diff --git a/docs/Config.md b/docs/Config.md
index b22decffd..bf5b6225b 100644
--- a/docs/Config.md
+++ b/docs/Config.md
@@ -131,6 +131,14 @@ For static and editable math fields, when `tabbable` is false, the math field is
 
 Static math fields default to `tabbable: false`, Editable math fields default to `tabbable:true`.
 
+## disableAutoSubstitutionInSubscripts
+
+If `disableAutoSubstitutionInSubscripts` is `false` (default), then typing auto command names such as `int` will expand to `\int`, even in subscripts.
+
+If `disableAutoSubstitutionInSubscripts` is `true`, then such expansions are disabled in all subscripts, so users can type `A_{point}` without getting `A_{po\int}`.
+
+If `disableAutoSubstitutionInSubscripts` is `{except: "log"}`, then such expansions are disabled in all subscripts, _except_ for after `\log`, so users can type `\log_{\pi}(x)` again. Just like [`autoCommands`](#autocommands) above, the `except` property should be a string formatted as a space-delimited list of LaTeX commands.
+
 # Handlers
 
 Handlers are called after a specified event. They are called directly on the `handlers` object passed in, preserving the `this` value, so you can do stuff like:
diff --git a/src/commands/math/basicSymbols.ts b/src/commands/math/basicSymbols.ts
index 9211e7ca2..8a6a5eb64 100644
--- a/src/commands/math/basicSymbols.ts
+++ b/src/commands/math/basicSymbols.ts
@@ -410,11 +410,16 @@ function letterSequenceEndingAtNode(node: NodeRef, maxLength: number) {
 
 class Letter extends Variable {
   letter: string;
-  /** If this is the last letter of an operatorname (`\operatorname{arcsinh}`)
+  /**
+   * If this is the last letter of an operatorname (`\operatorname{arcsinh}`)
    * or builtin (`\sin`), give its category, based on infixOperatorNames
    * and prefixOperatorNames. E.g. "for" may be infix and "sin" may be prefix.
    */
   endsCategory?: undefined | 'infix' | 'prefix';
+  /**
+   * Similarly to endsCategory, give the string name, e.g. "sin" or "arcsinh".
+   */
+  endsWord?: string;
 
   constructor(ch: string) {
     super(ch);
@@ -502,7 +507,10 @@ class Letter extends Variable {
   italicize(bool: boolean) {
     this.isItalic = bool;
     this.isPartOfOperator = !bool;
-    if (bool) delete this.endsCategory;
+    if (bool) {
+      delete this.endsCategory;
+      delete this.endsWord;
+    }
     this.domFrag().toggleClass('mq-operator-name', !bool);
     return this;
   }
@@ -584,6 +592,7 @@ class Letter extends Variable {
           first.ctrlSeq =
             (isBuiltIn ? '\\' : '\\operatorname{') + first.ctrlSeq;
           last.ctrlSeq += isBuiltIn ? ' ' : '}';
+          last.endsWord = word;
           if (opts.infixOperatorNames[word]) {
             last.endsCategory = 'infix';
           } else if (opts.prefixOperatorNames[word]) {
@@ -740,6 +749,17 @@ baseOptionProcessors.infixOperatorNames = splitWordsIntoDict;
 Options.prototype.prefixOperatorNames = {};
 baseOptionProcessors.prefixOperatorNames = splitWordsIntoDict;
 
+Options.prototype.disableAutoSubstitutionInSubscripts = false;
+baseOptionProcessors.disableAutoSubstitutionInSubscripts = function (
+  opt: unknown
+) {
+  if (typeof opt === 'boolean') return opt;
+  if (typeof opt !== 'object' || opt === null || !('except' in opt)) {
+    throw '"' + opt + '" not an object with property "except"';
+  }
+  return { except: splitWordsIntoDict((opt as any).except) };
+};
+
 function splitWordsIntoDict(cmds: unknown) {
   if (typeof cmds !== 'string') {
     throw '"' + cmds + '" not a space-delimited list';
diff --git a/src/mathquill.d.ts b/src/mathquill.d.ts
index ea73df4bc..34751c201 100644
--- a/src/mathquill.d.ts
+++ b/src/mathquill.d.ts
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ declare namespace MathQuill {
       logAriaAlerts?: boolean;
       autoParenthesizedFunctions?: string;
       quietEmptyDelimiters?: string;
-      disableAutoSubstitutionInSubscripts?: boolean;
+      disableAutoSubstitutionInSubscripts?: boolean | { except: string };
       interpretTildeAsSim?: boolean;
       handlers?: HandlerOptions<BaseMathQuill<$>>;
     }
diff --git a/src/publicapi.ts b/src/publicapi.ts
index ae5696ef5..c05ba8c01 100644
--- a/src/publicapi.ts
+++ b/src/publicapi.ts
@@ -61,7 +61,8 @@ const processedOptions = {
   prefixOperatorNames: true,
   leftRightIntoCmdGoes: true,
   maxDepth: true,
-  interpretTildeAsSim: true
+  interpretTildeAsSim: true,
+  disableAutoSubstitutionInSubscripts: true
 };
 type ProcessedOption = keyof typeof processedOptions;
 
