diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index a1e9abd..e8a832d 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ edition = "2021"
 
 [features]
 custom_pieces = []
+logging = ["dep:tracing", "dep:tracing-subscriber"]
 
 [dependencies]
 toml = { version = "0.8.12" }
@@ -12,3 +13,5 @@ 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", optional = true }
+tracing-subscriber = { version = "0.3.18", optional = true }
diff --git a/src/config/args.rs b/src/config/args.rs
index 7dc8116..b6bf36f 100644
--- a/src/config/args.rs
+++ b/src/config/args.rs
@@ -4,52 +4,44 @@ use std::path::PathBuf;
 #[derive(clap::Parser)]
 pub struct Args {
     #[arg(short, long="config", default_value = "config.toml")]
-    config_path: PathBuf,
+    config_path: Option<PathBuf>,
 
-    #[arg(short, long, default_value_t = 20)]
-    depth: u8,
+    #[arg(short, long)]
+    depth: Option<u8>,
 
-    #[arg(short, long, default_value_t = 100)]
-    strenght: u8,
+    #[arg(short, long)]
+    strenght: Option<u8>,
 
-    #[arg(short, long, default_value_t = {num_cpus::get() as u8})]
-    jobs: u8,
+    #[arg(short, long)]
+    jobs: Option<u8>,
 }
 
 impl Default for Args {
     fn default() -> Self {
-        Self { config_path: "config.toml".into(), depth: 20, strenght: 100, jobs: num_cpus::get() as u8 }
+        Self {
+            config_path: Some("config.toml".into()),
+            depth: None,
+            strenght: None,
+            jobs: None,
+        }
     }
 }
 
 
 impl Args {
-    pub fn get_config_path(self) -> PathBuf {
-        self.config_path
+    pub fn get_config_path(&self) -> Option<PathBuf> {
+        self.config_path.clone()
     }
 
-    pub fn get_depth(self) -> u8 {
+    pub fn get_depth(&self) -> Option<u8> {
         self.depth
     }
 
-    pub fn get_strenght(self) -> u8 {
+    pub fn get_strenght(&self) -> Option<u8> {
         self.strenght
     }
 
-    pub fn get_jobs(self) -> u8 {
+    pub fn get_jobs(&self) -> Option<u8> {
         self.jobs
     }
-
-    pub fn get_ref_depth(&self) -> u8 {
-        self.depth
-    }
-
-    pub fn get_ref_strenght(&self) -> u8 {
-        self.strenght
-    }
-
-    pub fn get_ref_jobs(&self) -> u8 {
-        self.jobs
-    }
-
 }
diff --git a/src/config/config.rs b/src/config/config.rs
index 2d8e1bf..1dbebe9 100644
--- a/src/config/config.rs
+++ b/src/config/config.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
-use std::{fs::File, io::Read, path::Path};
+use std::{fs::File, io::Read, path::Path, u8};
 use serde::Deserialize;
+use crate::config::{args::Args, engine::Engine};
 
 
 #[cfg(feature = "custom_pieces")]
@@ -7,15 +8,8 @@ use crate::chess::piece::CustomPiece;
 #[cfg(feature = "custom_pieces")]
 use std::collections::HashMap;
 
-use crate::config::args::Args;
 
 
-#[derive(Debug, Deserialize)]
-struct Engine {
-    depth: Option<u8>,
-    jobs: Option<u8>,
-}
-
 #[derive(Debug, Deserialize)]
 #[serde(default)]
 pub struct Config {
@@ -32,17 +26,15 @@ impl Default for Config {
             #[cfg(feature = "custom_pieces")]
             pieces: None,
 
-            engine: Some(Engine {
-                depth: Some(20),
-                jobs: Some(num_cpus::get() as u8),
-            }),
+            engine: Some(Engine::default()),
 
