diff --git a/docs/plans/2026-06-04-078-feat-documents-scrape-log-file-plan.md b/docs/plans/2026-06-04-078-feat-documents-scrape-log-file-plan.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..61d1a647
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/plans/2026-06-04-078-feat-documents-scrape-log-file-plan.md
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+---
+title: "feat: Documents scrape --log-file with tee"
+type: feat
+status: complete
+date: 2026-06-04
+origin: /lfg — plan 077 deferred tee full documents-scrape stdout to persistent log
+---
+
+# feat: Documents scrape --log-file with tee
+
+## Summary
+
+Add `--log-file PATH` to `run-documents-scrape.sh`. Live scrapes auto-tee to `logs/documents-scrape-<UTC>.log` and pair JSON summary with `<log-basename>.summary.json` (parity with operator validation).
+
+## Problem Frame
+
+Validation and proof persist teed logs with recoverable JSON summaries. The primary cron/operator entry `run-documents-scrape.sh` only prints to stdout; long KotOR catch-up runs leave no durable log unless the operator wraps the command manually.
+
+## Requirements
+
+| ID | Requirement |
+|----|-------------|
+| R1 | `--log-file PATH` appends all workflow output via `tee -a` |
+| R2 | Live scrape (not dry-run/salvage-only) auto-defaults log to `logs/documents-scrape-<UTC>.log` when unset |
+| R3 | Live scrape pairs summary with `${LOG_FILE%.log}.summary.json` unless `--summary-file` or `DCE_RUN_SUMMARY_FILE` set |
+| R4 | Prints `Log file:` before scrape; `Log:` after tee completes |
+| R5 | Recovers missing summary from teed log via `recover_json_summary_if_missing` |
+| R6 | Dry-run and salvage-only skip auto log/summary unless `--log-file` explicitly passed |
+| R7 | `documents-scrape-smoke.sh` asserts teed log file on live `--log-file` run |
+| R8 | `DCE_MIN_FREE_MB=0 ./scripts/run-all-smokes.sh` → 23/23 |
+
+## Implementation Units
+
+### U1. run-documents-scrape.sh
+
+**Files:** `scripts/run-documents-scrape.sh`, `scripts/tests/documents-scrape-smoke.sh`
+
+### U2. Docs
+
+**Files:** `docs/recurring-scrape-merge-readiness.md`, `docs/recurring-scrape-operator-checklist.md`, `scrape.env.example`
+
+## Verification
+
+```bash
+DCE_MIN_FREE_MB=0 ./scripts/run-all-smokes.sh
+```
+
+## Scope Boundaries
+
+### Deferred
+
+- Live KotOR catch-up on host
+- Refresh PR #1538 body with plans 070–078 stamps
+- Wire `--log-file` into setup-cron crontab line
diff --git a/docs/recurring-scrape-merge-readiness.md b/docs/recurring-scrape-merge-readiness.md
index be3f3ac9..9ff5f5aa 100644
--- a/docs/recurring-scrape-merge-readiness.md
+++ b/docs/recurring-scrape-merge-readiness.md
@@ -184,6 +184,8 @@ DCE_MIN_FREE_MB=0 ./scripts/run-operator-validation.sh \
 
 **Plan 077 (2026-06-04):** Setup doc + merge-readiness smoke inventory synced to 23 offline tests (includes `print-scrape-summary-smoke`, `scrape-summary-json-smoke`).
 
+**Plan 078 (2026-06-04):** `run-documents-scrape.sh` `--log-file` with auto tee on live scrapes; summary pairs with log basename.
+
 **Disk:** ~65 GiB free on `/home` (2026-05-30); large channel merges still need headroom.
 
 ## CI note (fork PRs)
diff --git a/docs/recurring-scrape-operator-checklist.md b/docs/recurring-scrape-operator-checklist.md
index 61f941ef..3a0cf691 100644
--- a/docs/recurring-scrape-operator-checklist.md
+++ b/docs/recurring-scrape-operator-checklist.md
@@ -53,11 +53,10 @@ Salvage partial exports under `output_dir/.dce-temp/` without calling Discord:
 Salvage then incremental scrape:
 
 ```bash
-./scripts/run-documents-scrape.sh --salvage-before-scrape --target NAME [--channel ID]
+./scripts/run-documents-scrape.sh --salvage-before-scrape --target NAME [--channel ID] [--log-file logs/scrape.log]
 ./scripts/run-operator-validation.sh --salvage-before-scrape --target NAME [--channel ID] --log-file logs/scrape.log
 ./scripts/run-operator-proof.sh --salvage-before-scrape --sync-gui --target NAME
-# When scraping one target, also writes logs/operator-proof-<UTC>.summary.json beside the proof log
-# All enabled targets: each gets logs/operator-proof-<target>-<UTC>.summary.json
+# Live documents scrape auto-tees to logs/documents-scrape-<UTC>.log (or --log-file); summary at <log-basename>.summary.json
 ```
 
