diff --git a/esmvalcore/_task.py b/esmvalcore/_task.py
index 66018c2789..27a6b83d14 100644
--- a/esmvalcore/_task.py
+++ b/esmvalcore/_task.py
@@ -392,7 +392,7 @@ def _initialize_cmd(self):
         script_file = Path(script).expanduser().absolute()
         err_msg = f"Cannot execute script '{script}' ({script_file})"
         if not script_file.is_file():
-            logger.info(
+            logger.debug(
                 "No local diagnostic script found. Attempting to load the script from the base repository."
             )
             # Check if esmvaltool package is available