diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 450f32e..7085620 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+*.swp
 dist
 dist-*
 cabal-dev
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 4a6bf49..14162d0 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,2 +1,6 @@
 # dockmaster
 command line utility providing conveniences around docker-compose
+
+### resources
+[wiki on arg handling](https://wiki.haskell.org/Tutorials/Programming_Haskell/Argument_handling)
+[bad ass opt package](https://github.com/pcapriotti/optparse-applicative)
diff --git a/app/Main.hs b/app/Main.hs
index de1c1ab..472d4cf 100644
--- a/app/Main.hs
+++ b/app/Main.hs
@@ -1,6 +1,12 @@
+{-# LANGUAGE OverloadedStrings #-}
 module Main where
 
-import Lib
+import Dockmaster.Types
 
-main :: IO ()
-main = someFunc
+import Data.Yaml
+import qualified Data.ByteString as BS
+
+main = do
+  ymlData <- BS.readFile "dockmaster.yml"
+  let d = decodeEither ymlData :: Either String Dockmaster
+  print d
diff --git a/dockmaster.cabal b/dockmaster.cabal
index 9fa329e..d1f8da1 100644
--- a/dockmaster.cabal
+++ b/dockmaster.cabal
@@ -15,8 +15,11 @@ cabal-version:       >=1.10
 
 library
   hs-source-dirs:      src
-  exposed-modules:     Lib
+  exposed-modules:     Dockmaster.Types
   build-depends:       base >= 4.7 && < 5
+                     , yaml
+                     , text
+                     , unordered-containers
   default-language:    Haskell2010
 
 executable dockmaster-exe
@@ -24,6 +27,8 @@ executable dockmaster-exe
   main-is:             Main.hs
   ghc-options:         -threaded -rtsopts -with-rtsopts=-N
   build-depends:       base
+                     , yaml
+                     , bytestring
                      , dockmaster
   default-language:    Haskell2010
 
@@ -33,6 +38,9 @@ test-suite dockmaster-test
   main-is:             Spec.hs
   build-depends:       base
                      , dockmaster
+                     , directory
+                     , yaml
+                     , bytestring
   ghc-options:         -threaded -rtsopts -with-rtsopts=-N
   default-language:    Haskell2010
 
diff --git a/src/Dockmaster/Types.hs b/src/Dockmaster/Types.hs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4e25ed3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Dockmaster/Types.hs
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+{-# LANGUAGE OverloadedStrings #-}
+module Dockmaster.Types where
+
+import Data.Yaml
+import Control.Applicative
+import Data.HashMap.Lazy (HashMap, lookup, member)
+import Prelude hiding (lookup)
+import qualified Data.Text as T
+
+-- | Dockmaster configuration (specified by dockmaster.yml)
+data Dockmaster = Dockmaster { dmFile   :: Maybe ComposeFile
+                             , dmTargets :: [Target]
+                             , dmCommands :: [HashMap T.Text CommandConfig]
+                             } deriving (Show)
+
+-- | Configuration for docker-compose.yml file template & vars
+data ComposeFile = ComposeFile { cfPath :: Maybe String
+                               , cfConfig :: [String]
+                               } deriving (Show)
+
+-- | Targets are used to identify where compositions are run
+data Target = Target { targetName    :: Maybe String
+                     , targetType    :: Maybe String
+                     , targetMachine :: Maybe String
+                     } deriving (Show)
+
+-- | Hooks can be specified by filename or direct shell command
+data Hook = File String | Shell String deriving (Show)
+
+-- | Configuration for each command
+data CommandConfig = CommandConfig { ccCompose :: Bool
+                                   , ccPreHooks :: [Hook]
+                                   , ccPostHooks :: [Hook]
+                                   } deriving (Show)
+
+instance FromJSON ComposeFile where
+  parseJSON (Object v) = ComposeFile
+                         <$> v .:? "path"
+                         <*> v .:? "config" .!= []
+
+instance FromJSON Target where
+  parseJSON (Object v) = Target
+                         <$> v .:? "name"
+                         <*> v .:? "type"
+                         <*> v .:? "machine"
+
+instance FromJSON Hook where
+  parseJSON (Object v)
+    | member "file" v  = File  <$> v .: "file"
+    | member "shell" v = Shell <$> v .: "shell"
+    | otherwise        = error "Hooks are specified by file or shell only"
+
+instance FromJSON CommandConfig where
+  parseJSON (Object v) = CommandConfig
+                         <$> v .:?  "compose" .!= True
+                         <*> v .:?  "pre_hooks" .!= []
+                         <*> v .:?  "post_hooks" .!= []
+
+instance FromJSON Dockmaster where
+  parseJSON (Object v) = Dockmaster
+                         <$> v .:?  "file"
+                         <*> v .:?  "targets" .!= []
+                         <*> v .:?  "commands" .!= []
+  -- A non-Object value is of the wrong type, so fail.
+  parseJSON _ = error "Can't parse Dockmaster from YAML/JSON"
diff --git a/src/Lib.hs b/src/Lib.hs
deleted file mode 100644
index d36ff27..0000000
--- a/src/Lib.hs
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,6 +0,0 @@
-module Lib
-    ( someFunc
-    ) where
-
-someFunc :: IO ()
-someFunc = putStrLn "someFunc"
diff --git a/test/Spec.hs b/test/Spec.hs
index cd4753f..9cdc887 100644
--- a/test/Spec.hs
+++ b/test/Spec.hs
@@ -1,2 +1,25 @@
+module Main where
+
+import Data.Yaml
+import Dockmaster.Types
+import qualified Data.ByteString as BS
+import Data.Maybe
+import System.Exit
+import System.Directory
+
+parseDockmasterYml :: FilePath -> IO Bool
+parseDockmasterYml "."  = return True
+parseDockmasterYml ".." = return True
+parseDockmasterYml file = do
+  contents <- BS.readFile $ "./test/fixtures/" ++ file
+  case (decodeEither contents :: Either String Dockmaster) of
+       (Left e)   -> putStrLn ("Failed to parse " ++ file ++":") >> putStrLn e >> return False
+       otherwise  -> putStrLn ("Parsed " ++ file ++ " successfully.") >> return True
+
 main :: IO ()
-main = putStrLn "Test suite not yet implemented"
+main = do
+  files   <- getDirectoryContents "./test/fixtures/"
+  results <- mapM parseDockmasterYml files
+  if and results
+     then exitWith ExitSuccess
+     else exitWith (ExitFailure 1)
diff --git a/test/fixtures/dockmaster.yml b/test/fixtures/dockmaster.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..87bbeea
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/dockmaster.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+file:
+  path: docker-compose.j2
+  config:
+    - /etc/dockmaster/defaults.yml
+    - env.vars
+
+targets:
+  - name: node-a
+    type: docker-machine
+
+    # optional, defaults to name
+    machine: node-a
+
+commands:
+  - up:
+      pre_hooks:
+        - file: relative_path/to/hook.sh
+        - file: /absolute/path/to/hook.sh
+        - shell: rm -rf .working
+  - wiggle:
+      compose: false
+      # ^^^ does not call docker-compose between pre- and post- hooks.
+      pre_hooks:
+        - file: wiggle.sh