diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 2d20b17..694519b 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -11,3 +11,5 @@ codemp = { git = "ssh://git@github.com/codewithotherpeopleandchangenamelater/cod
 mlua = { version = "0.9.0", features = ["module", "luajit"] }
 thiserror = "1.0.47"
 derive_more = "0.99.17"
+tracing-subscriber = "0.3.17"
+tracing = "0.1.37"
diff --git a/src/lib.rs b/src/lib.rs
index 1070130..8919e3c 100644
--- a/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src/lib.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-use std::sync::Arc;
+use std::{sync::{Arc, Mutex}, fs::File};
 
 use codemp::prelude::*;
 use mlua::prelude::*;
@@ -179,9 +179,23 @@ impl LuaUserData for LuaRowCol {
 
 
 
+// setup library logging to file
+fn setup_tracing(_: &Lua, (path,): (String,)) -> LuaResult<()> {
+	let log_file = File::create(path)?;
+	tracing_subscriber::fmt()
+		.with_max_level(tracing::Level::INFO)
+		.with_writer(Mutex::new(log_file))
+		.init();
+	Ok(())
+}
+
+
+
+// define module and exports
 #[mlua::lua_module]
 fn libcodemp_nvim(lua: &Lua) -> LuaResult<LuaTable> {
 	let exports = lua.create_table()?;
+	exports.set("setup_tracing", lua.create_function(setup_tracing)?)?;
 	exports.set("connect", lua.create_function(connect)?)?;
 	exports.set("join",    lua.create_function(join)?)?;
 	exports.set("create",  lua.create_function(create)?)?;