diff --git a/client/config.c b/client/config.c
index 4152d367..8ddcc7ae 100644
--- a/client/config.c
+++ b/client/config.c
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ TDNFConfGetRpmVerbosity(
     )
 {
     rpmlogLvl nLogLevel = RPMLOG_INFO;
-    if(pTdnf)
+    if(pTdnf && pTdnf->pArgs->nRpmVerbosity >= 0)
     {
         nLogLevel = pTdnf->pArgs->nRpmVerbosity;
     }
diff --git a/client/rpmtrans.c b/client/rpmtrans.c
index 5efac025..f5d122ed 100644
--- a/client/rpmtrans.c
+++ b/client/rpmtrans.c
@@ -671,6 +671,7 @@ TDNFRunTransaction(
     uint32_t dwSkipSignature = 0;
     uint32_t dwSkipDigest = 0;
     int rc;
+    FD_t fdScript = NULL;
 
     if(!pTS || !pTdnf || !pTdnf->pConf || !pTdnf->pArgs)
     {
@@ -692,6 +693,18 @@ TDNFRunTransaction(
     dwError = TDNFGetSkipDigestOption(pTdnf, &dwSkipDigest);
     BAIL_ON_TDNF_ERROR(dwError);
 
+    /* When json output is enabled redirect stdout from scripts to stderr
+       to not mess with the json syntax ("json decode failed at ...") */
+    if (pTdnf->pArgs->nJsonOutput) {
+        fdScript = fdDup(STDERR_FILENO);
+        if (fdScript == NULL) {
+            pr_err("failed to create script output handle");
+            dwError = ERROR_TDNF_RPMTS_FDDUP_FAILED;
+            BAIL_ON_TDNF_ERROR(dwError);
+        }
+        rpmtsSetScriptFd(pTS->pTS, fdScript);
+    }
+
     //TODO do callbacks for output
     pr_info("Testing transaction\n");
 
@@ -741,6 +754,14 @@ TDNFRunTransaction(
     }
 
 cleanup:
+    if(pTS) {
+        rpmtsSetScriptFd(pTS->pTS, NULL);
+    }
+    if(fdScript)
+    {
+        Fclose(fdScript);
+        fdScript = NULL;
+    }
     return dwError;
 
 error:
diff --git a/include/tdnferror.h b/include/tdnferror.h
index 27745a78..12653d1c 100644
--- a/include/tdnferror.h
+++ b/include/tdnferror.h
@@ -153,6 +153,8 @@ extern "C" {
 
 #define ERROR_TDNF_SIZE_MISMATCH             1527
 
+#define ERROR_TDNF_RPMTS_FDDUP_FAILED        1528
+
 /* event context */
 #define ERROR_TDNF_EVENT_CTXT_ITEM_NOT_FOUND      1551
 #define ERROR_TDNF_EVENT_CTXT_ITEM_INVALID_TYPE   1552
diff --git a/pytests/repo/tdnf-verbose-scripts.spec b/pytests/repo/tdnf-verbose-scripts.spec
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..4b1e2c71
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pytests/repo/tdnf-verbose-scripts.spec
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+#
+# tdnf test spec file
+#
+Summary:    basic install test file.
+Name:       tdnf-verbose-scripts
+Version:    1.0.1
+Release:    2
+Vendor:     VMware, Inc.
+Distribution:   Photon
+License:    VMware
+Url:        http://www.vmware.com
+Group:      Applications/tdnftest
+
+%description
+Part of tdnf test spec. Basic install/remove/upgrade test
+
+%prep
+
+%build
+
+%install
+mkdir -p %_topdir/%buildroot/lib/systemd/system/
+echo %_topdir/%buildroot/lib/systemd/system/%{name}.service
+cat << EOF >> %_topdir/%buildroot/lib/systemd/system/%{name}.service
+[Unit]
+Description=%{name}.service for rpm script test.
+
+EOF
+
+%post
+echo "echo from post"
+echo "echo to stderr from post" >&2
+
+%postun
+echo "echo from postun"
+echo "echo to stderr from postun" >&2
+
+%pre
+echo "echo from pre"
+echo "echo to stderr from pre" >&2
+
+%preun
+echo "echo from preun"
+echo "echo to stderr from preun" >&2
+
+%files
+/lib/systemd/system/%{name}.service
+
+%changelog
+*   Tue Jul 11 2023 Oliver Kurth <okurth@vmware.com>
+-   test script output redirection
diff --git a/pytests/tests/test_json.py b/pytests/tests/test_json.py
index 85101c69..553736a3 100644
--- a/pytests/tests/test_json.py
+++ b/pytests/tests/test_json.py
@@ -11,6 +11,9 @@
 import os
 
 
+PKGNAME_VERBOSE_SCRIPTS = "tdnf-verbose-scripts"
+
+
 @pytest.fixture(scope='function', autouse=True)
 def setup_test(utils):
     tdnfj = os.path.join(utils.config['bin_dir'], 'tdnfj')
@@ -98,6 +101,43 @@ def test_erase(utils):
     assert pkg_found
 
 
+# verbose rpm scriplets should not interfer with json output
+def test_install_verbose(utils):
+    pkgname = PKGNAME_VERBOSE_SCRIPTS
+    utils.erase_package(pkgname)
+    ret = utils.run(['tdnf',
+                     '-j', '-y', '--nogpgcheck',
+                     'install', pkgname])
+    assert utils.check_package(pkgname)
+    install_info = json.loads("\n".join(ret['stdout']))
+
+    pkg_found = False
+    install_pkgs = install_info["Install"]
+    for p in install_pkgs:
+        if p['Name'] == pkgname:
+            pkg_found = True
+            break
+    assert pkg_found
+
+
+def test_erase_verbose(utils):
+    pkgname = PKGNAME_VERBOSE_SCRIPTS
+    utils.install_package(pkgname)
+    ret = utils.run(['tdnf',
+                     '-j', '-y', '--nogpgcheck',
+                     'erase', pkgname])
+    assert not utils.check_package(pkgname)
+    install_info = json.loads("\n".join(ret['stdout']))
+
+    pkg_found = False
+    install_pkgs = install_info["Remove"]
+    for p in install_pkgs:
+        if p['Name'] == pkgname:
+            pkg_found = True
+            break
+    assert pkg_found
+
+
 def test_check_update(utils):
     ret = utils.run(['tdnf', '-j', 'check-update'])
     d = json.loads("\n".join(ret['stdout']))
diff --git a/tools/cli/lib/parseargs.c b/tools/cli/lib/parseargs.c
index c740f410..9029c1bc 100644
--- a/tools/cli/lib/parseargs.c
+++ b/tools/cli/lib/parseargs.c
@@ -172,6 +172,8 @@ TDNFCliParseArgs(
     pCmdArgs->nArgc = argc;
     pCmdArgs->ppszArgv = argv;
 
+    pCmdArgs->nRpmVerbosity = -1;
+
     opterr = 0;//tell getopt to not print errors
     while (1)
     {
@@ -497,7 +499,7 @@ ParseRpmVerbosity(
         }
     }
 
-    *pnRpmVerbosity = TDNF_RPMLOG_ERR;
+    *pnRpmVerbosity = TDNF_RPMLOG_INFO;
 
     return dwError;
 }