diff --git a/server/channels/app/audit.go b/server/channels/app/audit.go
index bcd1aedf32..659ef697dc 100644
--- a/server/channels/app/audit.go
+++ b/server/channels/app/audit.go
@@ -111,13 +111,17 @@ func (s *Server) configureAudit(adt *audit.Audit, bAllowAdvancedLogging bool) er
 
 	var logConfigSrc config.LogConfigSrc
 	dsn := s.platform.Config().ExperimentalAuditSettings.GetAdvancedLoggingConfig()
-	if bAllowAdvancedLogging && !utils.IsEmptyJSON(dsn) {
-		var err error
-		logConfigSrc, err = config.NewLogConfigSrc(dsn, s.platform.GetConfigStore())
-		if err != nil {
-			return fmt.Errorf("invalid config source for audit, %w", err)
+	if bAllowAdvancedLogging {
+		if !utils.IsEmptyJSON(dsn) {
+			var err error
+			logConfigSrc, err = config.NewLogConfigSrc(dsn, s.platform.GetConfigStore())
+			if err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("invalid config source for audit, %w", err)
+			}
+			mlog.Debug("Loaded audit configuration", mlog.String("source", string(dsn)))
+		} else {
+			s.Log().Debug("Advanced logging config not provided for audit")
 		}
-		mlog.Debug("Loaded audit configuration", mlog.String("source", string(dsn)))
 	}
 
 	// ExperimentalAuditSettings provides basic file audit (E0, E10); logConfigSrc provides advanced config (E20).
diff --git a/server/channels/app/platform/config.go b/server/channels/app/platform/config.go
index eb656285eb..01b85432d7 100644
--- a/server/channels/app/platform/config.go
+++ b/server/channels/app/platform/config.go
@@ -129,6 +129,8 @@ func (ps *PlatformService) ConfigureLogger(name string, logger *mlog.Logger, log
 			return fmt.Errorf("invalid config source for %s, %w", name, err)
 		}
 		ps.logger.Info("Loaded configuration for "+name, mlog.String("source", string(dsn)))
+	} else {
+		ps.logger.Debug("Advanced logging config not provided for " + name)
 	}
 
 	cfg, err := config.MloggerConfigFromLoggerConfig(logSettings, logConfigSrc, getPath)
diff --git a/server/config/environment.go b/server/config/environment.go
index 14b3edf56e..807af6272f 100644
--- a/server/config/environment.go
+++ b/server/config/environment.go
@@ -72,7 +72,11 @@ func applyEnvKey(key, value string, rValueSubject reflect.Value) {
 		if err == nil {
 			rFieldValue.Set(reflect.ValueOf(intVal))
 		}
-	case reflect.SliceOf(reflect.TypeOf("")).Kind():
+	case reflect.Slice:
+		if rFieldValue.Type() == reflect.TypeOf(json.RawMessage{}) {
+			rFieldValue.Set(reflect.ValueOf([]byte(value)))
+			break
+		}
 		rFieldValue.Set(reflect.ValueOf(strings.Split(value, " ")))
 	case reflect.Map:
 		target := reflect.New(rFieldValue.Type()).Interface()
diff --git a/server/public/model/config.go b/server/public/model/config.go
index 06bc443d93..8ad1d72d0a 100644
--- a/server/public/model/config.go
+++ b/server/public/model/config.go
@@ -1336,31 +1336,23 @@ func (s *LogSettings) SetDefaults() {
 	}
 
 	if utils.IsEmptyJSON(s.AdvancedLoggingJSON) {
-		// copy any non-empty AdvancedLoggingConfig (deprecated) to the new field.
-		if s.AdvancedLoggingConfig != nil && !utils.IsEmptyJSON([]byte(*s.AdvancedLoggingConfig)) {
-			s.AdvancedLoggingJSON = utils.StringPtrToJSON(s.AdvancedLoggingConfig)
-
-		} else {
-			s.AdvancedLoggingJSON = []byte("{}")
-		}
+		s.AdvancedLoggingJSON = []byte("{}")
 	}
-	// temporarily let AdvancedLoggingConfig take precedence.
+
 	if s.AdvancedLoggingConfig == nil {
 		s.AdvancedLoggingConfig = NewString("")
 	}
-	//s.AdvancedLoggingConfig = nil
 }
 
 // GetAdvancedLoggingConfig returns the advanced logging config as a []byte.
-// AdvancedLoggingJSON takes precident over the deprecated AdvancedLoggingConfig.
+// AdvancedLoggingJSON takes precedence over the deprecated AdvancedLoggingConfig.
 func (s *LogSettings) GetAdvancedLoggingConfig() []byte {
-	// temporarily let AdvancedLoggingConfig take precedence.
-	if s.AdvancedLoggingConfig != nil && !utils.IsEmptyJSON([]byte(*s.AdvancedLoggingConfig)) {
-		return []byte(*s.AdvancedLoggingConfig)
-	}
 	if !utils.IsEmptyJSON(s.AdvancedLoggingJSON) {
 		return s.AdvancedLoggingJSON
 	}
+	if s.AdvancedLoggingConfig != nil && !utils.IsEmptyJSON([]byte(*s.AdvancedLoggingConfig)) {
+		return []byte(*s.AdvancedLoggingConfig)
+	}
 	return []byte("{}")
 }
 