 **KotOR yes_general** (`221726893064454144`): first catch-up after a 2021 archive cursor can take hours and may OOM; salvage preserved partials before retrying. Stop duplicate validation processes (MyBook vs Downloads checkouts share the same lock). `KotOR_discord_msgs` sets `container_memory: "8g"` in `scrape-targets.json` for single-target runs; override globally with `DCE_CONTAINER_MEMORY` in `scrape.env` if needed. Channel-scoped proof:
diff --git a/scrape.env.example b/scrape.env.example
index a7128253..5fc89f4f 100644
--- a/scrape.env.example
+++ b/scrape.env.example
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ DCE_USERNS_MODE=
 # Optional: machine-readable scrape summary (run-discord-scrape.sh).
 # run-documents-scrape.sh, run-operator-validation.sh, and run-operator-proof.sh
 # auto-enable summary export on live scrapes unless these are already set.
+# Live documents scrape also auto-tees to logs/documents-scrape-<UTC>.log (override with --log-file).
 # Host paths under logs/ map to /logs/ in the container (see docker-compose.yml).
 # DCE_RUN_SUMMARY_JSON=1
 # DCE_RUN_SUMMARY_FILE=logs/scrape-summary.json
diff --git a/scripts/run-documents-scrape.sh b/scripts/run-documents-scrape.sh
index 72236213..841f4dc8 100755
--- a/scripts/run-documents-scrape.sh
+++ b/scripts/run-documents-scrape.sh
@@ -36,7 +36,8 @@ Options:
   --target NAME Limit preflight/scrape to one configured target
   --channel ID  With exactly one --target, limit scrape to channel ID (repeatable)
   --config PATH Scrape target config (default: config/scrape-targets.json)
-  --summary-file PATH  Machine-readable scrape summary JSON (default: logs/documents-scrape-UTC.summary.json)
+  --log-file PATH Append full workflow output to this file (default on live scrape: logs/documents-scrape-UTC.log)
+  --summary-file PATH  Machine-readable scrape summary JSON (default: <log-basename>.summary.json on live scrape)
 EOF
 }
 
@@ -68,12 +69,82 @@ run_local_salvage() {
   "$HOST_RUNNER" salvage "${salvage_args[@]}"
 }
 
+run_documents_scrape_workflow() {
+  local dry_run=$1
+  local salvage_only=$2
+  local salvage_before=$3
+  local target=$4
+  local log_file=$5
+  local -a passthrough=("${@:6}")
+
+  "$VERIFY_SCRIPT" --config "$CONFIG_PATH"
+
+  local -a plan_targets=()
+  if [[ -n "$target" ]]; then
+    plan_targets=("$target")
+  fi
+  print_scrape_config_plan "$CONFIG_PATH" "Documents scrape" "${plan_targets[@]}"
+
+  if (( dry_run == 1 )); then
+    printf 'Dry run complete: archive paths verified. Export DISCORD_TOKEN or create a token file, then rerun without --dry-run.\n'
+    return 0
+  fi
+
+  "$VERIFY_READY" --disk-only --config "$CONFIG_PATH"
+
+  require_scrape_lock_free
+
+  if (( salvage_only == 1 )); then
+    run_local_salvage "${passthrough[@]}"
+    return 0
+  fi
+
+  if (( salvage_before == 1 )); then
+    run_local_salvage "${passthrough[@]}"
+  fi
+
+  local -a container_args=("${passthrough[@]}")
+  local has_config=0 idx=0
+
+  while (( idx < ${#container_args[@]} )); do
+    if [[ "${container_args[idx]}" == "--config" ]]; then
+      has_config=1
+      case "${container_args[idx + 1]:-}" in
+        "$CONFIG_PATH"|config/scrape-targets.json|./config/scrape-targets.json)
+          container_args[idx + 1]="$CONTAINER_CONFIG"
+          ;;
+      esac
+      break
+    fi
+    idx=$((idx + 1))
+  done
+
+  if (( has_config == 0 )); then
+    container_args=(--config "$CONTAINER_CONFIG" "${container_args[@]}")
+  fi
+
+  if [[ -n "${DISCORD_TOKEN:-}" || -n "${DISCORD_TOKEN_FILE:-}" ]]; then
+    "$SETUP_AUTH" 2>/dev/null || true
+  elif [[ -x "$DISCOVER_TOKEN" ]] && "$DISCOVER_TOKEN" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    "$SETUP_AUTH" 2>/dev/null || true
+  fi
+
+  if [[ -n "$log_file" ]]; then
+    printf 'Log file: %s\n' "$log_file"
+  fi
+  printf 'JSON summary file: %s\n' "${DCE_RUN_SUMMARY_FILE:-}"
+
+  "$HOST_RUNNER" preflight "${container_args[@]}"
+  "$HOST_RUNNER" scrape "${container_args[@]}"
+}
+
 main() {
   local dry_run=0
   local salvage_only=0
   local salvage_before=0
   local target=""
   local summary_file=""
+  local log_file=""
   local -a passthrough=()
 
