diff --git a/lib/child-writer/index.js b/lib/child-writer/index.js
index edbc84c8..a2402903 100644
--- a/lib/child-writer/index.js
+++ b/lib/child-writer/index.js
@@ -126,8 +126,28 @@ exports.write = (image, drive, options) => {
    * }));
    */
   const bridgeRobotMessage = (message) => {
+    const ROBOT_COMMAND_LOG = 'log';
+
+    const parsedMessage = _.attempt(() => {
+      if (robot.isMessage(message)) {
+        return robot.parseMessage(message);
+      }
+
+      // Don't be so strict. If a message doesn't look like
+      // a robot message, then make the child writer log it
+      // for debugging purposes.
+      return robot.parseMessage(robot.buildMessage(ROBOT_COMMAND_LOG, {
+        message
+      }));
+
+    });
+
+    if (_.isError(parsedMessage)) {
+      emitError(parsedMessage);
+      return;
+    }
+
     try {
-      const parsedMessage = robot.parseMessage(message);
 
       // These are lighweight accessor methods for
       // the properties of the parsed message
@@ -139,8 +159,16 @@ exports.write = (image, drive, options) => {
       // to provide better encapsulation.
       if (messageCommand === 'error') {
         emitError(robot.recomposeErrorMessage(parsedMessage));
-      } else if (messageCommand === 'log') {
-        console.log(messageData);
+      } else if (messageCommand === ROBOT_COMMAND_LOG) {
+
+        // If the message data is an object and it contains a
+        // message string then log the message string only.
+        if (_.isPlainObject(messageData) && _.isString(messageData.message)) {
+          console.log(messageData.message);
+        } else {
+          console.log(messageData);
+        }
+
       } else {
         emitter.emit(messageCommand, messageData);
       }
diff --git a/lib/shared/robot/index.js b/lib/shared/robot/index.js
index 9b62f1f4..aa387dbe 100644
--- a/lib/shared/robot/index.js
+++ b/lib/shared/robot/index.js
@@ -65,6 +65,34 @@ exports.buildMessage = (title, data = {}) => {
   });
 };
 
+/**
+ * @summary Check whether a string is a robot message
+ * @function
+ * @public
+ *
+ * @description
+ * Note that this function doesn't check if the robot message
+ * is valid, but just that it is a robot message that we should
+ * attempt to parse.
+ *
+ * @param {String} string - string
+ * @returns {Boolean} whether the string is a robot message
+ *
+ * @example
+ * if (robot.isMessage(robot.buildMessage('foo', {
+ *   message: 'bar'
+ * }))) {
+ *   console.log('This is a robot message');
+ * }
+ */
+exports.isMessage = (string) => {
+  try {
+    return _.isPlainObject(JSON.parse(string));
+  } catch (error) {
+    return false;
+  }
+};
+
 /**
  * @summary Parse a machine-parseable message
  * @function
diff --git a/tests/shared/robot.spec.js b/tests/shared/robot.spec.js
index b90ab3c5..8436a1a0 100644
--- a/tests/shared/robot.spec.js
+++ b/tests/shared/robot.spec.js
@@ -91,6 +91,101 @@ describe('Shared: Robot', function() {
 
   });
 
+  describe('.isMessage()', function() {
+
+    it('should return true if message is an empty object', function() {
+      m.chai.expect(robot.isMessage('{}')).to.be.true;
+    });
+
+    it('should return true if message is an object', function() {
+      m.chai.expect(robot.isMessage('{"command":"foo"}')).to.be.true;
+    });
+
+    it('should return false if message is an invalid object', function() {
+      m.chai.expect(robot.isMessage('{"command":\\foo"}')).to.be.false;
+    });
+
+    it('should return false if message is an unquoted string', function() {
+      m.chai.expect(robot.isMessage('foo')).to.be.false;
+    });
+
+    it('should return false if message is an quoted string', function() {
+      m.chai.expect(robot.isMessage('"foo"')).to.be.false;
+    });
+
+    it('should return false if message is an empty string', function() {
+      m.chai.expect(robot.isMessage('')).to.be.false;
+    });
+
+    it('should return false if message is undefined', function() {
+      m.chai.expect(robot.isMessage(undefined)).to.be.false;
+    });
+
+    it('should return false if message is null', function() {
+      m.chai.expect(robot.isMessage(null)).to.be.false;
+    });
+
+    it('should return false if message is a positive integer string', function() {
+      m.chai.expect(robot.isMessage('5')).to.be.false;
+    });
+
+    it('should return false if message is a negative integer string', function() {
+      m.chai.expect(robot.isMessage('-3')).to.be.false;
+    });
+
+    it('should return false if message is a zero string', function() {
+      m.chai.expect(robot.isMessage('0')).to.be.false;
+    });
+
+    it('should return false if message is a positive float string', function() {
+      m.chai.expect(robot.isMessage('5.3')).to.be.false;
+    });
+
+    it('should return false if message is a negative float string', function() {
+      m.chai.expect(robot.isMessage('-2.1')).to.be.false;
+    });
+
+    it('should return false if message is a positive integer', function() {
+      m.chai.expect(robot.isMessage(5)).to.be.false;
+    });
+
+    it('should return false if message is a negative integer', function() {
+      m.chai.expect(robot.isMessage(-3)).to.be.false;
+    });
+
+    it('should return false if message is zero', function() {
+      m.chai.expect(robot.isMessage(0)).to.be.false;
+    });
+
+    it('should return false if message is a positive float', function() {
+      m.chai.expect(robot.isMessage(5.3)).to.be.false;
+    });
+
+    it('should return false if message is a negative float', function() {
+      m.chai.expect(robot.isMessage(-2.1)).to.be.false;
+    });
+
+    it('should return false if message is an array', function() {
+      m.chai.expect(robot.isMessage([ 'foo' ])).to.be.false;
+    });
+
+    it('should return false if message is an array string', function() {
+      m.chai.expect(robot.isMessage('["foo"]')).to.be.false;
+    });
+
+    it('should return true for a message built with .buildMessage()', function() {
+      m.chai.expect(robot.isMessage(robot.buildMessage('foo', {
+        message: 'bar'
+      }))).to.be.true;
+    });
+
+    it('should return true for a message built with .buildErrorMessage()', function() {
+      const error = new Error('foo');
+      m.chai.expect(robot.isMessage(robot.buildErrorMessage(error))).to.be.true;
+    });
+
+  });
+
   describe('.buildErrorMessage()', function() {
 
     it('should build a message from a simple error', function() {