diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index e9aa369..827334f 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -71,6 +71,13 @@ RUN \
         adwaita-qt \
         font-croscore
 
+# Install Python and Apprise for optional notifications
+RUN \
+    add-pkg \
+        python3 \
+        py3-pip && \
+    pip3 install --break-system-packages --no-cache-dir apprise
+
 # Generate and install favicons.
 RUN \
     APP_ICON_URL=https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jlesage/docker-templates/master/jlesage/images/makemkv-icon.png && \
@@ -104,7 +111,9 @@ ENV \
     AUTO_DISC_RIPPER_BD_MODE=mkv \
     AUTO_DISC_RIPPER_DVD_MODE=mkv \
     AUTO_DISC_RIPPER_FORCE_UNIQUE_OUTPUT_DIR=0 \
-    AUTO_DISC_RIPPER_NO_GUI_PROGRESS=0
+    AUTO_DISC_RIPPER_NO_GUI_PROGRESS=0 \
+    ENABLE_DOCKER_LOGGING=0 \
+    NOTIFY_START=1
 
 # Define mountable directories.
 VOLUME ["/storage"]
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 98123c4..8f0c563 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -160,6 +160,8 @@ the `-e` parameter in the format `<VARIABLE_NAME>=<VALUE>`.
 |`AUTO_DISC_RIPPER_DVD_MODE`| Rip mode of DVD discs. `mkv` is the default mode, where a set of MKV files are produced. When set to `backup`, a copy of the (decrypted) file system of the disc is instead created as an ISO file. | `mkv` |
 |`AUTO_DISC_RIPPER_FORCE_UNIQUE_OUTPUT_DIR`| When set to `0`, files are written to `/output/DISC_LABEL/`, where `DISC_LABEL` is the label/name of the disc. If this directory exists, then files are written to `/output/DISC_LABEL-XXXXXX`, where `XXXXXX` are random readable characters. When set to `1`, the `/output/DISC_LABEL-XXXXXX` pattern is always used. | `0` |
 |`AUTO_DISC_RIPPER_NO_GUI_PROGRESS`| When set to `1`, progress of discs ripped by the automatic disc ripper is not shown in the MakeMKV GUI. | `0` |
+|`ENABLE_DOCKER_LOGGING`| When set to `1`, streams all MakeMKV output to Docker stdout for better container monitoring. Automatically enabled if notification support is configured. | `0` |
+|`NOTIFY_START`| When set to `1` and notifications are configured, sends a notification when a rip starts. | `1` |
 
 #### Deployment Considerations
 
@@ -787,6 +789,30 @@ configuring environment variables.
 > recommended to increase the interval for checking new discs using
 > `AUTO_DISC_RIPPER_INTERVAL`, to reduce performance impact.
 
+## Notifications
+
+The container supports optional notifications for disc ripping events via [Apprise](https://github.com/caronc/apprise), which provides support for 80+ notification services including Discord, Slack, Telegram, Email, Pushover, and many more.
+
+To enable notifications:
+
+1. Create an `apprise.yml` configuration file in your `/config` directory
+2. Add your notification service URLs according to the [Apprise documentation](https://github.com/caronc/apprise/wiki)
+
+Example `apprise.yml`:
+```yaml
+urls:
+  - discord://webhook_id/webhook_token
+  - mailto://username:password@gmail.com
+  - slack://TokenA/TokenB/TokenC
+```
+
+Once configured, you'll receive notifications for:
+- **Rip Started** - When a disc ripping begins (can be disabled with `NOTIFY_START=0`)
+- **Rip Complete** - When a disc is successfully ripped
+- **Rip Failed** - When a disc ripping fails or partially fails
+
+Note that notifications require debug logging to be enabled, which happens automatically when an `apprise.yml` file is present.
+
 ## Hooks
 