   while (($#)); do
@@ -107,6 +178,11 @@ main() {
         passthrough+=(--config "$2")
         shift 2
         ;;
+      --log-file)
+        [[ $# -ge 2 ]] || die "Missing value for --log-file."
+        log_file=$2
+        shift 2
+        ;;
       --summary-file)
         [[ $# -ge 2 ]] || die "Missing value for --summary-file."
         summary_file=$2
@@ -130,71 +206,49 @@ main() {
     die "Use only one of --dry-run, --salvage-only, or --salvage-before-scrape."
   fi
 
-  "$VERIFY_SCRIPT" --config "$CONFIG_PATH"
-
-  local -a plan_targets=()
-  if [[ -n "$target" ]]; then
-    plan_targets=("$target")
-  fi
-  print_scrape_config_plan "$CONFIG_PATH" "Documents scrape" "${plan_targets[@]}"
-
-  if (( dry_run == 1 )); then
-    printf 'Dry run complete: archive paths verified. Export DISCORD_TOKEN or create a token file, then rerun without --dry-run.\n'
-    exit 0
-  fi
-
-  "$VERIFY_READY" --disk-only --config "$CONFIG_PATH"
-
-  require_scrape_lock_free
-
-  if (( salvage_only == 1 )); then
-    run_local_salvage "${passthrough[@]}"
-    exit 0
-  fi
-
-  if (( salvage_before == 1 )); then
-    run_local_salvage "${passthrough[@]}"
-  fi
-
-  local -a container_args=("${passthrough[@]}")
-  local has_config=0 idx=0
-
-  while (( idx < ${#container_args[@]} )); do
-    if [[ "${container_args[idx]}" == "--config" ]]; then
-      has_config=1
-      case "${container_args[idx + 1]:-}" in
-        "$CONFIG_PATH"|config/scrape-targets.json|./config/scrape-targets.json)
-          container_args[idx + 1]="$CONTAINER_CONFIG"
-          ;;
-      esac
-      break
+  local export_json_summary=0
+  if (( dry_run == 0 && salvage_only == 0 )); then
+    export_json_summary=1
+    mkdir -p "$LOG_DIR"
+    if [[ -z "$log_file" ]]; then
+      log_file="$LOG_DIR/documents-scrape-$(date -u +%Y%m%dT%H%M%SZ).log"
     fi
-    idx=$((idx + 1))
-  done
-
-  if (( has_config == 0 )); then
-    container_args=(--config "$CONTAINER_CONFIG" "${container_args[@]}")
-  fi
-
-  if [[ -n "${DISCORD_TOKEN:-}" || -n "${DISCORD_TOKEN_FILE:-}" ]]; then
-    "$SETUP_AUTH" 2>/dev/null || true
-  elif [[ -x "$DISCOVER_TOKEN" ]] && "$DISCOVER_TOKEN" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-    "$SETUP_AUTH" 2>/dev/null || true
-  fi
-
-  export DCE_RUN_SUMMARY_JSON=1
-  if [[ -z "${DCE_RUN_SUMMARY_FILE:-}" ]]; then
-    if [[ -n "$summary_file" ]]; then
-      export DCE_RUN_SUMMARY_FILE="$summary_file"
-    else
-      mkdir -p "$LOG_DIR"
-      export DCE_RUN_SUMMARY_FILE="$LOG_DIR/documents-scrape-$(date -u +%Y%m%dT%H%M%SZ).summary.json"
+    export DCE_RUN_SUMMARY_JSON=1
+    if [[ -z "${DCE_RUN_SUMMARY_FILE:-}" ]]; then
+      if [[ -n "$summary_file" ]]; then
+        export DCE_RUN_SUMMARY_FILE="$summary_file"
+      else
+        export DCE_RUN_SUMMARY_FILE="${log_file%.log}.summary.json"
+      fi
     fi
   fi
-  printf 'JSON summary file: %s\n' "$DCE_RUN_SUMMARY_FILE"
 
