diff --git a/docs/configuration.rst b/docs/configuration.rst
index 06307d3f..a749743c 100644
--- a/docs/configuration.rst
+++ b/docs/configuration.rst
@@ -4422,14 +4422,17 @@ Description
 output.errorfile
 ----------------
 Type
-    |Path|_
+    * |Path|_
+    * |Logging Configuration|_
 Description
     File to write input URLs which returned an error to.
 
+    The default format string here is also ``"{message}"``.
+
     When combined with
     ``-I``/``--input-file-comment`` or
     ``-x``/``--input-file-delete``,
-    this option will cause all input URLs from these files
+    this option will cause *all* input URLs from these files
     to be commented/deleted after processing them
     and not just successful ones.
 
diff --git a/gallery_dl/__init__.py b/gallery_dl/__init__.py
index 1ec0de6a..fff53eb5 100644
--- a/gallery_dl/__init__.py
+++ b/gallery_dl/__init__.py
@@ -226,18 +226,26 @@ def main():
             else:
                 jobtype = args.jobtype or job.DownloadJob
 
+            input_manager = InputManager()
+            input_manager.log = input_log = logging.getLogger("inputfile")
+
             # unsupported file logging handler
             handler = output.setup_logging_handler(
                 "unsupportedfile", fmt="{message}")
             if handler:
-                ulog = logging.getLogger("unsupported")
+                ulog = job.Job.ulog = logging.getLogger("unsupported")
                 ulog.addHandler(handler)
                 ulog.propagate = False
-                job.Job.ulog = ulog
+
+            # error file logging handler
+            handler = output.setup_logging_handler(
+                "errorfile", fmt="{message}", mode="a")
+            if handler:
+                elog = input_manager.err = logging.getLogger("errorfile")
+                elog.addHandler(handler)
+                elog.propagate = False
 
             # collect input URLs
-            input_manager = InputManager()
-            input_manager.log = input_log = logging.getLogger("inputfile")
             input_manager.add_list(args.urls)
 
             if args.input_files:
@@ -249,11 +257,6 @@ def main():
                         input_log.error(exc)
                         return getattr(exc, "code", 128)
 
-            error_file = (args.error_file or
-                          config.get(("output",), "errorfile"))
-            if error_file:
-                input_manager.error_file(error_file)
-
             pformat = config.get(("output",), "progress", True)
             if pformat and len(input_manager.urls) > 1 and \
                     args.loglevel < logging.ERROR:
@@ -308,12 +311,12 @@ class InputManager():
     def __init__(self):
         self.urls = []
         self.files = ()
+        self.log = self.err = None
 
         self._url = ""
         self._item = None
         self._index = 0
         self._pformat = None
-        self._error_fp = None
 
     def add_url(self, url):
         self.urls.append(url)
@@ -438,15 +441,6 @@ class InputManager():
                 else:
                     append(url)
 
-    def error_file(self, path):
-        try:
-            path = util.expand_path(path)
-            self._error_fp = open(path, "a", encoding="utf-8")
-        except Exception as exc:
-            self.log.warning(
-                "Unable to open error file (%s: %s)",
-                exc.__class__.__name__, exc)
-
     def progress(self, pformat=True):
         if pformat is True:
             pformat = "[{current}/{total}] {url}\n"
@@ -462,21 +456,17 @@ class InputManager():
             self._rewrite()
 
     def error(self):
-        if self._error_fp:
+        if self.err:
             if self._item:
                 url, path, action, indicies = self._item
                 lines = self.files[path]
                 out = "".join(lines[i] for i in indicies)
+                if out and out[-1] == "\n":
+                    out = out[:-1]
                 self._rewrite()
             else:
-                out = str(self._url) + "\n"
-
-            try:
-                self._error_fp.write(out)
-            except Exception as exc:
-                self.log.warning(
-                    "Unable to update '%s' (%s: %s)",
-                    self._error_fp.name, exc.__class__.__name__, exc)
+                out = str(self._url)
+            self.err.info(out)
 
     def _rewrite(self):
         url, path, action, indicies = self._item
diff --git a/gallery_dl/option.py b/gallery_dl/option.py
index 5966f253..72a602f2 100644
--- a/gallery_dl/option.py
+++ b/gallery_dl/option.py
@@ -288,7 +288,7 @@ def build_parser():
     )
     output.add_argument(
         "-e", "--error-file",
-        dest="error_file", metavar="FILE",
+        dest="errorfile", metavar="FILE", action=ConfigAction,
         help="Add input URLs which returned an error to FILE",
     )
     output.add_argument(
diff --git a/gallery_dl/output.py b/gallery_dl/output.py
index 9508ff33..c0971f03 100644
--- a/gallery_dl/output.py
+++ b/gallery_dl/output.py
@@ -210,7 +210,7 @@ def configure_logging(loglevel):
     root.setLevel(minlevel)
 
 
-def setup_logging_handler(key, fmt=LOG_FORMAT, lvl=LOG_LEVEL):
+def setup_logging_handler(key, fmt=LOG_FORMAT, lvl=LOG_LEVEL, mode="w"):
     """Setup a new logging handler"""
     opts = config.interpolate(("output",), key)
     if not opts:
@@ -219,7 +219,7 @@ def setup_logging_handler(key, fmt=LOG_FORMAT, lvl=LOG_LEVEL):
         opts = {"path": opts}
 
     path = opts.get("path")
-    mode = opts.get("mode", "w")
+    mode = opts.get("mode", mode)
     encoding = opts.get("encoding", "utf-8")
     try:
         path = util.expand_path(path)