diff --git a/case-lib/hijack.sh b/case-lib/hijack.sh
index 18c8f288..335f985e 100644
--- a/case-lib/hijack.sh
+++ b/case-lib/hijack.sh
@@ -30,12 +30,23 @@ function func_exit_handler()
             func_lib_start_log_collect 1
             sleep 1s
         }
-        local loggerBin; loggerBin=$(basename "$SOFLOGGER")
-        sudo pkill -9 "$loggerBin" 2>/dev/null || {
+
+        local loggerBin wcLog; loggerBin=$(basename "$SOFLOGGER")
+        # INT doesn't print any "Killed" message in non-interactive mode
+        sudo pkill -INT "$loggerBin" || {
             dloge "sof-logger was already dead"
             exit_status=1
         }
         sleep 1s
+        if pgrep "$loggerBin"; then
+            dloge "$loggerBin resisted pkill -INT, using -KILL"
+            sudo pkill -KILL "$loggerBin"
+            exit_status=2
+        fi
+        # logfile is set in a different file: lib.sh
+        # shellcheck disable=SC2154
+        wcLog=$(wc -l "$logfile")
+        dlogi "nlines=$wcLog"
     fi
     # when case ends, store kernel log
     # /var/log/kern.log format:
diff --git a/case-lib/lib.sh b/case-lib/lib.sh
index 60daee8b..9def0c27 100644
--- a/case-lib/lib.sh
+++ b/case-lib/lib.sh
@@ -92,25 +92,39 @@ func_lib_start_log_collect()
         return 1
     }
 
-    local loggerBin="" logfile="" logopt="-t"
-    [[ "$SOFLOGGER" ]] && loggerBin=$SOFLOGGER || loggerBin=$(command -v sof-logger)
+    local logopt="-t"
+
+    if [ -z "$SOFLOGGER" ]; then
+        SOFLOGGER=$(command -v sof-logger) || {
+            dlogw 'No sof-logger found in PATH'
+            return 1
+        }
+    fi
+
+    test -x "$SOFLOGGER" || {
+        dlogw "$SOFLOGGER not found or not executable"
+        return 2
+    }
+
     if [ "X$is_etrace" == "X0" ];then
         logfile=$LOG_ROOT/slogger.txt
     else
         logfile=$LOG_ROOT/etrace.txt
         logopt=""
     fi
-    [[ ! "$loggerBin" ]] && return
-    SOFLOGGER=$loggerBin
+
     if func_hijack_setup_sudo_level ;then
         # shellcheck disable=SC2034 # external script will use it
         SOF_LOG_COLLECT=1
     else
         >&2 dlogw "without sudo permission to run $SOFLOGGER command"
-        return
+        return 3
     fi
 
-    sudo "$loggerBin $logopt -l $ldcFile -o $logfile" 2>/dev/null &
+    local loggerCmd="$SOFLOGGER $logopt -l $ldcFile -o $logfile"
+    dlogi "Starting $loggerCmd"
+    # Cleaned up by func_exit_handler() in hijack.sh
+    sudo "$loggerCmd" &
 }
 
 func_lib_check_sudo()