diff --git a/app/models/user_avatar.rb b/app/models/user_avatar.rb
index 8e9de17baf1..bb3146970f0 100644
--- a/app/models/user_avatar.rb
+++ b/app/models/user_avatar.rb
@@ -24,7 +24,8 @@ class UserAvatar < ActiveRecord::Base
           gravatar_url,
           max_file_size: SiteSetting.max_image_size_kb.kilobytes,
           tmp_file_name: "gravatar",
-          skip_rate_limit: true
+          skip_rate_limit: true,
+          verbose: false
         )
         if tempfile
           upload = UploadCreator.new(tempfile, 'gravatar.png', origin: gravatar_url, type: "avatar").create_for(user_id)
diff --git a/lib/file_helper.rb b/lib/file_helper.rb
index 6689f738355..f008ac72c45 100644
--- a/lib/file_helper.rb
+++ b/lib/file_helper.rb
@@ -20,7 +20,11 @@ class FileHelper
                     tmp_file_name:,
                     follow_redirect: false,
                     read_timeout: 5,
-                    skip_rate_limit: false)
+                    skip_rate_limit: false,
+                    verbose: nil)
+
+    # verbose logging is default while debugging onebox
+    verbose = verbose.nil? ? true : verbose
 
     url = "https:" + url if url.start_with?("//")
     raise Discourse::InvalidParameters.new(:url) unless url =~ /^https?:\/\//
@@ -32,7 +36,7 @@ class FileHelper
     ).resolve
 
     unless uri.present?
-      log(:error, "FinalDestination did not work for: #{url}")
+      log(:error, "FinalDestination did not work for: #{url}") if verbose
       return
     end