         }
     }
 }
 
+
 impl Config {
-    pub fn read(path: &Path) -> Config {
+    pub fn read(path: &Path) -> Self {
         let mut file = File::open(path).expect("Failed to read config file");
         let mut config_string = String::new();
         file.read_to_string(&mut config_string).expect("Failed to parse file to string");
@@ -53,10 +45,11 @@ impl Config {
         Self {
             #[cfg(feature = "custom_pieces")]
             pieces: self.pieces,
-            engine: Some(Engine {
-                depth: Some(args.get_ref_depth()),
-                jobs: Some(args.get_ref_jobs())
-            }),
+
+            engine: Some(Engine::new(
+                args.get_depth().or(self.engine.clone().unwrap_or_default().depth()),
+                args.get_jobs().or(self.engine.clone().unwrap_or_default().jobs()),
+            )),
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/config/engine.rs b/src/config/engine.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2621511
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/config/engine.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+use serde::Deserialize;
+
+#[derive(Debug, Deserialize, Clone)]
+pub struct Engine {
+    depth: Option<u8>,
+    jobs: Option<u8>,
+}
+
+impl Default for Engine {
+    fn default() -> Self {
+        Self {
+            depth: Some(20),
+            jobs: Some(num_cpus::get() as u8)
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+impl Engine {
+    pub fn new(depth: Option<u8>, jobs: Option<u8>) -> Self {
+        Self {
+            depth,
+            jobs
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+impl Engine {
+    pub fn depth(self) -> Option<u8> {
+        self.depth
+    }
+
+    pub fn jobs(self) -> Option<u8> {
+        self.jobs
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/config/error.rs b/src/config/error.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6554b77
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/config/error.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+use std::io;
+
+use crate::errors::ErrorType;
+
+#[derive(Debug)]
+pub enum ConfigError {
+    Arguments(clap::error::Error),
+    ConfigFile(io::Error),
+    Merging(String)
+}
+
+impl ConfigError {
+    fn throw(self) -> ErrorType {
+        match self {
+            Self::Arguments(error) => {
+                ErrorType::new(
+                    "Parsing Arguments".to_string(),
+                    error.to_string(),
+                    false
+                )
+            },
+            Self::ConfigFile(error) => {
+                ErrorType::new(
+                    "Reading Config File".to_string(),
+                    error.to_string(),
+                    false
+                )
+            },
+            Self::Merging(error) => {
+                ErrorType::new(
+                    "Reading Config File".to_string(),
+                    error,
+                    false
+                )
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/config/mod.rs b/src/config/mod.rs
index 1c94de5..4144926 100644
--- a/src/config/mod.rs
+++ b/src/config/mod.rs
@@ -1,2 +1,18 @@
-pub mod config;
-pub mod args;
+mod config;
+mod args;
+mod engine;
+pub mod error;
+
+use self::{args::Args, config::Config, error::ConfigError};
+use clap::Parser;
+
+pub fn get_config() -> Result<Config, ConfigError> {
+    // TODO: implement error handling and logging and handle this case appropriate
+    let args = Args::try_parse().unwrap_or_else(|err|{
+        println!("error parsing cmd args\n{:#?}", err);
+        Args::default()
+    });
+    let config_path = args.get_config_path().unwrap_or_default();
+    let config = Config::read(&config_path).merge_args(&args);
+    Ok(config)
+}
diff --git a/src/errors.rs b/src/errors.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9115d2d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/errors.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+use crate::config::error::ConfigError;
+
+
+#[derive(Debug)]
+pub struct ErrorType {
+    kind: String,
+    message: String,
+    fatal: bool
+}
+
+impl ErrorType {
+    pub fn new(kind: String, message: String, fatal: bool) -> Self {
+        ErrorType { kind, message, fatal }
+    }
+}
+
+
+#[derive(Debug)]
+pub enum SaltfishError {
+    ConfigError(ConfigError)
+}
+
+
diff --git a/src/main.rs b/src/main.rs
index abf48a4..02b61cc 100644
--- a/src/main.rs
+++ b/src/main.rs
@@ -3,27 +3,13 @@
     clippy::module_inception
 )]
 
-
-use config::config::Config;
-use config::args::Args;
-use clap::Parser;
-// TODO: move all of this into seperate file
-
+use crate::config::get_config;
 
 mod chess;
 mod config;
+mod errors;
 
 
 fn main() {
-    let config;
-
-    // TODO: implement error handling and logging and handle this case appropriate
-    let args = Args::try_parse().unwrap_or_else(|err|{
-        println!("error parsing cmd args\n{:#?}", err);
-        Args::default()
-    });
-    config = Config::read(&args.get_config_path());
-
-
-    println!("{config:#?}");
+    let _config = get_config();
 }