diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index dc50b55..25463e7 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ and emit; their records flow into the handlers `log_setup` wired.
 ## Install
 
 ```
-log_setup @ git+ssh://git@git.rethinkstudios.io/rethink-public/log_setup.git@v0.2.0
+log_setup @ git+ssh://git@git.rethinkstudios.io/rethink-public/log_setup.git@v0.3.0
 ```
 
 No dependencies — stdlib only.
@@ -89,7 +89,8 @@ logging.getLogger("bot.core").info("ready", extra={"monitor": "heartbeat"})
 setup_logging(
     name="run",               # base -> run.log (the live file at cwd)
     log_dir="logs",           # rotated/compressed copies live here (created if absent)
-    level="INFO",             # root level (str name or logging constant)
+    level="INFO",             # root level everything inherits (str name or logging constant)
+    module_levels=None,       # {logger_name: level} per-logger overrides (exact name match)
     rotate="daily",           # "daily" | "size" | "on_start" | None
     backup_count=14,          # rotated files to keep (older auto-deleted)
     max_bytes=10_000_000,     # only for rotate="size"
@@ -102,6 +103,47 @@ setup_logging(
 ) -> logging.Logger           # returns the configured root logger
 ```
 
+## Quieting noisy dependencies (`module_levels`)
+
+`level` is the **root default** — every logger inherits it. `module_levels` is an
+optional `{logger_name: level}` map of **per-logger overrides** applied at setup, the
+standard "turn down the chatty dependency while my own code stays at INFO" case:
+
+```python
+setup_logging(
+    name="run",
+    level="INFO",                 # our code logs at INFO
+    module_levels={
+        "motor": "WARNING",       # quiet the driver
+        "pymongo": "WARNING",
+        "aiohttp": "WARNING",     # also quiets aiohttp.client / aiohttp.access (hierarchy)
+    },
+)
+```
+
+- **Exact-name match — names are NOT discovered.** It calls
+  `logging.getLogger(name).setLevel(level)` for exactly the name you give. There's no
+  smart find of noisy modules; you name the loggers. A typo (`"moter"`) silently
+  configures a logger nothing uses — no error, no effect. Get the names right.
+- **Hierarchy applies** (the one "smart" part, and it's just stdlib): naming a **parent**
+  quiets its whole subtree. `"aiohttp"` also quiets `aiohttp.client`, `aiohttp.access`,
+  etc. — the way to catch sub-loggers without listing each.
+- **str or int** per entry (`"WARNING"` or `logging.WARNING`) — same normalization as the
+  root `level`.
+- **Never crashes:** a bad level for one entry is **skipped with a warning**; the other
+  entries and the rest of setup still apply. Consistent with the never-crash-over-logging
+  rule.
+- `None`/`{}` (default) → no overrides; existing callers are unaffected.
+
+Common noisy library logger names: `motor`, `pymongo`, `aiohttp` (parent quiets
+`aiohttp.client`/`aiohttp.access`), `discord` / `discord.*`, `asyncio`, `urllib3`. Check
+a lib's *actual* logger name — some log under a name different from their package.
+
+This already works without the lib (`logging.getLogger("motor").setLevel(WARNING)` after
+setup does the same via stdlib hierarchy). The param's value is ergonomic: it keeps the
+overrides in the **one** `setup_logging` call at the entry point instead of scattering
+`setLevel` calls afterward — which is the whole point of `log_setup`.
