diff --git a/build.zig b/build.zig
index a2879f4..803c559 100644
--- a/build.zig
+++ b/build.zig
@@ -252,6 +252,13 @@ pub fn build_exe(
         },
     });
 
+    const gui_config_mod = b.createModule(.{
+        .root_source_file = b.path("src/gui_config.zig"),
+        .imports = &.{
+            .{ .name = "cbor", .module = cbor_mod },
+        },
+    });
+
     const log_mod = b.createModule(.{
         .root_source_file = b.path("src/log.zig"),
         .imports = &.{
@@ -324,6 +331,7 @@ pub fn build_exe(
                         // TODO: we should be able to work without these modules
                         .{ .name = "vaxis", .module = vaxis_mod },
                         .{ .name = "color", .module = color_mod },
+                        .{ .name = "gui_config", .module = gui_config_mod },
                     },
                 });
                 gui_mod.addIncludePath(b.path("src/win32"));
diff --git a/src/gui_config.zig b/src/gui_config.zig
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d484d6e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/gui_config.zig
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+fontface: [] const u8 = "Cascadia Code",
+fontsize: f32 = 17.5,
+
+config_files: []const u8 = "",
diff --git a/src/main.zig b/src/main.zig
index 390083b..6e05388 100644
--- a/src/main.zig
+++ b/src/main.zig
@@ -389,28 +389,26 @@ pub fn exit(status: u8) noreturn {
     std.posix.exit(status);
 }
 
-const config = @import("config");
-
 pub fn free_config(allocator: std.mem.Allocator, bufs: [][]const u8) void {
     for (bufs) |buf| allocator.free(buf);
 }
 
-pub fn read_config(allocator: std.mem.Allocator) struct { config, [][]const u8 } {
+pub fn read_config(T: type, allocator: std.mem.Allocator) struct { T, [][]const u8 } {
     var bufs: [][]const u8 = &[_][]const u8{};
-    const file_name = get_app_config_file_name(application_name) catch return .{ .{}, bufs };
-    var conf: config = .{};
-    read_config_file(allocator, &conf, &bufs, file_name);
-    read_nested_config_files(allocator, &conf, &bufs);
+    const file_name = get_app_config_file_name(application_name, @typeName(T)) catch return .{ .{}, bufs };
+    var conf: T = .{};
+    read_config_file(T, allocator, &conf, &bufs, file_name);
+    read_nested_config_files(T, allocator, &conf, &bufs);
     return .{ conf, bufs };
 }
 
-fn read_config_file(allocator: std.mem.Allocator, conf: *config, bufs: *[][]const u8, file_name: []const u8) void {
-    read_json_config_file(allocator, conf, bufs, file_name) catch |e|
+fn read_config_file(T: type, allocator: std.mem.Allocator, conf: *T, bufs: *[][]const u8, file_name: []const u8) void {
+    read_json_config_file(T, allocator, conf, bufs, file_name) catch |e|
         log.logger("config").print_err("read_config", "error reading config file: {any}", .{e});
     return;
 }
 
-fn read_json_config_file(allocator: std.mem.Allocator, conf: *config, bufs_: *[][]const u8, file_name: []const u8) !void {
+fn read_json_config_file(T: type, allocator: std.mem.Allocator, conf: *T, bufs_: *[][]const u8, file_name: []const u8) !void {
     const cbor = @import("cbor");
     var file = std.fs.openFileAbsolute(file_name, .{ .mode = .read_only }) catch |e| switch (e) {
         error.FileNotFound => return,
@@ -429,7 +427,7 @@ fn read_json_config_file(allocator: std.mem.Allocator, conf: *config, bufs_: *[]
     while (len > 0) : (len -= 1) {
         var field_name: []const u8 = undefined;
         if (!(try cbor.matchString(&iter, &field_name))) return error.InvalidConfig;
-        inline for (@typeInfo(config).Struct.fields) |field_info|
+        inline for (@typeInfo(T).Struct.fields) |field_info|
             if (comptime std.mem.eql(u8, "config_files", field_info.name)) {
                 if (std.mem.eql(u8, field_name, field_info.name)) {
                     var value: field_info.type = undefined;
@@ -448,14 +446,14 @@ fn read_json_config_file(allocator: std.mem.Allocator, conf: *config, bufs_: *[]
     }
 }
 
-fn read_nested_config_files(allocator: std.mem.Allocator, conf: *config, bufs: *[][]const u8) void {
+fn read_nested_config_files(T: type, allocator: std.mem.Allocator, conf: *T, bufs: *[][]const u8) void {
     if (conf.config_files.len == 0) return;
     var it = std.mem.splitScalar(u8, conf.config_files, std.fs.path.delimiter);
-    while (it.next()) |path| read_config_file(allocator, conf, bufs, path);
+    while (it.next()) |path| read_config_file(T, allocator, conf, bufs, path);
 }
 