@@ -122,7 +123,9 @@ class Options {
   autoCommands: AutoDict;
   autoParenthesizedFunctions: AutoDict;
   quietEmptyDelimiters: { [id: string]: any };
-  disableAutoSubstitutionInSubscripts?: boolean;
+  disableAutoSubstitutionInSubscripts?:
+    | boolean
+    | { except: { [name in string]?: true } };
   interpretTildeAsSim: boolean;
   handlers?: {
     fns: HandlerOptions;
diff --git a/src/tree.ts b/src/tree.ts
index 38eff025e..5dafe7b84 100644
--- a/src/tree.ts
+++ b/src/tree.ts
@@ -292,10 +292,22 @@ class NodeBase {
   }
 
   shouldIgnoreSubstitutionInSimpleSubscript(options: CursorOptions) {
-    if (!options.disableAutoSubstitutionInSubscripts) return false;
+    const opt = options.disableAutoSubstitutionInSubscripts;
+    if (!opt) return false;
     if (!this.parent) return false;
     if (!(this.parent.parent instanceof SupSub)) return false;
 
+    // Allow substitution in e.g. log subscripts
+    const before = this.parent.parent[L];
+    if (
+      typeof opt === 'object' &&
+      before instanceof Letter &&
+      before.endsWord &&
+      opt.except[before.endsWord]
+    ) {
+      return false;
+    }
+
     // Mathquill is gross. There are many different paths that
     // create subscripts and sometimes we don't even construct
     // true instances of `LatexCmds._`. Another problem is that
diff --git a/test/unit/autoOperatorNames.test.js b/test/unit/autoOperatorNames.test.js
index 1ffe4ebcf..8dd8bf394 100644
--- a/test/unit/autoOperatorNames.test.js
+++ b/test/unit/autoOperatorNames.test.js
@@ -8,6 +8,10 @@ suite('autoOperatorNames', function () {
     autoCommands: 'sum int',
     disableAutoSubstitutionInSubscripts: true
   };
+  const subscriptConfigNoLog = {
+    autoCommands: 'sum int',
+    disableAutoSubstitutionInSubscripts: { except: 'log' }
+  };
 
   setup(function () {
     mq = MQ.MathField($('<span></span>').appendTo('#mock')[0]);
@@ -78,17 +82,34 @@ suite('autoOperatorNames', function () {
     assertLatex('int allows operatorname', '\\int_{\\sin}^{ }');
   });
 
+  test('works in subscript after log, based on "except" option', function () {
+    // log subscript without config option
+    mq.config(subscriptConfig);
+    mq.typedText('log_');
+    mq.typedText('sin');
+    assertLatex('subscripts do not turn to operatorname', '\\log_{sin}');
+
+    // log subscript
+    mq.latex('');
+    mq.config(subscriptConfigNoLog);
+    mq.typedText('log_');
+    mq.typedText('sin');
+    assertLatex('log subscript does turn to operatorname', '\\log_{\\sin}');
+  });
+
   test('no auto operator names in simple subscripts when typing', function () {
+    // normal
     mq.config(normalConfig);
     mq.typedText('x_');
     mq.typedText('sin');
     assertLatex('subscripts turn to operatorname', 'x_{\\sin}');
+
+    // subscript config
     mq.latex('');
     mq.config(subscriptConfig);
     mq.typedText('x_');
     mq.typedText('sin');
     assertLatex('subscripts do not turn to operatorname', 'x_{sin}');
-    mq.config(normalConfig);
   });
 
   test('no auto operator names in simple subscripts when pasting', function () {