diff --git a/heudiconv/cli/run.py b/heudiconv/cli/run.py
index ed17aad..516e163 100644
--- a/heudiconv/cli/run.py
+++ b/heudiconv/cli/run.py
@@ -248,11 +248,11 @@ def process_args(args):
 
     outdir = op.abspath(args.outdir)
 
-    import etelemetry
     try:
+        import etelemetry
         latest = etelemetry.get_project("nipy/heudiconv")
     except Exception as e:
-        lgr.warning("Could not check for version updates: ", e)
+        lgr.warning("Could not check for version updates: %s", str(e))
         latest = {"version": 'Unknown'}
 
     lgr.info(INIT_MSG(packname=__packagename__,

something (etelemetry?) causes logger to puke a traceback upon startup
```shell
bids@rolando:~$ heudiconv -o /tmp/cmrr -l '' --files .... -f cmrr-test.py 
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/logging/__init__.py", line 868, in emit
    msg = self.format(record)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/logging/__init__.py", line 741, in format
    return fmt.format(record)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/logging/__init__.py", line 465, in format
    record.message = record.getMessage()
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/logging/__init__.py", line 329, in getMessage
    msg = msg % self.args
TypeError: not all arguments converted during string formatting
Logged from file run.py, line 255
INFO: Running heudiconv version 0.6.0 latest Unknown
...
```
diff --git a/heudiconv/tests/test_main.py b/heudiconv/tests/test_main.py
index f4b7700..2ee2d95 100644
--- a/heudiconv/tests/test_main.py
+++ b/heudiconv/tests/test_main.py
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 # TODO: break this up by modules
 
-from heudiconv.cli.run import main as runner
+from heudiconv.cli.run import (
+    main as runner,
+    process_args,
+)
 from heudiconv import __version__
 from heudiconv.utils import (create_file_if_missing,
                              set_readonly,
@@ -271,3 +274,16 @@ def test_cache(tmpdir):
     assert (cachedir / 'dicominfo.tsv').exists()
     assert (cachedir / 'S01.auto.txt').exists()
     assert (cachedir / 'S01.edit.txt').exists()
+
+
+def test_no_etelemetry():
+    # smoke test at large - just verifying that no crash if no etelemetry
+    class args:
+        outdir = '/dev/null'
+        command = 'ls'
+        heuristic = 'reproin'
+        files = []  # Nothing to list
+
+    # must not fail if etelemetry no found
+    with patch.dict('sys.modules', {'etelemetry': None}):
+        process_args(args)

pip install -e .[all]
parse_log_pytest
requirements.txt
pytest pytest-cov pytest-xdist pytest-mock pytest-asyncio
apt-get update apt-get install -y gcc apt-get install -y dcm2niix
3.7
requirements.txt
pytest --no-header -rA --tb=line --color=no -p no:cacheprovider -W ignore::DeprecationWarning
annexremote==1.6.6
boto3==1.33.13
botocore==1.33.13
certifi @ file:///croot/certifi_1671487769961/work/certifi
cffi==1.15.1
chardet==5.2.0
charset-normalizer==3.4.1
ci-info==0.3.0
click==8.1.8
coverage==7.2.7
cryptography==44.0.2
datalad==1.1.0
dcmstack==0.9.0
etelemetry==0.3.1
exceptiongroup==1.2.2
execnet==2.0.2
fasteners==0.19
filelock==3.12.2
-e git+https://github.com/nipy/heudiconv.git@536056875c111b67574e6dcf86f29c3d454d7435#egg=heudiconv
humanize==4.6.0
idna==3.10
importlib-metadata==4.13.0
importlib-resources==5.12.0
iniconfig==2.0.0
inotify==0.2.10
iso8601==2.1.0
isodate==0.6.1
jaraco.classes==3.2.3
jeepney==0.9.0
jmespath==1.0.1
keyring==24.1.1
keyrings.alt==4.2.0
looseversion==1.3.0
lxml==5.3.1
mock==5.2.0
more-itertools==9.1.0
msgpack==1.0.5
networkx==2.6.3
nibabel==4.0.2
nipype==1.8.6
nose==1.3.7
numpy==1.21.6
packaging==24.0
pathlib==1.0.1
patool==1.12
platformdirs==4.0.0
pluggy==1.2.0
prov==2.0.1
pycparser==2.21
pydicom==2.4.4
pydot==2.0.0
pylibjpeg-libjpeg==1.3.4
pyparsing==3.1.4
pytest==7.4.4
pytest-asyncio==0.21.2
pytest-cov==4.1.0
pytest-mock==3.11.1
pytest-xdist==3.5.0
python-dateutil==2.9.0.post0
python-gitlab==3.15.0
rdflib==6.3.2
requests==2.31.0
requests-toolbelt==1.0.0
s3transfer==0.8.2
scipy==1.7.3
SecretStorage==3.3.3
simplejson==3.20.1
six==1.17.0
swebench-matterhorn @ file:///swebench_matterhorn
tinydb==4.8.0
tomli==2.0.1
tqdm==4.67.1
traits==6.3.2
typing_extensions==4.7.1
urllib3==1.26.20
zipp==3.15.0

