diff --git a/src/common/config.rs b/src/common/config.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2ce25bff
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/common/config.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,129 @@
+//! Deserializes configuration options.
+use std;
+use std::collections::HashMap;
+use std::error;
+use std::fmt::{self, Display};
+use std::fs::File;
+use std::io::{self,Read};
+use std::path::PathBuf;
+
+use super::input::{keybinds,handler};
+
+use serde::Deserialize;
+
+/// Intermediate struct
+//pub struct KeybingsFromYaml {
+
+//}
+
+
+/// Intermediate struct
+//#[derive(Debug, Deserialize)]
+pub struct ConfigFromYaml {
+    keybinds: HashMap<handler::InputMode,Vec<keybinds::Keybinds>>,
+}
+
+///// Deserialized config state
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Default, Deserialize)]
+pub struct Config {
+    keybinds: Vec<keybinds::Keybinds>,
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug)]
+pub enum ConfigError {
+    // from the serde documentation
+    // https://serde.rs/error-handling.html
+    // One or more variants that can be created by data structures through the
+    // `ser::Error` and `de::Error` traits. For example the Serialize impl for
+    // Mutex<T> might return an error because the mutex is poisoned, or the
+    // Deserialize impl for a struct may return an error because a required
+    // field is missing.
+    //Message(String),
+    // serde_yaml error
+    Serde(serde_yaml::Error),
+    //Eof,
+    // io::Error
+    Io(io::Error)
+}
+
+impl Config {
+    /// Deserializes from given path
+    pub fn new(path: &PathBuf) -> Result<Config,ConfigError> {
+        let config_deserialized: Config;
+        let mut config_string = String::new();
+
+        match File::open(path) {
+            Ok(mut file) => {
+                file.read_to_string(&mut config_string)?;
+                config_deserialized = serde_yaml::from_str(&config_string)?;
+            }
+            Err(_) => {
+                // TODO logging, if a file is not found
+                // at an expected position - should not
+                // panic @a-kenji
+                config_deserialized = Config::default();
+            }
+        }
+            Ok(config_deserialized)
+    }
+}
+
+//impl de::Error for ConfigError {
+    //fn custom<T: Display>(msg: T) -> Self {
+        //ConfigError::Message(msg.to_string())
+    //}
+//}
+
+impl Display for ConfigError {
+    fn fmt(&self, formatter: &mut fmt::Formatter) -> fmt::Result {
+        match self {
+            //ConfigError::Message(msg) => formatter.write_str(msg),
+            //ConfigError::Eof => formatter.write_str("unexpected end of input"),
+            //
+            ConfigError::Io(ref err) => write!(formatter, "Io error: {}", err),
+            ConfigError::Serde(ref err) => write!(formatter, "Serde error: {}", err),
+            /* and so forth */
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+impl std::error::Error for ConfigError {
+    fn description(&self) -> &str {
+        match *self {
+            //ConfigError::Message(ref err) => err,
+            ConfigError::Io(ref err) => err.to_string().as_str(),
+            ConfigError::Serde(ref err) => err.to_string().as_str(),
+        }
+    }
+
+  fn cause(&self) -> Option<&dyn error::Error> {
+    match *self {
+        // N.B. Both of these implicitly cast `err` from their concrete
+        // types (either `&io::Error` or `&num::ParseIntError`)
+        // to a trait object `&Error`. This works because both error types
+        // implement `Error`.
+        ConfigError::Io(ref err) => Some(err),
+        //ConfigError::Message(ref err) => Some(err),
+        ConfigError::Serde(ref err) => Some(err),
+    }
+}
+}
+
+impl From<io::Error> for ConfigError {
+    fn from(err: io::Error) -> ConfigError {
+        ConfigError::Io(err)
+    }
+}
+
+impl From<serde_yaml::Error> for ConfigError {
+    fn from(err: serde_yaml::Error) -> ConfigError {
+        ConfigError::Serde(err)
+    }
+}
+
+//impl From<de::Error::Message> for ConfigError {
+    //fn from(err: de::Error::Message) -> ConfigError {
+        //ConfigError::Message(err)
+    //}
+//}
+
diff --git a/src/common/input/actions.rs b/src/common/input/actions.rs
index fe5e2dad..d03ca859 100644
--- a/src/common/input/actions.rs
+++ b/src/common/input/actions.rs
@@ -1,9 +1,11 @@
 //! Definition of the actions that can be bound to keys.
 
 use super::handler;
+//use super::macros;
+use serde::Deserialize;
 
 /// The four directions (left, right, up, down).
-#[derive(Clone, Debug)]
+#[derive(Clone, Debug, Deserialize)]
 pub enum Direction {
     Left,
     Right,
@@ -12,7 +14,7 @@ pub enum Direction {
 }
 
 /// Actions that can be bound to keys.
-#[derive(Clone, Debug)]
+#[derive(Clone, Debug, Deserialize)]
 pub enum Action {
     /// Quit Zellij.
     Quit,
diff --git a/src/common/input/keybinds.rs b/src/common/input/keybinds.rs
index e56488b4..0ea0695f 100644
--- a/src/common/input/keybinds.rs
+++ b/src/common/input/keybinds.rs
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ use std::collections::HashMap;
 use strum::IntoEnumIterator;
 use termion::event::Key;
 
-type Keybinds = HashMap<InputMode, ModeKeybinds>;
+pub type Keybinds = HashMap<InputMode, ModeKeybinds>;
 type ModeKeybinds = HashMap<Key, Vec<Action>>;
 
 /// Populates the default hashmap of keybinds.
diff --git a/src/common/input/macros.rs b/src/common/input/macros.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..cbd14332
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/common/input/macros.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+//! Use a list of commands and execute them in a
+//! defined predictable order.
+
+use super::actions::Action;
+ 
+use serde::Deserialize;
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Deserialize)]
+pub struct Macro {
+    name: Option<String>,
+    sequence: Vec<Action>
+}
diff --git a/src/common/input/mod.rs b/src/common/input/mod.rs
index 20c30dae..438df224 100644
--- a/src/common/input/mod.rs
+++ b/src/common/input/mod.rs
@@ -3,3 +3,4 @@
 pub mod actions;
 pub mod handler;
 pub mod keybinds;
+pub mod macros;
diff --git a/src/common/mod.rs b/src/common/mod.rs
index f78303ea..5ba2e15d 100644
--- a/src/common/mod.rs
+++ b/src/common/mod.rs
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+pub mod config;
 pub mod command_is_executing;
 pub mod errors;
 pub mod input;
@@ -26,6 +27,7 @@ use wasmer::{ChainableNamedResolver, Instance, Module, Store, Value};
 use wasmer_wasi::{Pipe, WasiState};
 
 use crate::cli::CliArgs;
+use crate::common::config::Config;
 use crate::layout::Layout;
 use command_is_executing::CommandIsExecuting;
 use errors::{AppContext, ContextType, ErrorContext, PluginContext, PtyContext, ScreenContext};
@@ -47,6 +49,7 @@ pub enum ApiCommand {
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, Default)]
 pub struct AppState {
     pub input_mode: InputMode,
+    pub config : Config,
 }
 
 // FIXME: Make this a method on the big `Communication` struct, so that app_tx can be extracted