@@ -1406,31 +1398,23 @@ func (s *ExperimentalAuditSettings) SetDefaults() {
 	}
 
 	if utils.IsEmptyJSON(s.AdvancedLoggingJSON) {
-		// copy any non-empty AdvancedLoggingConfig (deprecated) to the new field.
-		if s.AdvancedLoggingConfig != nil && !utils.IsEmptyJSON([]byte(*s.AdvancedLoggingConfig)) {
-			s.AdvancedLoggingJSON = utils.StringPtrToJSON(s.AdvancedLoggingConfig)
-		} else {
-			s.AdvancedLoggingJSON = []byte("{}")
-		}
+		s.AdvancedLoggingJSON = []byte("{}")
 	}
 
-	// temporarily let AdvancedLoggingConfig take precedence.
 	if s.AdvancedLoggingConfig == nil {
 		s.AdvancedLoggingConfig = NewString("")
 	}
-	//s.AdvancedLoggingConfig = nil
 }
 
 // GetAdvancedLoggingConfig returns the advanced logging config as a []byte.
-// AdvancedLoggingJSON takes precident over the deprecated AdvancedLoggingConfig.
+// AdvancedLoggingJSON takes precedence over the deprecated AdvancedLoggingConfig.
 func (s *ExperimentalAuditSettings) GetAdvancedLoggingConfig() []byte {
-	// temporarily let AdvancedLoggingConfig take precedence.
-	if s.AdvancedLoggingConfig != nil && !utils.IsEmptyJSON([]byte(*s.AdvancedLoggingConfig)) {
-		return []byte(*s.AdvancedLoggingConfig)
-	}
 	if !utils.IsEmptyJSON(s.AdvancedLoggingJSON) {
 		return s.AdvancedLoggingJSON
 	}
+	if s.AdvancedLoggingConfig != nil && !utils.IsEmptyJSON([]byte(*s.AdvancedLoggingConfig)) {
+		return []byte(*s.AdvancedLoggingConfig)
+	}
 	return []byte("{}")
 }
 
@@ -1481,30 +1465,23 @@ func (s *NotificationLogSettings) SetDefaults() {
 	}
 
 	if utils.IsEmptyJSON(s.AdvancedLoggingJSON) {
-		// copy any non-empty AdvancedLoggingConfig (deprecated) to the new field.
-		if s.AdvancedLoggingConfig != nil && !utils.IsEmptyJSON([]byte(*s.AdvancedLoggingConfig)) {
-			s.AdvancedLoggingJSON = utils.StringPtrToJSON(s.AdvancedLoggingConfig)
-		} else {
-			s.AdvancedLoggingJSON = []byte("{}")
-		}
+		s.AdvancedLoggingJSON = []byte("{}")
 	}
-	// temporarily let AdvancedLoggingConfig take precedence.
+
 	if s.AdvancedLoggingConfig == nil {
 		s.AdvancedLoggingConfig = NewString("")
 	}
-	//s.AdvancedLoggingConfig = nil
 }
 
 // GetAdvancedLoggingConfig returns the advanced logging config as a []byte.
-// AdvancedLoggingJSON takes precident over the deprecated AdvancedLoggingConfig.
+// AdvancedLoggingJSON takes precedence over the deprecated AdvancedLoggingConfig.
 func (s *NotificationLogSettings) GetAdvancedLoggingConfig() []byte {
-	// temporarily let AdvancedLoggingConfig take precedence.
-	if s.AdvancedLoggingConfig != nil && !utils.IsEmptyJSON([]byte(*s.AdvancedLoggingConfig)) {
-		return []byte(*s.AdvancedLoggingConfig)
-	}
 	if !utils.IsEmptyJSON(s.AdvancedLoggingJSON) {
 		return s.AdvancedLoggingJSON
 	}
+	if s.AdvancedLoggingConfig != nil && !utils.IsEmptyJSON([]byte(*s.AdvancedLoggingConfig)) {
+		return []byte(*s.AdvancedLoggingConfig)
+	}
 	return []byte("{}")
 }
 
diff --git a/server/public/utils/json.go b/server/public/utils/json.go
index 4e311bcba0..62443bea73 100644
--- a/server/public/utils/json.go
+++ b/server/public/utils/json.go
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import (
 	"bytes"
 	"encoding/json"
 	"strings"
+	"unicode"
 
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
 )
@@ -57,7 +58,19 @@ func NewHumanizedJSONError(err error, data []byte, offset int64) *HumanizedJSONE
 }
 
 func IsEmptyJSON(j json.RawMessage) bool {
-	if len(j) == 0 || bytes.Equal(j, []byte("{}")) || bytes.Equal(j, []byte("\"\"")) || bytes.Equal(j, []byte("[]")) {
+	if len(j) == 0 {
+		return true
+	}
+
+	// remove all whitespace
+	jj := make([]byte, 0, len(j))
+	for _, b := range j {
+		if !unicode.IsSpace(rune(b)) {
+			jj = append(jj, b)
+		}
+	}
+
+	if len(jj) == 0 || bytes.Equal(jj, []byte("{}")) || bytes.Equal(jj, []byte("\"\"")) || bytes.Equal(jj, []byte("[]")) {
 		return true
 	}
 	return false
diff --git a/server/public/utils/json_test.go b/server/public/utils/json_test.go
index 145c6d276a..e10a7ea8ab 100644
--- a/server/public/utils/json_test.go
+++ b/server/public/utils/json_test.go
@@ -283,6 +283,11 @@ func TestIsJSONEmpty(t *testing.T) {
 			[]byte("\"hello\""),
 			false,
 		},
+		{
+			"whitespace still empty",
+			[]byte("  \n {  \t }  "),
+			true,
+		},
 	}
 
 	for _, testCase := range testCases {