diff --git a/LICENSE b/LICENSE
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/LICENSE
@@ -0,0 +1,202 @@
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diff --git a/Setup.hs b/Setup.hs
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--- /dev/null
+++ b/Setup.hs
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+import Distribution.Simple
+main = defaultMain
diff --git a/legion-extra.cabal b/legion-extra.cabal
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--- /dev/null
+++ b/legion-extra.cabal
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+name:                legion-extra
+version:             0.1.0.0
+synopsis:            Extra non-essential utilities for building legion applications.
+description:         Please see README.md
+homepage:            https://github.com/owensmurray/legion-extra#readme
+license:             Apache-2.0
+license-file:        LICENSE
+author:              Rick Owens
+maintainer:          rick@owensmurray.comm
+copyright:           2016 Rick Owens
+category:            value
+build-type:          Simple
+-- extra-source-files:
+cabal-version:       >=1.10
+
+library
+  hs-source-dirs:
+    src
+  exposed-modules:
+    Network.Legion.Config
+  build-depends:
+    aeson >= 0.11.2.1 && < 0.12,
+    base >= 4.8 && < 4.9,
+    bytestring >= 0.10.6.0 && < 0.11,
+    canteven-log >= 1.0.0.0 && < 1.1,
+    containers >= 0.5.6.2 && < 0.6,
+    data-default-class >= 0.0.1 && < 0.1,
+    legion >= 0.4 && < 0.5,
+    network >= 2.6.3.1 && < 2.7,
+    safe >= 0.3.9 && < 0.4,
+    split >= 0.2.3.1 && < 0.3,
+    yaml >= 0.8.18.6 && < 0.9
+  default-language:
+    Haskell2010
+
+test-suite legion-extra-test
+  type:
+    exitcode-stdio-1.0
+  hs-source-dirs:
+    test
+  main-is:
+    Spec.hs
+  build-depends:
+    base,
+    legion-extra
+  ghc-options:
+    -threaded -rtsopts -with-rtsopts=-N
+  default-language:
+    Haskell2010
+
+source-repository head
+  type:     git
+  location: https://github.com/owensmurray/legion-extra
diff --git a/src/Network/Legion/Config.hs b/src/Network/Legion/Config.hs
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Network/Legion/Config.hs
@@ -0,0 +1,162 @@
+{-# LANGUAGE LambdaCase #-}
+{-# LANGUAGE OverloadedStrings #-}
+{- |
+  This module contains a common pattern for parsing the legion runtime
+  settings and application-specific configuration from the command
+  line. The intent of this module is to implement a very specific and
+  simple pattern that some people find useful and to get them there
+  with minimum effort; not to be a flexible solution to every problem
+  in the domain of configuration, or even to endorse the use of this
+  pattern if you think you might need something different.
+
+  This 'parseArgs' function implements a command line parser that accepts
+  the usage:
+
+  > <your-program-name>
+  >  -c <file>         --config=<file>             REQUIRED - Specifies the config file.
+  >  -j <host>:<port>  --joinTarget=<host>:<port>  OPTIONAL - The address of a node in the cluster we want to join.
+
+  The config file is a YAML file, which has the following format:
+
+  > adminAddr: localhost:8080
+  > peerAddr: localhost:8022
+  > joinAddr: localhost:8023
+
+  In addition to these bindings, an arbitrary set of additional bindings
+  may be supplied, and which will be decoded into some 'FromJSON' instance
+  type of your choosing. (Note that the @yaml@ package is implemented by
+  transforming the YAML input to JSON and then delegating to @aeson@,
+  which is why your custom config type must be 'FromJSON', even though
+  the config file is YAML format.)
+
+  After parsing the command line and config file, 'parseArgs' will then
+  return a tuple containing the legionary runtime settings, the startup
+  mode that should be used, and custom application configuration.
