diff --git a/scripts/init.py b/scripts/init.py
index 7ff24d5a656685df1edfd522d14041cd56d48c3c..6df88ea013347837d43e8b155141325da09f6fb2 100644
--- a/scripts/init.py
+++ b/scripts/init.py
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ class OstOptionParser(optparse.OptionParser):
 
 parser=OstOptionParser(usage=usage,conflict_handler="resolve")
 parser.add_option("-h", "--help", action="callback", callback=show_help, help="show this help message and exit")
-parser.add_option("-v", "--verbosity_level", action="store", type="int", dest="vlevel", default=1, help="sets the verbosity level [default: %default]")
+parser.add_option("-v", "--verbosity_level", action="store", type="int", dest="vlevel", default=0, help="sets the verbosity level [default: %default]")
 parser.add_option("-s", "--script", action="callback", default=[], dest="script", type="string", callback=parse_script_option, help="executes a script (syntax: -s SCRIPT [options] [args]) Anything that follows this option is passed to the script")
 parser.add_option("-p", "--pdb_id", dest="pdb_ids", default=[],action="append", help="PDB file ID. The file will be retrieved from PDB")
 parser.add_option("-b", "--builder", dest="builder", default="HEURISTIC", help="Type of builder used by the progam (either RULE_BASED or HEURISTIC) [default: %default]")
diff --git a/scripts/init_cl.py b/scripts/init_cl.py
index 7dbf7cbe55c3c2f81fce22e50e6194e7872784c3..216a1e20052c318baddffacf6bf012700732176f 100644
--- a/scripts/init_cl.py
+++ b/scripts/init_cl.py
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ class OstOptionParser(optparse.OptionParser):
 parser=OstOptionParser(usage=usage,conflict_handler="resolve")
 parser.add_option("-i", "--interactive", action="callback", callback=interactive_flag, help="start interpreter interactively (must be first parameter, ignored otherwise)")
 parser.add_option("-h", "--help", action="callback", callback=show_help, help="show this help message and exit")
-parser.add_option("-v", "--verbosity_level", action="store", type="int", dest="vlevel", default=1, help="sets the verbosity level [default: %default]")
+parser.add_option("-v", "--verbosity_level", action="store", type="int", dest="vlevel", default=0, help="sets the verbosity level [default: %default]")
 parser.disable_interspersed_args()
 (options, args) = parser.parse_args()