+
 ## Async-friendly (`queue=True`)
 
 For async-heavy apps, `queue=True` routes records through a stdlib `QueueHandler` to a
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 0acaa09..411437d 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ build-backend = "hatchling.build"
 
 [project]
 name = "log_setup"
-version = "0.2.0"
+version = "0.3.0"
 description = "stdlib app-entry-point logging setup: live run.log, rotation, gzip, retention, consistent format"
 requires-python = ">=3.10"
 dependencies = []
diff --git a/src/log_setup/__init__.py b/src/log_setup/__init__.py
index 048c2e5..c8eb6d6 100644
--- a/src/log_setup/__init__.py
+++ b/src/log_setup/__init__.py
@@ -19,4 +19,4 @@ from .setup import setup_logging
 
 __all__ = ["setup_logging"]
 
-__version__ = "0.2.0"
+__version__ = "0.3.0"
diff --git a/src/log_setup/setup.py b/src/log_setup/setup.py
index d0bf432..db0ab2b 100644
--- a/src/log_setup/setup.py
+++ b/src/log_setup/setup.py
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ import logging
 import logging.handlers
 import os
 import queue
-from typing import Optional, Union
+from typing import Dict, Optional, Union
 
 from .formats import build_formatter
 from .rotation import attach_rolling, prune, rotate_on_start
@@ -36,6 +36,41 @@ def _level_value(level: Union[int, str]) -> int:
     return resolved if isinstance(resolved, int) else logging.INFO
 
 
+def _strict_level_value(level: Union[int, str]) -> Optional[int]:
+    """coerce a level name or int to a logging level int, or None if invalid
+
+    unlike `_level_value` (which falls back to INFO for the root `level`), this reports
+    an invalid value as None so the per-module path can skip + warn rather than silently
+    apply INFO to a logger the caller named with a typo'd level
+    """
+    if isinstance(level, bool):
+        return None
+    if isinstance(level, int):
+        return level
+    if not isinstance(level, str):
+        return None
+    resolved = logging.getLevelName(level.upper())
+    return resolved if isinstance(resolved, int) else None
+
+
+def _apply_module_levels(module_levels: Optional[Dict[str, Union[int, str]]]) -> None:
+    """set per-logger level overrides by exact logger name, never crashing
+
+    each name->level entry calls `logging.getLogger(name).setLevel(<level>)`. names are
+    matched exactly (no discovery); stdlib hierarchy still applies, so a parent name
+    quiets its whole subtree. a bad level for one entry is skipped with a warning so the
+    other entries and the rest of setup still proceed.
+    """
+    if not module_levels:
+        return
+    for mod_name, raw_level in module_levels.items():
+        value = _strict_level_value(raw_level)
+        if value is None:
+            log.warning("log_setup: invalid level %r for logger %r; skipping", raw_level, mod_name)
+            continue
+        logging.getLogger(mod_name).setLevel(value)
+
+
 def _clear_owned(root: logging.Logger) -> None:
     """remove only the handlers this lib previously added; leave app handlers alone"""
     global _listener
@@ -84,6 +119,7 @@ def setup_logging(
     name: str = "run",
     log_dir: str = "logs",
     level: Union[int, str] = "INFO",
+    module_levels: Optional[Dict[str, Union[int, str]]] = None,
     rotate: Optional[str] = "daily",
     backup_count: int = 14,
     max_bytes: int = 10_000_000,
@@ -97,6 +133,15 @@ def setup_logging(
     """configure the root logger for the whole process and return it
 
     `name` -> <name>.log live file at cwd; rolled/compressed copies go to `log_dir`.
+    `level` is the root default every logger inherits. `module_levels` is an optional
+    map of exact logger name -> level applied after the root is set, the ergonomic way
+    to quiet noisy dependencies (e.g. {"motor": "WARNING", "aiohttp": "WARNING"}) from
+    the one setup call instead of scattering `getLogger(...).setLevel(...)` afterwards —
+    it's stdlib hierarchy under the hood, not new capability. names match EXACTLY (no
+    discovery: a typo'd name silently configures an unused logger), but stdlib hierarchy
+    applies, so naming a parent ("aiohttp") quiets its whole subtree (aiohttp.client,
+    aiohttp.access, ...). each entry accepts a str or int level; a bad value for one
+    entry is skipped with a warning and never aborts the others or the setup.
     `rotate` is "daily" (default), "size", "on_start", or None. `console=True` adds a
     stdout handler (off by default — the file is the output). `queue=True` routes records
     through a background QueueListener so file I/O never blocks the caller (the listener
@@ -113,6 +158,7 @@ def setup_logging(
 
     root = logging.getLogger()
     root.setLevel(_level_value(level))
+    _apply_module_levels(module_levels)
     _clear_owned(root)
 
     formatter = build_formatter(output, fmt, datefmt)