 Custom actions can be performed at various disc-ripping stages using hooks.
diff --git a/apprise.yml.example b/apprise.yml.example
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0c2eb00
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apprise.yml.example
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+# Apprise Configuration for MakeMKV Enhanced
+# 
+# Copy this file to your config directory as apprise.yml
+# 
+# Documentation: https://github.com/caronc/apprise/wiki
+# Supported services: https://github.com/caronc/apprise#supported-notifications
+#
+# Example for Discord:
+urls:
+  - discord://WEBHOOK_ID/WEBHOOK_TOKEN
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/rootfs/etc/cont-init.d/57-enhanced-logging.sh b/rootfs/etc/cont-init.d/57-enhanced-logging.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..7c3c8a7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/rootfs/etc/cont-init.d/57-enhanced-logging.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+
+set -e # Exit immediately if a command exits with a non-zero status.
+set -u # Treat unset variables as an error.
+
+# Check if Apprise notifications are configured
+APPRISE_CONFIGURED=false
+if [ -f /config/apprise.yml ]; then
+    echo "Apprise configuration detected - notifications will be sent."
+    APPRISE_CONFIGURED=true
+fi
+
+# Enable enhanced logging if requested OR if Apprise is configured
+# (notifications require debug logging to work)
+if is-bool-val-true "${ENABLE_DOCKER_LOGGING:-0}" || is-bool-val-true "$APPRISE_CONFIGURED"; then
+    if is-bool-val-true "$APPRISE_CONFIGURED"; then
+        echo "Enabling debug logging (required for notifications)..."
+    else
+        echo "Enabling enhanced Docker logging..."
+    fi
+    
+    # Ensure debug logging is enabled
+    if [ -f /config/settings.conf ]; then
+        # Ensure app_ShowDebug is set to "1"
+        if grep -q "^[ \t]*app_ShowDebug[ \t]*=" /config/settings.conf; then
+            sed -i 's|^[ \t]*app_ShowDebug[ \t]*=.*|app_ShowDebug = "1"|' /config/settings.conf
+        else
+            echo 'app_ShowDebug = "1"' >> /config/settings.conf
+        fi
+        
+        echo "Debug logging enabled."
+    fi
+else
+    echo "Enhanced Docker logging disabled (ENABLE_DOCKER_LOGGING=0)."
+fi
+
+# vim:ft=sh:ts=4:sw=4:et:sts=4
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/rootfs/startapp.sh b/rootfs/startapp.sh
index 5c1833d..dd9412b 100755
--- a/rootfs/startapp.sh
+++ b/rootfs/startapp.sh
@@ -22,6 +22,11 @@ if is-bool-val-true "${CONTAINER_DEBUG:-0}"; then
     DEBUG_ARGS="debug /config/log/makemkv/debug.txt"
 fi
 
+# Start the log watcher in the background if enhanced logging is enabled
+if is-bool-val-true "${ENABLE_DOCKER_LOGGING:-0}" || [ -f "/config/apprise.yml" ]; then
+    /usr/bin/makemkv-log-watcher.sh &
+fi
+
 cd /storage
 exec /opt/makemkv/bin/makemkv $DEBUG_ARGS -std
 
