diff --git a/include/osmocom/core/logging.h b/include/osmocom/core/logging.h
index 755564d..5657d7a 100644
--- a/include/osmocom/core/logging.h
+++ b/include/osmocom/core/logging.h
@@ -175,6 +175,28 @@
 #define OSMO_LOGCOLOR_BRIGHTWHITE "\033[1;37m"
 #define OSMO_LOGCOLOR_END "\033[0;m"
 
+/*! Color constants that can be used in log_info_cat.color.
+ * This list is useful to set distinct logging category colors in a loop.
+ */
+static const char * const osmo_logcolors[] = {
+	OSMO_LOGCOLOR_RED,
+	OSMO_LOGCOLOR_GREEN,
+	OSMO_LOGCOLOR_YELLOW,
+	OSMO_LOGCOLOR_BLUE,
+	OSMO_LOGCOLOR_PURPLE,
+	OSMO_LOGCOLOR_CYAN,
+	OSMO_LOGCOLOR_DARKRED,
+	OSMO_LOGCOLOR_DARKGREEN,
+	OSMO_LOGCOLOR_DARKYELLOW,
+	OSMO_LOGCOLOR_DARKBLUE,
+	OSMO_LOGCOLOR_DARKPURPLE,
+	OSMO_LOGCOLOR_DARKCYAN,
+	OSMO_LOGCOLOR_DARKGREY,
+	OSMO_LOGCOLOR_GREY,
+	OSMO_LOGCOLOR_BRIGHTWHITE,
+	OSMO_LOGCOLOR_NORMAL,
+};
+
 /*! Configuration of single log category / sub-system */
 struct log_category {
 	uint8_t loglevel;	/*!< configured log-level */
@@ -410,6 +432,7 @@
 void log_set_all_filter(struct log_target *target, int);
 
 void log_set_use_color(struct log_target *target, int);
+void log_set_cyclic_category_colors();
 void log_set_print_extended_timestamp(struct log_target *target, int);
 void log_set_print_timestamp(struct log_target *target, int);
 void log_set_print_tid(struct log_target *target, int);
diff --git a/src/core/logging.c b/src/core/logging.c
index 938c65f..a2ef39c 100644
--- a/src/core/logging.c
+++ b/src/core/logging.c
@@ -842,6 +842,26 @@
 	target->use_color = use_color;
 }
 
+/*! Cycle through all logging categories, setting each to a different color.
+ * osmo_init_logging2() or log_init() *must* have been called before this.
+ */
+void log_set_cyclic_category_colors()
+{
+	int i;
+	struct log_info_cat *cat;
+	OSMO_ASSERT(osmo_log_info);
+	/* even though log_info->cat is defined const, we know that osmo_log_info was allocated during log_init(). */
+	cat = (struct log_info_cat*)osmo_log_info->cat;
+
+	for (i = 0; i < osmo_log_info->num_cat_user; i++) {
+		cat[i].color = osmo_logcolors[i % ARRAY_SIZE(osmo_logcolors)];
+	}
+	/* make sure the library defined categories get the same colors in each program */
+	for (i = osmo_log_info->num_cat_user; i < osmo_log_info->num_cat; i++) {
+		cat[i].color = osmo_logcolors[(i - osmo_log_info->num_cat_user) % ARRAY_SIZE(osmo_logcolors)];
+	}
+}
+
 /*! Enable or disable printing of timestamps while logging
  *  \param[in] target Log target to be affected
  *  \param[in] print_timestamp Enable (1) or disable (0) timestamps
diff --git a/tests/logging/logging_vty_test.c b/tests/logging/logging_vty_test.c
index 15f7fc2..4356939 100644
--- a/tests/logging/logging_vty_test.c
+++ b/tests/logging/logging_vty_test.c
@@ -87,31 +87,26 @@
 	[DAA] = {
 		.name = "DAA",
 		.description = "Antropomorphic Armadillos (AA)",
-		.color = "\033[1;31m",
 		.enabled = 1, .loglevel = LOGL_DEBUG,
 	},
 	[DBB] = {
 		.name = "DBB",
 		.description = "Bidirectional Breadspread (BB)",
-		.color = "\033[1;32m",
 		.enabled = 1, .loglevel = LOGL_INFO,
 	},
 	[DCCC] = {
 		.name = "DCCC",
 		.description = "Chaos Communication Congress (CCC)",
-		.color = "\033[1;33m",
 		.enabled = 1, .loglevel = LOGL_NOTICE,
 	},
 	[DDDDD] = {
 		.name = "DDDDD",
 		.description = "Dehydrated Dribbling Duck Dunkers (DDDD)",
-		.color = "\033[1;34m",
 		.enabled = 1, .loglevel = LOGL_ERROR,
 	},
 	[DEEE] = {
 		.name = "DEEE",
 		.description = "Exhaustive Entropy Extraction (EEE)",
-		.color = "\033[1;35m",
 		.enabled = 1, .loglevel = LOGL_FATAL,
 	},
 };
@@ -238,6 +233,7 @@
 
 	osmo_init_logging2(root_ctx, &log_info);
 	log_enable_multithread();
+	log_set_cyclic_category_colors();
 
 	vty_commands_init();