diff --git a/client/src/main/java/org/mvndaemon/mvnd/client/DefaultClient.java b/client/src/main/java/org/mvndaemon/mvnd/client/DefaultClient.java
index d7a26e57..fc5a6438 100644
--- a/client/src/main/java/org/mvndaemon/mvnd/client/DefaultClient.java
+++ b/client/src/main/java/org/mvndaemon/mvnd/client/DefaultClient.java
@@ -72,6 +72,12 @@ public class DefaultClient implements Client {
             }
         }
 
+        // Color
+        String color = Environment.COLOR.removeCommandLineOption(args);
+        if (color == null) {
+            color = Environment.COLOR.getDefault();
+        }
+
         // Serial
         if (Environment.SERIAL.removeCommandLineOption(args) != null) {
             System.setProperty(Environment.SERIAL.getProperty(), Boolean.toString(true));
@@ -93,7 +99,7 @@ public class DefaultClient implements Client {
 
         int exitCode = 0;
         boolean noBuffering = batchMode || parameters.noBuffering();
-        try (TerminalOutput output = new TerminalOutput(noBuffering, parameters.rollingWindowSize(), logFile)) {
+        try (TerminalOutput output = new TerminalOutput(noBuffering, parameters.rollingWindowSize(), logFile, color)) {
             try {
                 final ExecutionResult result = new DefaultClient(parameters).execute(output, args);
                 exitCode = result.getExitCode();
diff --git a/common/src/main/java/org/mvndaemon/mvnd/common/Environment.java b/common/src/main/java/org/mvndaemon/mvnd/common/Environment.java
index 6a19409a..2bac9690 100644
--- a/common/src/main/java/org/mvndaemon/mvnd/common/Environment.java
+++ b/common/src/main/java/org/mvndaemon/mvnd/common/Environment.java
@@ -58,6 +58,8 @@ public enum Environment {
     STOP(null, null, null, OptionType.VOID, Flags.OPTIONAL, "mvnd:--stop"),
     /** Use one thread, no log buffering and the default project builder to behave like a standard maven */
     SERIAL("mvnd.serial", null, Boolean.FALSE, OptionType.VOID, Flags.OPTIONAL, "mvnd:-1", "mvnd:--serial"),
+    /** Manage color output, can be either auto (the default), always or never */
+    COLOR(null, null, "auto", OptionType.STRING, Flags.OPTIONAL, "mvnd:--color"),
 
     //
     // Log properties
diff --git a/common/src/main/java/org/mvndaemon/mvnd/common/logging/TerminalOutput.java b/common/src/main/java/org/mvndaemon/mvnd/common/logging/TerminalOutput.java
index ca7028b9..585023aa 100644
--- a/common/src/main/java/org/mvndaemon/mvnd/common/logging/TerminalOutput.java
+++ b/common/src/main/java/org/mvndaemon/mvnd/common/logging/TerminalOutput.java
@@ -35,10 +35,12 @@ import java.util.concurrent.locks.ReentrantReadWriteLock;
 import java.util.function.Consumer;
 import java.util.stream.Collector;
 import java.util.stream.Collectors;
+import org.fusesource.jansi.internal.CLibrary;
 import org.jline.terminal.Size;
 import org.jline.terminal.Terminal;
 import org.jline.terminal.TerminalBuilder;
 import org.jline.terminal.impl.AbstractPosixTerminal;
+import org.jline.utils.AnsiWriter;
 import org.jline.utils.AttributedString;
 import org.jline.utils.AttributedStringBuilder;
 import org.jline.utils.AttributedStyle;
@@ -86,6 +88,10 @@ public class TerminalOutput implements ClientOutput {
      */
     public static final int KEY_CTRL_M = 'M' & 0x1f;
 
+    public static final String COLOR_AUTO = "auto";
+    public static final String COLOR_ALWAYS = "always";
+    public static final String COLOR_NEVER = "never";
+
     private static final AttributedStyle GREEN_FOREGROUND = new AttributedStyle().foreground(AttributedStyle.GREEN);
     private static final AttributedStyle CYAN_FOREGROUND = new AttributedStyle().foreground(AttributedStyle.CYAN);
 
@@ -143,7 +149,7 @@ public class TerminalOutput implements ClientOutput {
         }
     }
 
-    public TerminalOutput(boolean noBuffering, int rollingWindowSize, Path logFile) throws IOException {
+    public TerminalOutput(boolean noBuffering, int rollingWindowSize, Path logFile, String color) throws IOException {
         this.start = System.currentTimeMillis();
         this.terminal = TerminalBuilder.terminal();
         this.dumb = terminal.getType().startsWith("dumb");
@@ -159,7 +165,7 @@ public class TerminalOutput implements ClientOutput {
         this.previousIntHandler = terminal.handle(Terminal.Signal.INT,
                 sig -> daemonDispatch.accept(Message.BareMessage.CANCEL_BUILD_SINGLETON));
         this.display = new Display(terminal, false);
-        this.log = logFile == null ? new MessageCollector() : new FileLog(logFile);
+        this.log = logFile == null ? new MessageCollector(color) : new FileLog(logFile, color);
         if (!dumb) {
             final Thread r = new Thread(this::readInputLoop);
             r.start();
@@ -763,10 +769,15 @@ public class TerminalOutput implements ClientOutput {
 
         private final Writer out;
         private final Path logFile;
+        private boolean closed;
 
-        public FileLog(Path logFile) throws IOException {
+        public FileLog(Path logFile, String color) throws IOException {
             super();
-            this.out = Files.newBufferedWriter(logFile, StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
+            if (COLOR_ALWAYS.equalsIgnoreCase(color)) {
+                this.out = Files.newBufferedWriter(logFile, StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
+            } else {
+                this.out = new AnsiWriter(Files.newBufferedWriter(logFile, StandardCharsets.UTF_8));
+            }
             this.logFile = logFile;
         }
 
@@ -787,7 +798,10 @@ public class TerminalOutput implements ClientOutput {
 
         @Override
         public void close() throws IOException {
-            out.close();
+            if (!closed) {
+                out.close();
+                closed = true;
+            }
         }
 
     }
@@ -799,6 +813,23 @@ public class TerminalOutput implements ClientOutput {
     class MessageCollector implements ClientLog {
 
         private final List<String> messages = new ArrayList<>();
+        private final boolean strip;
+
+        public MessageCollector(String color) {
+            if (COLOR_NEVER.equalsIgnoreCase(color)) {
+                this.strip = true;
+            } else if (COLOR_ALWAYS.equalsIgnoreCase(color)) {
+                this.strip = false;
+            } else {
+                boolean strip;
+                try {
+                    strip = CLibrary.isatty(1) == 0;
+                } catch (Throwable t) {
+                    strip = true;
+                }
+                this.strip = strip;
+            }
+        }
 
         @Override
         public void accept(String message) {
@@ -808,7 +839,7 @@ public class TerminalOutput implements ClientOutput {
         @Override
         public void flush() {
             clearDisplay();
-            messages.forEach(terminal.writer()::println);
+            messages.forEach(s -> terminal.writer().println(strip ? AttributedString.stripAnsi(s) : s));
             messages.clear();
             terminal.flush();
         }