.same(app.log.level, 'warn')
+})