diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index 9352572..63b5c69 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -190,6 +190,12 @@ dependencies = [
  "winapi",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "dtoa"
+version = "0.4.7"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "88d7ed2934d741c6b37e33e3832298e8850b53fd2d2bea03873375596c7cea4e"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "either"
 version = "1.6.1"
@@ -212,6 +218,7 @@ dependencies = [
 name = "espanso"
 version = "1.0.0"
 dependencies = [
+ "espanso-config",
  "espanso-detect",
  "espanso-inject",
  "espanso-ui",
@@ -219,6 +226,18 @@ dependencies = [
  "simplelog",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "espanso-config"
+version = "0.1.0"
+dependencies = [
+ "anyhow",
+ "glob",
+ "log",
+ "serde",
+ "serde_yaml",
+ "thiserror",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "espanso-detect"
 version = "0.1.0"
@@ -292,6 +311,12 @@ dependencies = [
  "wasi 0.9.0+wasi-snapshot-preview1",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "glob"
+version = "0.3.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "9b919933a397b79c37e33b77bb2aa3dc8eb6e165ad809e58ff75bc7db2e34574"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "heck"
 version = "0.3.2"
@@ -343,6 +368,12 @@ dependencies = [
  "pkg-config",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "linked-hash-map"
+version = "0.5.4"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "7fb9b38af92608140b86b693604b9ffcc5824240a484d1ecd4795bacb2fe88f3"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "log"
 version = "0.4.14"
@@ -588,6 +619,18 @@ dependencies = [
  "serde",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "serde_yaml"
+version = "0.8.17"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "15654ed4ab61726bf918a39cb8d98a2e2995b002387807fa6ba58fdf7f59bb23"
+dependencies = [
+ "dtoa",
+ "linked-hash-map",
+ "serde",
+ "yaml-rust",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "simplelog"
 version = "0.9.0"
@@ -792,3 +835,12 @@ checksum = "e1945e12e16b951721d7976520b0832496ef79c31602c7a29d950de79ba74621"
 dependencies = [
  "bitflags",
 ]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "yaml-rust"
+version = "0.4.5"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "56c1936c4cc7a1c9ab21a1ebb602eb942ba868cbd44a99cb7cdc5892335e1c85"
+dependencies = [
+ "linked-hash-map",
+]
diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 8484773..abb5918 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -6,4 +6,5 @@ members = [
   "espanso-ui",
   "espanso-inject",
   "espanso-ipc",
+  "espanso-config",
 ]
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/espanso-config/Cargo.toml b/espanso-config/Cargo.toml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1179b83
--- /dev/null
+++ b/espanso-config/Cargo.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+[package]
+name = "espanso-config"
+version = "0.1.0"
+authors = ["Federico Terzi <federico-terzi@users.noreply.github.com>"]
+edition = "2018"
+
+[dependencies]
+log = "0.4.14"
+anyhow = "1.0.38"
+thiserror = "1.0.23"
+serde = { version = "1.0.123", features = ["derive"] }
+serde_yaml = "0.8.17"
+glob = "0.3.0"
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/espanso-config/src/config/mod.rs b/espanso-config/src/config/mod.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2f4f1b0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/espanso-config/src/config/mod.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+use std::collections::HashSet;
+use anyhow::Result;
+
+
+mod yaml;
+mod path;
+
+pub struct Config {
+  pub label: Option<String>,
+  //pub backend: 
+  pub match_files: Vec<String>,
+}
+
+impl Config {
+}
diff --git a/espanso-config/src/config/path.rs b/espanso-config/src/config/path.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ecdfdb1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/espanso-config/src/config/path.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+use std::collections::HashSet;
+
+use glob::glob;
+use log::error;
+
+// TODO: test
+pub fn calculate_paths<'a>(glob_patterns: impl Iterator<Item = &'a String>) -> HashSet<String> {
+  let mut path_set = HashSet::new();
+  for glob_pattern in glob_patterns {
+    let entries = glob(glob_pattern);
+    match entries {
+      Ok(paths) => {
+        for path in paths {
+          match path {
+            Ok(path) => {
+              path_set.insert(path.to_string_lossy().to_string());
