diff --git a/src/routes/api/backend_log.ts b/src/routes/api/backend_log.ts
index f57886242..2f056158d 100644
--- a/src/routes/api/backend_log.ts
+++ b/src/routes/api/backend_log.ts
@@ -1,18 +1,30 @@
 "use strict";
 
-import fs from "fs";
+import { readFile } from "fs/promises";
+import { join } from "path";
 import dateUtils from "../../services/date_utils.js";
 import dataDir from "../../services/data_dir.js";
+import log from "../../services/log.js";
+import { t } from "i18next";
+
 const { LOG_DIR } = dataDir;
 
-function getBackendLog() {
-    const file = `${LOG_DIR}/trilium-${dateUtils.localNowDate()}.log`;
-
+async function getBackendLog() {
+    const fileName = `trilium-${dateUtils.localNowDate()}.log`;
     try {
-        return fs.readFileSync(file, "utf8");
+        const file = join(LOG_DIR, fileName);
+        return await readFile(file, "utf8");
     } catch (e) {
+        const isErrorInstance = e instanceof Error;
+
         // most probably the log file does not exist yet - https://github.com/zadam/trilium/issues/1977
-        return "";
+        if (isErrorInstance && "code" in e && e.code === "ENOENT") {
+            log.error(e);
+            return t("backend_log.log-does-not-exist", { fileName });
+        }
+
+        log.error(isErrorInstance ? e : `Reading the backend log '${fileName}' failed with an unknown error: '${e}'.`);
+        return t("backend_log.reading-log-failed", { fileName });
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/translations/de/server.json b/translations/de/server.json
index a782e3c70..41bf37a70 100644
--- a/translations/de/server.json
+++ b/translations/de/server.json
@@ -193,5 +193,9 @@
   "test_sync": {
     "not-configured": "Der Synchronisations-Server-Host ist nicht konfiguriert. Bitte konfiguriere zuerst die Synchronisation.",
     "successful": "Die Server-Verbindung wurde erfolgreich hergestellt, die Synchronisation wurde gestartet."
+  },
+  "backend_log": {
+    "log-does-not-exist": "Die Backend-Log-Datei '{{ fileName }}' existiert (noch) nicht.",
+    "reading-log-failed": "Das Lesen der Backend-Log-Datei '{{ fileName }}' ist fehlgeschlagen."
   }
 }
diff --git a/translations/en/server.json b/translations/en/server.json
index fd4aa19c8..2b1d4fb6b 100644
--- a/translations/en/server.json
+++ b/translations/en/server.json
@@ -246,5 +246,9 @@
     "new-note": "New note",
     "duplicate-note-suffix": "(dup)",
     "duplicate-note-title": "{{ noteTitle }} {{ duplicateNoteSuffix }}"
+  },
+  "backend_log": {
+    "log-does-not-exist": "The backend log file '{{ fileName }}' does not exist (yet).",
+    "reading-log-failed": "Reading the backend log file '{{ fileName }}' failed."
   }
 }