diff --git a/DOCS/client-api-changes.rst b/DOCS/client-api-changes.rst
index 241b7569d4..54fe585b1b 100644
--- a/DOCS/client-api-changes.rst
+++ b/DOCS/client-api-changes.rst
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ API changes
 
 ::
 
+ 1.19   - mpv_request_log_messages() now accepts "terminal-default" as parameter
  1.18   - add MPV_END_FILE_REASON_REDIRECT, and change behavior of
           MPV_EVENT_END_FILE accordingly
         - a bunch of interface-changes.rst changes
diff --git a/common/msg.c b/common/msg.c
index a2b0cf2169..6a7f699b31 100644
--- a/common/msg.c
+++ b/common/msg.c
@@ -106,16 +106,12 @@ static void update_loglevel(struct mp_log *log)
 {
     struct mp_log_root *root = log->root;
     pthread_mutex_lock(&mp_msg_lock);
-    log->level = -1;
-    log->terminal_level = -1;
-    if (log->root->use_terminal) {
-        log->level = MSGL_STATUS + log->root->verbose; // default log level
-        for (int n = 0; root->msg_levels && root->msg_levels[n * 2 + 0]; n++) {
-            if (match_mod(log->verbose_prefix, root->msg_levels[n * 2 + 0]))
-                log->level = mp_msg_find_level(root->msg_levels[n * 2 + 1]);
-        }
-        log->terminal_level = log->root->use_terminal ? log->level : -1;
+    log->level = MSGL_STATUS + log->root->verbose; // default log level
+    for (int n = 0; root->msg_levels && root->msg_levels[n * 2 + 0]; n++) {
+        if (match_mod(log->verbose_prefix, root->msg_levels[n * 2 + 0]))
+            log->level = mp_msg_find_level(root->msg_levels[n * 2 + 1]);
     }
+    log->terminal_level = log->level;
     for (int n = 0; n < log->root->num_buffers; n++)
         log->level = MPMAX(log->level, log->root->buffers[n]->level);
     if (log->root->log_file)
@@ -239,7 +235,7 @@ static void pretty_print_module(FILE* stream, const char *prefix, bool use_color
 
 static bool test_terminal_level(struct mp_log *log, int lev)
 {
-    return lev <= log->terminal_level &&
+    return lev <= log->terminal_level && log->root->use_terminal &&
            !(lev == MSGL_STATUS && terminal_in_background());
 }
 
@@ -297,7 +293,10 @@ static void write_msg_to_buffers(struct mp_log *log, int lev, char *text)
     struct mp_log_root *root = log->root;
     for (int n = 0; n < root->num_buffers; n++) {
         struct mp_log_buffer *buffer = root->buffers[n];
-        if (lev <= buffer->level && lev != MSGL_STATUS) {
+        int buffer_level = buffer->level;
+        if (buffer_level == MP_LOG_BUFFER_MSGL_TERM)
+            buffer_level = log->terminal_level;
+        if (lev <= buffer_level && lev != MSGL_STATUS) {
             // Assuming a single writer (serialized by msg lock)
             int avail = mp_ring_available(buffer->ring) / sizeof(void *);
             if (avail < 1)
diff --git a/common/msg_control.h b/common/msg_control.h
index c26a557c9e..d8d9b2e6e9 100644
--- a/common/msg_control.h
+++ b/common/msg_control.h
@@ -18,6 +18,9 @@ struct mp_log_buffer_entry {
     char *text;
 };
 
+// Use --msg-level option for log level of this log buffer
+#define MP_LOG_BUFFER_MSGL_TERM (MSGL_MAX + 1)
+
 struct mp_log_buffer;
 struct mp_log_buffer *mp_msg_log_buffer_new(struct mpv_global *global,
                                             int size, int level,
diff --git a/libmpv/client.h b/libmpv/client.h
index 3bfced25ca..54ac421209 100644
--- a/libmpv/client.h
+++ b/libmpv/client.h
@@ -198,7 +198,7 @@ extern "C" {
  * relational operators (<, >, <=, >=).
  */
 #define MPV_MAKE_VERSION(major, minor) (((major) << 16) | (minor) | 0UL)
-#define MPV_CLIENT_API_VERSION MPV_MAKE_VERSION(1, 18)
+#define MPV_CLIENT_API_VERSION MPV_MAKE_VERSION(1, 19)
 
 /**
  * Return the MPV_CLIENT_API_VERSION the mpv source has been compiled with.
@@ -1418,6 +1418,9 @@ int mpv_request_event(mpv_handle *ctx, mpv_event_id event, int enable);
  * @param min_level Minimal log level as string. Valid log levels:
  *                      no fatal error warn info status v debug trace
  *                  The value "no" disables all messages. This is the default.
+ *                  An exception is the value "terminal-default", which uses the
+ *                  log level as set by the "--msg-level" option. This works
+ *                  even if the terminal is disabled. (Since API version 1.19.)
  *                  Also see mpv_log_level.
  */
 int mpv_request_log_messages(mpv_handle *ctx, const char *min_level);
diff --git a/player/client.c b/player/client.c
index 71a8f5acbf..a23456510f 100644
--- a/player/client.c
+++ b/player/client.c
@@ -1523,6 +1523,9 @@ int mpv_request_log_messages(mpv_handle *ctx, const char *min_level)
             break;
         }
     }
+    if (strcmp(min_level, "terminal-default") == 0)
+        level = MP_LOG_BUFFER_MSGL_TERM;
+
     if (level < 0 && strcmp(min_level, "no") != 0)
         return MPV_ERROR_INVALID_PARAMETER;