diff --git a/src/applications/config/check/PhabricatorDaemonsSetupCheck.php b/src/applications/config/check/PhabricatorDaemonsSetupCheck.php
--- a/src/applications/config/check/PhabricatorDaemonsSetupCheck.php
+++ b/src/applications/config/check/PhabricatorDaemonsSetupCheck.php
@@ -8,14 +8,21 @@
 
   protected function executeChecks() {
 
-    $task_daemon = id(new PhabricatorDaemonLogQuery())
-      ->setViewer(PhabricatorUser::getOmnipotentUser())
-      ->withStatus(PhabricatorDaemonLogQuery::STATUS_ALIVE)
-      ->withDaemonClasses(array('PhabricatorTaskmasterDaemon'))
-      ->setLimit(1)
-      ->execute();
-
-    if (!$task_daemon) {
+    try {
+      $task_daemons = id(new PhabricatorDaemonLogQuery())
+        ->setViewer(PhabricatorUser::getOmnipotentUser())
+        ->withStatus(PhabricatorDaemonLogQuery::STATUS_ALIVE)
+        ->withDaemonClasses(array('PhabricatorTaskmasterDaemon'))
+        ->setLimit(1)
+        ->execute();
+
+      $no_daemons = !$task_daemons;
+    } catch (Exception $ex) {
+      // Just skip this warning if the query fails for some reason.
+      $no_daemons = false;
+    }
+
+    if ($no_daemons) {
       $doc_href = PhabricatorEnv::getDoclink('Managing Daemons with phd');
 
       $summary = pht(
diff --git a/src/applications/config/check/PhabricatorExtraConfigSetupCheck.php b/src/applications/config/check/PhabricatorExtraConfigSetupCheck.php
--- a/src/applications/config/check/PhabricatorExtraConfigSetupCheck.php
+++ b/src/applications/config/check/PhabricatorExtraConfigSetupCheck.php
@@ -322,6 +322,9 @@
       'directly supported. Prefixes and other strings may be customized with '.
       '"translation.override".');
 
+    $phd_reason = pht(
+      'Use "bin/phd debug ..." to get a detailed daemon execution log.');
+
     $ancient_config += array(
       'phid.external-loaders' =>
         pht(
@@ -539,6 +542,9 @@
 
       'phd.pid-directory' => pht(
         'Phabricator daemons no longer use PID files.'),
+
+      'phd.trace' => $phd_reason,
+      'phd.verbose' => $phd_reason,
     );
 
     return $ancient_config;
diff --git a/src/applications/config/option/PhabricatorPHDConfigOptions.php b/src/applications/config/option/PhabricatorPHDConfigOptions.php
--- a/src/applications/config/option/PhabricatorPHDConfigOptions.php
+++ b/src/applications/config/option/PhabricatorPHDConfigOptions.php
@@ -43,22 +43,6 @@
             "configuration changes are picked up by the daemons ".
             "automatically, but pool sizes can not be changed without a ".
             "restart.")),
-      $this->newOption('phd.verbose', 'bool', false)
-        ->setLocked(true)
-        ->setBoolOptions(
-          array(
-            pht('Verbose mode'),
-            pht('Normal mode'),
-          ))
-        ->setSummary(pht("Launch daemons in 'verbose' mode by default."))
-        ->setDescription(
-          pht(
-            "Launch daemons in 'verbose' mode by default. This creates a lot ".
-            "of output, but can help debug issues. Daemons launched in debug ".
-            "mode with '%s' are always launched in verbose mode. ".
-            "See also '%s'.",
-            'phd debug',
-            'phd.trace')),
       $this->newOption('phd.user', 'string', null)
         ->setLocked(true)
         ->setSummary(pht('System user to run daemons as.'))
@@ -68,22 +52,6 @@
             'user will own the working copies of any repositories that '.
             'Phabricator imports or manages. This option is new and '.
             'experimental.')),
-      $this->newOption('phd.trace', 'bool', false)
-        ->setLocked(true)
-        ->setBoolOptions(
-          array(
-            pht('Trace mode'),
-            pht('Normal mode'),
-          ))
-        ->setSummary(pht("Launch daemons in 'trace' mode by default."))
-        ->setDescription(
-          pht(
-            "Launch daemons in 'trace' mode by default. This creates an ".
-            "ENORMOUS amount of output, but can help debug issues. Daemons ".
-            "launched in debug mode with '%s' are always launched in ".
-            "trace mode. See also '%s'.",
-            'phd debug',
-            'phd.verbose')),
       $this->newOption('phd.garbage-collection', 'wild', array())
         ->setLocked(true)
         ->setLockedMessage(
diff --git a/src/applications/daemon/management/PhabricatorDaemonManagementWorkflow.php b/src/applications/daemon/management/PhabricatorDaemonManagementWorkflow.php
--- a/src/applications/daemon/management/PhabricatorDaemonManagementWorkflow.php
+++ b/src/applications/daemon/management/PhabricatorDaemonManagementWorkflow.php
@@ -116,11 +116,11 @@
     $trace = PhutilArgumentParser::isTraceModeEnabled();
 
     $flags = array();
-    if ($trace || PhabricatorEnv::getEnvConfig('phd.trace')) {
+    if ($trace) {
       $flags[] = '--trace';
     }
 
-    if ($debug || PhabricatorEnv::getEnvConfig('phd.verbose')) {
+    if ($debug) {
       $flags[] = '--verbose';
     }
 
diff --git a/src/infrastructure/daemon/workers/PhabricatorTaskmasterDaemon.php b/src/infrastructure/daemon/workers/PhabricatorTaskmasterDaemon.php
--- a/src/infrastructure/daemon/workers/PhabricatorTaskmasterDaemon.php
+++ b/src/infrastructure/daemon/workers/PhabricatorTaskmasterDaemon.php
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@
           if ($ex) {
             if ($ex instanceof PhabricatorWorkerPermanentFailureException) {
               // NOTE: Make sure these reach the daemon log, even when not
-              // running in "phd.verbose" mode. See T12803 for discussion.
+              // running in verbose mode. See T12803 for discussion.
               $log_exception = new PhutilProxyException(
                 pht(
                   'Task "%s" encountered a permanent failure and was '.