+-}
+module Network.Legion.Config (
+  parseArgs
+) where
+
+import Data.Aeson (FromJSON, Value(Object), (.:), parseJSON, eitherDecode)
+import Data.Default.Class (Default(def))
+import Data.List (intercalate)
+import Data.List.Split (splitOn)
+import Data.String (fromString)
+import Network.Legion (StartupMode(JoinCluster, NewCluster),
+  RuntimeSettings(RuntimeSettings))
+import Network.Socket (SockAddr, addrAddress, getAddrInfo)
+import Safe (readMay)
+import System.Console.GetOpt (OptDescr(Option), usageInfo, getOpt,
+  ArgOrder(Permute), ArgDescr(ReqArg))
+import System.Environment (getArgs, getProgName)
+import qualified Data.ByteString as BS
+import qualified Data.ByteString.Lazy as LBS
+
+
+{- | Parse the command line arguments.  -}
+parseArgs :: (FromJSON userConfig)
+  => IO (RuntimeSettings, StartupMode, userConfig)
+parseArgs = do
+    prog <- getProgName
+    getOpt Permute options <$> getArgs >>= \case
+      (opts, [], []) ->
+        case foldr (.) id opts def of
+          Opt Nothing _ ->
+            {- No config file.  -}
+            fail $ "Missing config file: \n\n" ++  usageInfo prog options
+          Opt (Just configFile) maybeJoinTarget -> do
+            let
+              configFail m = fail $
+                "Couldn't decode YAML config from file "
+                ++ configFile ++ ": " ++ show m
+            c <- LBS.fromStrict <$> BS.readFile configFile
+            case (eitherDecode c, eitherDecode c) of
+              (Left errMsg, _) -> configFail errMsg
+              (_, Left errMsg) -> configFail errMsg
+              (Right runtimeConfig, Right userConfig) -> do
+                mode <- case maybeJoinTarget of
+                  Nothing -> pure NewCluster
+                  Just jtDesc -> JoinCluster <$> resolveAddr (parseAddr jtDesc)
+                let (adminHost, adminPort) = parseAddr (adminAddr runtimeConfig)
+                settings <- RuntimeSettings 
+                  <$> (resolveAddr . parseAddr . peerAddr) runtimeConfig
+                  <*> (resolveAddr . parseAddr . joinAddr) runtimeConfig
+                  <*> pure (fromString adminHost)
+                  <*> pure adminPort
+                return (settings, mode, userConfig)
+      (_, [], errors) ->
+        fail (intercalate "\n" (errors ++ [usageInfo prog options]))
+      (_, unknown, _) ->
+        fail
+          $ "Unknown options: " ++ intercalate ", " unknown
+          ++ "\n" ++ usageInfo prog options
+  where
+    options = [
+        Option
+          ['c']
+          ["config"]
+          (ReqArg
+              (\name opt -> opt {oConfigFile = Just name})
+              "<file>"
+            )
+          "REQUIRED - Specifies the config file.",
+        Option
+          ['j']
+          ["joinTarget"]
+          (ReqArg
+              (\addr opt -> opt {oJoinTarget = Just addr})
+              "<host>:<port>"
+            )
+          "OPTIONAL - The address of a node in the cluster we want to join."
+      ]
+
+
+data Config = Config {
+     peerAddr :: AddressDescription,
+     joinAddr :: AddressDescription,
+    adminAddr :: AddressDescription
+  }
+
+instance FromJSON Config where
+  parseJSON (Object config) = Config
+    <$> config .: "peerAddr"
+    <*> config .: "joinAddr"
+    <*> config .: "adminAddr"
+  parseJSON value =
+    fail $ "Couldn't parse legion runtime config from " ++ show value
+
+
+{- |
+  An address description is really just an synonym for a formatted string.
+
+  Examples: @"0.0.0.0:8080"@, @"www.google.com:80"@,
+-}
+type AddressDescription = String
+
+
+{- | Resolve an address description into an actual socket addr. -}
+resolveAddr :: (String, Int) -> IO SockAddr
+resolveAddr (host, port) =
+  addrAddress . head <$> getAddrInfo Nothing (Just host) (Just (show port))
+
+
+{- | Parse a <host>:<port> string into its component parts.  -}
+{- TODO do this better, using a real parser technology, and supporting IPv6. -}
+parseAddr :: AddressDescription -> (String, Int)
+parseAddr desc = 
+  case splitOn ":" desc of
+    [host, portStr] ->
+      case readMay portStr of
+        Nothing -> error ("Invalid address description: " ++ show desc)
+        Just port -> (host, port)
+    _ -> error ("Invalid address description: " ++ show desc)
+
+
+data Opt = Opt {
+    oConfigFile :: Maybe FilePath,
+    oJoinTarget :: Maybe AddressDescription
+  }
+instance Default Opt where
+  def = Opt Nothing Nothing
+
+
diff --git a/test/Spec.hs b/test/Spec.hs
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/Spec.hs
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+main :: IO ()
+main = putStrLn "Test suite not yet implemented"
