diff --git a/includes/ziti/ziti_log.h b/includes/ziti/ziti_log.h
index 8c06203c..41b67eff 100644
--- a/includes/ziti/ziti_log.h
+++ b/includes/ziti/ziti_log.h
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ enum DebugLevel {
 };
 
 #define ZITI_LOG(level, fmt, ...) do { \
-if (level <= ziti_log_level) { ziti_logger(level, __FILE__, __LINE__, __func__, fmt, ##__VA_ARGS__); }\
+if (level <= ziti_log_level()) { ziti_logger(level, __FILE__, __LINE__, __func__, fmt, ##__VA_ARGS__); }\
 } while(0)
 
 #ifdef __cplusplus
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ ZITI_FUNC extern void ziti_log_set_logger(log_writer logger);
 ZITI_FUNC extern void ziti_log_set_level(int level);
 
 // don't use directly
-ZITI_FUNC extern int ziti_log_level;
+ZITI_FUNC extern int ziti_log_level();
 
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 }
diff --git a/library/utils.c b/library/utils.c
index f6c831e9..6317f432 100644
--- a/library/utils.c
+++ b/library/utils.c
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ const char* ziti_git_commit() {
     return to_str(ZITI_COMMIT);
 }
 
-int ziti_log_level = ZITI_LOG_DEFAULT_LEVEL;
+static int ziti_log_lvl = ZITI_LOG_DEFAULT_LEVEL;
 static FILE *ziti_debug_out;
 static bool log_initialized = false;
 
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ void ziti_log_init(uv_loop_t *loop, int level, log_writer log_func) {
     init_debug(loop);
 
     if (level == ZITI_LOG_DEFAULT_LEVEL)
-        level = ziti_log_level; // in case it was set before
+        level = ziti_log_lvl; // in case it was set before
 
     ziti_log_set_level(level);
 
@@ -144,15 +144,19 @@ void ziti_log_set_level(int level) {
     if (level == ZITI_LOG_DEFAULT_LEVEL) {
         char *lvl = getenv("ZITI_LOG");
         if (lvl != NULL) {
-            ziti_log_level = (int) strtol(lvl, NULL, 10);
+            ziti_log_lvl = (int) strtol(lvl, NULL, 10);
         } else {
-            ziti_log_level = INFO;
+            ziti_log_lvl = INFO;
         }
     } else {
-        ziti_log_level = level;
+        ziti_log_lvl = level;
     }
 
-    uv_mbed_set_debug(ziti_log_level, uv_mbed_logger);
+    uv_mbed_set_debug(ziti_log_lvl, uv_mbed_logger);
+}
+
+int ziti_log_level() {
+    return ziti_log_lvl;
 }
 
 void ziti_log_set_logger(log_writer log) {
@@ -170,7 +174,7 @@ static void init_debug(uv_loop_t *loop) {
     }
     ts_loop = loop;
     log_initialized = true;
-    ziti_log_set_level(ziti_log_level);
+    ziti_log_set_level(ziti_log_lvl);
     ziti_debug_out = stderr;
 
     starttime = uv_now(loop);
@@ -277,7 +281,7 @@ int lt_zero(int v) { return v < 0; }
 int non_zero(int v) { return v != 0; }
 
 void hexDump (char *desc, void *addr, int len) {
-    if (DEBUG > ziti_log_level) return;
+    if (DEBUG > ziti_log_level()) return;
     ZITI_LOG(DEBUG, " ");
     int i;
     unsigned char buffLine[17];
diff --git a/library/ziti_enroll.c b/library/ziti_enroll.c
index e389a5dc..42651aec 100644
--- a/library/ziti_enroll.c
+++ b/library/ziti_enroll.c
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ int ziti_enroll(ziti_enroll_opts *opts, uv_loop_t *loop, ziti_enroll_cb enroll_c
     ecfg->private_key = opts->enroll_key;
 
     TRY(ziti, load_jwt(opts->jwt, ecfg, &ecfg->zejh, &ecfg->zej));
-    if (DEBUG <= ziti_log_level) {
+    if (DEBUG <= ziti_log_level()) {
         dump_ziti_enrollment_jwt_header(ecfg->zejh, 0);
         dump_ziti_enrollment_jwt(ecfg->zej, 0);
     }