+            }
+            Err(err) => {
+              error!("glob error when processing pattern: {}, with error: {}", glob_pattern, err)
+            }
+          }
+        }
+      }
+      Err(err) => {
+        error!(
+          "unable to calculate glob from pattern: {}, with error: {}",
+          glob_pattern, err
+        );
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  path_set
+}
diff --git a/espanso-config/src/config/yaml.rs b/espanso-config/src/config/yaml.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8fad014
--- /dev/null
+++ b/espanso-config/src/config/yaml.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+use std::collections::HashSet;
+use std::iter::FromIterator;
+
+use super::path::calculate_paths;
+
+const STANDARD_INCLUDES: &[&str] = &["match/**/*.yml"];
+const STANDARD_EXCLUDES: &[&str] = &["match/**/_*.yml"];
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone)]
+pub struct YAMLConfig {
+  pub label: Option<String>,
+
+  pub includes: Option<Vec<String>>,
+
+  pub excludes: Option<Vec<String>>,
+
+  pub extra_includes: Option<Vec<String>>,
+
+  pub extra_excludes: Option<Vec<String>>,
+
+  pub use_standard_includes: bool,
+
+  // Filters
+
+  pub filter_title: Option<String>,
+  pub filter_class: Option<String>,
+  pub filter_exec: Option<String>,
+  pub filter_os: Option<String>,
+}
+
+impl YAMLConfig {
+  // TODO test
+  pub fn aggregate_includes(&self) -> HashSet<String> {
+    let mut includes = HashSet::new();
+
+    if self.use_standard_includes {
+      STANDARD_INCLUDES.iter().for_each(|include| { includes.insert(include.to_string()); })
+    }
+
+    if let Some(yaml_includes) = self.includes.as_ref() {
+      yaml_includes.iter().for_each(|include| { includes.insert(include.to_string()); })
+    }
+
+    if let Some(extra_includes) = self.extra_includes.as_ref() {
+      extra_includes.iter().for_each(|include| { includes.insert(include.to_string()); })
+    }
+
+    includes
+  }
+
+  // TODO test
+  pub fn aggregate_excludes(&self) -> HashSet<String> {
+    let mut excludes = HashSet::new();
+
+    if self.use_standard_includes {
+      STANDARD_EXCLUDES.iter().for_each(|exclude| { excludes.insert(exclude.to_string()); })
+    }
+
+    if let Some(yaml_excludes) = self.excludes.as_ref() {
+      yaml_excludes.iter().for_each(|exclude| { excludes.insert(exclude.to_string()); })
+    }
+
+    if let Some(extra_excludes) = self.extra_excludes.as_ref() {
+      extra_excludes.iter().for_each(|exclude| { excludes.insert(exclude.to_string()); })
+    }
+
+    excludes
+  }
+}
+
+// TODO: convert to TryFrom (check the matches section for an example)
+impl From<YAMLConfig> for super::Config {
+  // TODO: test
+  fn from(yaml_config: YAMLConfig) -> Self {
+    let includes = yaml_config.aggregate_includes();
+    let excludes = yaml_config.aggregate_excludes();
+
+    // Extract the paths
+    let exclude_paths = calculate_paths(excludes.iter());
+    let include_paths = calculate_paths(includes.iter());
+    
+    let match_files: Vec<String> = Vec::from_iter(include_paths.difference(&exclude_paths).cloned());
+
+    Self {
+      label: yaml_config.label,
+      match_files,
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/espanso-config/src/lib.rs b/espanso-config/src/lib.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f8037fc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/espanso-config/src/lib.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+/*
+ * This file is part of espanso.
+ *
+ * Copyright (C) 2019-2021 Federico Terzi
+ *
+ * espanso is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+ * it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+ * the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
+ * (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ * espanso is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+ * GNU General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+ * along with espanso.  If not, see <https://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+ */
+
+mod config;
+mod matches;
+
+use std::path::Path;
+use anyhow::Result;
+use serde::{Serialize, de::DeserializeOwned};
+use thiserror::Error;
+use config::Config;
+
+
+pub struct ConfigSet {
+
+}
+
+impl ConfigSet {
+  //fn active(&self, app: AppProperties) -> &'a Config {
+    // TODO: using the app properties, check if any of the sub configs match or not. If not, return the default
+    // Here a RegexSet might be very useful to efficiently match them.