name: heudiconv
channels:
  - defaults
  - https://repo.anaconda.com/pkgs/main
  - https://repo.anaconda.com/pkgs/r
  - conda-forge
dependencies:
  - _libgcc_mutex=0.1=main
  - _openmp_mutex=5.1=1_gnu
  - ca-certificates=2025.2.25=h06a4308_0
  - certifi=2022.12.7=py37h06a4308_0
  - ld_impl_linux-64=2.40=h12ee557_0
  - libffi=3.4.4=h6a678d5_1
  - libgcc-ng=11.2.0=h1234567_1
  - libgomp=11.2.0=h1234567_1
  - libstdcxx-ng=11.2.0=h1234567_1
  - ncurses=6.4=h6a678d5_0
  - openssl=1.1.1w=h7f8727e_0
  - pip=22.3.1=py37h06a4308_0
  - python=3.7.16=h7a1cb2a_0
  - readline=8.2=h5eee18b_0
  - setuptools=65.6.3=py37h06a4308_0
  - sqlite=3.45.3=h5eee18b_0
  - tk=8.6.14=h39e8969_0
  - wheel=0.38.4=py37h06a4308_0
  - xz=5.6.4=h5eee18b_1
  - zlib=1.2.13=h5eee18b_1
  - pip:
      - annexremote==1.6.6
      - boto3==1.33.13
      - botocore==1.33.13
      - cffi==1.15.1
      - chardet==5.2.0
      - charset-normalizer==3.4.1
      - ci-info==0.3.0
      - click==8.1.8
      - coverage==7.2.7
      - cryptography==44.0.2
      - datalad==1.1.0
      - dcmstack==0.9.0
      - etelemetry==0.3.1
      - exceptiongroup==1.2.2
      - execnet==2.0.2
      - fasteners==0.19
      - filelock==3.12.2
      - humanize==4.6.0
      - idna==3.10
      - importlib-metadata==4.13.0
      - importlib-resources==5.12.0
      - iniconfig==2.0.0
      - inotify==0.2.10
      - iso8601==2.1.0
      - isodate==0.6.1
      - jaraco-classes==3.2.3
      - jeepney==0.9.0
      - jmespath==1.0.1
      - keyring==24.1.1
      - keyrings-alt==4.2.0
      - looseversion==1.3.0
      - lxml==5.3.1
      - mock==5.2.0
      - more-itertools==9.1.0
      - msgpack==1.0.5
      - networkx==2.6.3
      - nibabel==4.0.2
      - nipype==1.8.6
      - nose==1.3.7
      - numpy==1.21.6
      - packaging==24.0
      - pathlib==1.0.1
      - patool==1.12
      - platformdirs==4.0.0
      - pluggy==1.2.0
      - prov==2.0.1
      - pycparser==2.21
      - pydicom==2.4.4
      - pydot==2.0.0
      - pylibjpeg-libjpeg==1.3.4
      - pyparsing==3.1.4
      - pytest==7.4.4
      - pytest-asyncio==0.21.2
      - pytest-cov==4.1.0
      - pytest-mock==3.11.1
      - pytest-xdist==3.5.0
      - python-dateutil==2.9.0.post0
      - python-gitlab==3.15.0
      - rdflib==6.3.2
      - requests==2.31.0
      - requests-toolbelt==1.0.0
      - s3transfer==0.8.2
      - scipy==1.7.3
      - secretstorage==3.3.3
      - simplejson==3.20.1
      - six==1.17.0
      - swebench-matterhorn==0.0.0
      - tinydb==4.8.0
      - tomli==2.0.1
      - tqdm==4.67.1
      - traits==6.3.2
      - typing-extensions==4.7.1
      - urllib3==1.26.20
      - zipp==3.15.0
prefix: /opt/conda/envs/heudiconv

heudiconv/tests/test_main.py::test_populate_bids_templates heudiconv/tests/test_main.py::test_cache heudiconv/tests/test_main.py::test_no_etelemetry
heudiconv/tests/test_main.py::test_prepare_for_datalad
heudiconv/tests/test_main.py::test_main_help heudiconv/tests/test_main.py::test_main_version heudiconv/tests/test_main.py::test_create_file_if_missing heudiconv/tests/test_main.py::test_add_participant_record heudiconv/tests/test_main.py::test_get_formatted_scans_key_row heudiconv/tests/test_main.py::test_add_rows_to_scans_keys_file heudiconv/tests/test_main.py::test__find_subj_ses heudiconv/tests/test_main.py::test_make_readonly
heudiconv/cli/run.py
heudiconv/cli/run.py