diff --git a/nerfactory/configs/base.py b/nerfactory/configs/base.py
index b5680d8ed..cd65ebd55 100644
--- a/nerfactory/configs/base.py
+++ b/nerfactory/configs/base.py
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ class TensorboardWriterConfig(InstantiateConfig):
     _target: Type = writer.TensorboardWriter
     """target class to instantiate"""
     log_dir: dcargs.conf.Fixed[Path] = dcargs.MISSING
-    """auto-populated absolute path to saved tensorboard events"""
+    """[Do not set] Auto-populated absolute path to saved tensorboard events"""
 
 
 @dataclass
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ class WandbWriterConfig(InstantiateConfig):
     _target: Type = writer.WandbWriter
     """target class to instantiate"""
     log_dir: dcargs.conf.Fixed[Path] = dcargs.MISSING
-    """auto-populated absolute path to saved wandb events"""
+    """[Do not set] Auto-populated absolute path to saved wandb events"""
 
 
 @dataclass
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ class LoggingConfig(PrintableConfig):
     event_writer: Literal["tb", "wandb", "none"] = "wandb"
     """specify which writer to use (tensorboard or wandb)"""
     event_writer_config: dcargs.conf.Fixed[Optional[Union[TensorboardWriterConfig, WandbWriterConfig]]] = dcargs.MISSING
-    """dynamically set the writer config based on the writer"""
+    """[Do not set] Writer config based on the specified event_writer. Set automatically."""
     local_writer: LocalWriterConfig = LocalWriterConfig(enable=True)
     """if provided, will print stats locally. if None, will disable printing"""
     enable_profiler: bool = True
@@ -175,7 +175,7 @@ class TrainerConfig(PrintableConfig):
     relative_model_dir: Path = Path("nerfactory_models/")
     """relative path to save all checkpoints"""
     model_dir: dcargs.conf.Fixed[Path] = dcargs.MISSING
-    """auto-populated absolute path to saved checkpoints"""
+    """[Do not set] Auto-populated absolute path to saved checkpoints. Set automatically."""
     # optional parameters if we want to resume training
     load_dir: Optional[Path] = None
     """optionally specify a pre-trained model directory to load from"""
@@ -396,10 +396,12 @@ class SchedulerConfig(InstantiateConfig):
 class Config(PrintableConfig):
     """Full config contents"""
 
-    experiment_name: str = "blender_lego"
-    method_name: str = "base_method"
+    method_name: Optional[str] = None
+    """Method name. Required to set in python or via cli"""
+    experiment_name: Optional[str] = None
+    """Experiment name. If None, will automatically be set to dataset name"""
     base_dir: dcargs.conf.Fixed[Path] = dcargs.MISSING
-    """Experiment base directory. Set automatically."""
+    """[Do not set] Experiment base directory. Set automatically."""
     machine: MachineConfig = MachineConfig()
     logging: LoggingConfig = LoggingConfig()
     viewer: ViewerConfig = ViewerConfig()
@@ -425,6 +427,10 @@ class Config(PrintableConfig):
             timestamp: Timestamp to use, as a string. If None, defaults to the current
                 time in the form YYYY-MM-DD_HHMMMSS.
         """
+        # check the experiment and method names
+        assert self.method_name is not None, "Please set method name in config or via the cli"
+        if self.experiment_name is None:
+            self.experiment_name = str(self.pipeline.datamanager.train_dataparser.data_directory).replace("/", "-")
 
         # set the timestamp of the model logging/writer loggign paths
         if timestamp is None:
diff --git a/nerfactory/configs/base_configs.py b/nerfactory/configs/base_configs.py
index 2953883fe..02014766c 100644
--- a/nerfactory/configs/base_configs.py
+++ b/nerfactory/configs/base_configs.py
@@ -64,7 +64,6 @@ base_configs["instant-ngp"] = Config(
 )
 
 base_configs["mipnerf-360"] = Config(
-    experiment_name="mipnerf-360",
     method_name="mipnerf-360",
     trainer=TrainerConfig(steps_per_eval_batch=200),
     pipeline=PipelineConfig(
@@ -97,7 +96,6 @@ base_configs["mipnerf"] = Config(
 )
 
 base_configs["nerfw"] = Config(
-    experiment_name="friends_TBBT-big_living_room",
     method_name="nerfw",
     pipeline=PipelineConfig(
         datamanager=VanillaDataManagerConfig(
@@ -107,8 +105,8 @@ base_configs["nerfw"] = Config(
     ),
 )
 
+
 base_configs["semantic-nerf"] = Config(
-    experiment_name="friends_TBBT-big_living_room",
     method_name="semantic-nerf",
     pipeline=PipelineConfig(
         datamanager=VanillaDataManagerConfig(
@@ -193,7 +191,7 @@ def _make_base_config_subcommand_type() -> Type[Config]:
     base_configs_placeholder_timestamp = {}
     for name, config in base_configs.items():
         base_configs_placeholder_timestamp[name] = copy.deepcopy(config)
-        base_configs_placeholder_timestamp[name].populate_dynamic_fields("{timestamp}")
+        base_configs_placeholder_timestamp[name].populate_dynamic_fields(timestamp="{timestamp}")
 
     return dcargs.extras.subcommand_type_from_defaults(base_configs_placeholder_timestamp)
 
diff --git a/nerfactory/utils/writer.py b/nerfactory/utils/writer.py
index c2ef6c93f..a32c4761c 100644
--- a/nerfactory/utils/writer.py
+++ b/nerfactory/utils/writer.py
@@ -381,7 +381,7 @@ class LocalWriter:
         if step > 0:
             if not self.has_printed and self.config.max_log_size:
                 logging.info(
-                    "\x1b[33;20mPrinting max of %d lines. Set flag  `--logging.local_writer.max-log-size=0` "
+                    "\x1b[33;20mPrinting max of %d lines. Set flag  `--logging.local-writer.max-log-size=0` "
                     "to disable line wrapping.\x1b[0m",
                     self.config.max_log_size,
                 )