+  //}
+
+  //fn default(&self) -> &'a Config {}
+}
+
+pub struct AppProperties<'a> {
+  pub title: Option<&'a str>,
+  pub class: Option<&'a str>,
+  pub exec: Option<&'a str>,
+}
+
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+  use super::*;
+
+  #[test]
+  fn todo() {
+    
+  }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/espanso-config/src/matches/mod.rs b/espanso-config/src/matches/mod.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e92c295
--- /dev/null
+++ b/espanso-config/src/matches/mod.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,85 @@
+use serde_yaml::Mapping;
+
+mod yaml;
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq)]
+pub struct Match {
+  cause: MatchCause,
+  effect: MatchEffect,
+
+  // Metadata
+  label: Option<String>,
+}
+
+impl Default for Match {
+  fn default() -> Self {
+    Self {
+      cause: MatchCause::None,
+      effect: MatchEffect::None,
+      label: None,
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+// Causes
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq)]
+pub enum MatchCause {
+  None,
+  Trigger(TriggerCause),
+  // TODO: regex
+  // TODO: shortcut
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq)]
+pub struct TriggerCause {
+  pub triggers: Vec<String>,
+
+  pub left_word: bool,
+  pub right_word: bool,
+
+  pub propagate_case: bool,
+}
+
+impl Default for TriggerCause {
+  fn default() -> Self {
+    Self {
+      triggers: Vec::new(),
+      left_word: false,
+      right_word: false,
+      propagate_case: false,
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+// Effects
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq)]
+pub enum MatchEffect {
+  None,
+  Text(TextEffect),
+  // TODO: image
+  // TODO: rich text
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq)]
+pub struct TextEffect {
+  pub replace: String,
+  pub vars: Vec<Variable>,
+}
+
+impl Default for TextEffect {
+  fn default() -> Self {
+    Self {
+      replace: String::new(),
+      vars: Vec::new(),
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq)]
+pub struct Variable {
+  pub name: String,
+  pub var_type: String,
+  pub params: Mapping,
+}
diff --git a/espanso-config/src/matches/yaml.rs b/espanso-config/src/matches/yaml.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ecad598
--- /dev/null
+++ b/espanso-config/src/matches/yaml.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,384 @@
+use std::{
+  collections::HashMap,
+  convert::{TryFrom, TryInto},
+};
+
+use anyhow::Result;
+use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
+use serde_yaml::{Mapping, Value};
+use thiserror::Error;
+
+use super::{MatchCause, MatchEffect, TextEffect, TriggerCause, Variable};
+
+#[derive(Debug, Serialize, Deserialize, Clone)]
+struct YAMLMatch {
+  #[serde(default)]
+  pub trigger: Option<String>,
+
+  #[serde(default)]
+  pub triggers: Option<Vec<String>>,
+
+  #[serde(default)]
+  pub replace: Option<String>,
+
+  #[serde(default)]
+  pub image_path: Option<String>, // TODO: map
+
+  #[serde(default)]
+  pub form: Option<String>, // TODO: map
+
+  #[serde(default)]
+  pub form_fields: Option<HashMap<String, Value>>, // TODO: map
+
+  #[serde(default)]
+  pub vars: Option<Vec<YAMLVariable>>,
+
+  #[serde(default)]
+  pub word: Option<bool>,
+
+  #[serde(default)]
+  pub left_word: Option<bool>,
+
+  #[serde(default)]
+  pub right_word: Option<bool>,
+
+  #[serde(default)]
+  pub propagate_case: Option<bool>,
+
+  #[serde(default)]
+  pub force_clipboard: Option<bool>,
+
+  #[serde(default)]
+  pub markdown: Option<String>, // TODO: map
+
+  #[serde(default)]
+  pub paragraph: Option<bool>, // TODO: map
+
+  #[serde(default)]
+  pub html: Option<String>, // TODO: map
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Serialize, Deserialize, Clone, PartialEq)]
+pub struct YAMLVariable {
+  pub name: String,
+
+  #[serde(rename = "type")]
+  pub var_type: String,
+
+  #[serde(default = "default_params")]
+  pub params: Mapping,
+}
+
+fn default_params() -> Mapping {
+  Mapping::new()
+}
+
+impl TryFrom<YAMLMatch> for super::Match {