-  "$HOST_RUNNER" preflight "${container_args[@]}"
-  "$HOST_RUNNER" scrape "${container_args[@]}"
+  local pipeline_status=0
+  if [[ -n "$log_file" ]]; then
+    mkdir -p "$(dirname "$log_file")"
+    set -o pipefail
+    {
+      run_documents_scrape_workflow "$dry_run" "$salvage_only" "$salvage_before" "$target" "$log_file" "${passthrough[@]}"
+    } 2>&1 | tee -a "$log_file"
+    pipeline_status=${PIPESTATUS[0]}
+  else
+    run_documents_scrape_workflow "$dry_run" "$salvage_only" "$salvage_before" "$target" "" "${passthrough[@]}"
+    pipeline_status=$?
+  fi
+
+  if (( export_json_summary )) && [[ -n "${DCE_RUN_SUMMARY_FILE:-}" && -n "$log_file" ]]; then
+    # shellcheck source=lib/scrape-summary-json.sh
+    source "$SCRIPT_DIR/lib/scrape-summary-json.sh"
+    if recover_json_summary_if_missing "$log_file" "$DCE_RUN_SUMMARY_FILE"; then
+      printf 'JSON summary recovered from log: %s\n' "$DCE_RUN_SUMMARY_FILE"
+    fi
+  fi
+
+  if [[ -n "$log_file" ]]; then
+    printf 'Log: %s\n' "$log_file"
+  fi
+
+  exit "$pipeline_status"
 }
 
 main "$@"
diff --git a/scripts/tests/documents-scrape-smoke.sh b/scripts/tests/documents-scrape-smoke.sh
index 3b2626fd..26ed035f 100755
--- a/scripts/tests/documents-scrape-smoke.sh
+++ b/scripts/tests/documents-scrape-smoke.sh
@@ -122,12 +122,52 @@ grep -q 'JSON summary file:' "$LIVE_DOC_OUT" || {
   cat "$LIVE_DOC_OUT" >&2
   exit 1
 }
+grep -q 'Log:' "$LIVE_DOC_OUT" || {
+  echo "expected live documents scrape to print Log: path" >&2
+  exit 1
+}
+shopt -s nullglob
+auto_logs=("$TMP_DIR/logs"/documents-scrape-*.log)
+((${#auto_logs[@]} > 0)) || {
+  echo "expected auto teed log under DCE_LOG_DIR" >&2
+  exit 1
+}
+grep -q 'JSON summary file:' "${auto_logs[0]}" || {
+  echo "expected JSON summary line in teed log file" >&2
+  exit 1
+}
+shopt -u nullglob
 grep -q '111111111111111111' "$ARGS_LOG" || {
   echo "expected --channel to reach container compose invocation" >&2
   cat "$ARGS_LOG" >&2
   exit 1
 }
 
+EXPLICIT_LOG="$TMP_DIR/logs/live-documents.log"
+EXPLICIT_SUMMARY="$TMP_DIR/logs/live-documents.summary.json"
+: >"$ARGS_LOG"
+DCE_MIN_FREE_MB=0 \
+  DCE_SKIP_SCRAPE_LOCK=1 \
+  DCE_DOCKER_BIN="$FAKE_DOCKER" \
+  FAKE_DOCKER_ARGS_LOG="$ARGS_LOG" \
+  DCE_ENV_FILE="$TMP_DIR/scrape.env" \
+  "$REPO_ROOT/scripts/run-documents-scrape.sh" \
+  --config "$TMP_DIR/config.json" --target demo --log-file "$EXPLICIT_LOG" >"$TMP_DIR/explicit-live.out" 2>&1
+
+[[ -s "$EXPLICIT_LOG" ]] || {
+  echo "expected --log-file to create teed log" >&2
+  exit 1
+}
+grep -q 'Log file: '"$EXPLICIT_LOG" "$EXPLICIT_LOG" || {
+  echo "expected Log file: marker in teed log" >&2
+  exit 1
+}
+grep -q 'JSON summary file: '"$EXPLICIT_SUMMARY" "$EXPLICIT_LOG" || {
+  echo "expected summary path paired with --log-file basename" >&2
+  cat "$EXPLICIT_LOG" >&2
+  exit 1
+}
+
 cp "$REPO_ROOT/scripts/run-discord-scrape.sh" "$FAKE_REPO/scripts/"
 chmod +x "$FAKE_REPO/scripts/run-discord-scrape.sh"
 SALVAGE_DOC_LOG="$TMP_DIR/salvage-documents.log"