diff --git a/rootfs/usr/bin/makemkv-log-watcher.sh b/rootfs/usr/bin/makemkv-log-watcher.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..2d78582
--- /dev/null
+++ b/rootfs/usr/bin/makemkv-log-watcher.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+# Watch for MakeMKV log file and tail it to stdout when it appears
+
+LOG_FILE="/config/MakeMKV_log.txt"
+MONITOR_SCRIPT="/usr/bin/makemkv-monitor.sh"
+
+echo "[log-watcher] Starting MakeMKV log watcher..."
+
+# Wait for log file to exist
+while [ ! -f "$LOG_FILE" ]; do
+    sleep 2
+done
+
+echo "[log-watcher] Found MakeMKV log at $LOG_FILE, starting tail..."
+
+# Tail the log file starting from end (don't process old entries)
+# -n0 means start with 0 lines from existing file, only show new additions
+tail -n0 -f "$LOG_FILE" 2>/dev/null | $MONITOR_SCRIPT
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/rootfs/usr/bin/makemkv-monitor.sh b/rootfs/usr/bin/makemkv-monitor.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..cdc46ea
--- /dev/null
+++ b/rootfs/usr/bin/makemkv-monitor.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,144 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+# MakeMKV output monitor with optional notifications
+
+# Check if apprise config exists
+if [ ! -f "/config/apprise.yml" ]; then
+    # No config = just pass through the output for docker logs
+    while IFS= read -r line; do
+        echo "$line"
+    done
+    exit 0
+fi
+
+# Function to send notification via Python script
+send_notification() {
+    local type="$1"
+    local title="$2"
+    local details="$3"
+    
+    # Call Python notification handler
+    python3 /usr/bin/makemkv-notify.py "$type" "$title" "$details" 2>/dev/null
+}
+
+# State tracking
+CURRENT_TITLE=""
+CURRENT_FILE=""
+MOVIE_TITLE=""
+ERRORS_COUNT=0
+ERROR_TYPE=""
+START_TIME=""
+
+# Process MakeMKV output line by line
+while IFS= read -r line; do
+    # Echo to stdout so tee can still capture it
+    echo "$line"
+    
+    # Detect disc scanning/opening (currently not used for notifications)
+    # Keeping this in case we want to track disc name for other purposes
+    if echo "$line" | grep -q "Opening DVD\|Opening Blu-ray\|Scanning title"; then
+        DISC_NAME=$(echo "$line" | grep -oE '"[^"]+"' | head -1 | tr -d '"' || echo "Unknown")
+        # Don't set START_TIME here - wait for actual rip start
+    fi
+    
+    # Detect actual rip starting - "Saving X titles into directory"
+    if echo "$line" | grep -q "Saving.*titles into directory"; then
+        START_TIME=$(date +%s)
+        TITLE_COUNT=$(echo "$line" | grep -oE "Saving [0-9]+" | grep -oE "[0-9]+")
+        OUTPUT_DIR=$(echo "$line" | grep -oE "directory.*" | sed 's/directory //' | sed 's|file://||')
+        # Extract just the movie title from the path (last component)
+        MOVIE_TITLE=$(echo "$OUTPUT_DIR" | sed 's|.*/||')
+        
+        # Only send start notification if enabled
+        if is-bool-val-true "${NOTIFY_START:-1}"; then
+            send_notification "start" "$MOVIE_TITLE" "📁 \`$OUTPUT_DIR\`\\n📀 Saving \`$TITLE_COUNT\` title(s)"
+        fi
+    fi
+    
+    # Detect title being processed
+    if echo "$line" | grep -q "Processing.*playlist\|Saving.*titles"; then
+        CURRENT_TITLE=$(echo "$line" | grep -oE 'playlist [0-9]+|title [0-9]+' | head -1 || echo "")
+        [ ! -z "$CURRENT_TITLE" ] && send_notification "progress" "Processing" "📝 Working on $CURRENT_TITLE"
+    fi
+    
+    # Detect output file creation
+    if echo "$line" | grep -q "Saving to.*\.mkv"; then
+        CURRENT_FILE=$(echo "$line" | grep -oE '[^/]+\.mkv' | head -1 || echo "")
+        send_notification "progress" "Saving" "💾 Creating file: \`$CURRENT_FILE\`"
+    fi
+    
+    # Detect completion - "Copy complete" is the definitive marker
+    if echo "$line" | grep -q "Copy complete"; then
+        # Extract saved and failed counts
+        SAVED_COUNT=$(echo "$line" | grep -oE "[0-9]+ titles saved" | grep -oE "^[0-9]+" || echo "0")
+        FAILED_COUNT=$(echo "$line" | grep -oE "[0-9]+ failed" | grep -oE "^[0-9]+" || echo "0")
+        
+        END_TIME=$(date +%s)
+        if [ ! -z "$START_TIME" ]; then
+            DURATION=$((END_TIME - START_TIME))
+            DURATION_HOURS=$((DURATION / 3600))
+            DURATION_MINS=$(((DURATION % 3600) / 60))
+            DURATION_SECS=$((DURATION % 60))
+            
+            # Format as HH:MM:SS or MM:SS if less than an hour
+            if [ $DURATION_HOURS -gt 0 ]; then
+                TIME_STR=$(printf "%02d:%02d:%02d" $DURATION_HOURS $DURATION_MINS $DURATION_SECS)
+            else
+                TIME_STR=$(printf "%02d:%02d" $DURATION_MINS $DURATION_SECS)
+            fi
+        else
+            TIME_STR="Unknown"
+        fi
+        
