diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index fe234a1..a76725d 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -12,6 +12,6 @@ clap = { version = "4.5.4", features = ["derive"] }
 serde = { version = "1.0.197", features = ["derive"] }
 serde_derive = { version = "1.0.197" }
 num_cpus = "1.16.0"
-tracing = { version = "0.1.40" }
+tracing = { version = "0.1.40", features = ["log"] }
 tracing-appender = { version = "0.2.3" }
-tracing-subscriber = { version = "0.3.18", features = ["fmt"] }
+tracing-subscriber = { version = "0.3.18", features = ["fmt", "tracing-log"] }
diff --git a/src/config/args.rs b/src/config/args.rs
index b3d818b..d3dba35 100644
--- a/src/config/args.rs
+++ b/src/config/args.rs
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 use std::path::PathBuf;
 
 
-// TODO: figure out why -h/--help don't work
 #[derive(clap::Parser, Debug)]
 pub struct Args {
     #[arg(short, long="config", default_value = "config.toml")]
diff --git a/src/config/config.rs b/src/config/config.rs
index 6e80939..fa80380 100644
--- a/src/config/config.rs
+++ b/src/config/config.rs
@@ -15,12 +15,12 @@ use std::collections::HashMap;
 pub struct Config {
     #[cfg(feature = "custom_pieces")]
     #[serde(rename = "piece")]
-    pieces: Option<HashMap<String, CustomPiece>>,
+    pub pieces: Option<HashMap<String, CustomPiece>>,
 
-    engine: Option<Engine>,
+    pub engine: Option<Engine>,
 
-    log_level: Option<String>,
-    log_file: Option<PathBuf>
+    pub log_level: Option<String>,
+    pub log_file: Option<PathBuf>
 }
 
 impl Default for Config {
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ impl Default for Config {
 
             engine: Some(Engine::default()),
 
-            log_level: Some("INFO".to_string()),
+            log_level: Some("info".to_string()),
             log_file: Some(PathBuf::from("saltfish.log")),
         }
     }
@@ -63,21 +63,21 @@ impl Config {
     }
 }
 
-impl Config {
-    #[cfg(feature = "custom_pieces")]
-    pub fn get_pieces(&self) -> &Option<HashMap<String, CustomPiece>> {
-        &self.pieces
-    }
-
-    pub fn get_engine(&self) -> &Option<Engine> {
-        &self.engine
-    }
-
-    pub fn get_log_level(&self) -> &Option<String> {
-        &self.log_level
-    }
-
-    pub fn get_log_file(&self) -> &Option<PathBuf> {
-        &self.log_file
-    }
-}
+// impl Config {
+//     #[cfg(feature = "custom_pieces")]
+//     pub fn get_pieces(&self) -> &Option<HashMap<String, CustomPiece>> {
+//         &self.pieces
+//     }
+//
+//     pub fn get_engine(&self) -> &Engine {
+//         &self.engine.unwrap()
+//     }
+//
+//     pub fn get_log_level(&self) -> &Option<String> {
+//         &self.log_level
+//     }
+//
+//     pub fn get_log_file(&self) -> &Option<PathBuf> {
+//         &self.log_file
+//     }
+// }
diff --git a/src/config/mod.rs b/src/config/mod.rs
index 8f60e90..c050e4f 100644
--- a/src/config/mod.rs
+++ b/src/config/mod.rs
@@ -4,19 +4,36 @@ mod engine;
 
 pub mod error;
 
+
+use std::str::FromStr;
+
+use crate::logger_update;
+
 use self::{args::Args, config::Config};
 use clap::Parser;
-use tracing::{error, info};
+use tracing::{debug, error, info, Level};
 
 
-pub fn get_config() -> Config {
-    // TODO: implement error handling and logging and handle this case appropriate
-    let args = Args::try_parse().unwrap_or_else(|err|{
-        // error!(err.kind());
-        error!("{}", format!("{}", err.kind().as_str().unwrap_or("parsing arguments")));
+pub fn get_config() -> Option<Config> {
+    let args = Args::try_parse().or_else(|err|{
+        if ! err.use_stderr() {
+            println!("{}", err);
+            return Err(())
+        }
+        error!("{}", err);
         info!("continuing withouth commandline arguments");
-        Args::default()
+        Ok(Args::default())
     });
-    let config_path = args.get_config_path().unwrap_or_default();
-    Config::read(&config_path).merge_args(&args)
+
+    match args {
+        Err(_) => None,
+        Ok(args) => {
+            let config_path = args.get_config_path().unwrap_or_default();
+            let config = Config::read(&config_path).merge_args(&args);
+            logger_update(&config.log_file.clone().unwrap(), Level::from_str(&config.log_level.clone().unwrap()).unwrap());
+            Some(config)
+        }
+    }
 }
+
+
diff --git a/src/logging.rs b/src/logging.rs
index 05581a2..0a97abd 100644
--- a/src/logging.rs
+++ b/src/logging.rs
@@ -4,15 +4,24 @@ use tracing::Level;
 use tracing_subscriber::fmt;
 
 pub fn logger_init() {
-    fmt()
+    let subscriber = fmt()
+        .compact()
         .with_max_level(Level::DEBUG)
-        .init();
+        .finish();
+    // tracing::subscriber::set_global_default(subscriber)
+    //     .expect("Failed to set global default subscriber");
+
 }
 
 pub fn logger_update(file: &Path, level: Level) {
     let file_appender = tracing_appender::rolling::never(file.parent().unwrap(), file.file_name().unwrap());
-    let _ = tracing_appender::non_blocking(file_appender);
-    fmt()
+    let (non_blocking, _guard) = tracing_appender::non_blocking(file_appender);
+    println!("dir: {:?} | file: {:?}", file.parent(), file.file_name());
+    let subscriber = fmt()
+        .compact()
         .with_max_level(level)
+        .with_writer(non_blocking)
         .finish();
+    tracing::subscriber::set_global_default(subscriber)
+        .expect("Failed to set global default subscriber");
 }
diff --git a/src/main.rs b/src/main.rs
index ab637b5..902b6e8 100644
--- a/src/main.rs
+++ b/src/main.rs
@@ -4,9 +4,6 @@
 )]
 
 
-use tracing::{info, error, Level};
-use std::str::FromStr;
-
 use crate::config::get_config;
 
 mod chess;
@@ -20,12 +17,10 @@ use crate::logging::*;
 
 
 fn main() {
-    logger_init();
+    // logger_init();
     let config = get_config();
-    logger_update(
-        config.get_log_file().as_ref().unwrap(),
-        Level::from_str(config.get_log_level().as_ref().unwrap().as_str()).unwrap()
-    );
-    error!("test");
-    println!("{config:#?}");
+    if config.is_none() {
+        return
+    }
+    println!("2");
 }