+  type Error = anyhow::Error;
+
+  // TODO: test
+  fn try_from(yaml_match: YAMLMatch) -> Result<Self, Self::Error> {
+    let triggers = if let Some(trigger) = yaml_match.trigger {
+      Some(vec![trigger])
+    } else if let Some(triggers) = yaml_match.triggers {
+      Some(triggers)
+    } else {
+      None
+    };
+
+    let cause = if let Some(triggers) = triggers {
+      MatchCause::Trigger(TriggerCause {
+        triggers,
+        left_word: yaml_match
+          .left_word
+          .or(yaml_match.word)
+          .unwrap_or(TriggerCause::default().left_word),
+        right_word: yaml_match
+          .right_word
+          .or(yaml_match.word)
+          .unwrap_or(TriggerCause::default().right_word),
+        propagate_case: yaml_match
+          .propagate_case
+          .unwrap_or(TriggerCause::default().propagate_case),
+      })
+    } else {
+      MatchCause::None
+    };
+
+    let effect = if let Some(replace) = yaml_match.replace {
+      let vars: Result<Vec<Variable>> = yaml_match
+        .vars
+        .unwrap_or_default()
+        .into_iter()
+        .map(|var| var.try_into())
+        .collect();
+      MatchEffect::Text(TextEffect {
+        replace,
+        vars: vars?,
+      })
+    } else {
+      MatchEffect::None
+    };
+
+    // TODO: log none match effect
+
+    Ok(Self {
+      cause,
+      effect,
+      label: None,
+    })
+  }
+}
+
+impl TryFrom<YAMLVariable> for super::Variable {
+  type Error = anyhow::Error;
+
+  // TODO: test
+  fn try_from(yaml_var: YAMLVariable) -> Result<Self, Self::Error> {
+    Ok(Self {
+      name: yaml_var.name,
+      var_type: yaml_var.var_type,
+      params: yaml_var.params,
+    })
+  }
+}
+
+#[derive(Error, Debug)]
+pub enum YAMLConversionError {
+  // TODO
+//#[error("unknown data store error")]
+//Unknown,
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+  use super::*;
+  use crate::matches::Match;
+
+  fn create_match(yaml: &str) -> Result<Match> {
+    let yaml_match: YAMLMatch = serde_yaml::from_str(yaml)?;
+    let m: Match = yaml_match.try_into()?;
+    Ok(m)
+  }
+
+  #[test]
+  fn basic_match_maps_correctly() {
+    assert_eq!(
+      create_match(
+        r#"
+        trigger: "Hello"
+        replace: "world"
+        "#
+      )
+      .unwrap(),
+      Match {
+        cause: MatchCause::Trigger(TriggerCause {
+          triggers: vec!["Hello".to_string()],
+          ..Default::default()
+        }),
+        effect: MatchEffect::Text(TextEffect {
+          replace: "world".to_string(),
+          ..Default::default()
+        }),
+        ..Default::default()
+      }
+    )
+  }
+
+  #[test]
+  fn multiple_triggers_maps_correctly() {
+    assert_eq!(
+      create_match(
+        r#"
+        triggers: ["Hello", "john"]
+        replace: "world"
+        "#
+      )
+      .unwrap(),
+      Match {
+        cause: MatchCause::Trigger(TriggerCause {
+          triggers: vec!["Hello".to_string(), "john".to_string()],
+          ..Default::default()
+        }),
+        effect: MatchEffect::Text(TextEffect {
+          replace: "world".to_string(),
+          ..Default::default()
+        }),
+        ..Default::default()
+      }
+    )
+  }
+
+  #[test]
+  fn word_maps_correctly() {
+    assert_eq!(
+      create_match(
+        r#"
+        trigger: "Hello"
+        replace: "world"
+        word: true
+        "#
+      )
+      .unwrap(),
+      Match {
+        cause: MatchCause::Trigger(TriggerCause {
+          triggers: vec!["Hello".to_string()],
+          left_word: true,
+          right_word: true,
+          ..Default::default()
+        }),
+        effect: MatchEffect::Text(TextEffect {
+          replace: "world".to_string(),
+          ..Default::default()
+        }),
+        ..Default::default()
+      }
+    )
+  }
+
+  #[test]
+  fn left_word_maps_correctly() {
+    assert_eq!(
+      create_match(
+        r#"
+        trigger: "Hello"
+        replace: "world"
+        left_word: true
+        "#
+      )
+      .unwrap(),
+      Match {
+        cause: MatchCause::Trigger(TriggerCause {