+        # Determine notification type based on counts
+        if [ "$SAVED_COUNT" = "0" ] && [ "$FAILED_COUNT" != "0" ]; then
+            # Complete failure
+            ERROR_DETAIL="✅ Saved: \`0\` titles\\n"
+            ERROR_DETAIL="${ERROR_DETAIL}❌ Failed: \`$FAILED_COUNT\` titles\\n"
+            [ "$ERRORS_COUNT" -gt 0 ] && [ ! -z "$ERROR_TYPE" ] && ERROR_DETAIL="${ERROR_DETAIL}⚠️ \`$ERRORS_COUNT\` $ERROR_TYPE errors\\n"
+            ERROR_DETAIL="${ERROR_DETAIL}⏱️ Duration: \`$TIME_STR\`"
+            
+            send_notification "error" "${MOVIE_TITLE:-Unknown Title}" "$ERROR_DETAIL"
+            
+        elif [ "$SAVED_COUNT" != "0" ] && [ "$FAILED_COUNT" != "0" ]; then
+            # Partial success
+            PARTIAL_INFO="✅ Saved: \`$SAVED_COUNT\` titles\\n"
+            PARTIAL_INFO="${PARTIAL_INFO}❌ Failed: \`$FAILED_COUNT\` titles\\n"
+            [ "$ERRORS_COUNT" -gt 0 ] && [ ! -z "$ERROR_TYPE" ] && PARTIAL_INFO="${PARTIAL_INFO}⚠️ \`$ERRORS_COUNT\` $ERROR_TYPE errors\\n"
+            PARTIAL_INFO="${PARTIAL_INFO}⏱️ Duration: \`$TIME_STR\`"
+            
+            send_notification "error" "${MOVIE_TITLE:-Unknown Title}" "$PARTIAL_INFO"
+            
+        elif [ "$SAVED_COUNT" != "0" ]; then
+            # Complete success
+            FILE_INFO="✅ Saved: \`$SAVED_COUNT\` titles\\n"
+            FILE_INFO="${FILE_INFO}⏱️ Duration: \`$TIME_STR\`"
+            
+            send_notification "success" "${MOVIE_TITLE:-Unknown Title}" "$FILE_INFO"
+        fi
+        
+        # Reset state
+        CURRENT_TITLE=""
+        CURRENT_FILE=""
+        MOVIE_TITLE=""
+        START_TIME=""
+        ERRORS_COUNT=0
+        ERROR_TYPE=""
+    fi
+    
+    # Track specific error types
+    if echo "$line" | grep -q "Failed to save title"; then
+        LAST_ERROR_MSG=$(echo "$line" | cut -c1-200)
+    fi
+    
+    if echo "$line" | grep -q "Encountered.*errors of type"; then
+        ERROR_TYPE=$(echo "$line" | grep -oE "of type '[^']+'" | cut -d"'" -f2)
+        ERROR_COUNT=$(echo "$line" | grep -oE "Encountered [0-9]+" | grep -oE "[0-9]+")
+        ERRORS_COUNT=$ERROR_COUNT
+        ERROR_SUMMARY="$ERROR_COUNT errors of type '$ERROR_TYPE'"
+    fi
+    
+    # Track hash check failures silently (they're common with dirty discs)
+    if echo "$line" | grep -q "Hash check failed"; then
+        ERRORS_COUNT=$((ERRORS_COUNT + 1))
+    fi
+done
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/rootfs/usr/bin/makemkv-notify.py b/rootfs/usr/bin/makemkv-notify.py
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..1856d55
--- /dev/null
+++ b/rootfs/usr/bin/makemkv-notify.py
@@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""
+Notification handler for MakeMKV using Apprise
+Configure via /config/apprise.yml
+"""
+
+import sys
+import os
+from apprise import Apprise, AppriseConfig
+
+def send_notification(notification_type, title, details):
+    """Send notification via Apprise config"""
+    
+    # Create Apprise instance
+    apobj = Apprise()
+    
+    # Load config file (required for notifications)
+    config_file = '/config/apprise.yml'
+    if not os.path.exists(config_file):
+        # No config = no notifications, just exit silently
+        return
+    
+    config = AppriseConfig()
+    config.add(config_file)
+    apobj.add(config)
+    
+    # If no services configured, exit silently
+    if len(apobj) == 0:
+        return
+    
+    # Format message based on type
+    if notification_type == 'start':
+        header = 'Rip Started'
+    elif notification_type == 'success':
+        header = 'Rip Complete'
+    elif notification_type == 'error':
+        header = 'Rip Failed'
+    elif notification_type == 'partial':
+        header = 'Rip Partially Completed'
+    else:
+        header = 'MakeMKV Update'
+    
+    # Build cleaner message body
+    message_parts = []
+    
+    # Always use movie icon with title
+    if title:
+        message_parts.append(f"🎬 **{title}**")
+    
+    # Process details - replace literal \n with actual newlines
+    if details:
+        details = details.replace('\\n', '\n')
+        message_parts.append(details)
+    
+    body = '\n'.join(message_parts) if message_parts else header
+    
+    # Send notification with clean title (no icon)
+    apobj.notify(
+        body=body,
+        title=header,
+        body_format='markdown'
+    )
+
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    # Read arguments from command line
+    if len(sys.argv) < 4:
+        print("Usage: notify.py <type> <title> <details>", file=sys.stderr)
+        sys.exit(1)
+    
+    notification_type = sys.argv[1]
+    title = sys.argv[2]
+    details = sys.argv[3]
+    
+    send_notification(notification_type, title, details)
\ No newline at end of file