-pub fn write_config(conf: config, allocator: std.mem.Allocator) !void {
-    return write_json_file(config, conf, allocator, try get_app_config_file_name(application_name));
+pub fn write_config(conf: anytype, allocator: std.mem.Allocator) !void {
+    return write_json_file(@TypeOf(conf), conf, allocator, try get_app_config_file_name(application_name, @typeName(@TypeOf(conf))));
 }
 
 fn write_json_file(comptime T: type, data: T, allocator: std.mem.Allocator, file_name: []const u8) !void {
@@ -638,12 +636,15 @@ fn get_app_state_dir(appname: []const u8) ![]const u8 {
     return state_dir;
 }
 
-fn get_app_config_file_name(appname: []const u8) ![]const u8 {
+fn get_app_config_file_name(appname: []const u8, comptime base_name: []const u8) ![]const u8 {
+    return get_app_config_dir_file_name(appname, base_name ++ ".json");
+}
+
+fn get_app_config_dir_file_name(appname: []const u8, comptime config_file_name: []const u8) ![]const u8 {
     const local = struct {
         var config_file_buffer: [std.posix.PATH_MAX]u8 = undefined;
         var config_file: ?[]const u8 = null;
     };
-    const config_file_name = "config.json";
     const config_file = if (local.config_file) |file|
         file
     else
@@ -652,8 +653,8 @@ fn get_app_config_file_name(appname: []const u8) ![]const u8 {
     return config_file;
 }
 
-pub fn get_config_file_name() ![]const u8 {
-    return get_app_config_file_name(application_name);
+pub fn get_config_file_name(T: type) ![]const u8 {
+    return get_app_config_file_name(application_name, @typeName(T));
 }
 
 pub fn get_restore_file_name() ![]const u8 {
diff --git a/src/tui/mainview.zig b/src/tui/mainview.zig
index 07737e9..e6630b5 100644
--- a/src/tui/mainview.zig
+++ b/src/tui/mainview.zig
@@ -378,7 +378,7 @@ const cmds = struct {
     pub const open_help_meta = .{ .description = "Open help" };
 
     pub fn open_config(_: *Self, _: Ctx) Result {
-        const file_name = try root.get_config_file_name();
+        const file_name = try root.get_config_file_name(@TypeOf(tui.current().config));
         try tp.self_pid().send(.{ "cmd", "navigate", .{ .file = file_name } });
     }
     pub const open_config_meta = .{ .description = "Edit configuration file" };
diff --git a/src/tui/tui.zig b/src/tui/tui.zig
index ed4cc47..60d1843 100644
--- a/src/tui/tui.zig
+++ b/src/tui/tui.zig
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ fn start(args: StartArgs) tp.result {
 fn init(allocator: Allocator) !*Self {
     var self = try allocator.create(Self);
 
-    var conf, const conf_bufs = root.read_config(allocator);
+    var conf, const conf_bufs = root.read_config(config, allocator);
     defer root.free_config(allocator, conf_bufs);
 
     const theme = get_theme_by_name(conf.theme) orelse get_theme_by_name("dark_modern") orelse return tp.exit("unknown theme");
diff --git a/src/win32/gui.zig b/src/win32/gui.zig
index 4d18564..1e19e2b 100644
--- a/src/win32/gui.zig
+++ b/src/win32/gui.zig
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 const std = @import("std");
+const root = @import("root");
 
 const c = @cImport({
     @cInclude("ResourceNames.h");
@@ -10,6 +11,7 @@ const ddui = @import("ddui");
 const cbor = @import("cbor");
 const thespian = @import("thespian");
 const vaxis = @import("vaxis");
+const gui_config = @import("gui_config");
 
 const RGB = @import("color").RGB;
 const input = @import("input");
@@ -381,6 +383,7 @@ fn calcWindowPlacement() WindowPlacement {
 const CreateWindowArgs = struct {
     allocator: std.mem.Allocator,
     pid: thespian.pid,
+    conf: gui_config,
 };
 
 pub fn start() !std.Thread {
@@ -418,9 +421,12 @@ fn entry(pid: thespian.pid) !void {
         win32.GetLastError(),
     );
 
+    const conf, _ = root.read_config(gui_config, arena_instance.allocator());
+
     var create_args = CreateWindowArgs{
         .allocator = arena_instance.allocator(),
         .pid = pid,
+        .conf = conf,
     };
     const hwnd = win32.CreateWindowExW(
         window_style_ex,