+          triggers: vec!["Hello".to_string()],
+          left_word: true,
+          ..Default::default()
+        }),
+        effect: MatchEffect::Text(TextEffect {
+          replace: "world".to_string(),
+          ..Default::default()
+        }),
+        ..Default::default()
+      }
+    )
+  }
+
+  #[test]
+  fn right_word_maps_correctly() {
+    assert_eq!(
+      create_match(
+        r#"
+        trigger: "Hello"
+        replace: "world"
+        right_word: true
+        "#
+      )
+      .unwrap(),
+      Match {
+        cause: MatchCause::Trigger(TriggerCause {
+          triggers: vec!["Hello".to_string()],
+          right_word: true,
+          ..Default::default()
+        }),
+        effect: MatchEffect::Text(TextEffect {
+          replace: "world".to_string(),
+          ..Default::default()
+        }),
+        ..Default::default()
+      }
+    )
+  }
+
+  #[test]
+  fn propagate_case_maps_correctly() {
+    assert_eq!(
+      create_match(
+        r#"
+        trigger: "Hello"
+        replace: "world"
+        propagate_case: true
+        "#
+      )
+      .unwrap(),
+      Match {
+        cause: MatchCause::Trigger(TriggerCause {
+          triggers: vec!["Hello".to_string()],
+          propagate_case: true,
+          ..Default::default()
+        }),
+        effect: MatchEffect::Text(TextEffect {
+          replace: "world".to_string(),
+          ..Default::default()
+        }),
+        ..Default::default()
+      }
+    )
+  }
+
+  #[test]
+  fn vars_maps_correctly() {
+    let mut params = Mapping::new();
+    params.insert(Value::String("param1".to_string()), Value::Bool(true));
+    let vars = vec![Variable {
+      name: "var1".to_string(),
+      var_type: "test".to_string(),
+      params,
+    }];
+    assert_eq!(
+      create_match(
+        r#"
+        trigger: "Hello"
+        replace: "world"
+        vars:
+          - name: var1
+            type: test
+            params:
+              param1: true
+        "#
+      )
+      .unwrap(),
+      Match {
+        cause: MatchCause::Trigger(TriggerCause {
+          triggers: vec!["Hello".to_string()],
+          ..Default::default()
+        }),
+        effect: MatchEffect::Text(TextEffect {
+          replace: "world".to_string(),
+          vars,
+        }),
+        ..Default::default()
+      }
+    )
+  }
+
+  #[test]
+  fn vars_no_params_maps_correctly() {
+    let vars = vec![Variable {
+      name: "var1".to_string(),
+      var_type: "test".to_string(),
+      params: Mapping::new(),
+    }];
+    assert_eq!(
+      create_match(
+        r#"
+        trigger: "Hello"
+        replace: "world"
+        vars:
+          - name: var1
+            type: test
+        "#
+      )
+      .unwrap(),
+      Match {
+        cause: MatchCause::Trigger(TriggerCause {
+          triggers: vec!["Hello".to_string()],
+          ..Default::default()
+        }),
+        effect: MatchEffect::Text(TextEffect {
+          replace: "world".to_string(),
+          vars,
+        }),
+        ..Default::default()
+      }
+    )
+  }
+}
diff --git a/espanso-ipc/src/lib.rs b/espanso-ipc/src/lib.rs
index 2d8099a..551709e 100644
--- a/espanso-ipc/src/lib.rs
+++ b/espanso-ipc/src/lib.rs
@@ -91,7 +91,10 @@ mod tests {
       server.accept_one().unwrap();
     });
 
-    std::thread::sleep(std::time::Duration::from_secs(1));
+    if cfg!(target_os = "windows") {
+      std::thread::sleep(std::time::Duration::from_secs(1));
+    }
+    
     let client = client::<Event>("testespansoipc", &std::env::temp_dir()).unwrap();
     client.send(Event::Foo("hello".to_string())).unwrap();
     
diff --git a/espanso/Cargo.toml b/espanso/Cargo.toml
index ffb32cd..d4ccd10 100644
--- a/espanso/Cargo.toml
+++ b/espanso/Cargo.toml
@@ -17,5 +17,6 @@ wayland = ["espanso-detect/wayland", "espanso-inject/wayland"]
 espanso-detect = { path = "../espanso-detect" } 
 espanso-ui = { path = "../espanso-ui" } 
 espanso-inject = { path = "../espanso-inject" } 
+espanso-config = { path = "../espanso-config" } 
 maplit = "1.0.2"
 simplelog = "0.9.0"
\ No newline at end of file