diff --git a/internal/engine/session.go b/internal/engine/session.go
index d6a5869..eb444e3 100644
--- a/internal/engine/session.go
+++ b/internal/engine/session.go
@@ -336,6 +336,11 @@ func (s *Session) MaybeStartTunnel(ctx context.Context, name string) error {
 	// TODO(bassosimone): see if we can unify tunnelMu and mu.
 	s.tunnelMu.Lock()
 	defer s.tunnelMu.Unlock()
+	if name == "" {
+		// There is no point in continuing if we know
+		// we don't need to do anything.
+		return nil
+	}
 	if s.tunnel != nil && s.tunnelName == name {
 		// We've been asked more than once to start the same tunnel.
 		return nil
@@ -343,6 +348,8 @@ func (s *Session) MaybeStartTunnel(ctx context.Context, name string) error {
 	if s.proxyURL != nil && name == "" {
 		// The user configured a proxy and here we're not actually trying
 		// to start any tunnel since `name` is empty.
+		// TODO(bassosimone): this if branch is probably useless now
+		// because we stop above when name is "".
 		return nil
 	}
 	if s.proxyURL != nil || s.tunnel != nil {
@@ -350,6 +357,7 @@ func (s *Session) MaybeStartTunnel(ctx context.Context, name string) error {
 		// sets a proxy, the second check for s.tunnel is for robustness.
 		return ErrAlreadyUsingProxy
 	}
+	s.logger.Infof("starting '%s' tunnel; please be patient...", name)
 	tunnel, err := tunnel.Start(ctx, &tunnel.Config{
 		Name:    name,
 		Session: s,
diff --git a/internal/engine/tunnel/tunnel.go b/internal/engine/tunnel/tunnel.go
index e203f70..3af1bde 100644
--- a/internal/engine/tunnel/tunnel.go
+++ b/internal/engine/tunnel/tunnel.go
@@ -7,8 +7,6 @@ import (
 	"errors"
 	"net/url"
 	"time"
-
-	"github.com/ooni/probe-cli/v3/internal/engine/model"
 )
 
 // Session is the way in which this package sees a Session.
@@ -17,7 +15,6 @@ type Session interface {
 	TempDir() string
 	TorArgs() []string
 	TorBinary() string
-	Logger() model.Logger
 }
 
 // Tunnel is a tunnel used by the session
@@ -30,17 +27,13 @@ type Tunnel interface {
 // Start starts a new tunnel by name or returns an error. Note that if you
 // pass to this function the "" tunnel, you get back nil, nil.
 func Start(ctx context.Context, config *Config) (Tunnel, error) {
-	logger := config.Session.Logger()
 	switch config.Name {
 	case "":
-		logger.Debugf("no tunnel has been requested")
 		return enforceNilContract(nil, nil)
 	case "psiphon":
-		logger.Infof("starting %s tunnel; please be patient...", config.Name)
 		tun, err := psiphonStart(ctx, config)
 		return enforceNilContract(tun, err)
 	case "tor":
-		logger.Infof("starting %s tunnel; please be patient...", config.Name)
 		tun, err := torStart(ctx, config)
 		return enforceNilContract(tun, err)
 	default: