diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 236f60a..0428bb6 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -16,8 +16,8 @@ some way to specify the browser
 
 
 things to do:
-1. port vivify.vim to nixos
-
+1. port vivify.vim to nixos (got problems see `https://discourse.nixos.org/t/help-with-adding-a-vim-plugin-in-nixpkgs/76682`)
+2. i'm gonna work on the TUI for now.
 
 
 
diff --git a/a.out b/a.out
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..dd386a0
Binary files /dev/null and b/a.out differ
diff --git a/config.json b/config.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f988c52
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config.json
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+{
+  "directory": "/home/tomasr/Documents/Notes/"
+
+
+
+}
diff --git a/shell.nix b/shell.nix
index f9a4a4a..3b317dd 100644
--- a/shell.nix
+++ b/shell.nix
@@ -3,5 +3,7 @@
 pkgs.mkShell {
   buildInputs = [
     pkgs.vivify
+    pkgs.cjson
+    pkgs.pkg-config
   ];
 }
diff --git a/startup.c b/startup.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..45d39d2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/startup.c
@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <string.h>
+#include <cjson/cJSON.h>
+#include <dirent.h>
+
+int main() {
+    // Read config file
+    FILE *f = fopen("./config.json", "r");
+    if (!f) {
+        fprintf(stderr, "Could not open config.json\n");
+        return 1;
+    }
+
+    fseek(f, 0, SEEK_END);
+    long size = ftell(f);
+    rewind(f);
+
+    char *data = malloc(size + 1);
+    size_t read_bytes = fread(data, 1, size, f);
+    if (read_bytes != size) {
+        fprintf(stderr, "Failed to read file\n");
+        free(data);
+        fclose(f);
+        return 1;
+    }
+    data[size] = 0;
+    fclose(f);
+
+    // Parse JSON
+    cJSON *json = cJSON_Parse(data);
+    if (!json) {
+        fprintf(stderr, "JSON parse error\n");
+        free(data);
+        return 1;
+    }
+
+    // Get "directory"
+    cJSON *dirJsonFormat = cJSON_GetObjectItem(json, "directory");
+    
+    char *notesDirectoryString = NULL;
+    if (dirJsonFormat && cJSON_IsString(dirJsonFormat) && dirJsonFormat->valuestring != NULL) {
+        notesDirectoryString = strdup(dirJsonFormat->valuestring);  // independent string
+    } else {
+        notesDirectoryString = "~/Documents/Notes/";  // default
+    }
+
+    // (TODO LATER) it might be a good idea to check if these directories exist
+    // (TODO LATER) expand ~ as it does not work with opendir()
+    printf("Opening %s\n", notesDirectoryString);
+
+    //---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+    // https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/c/c-program-list-files-sub-directories-directory/
+    struct dirent *notesDirectoryEntry;
+    DIR *notesDirectory = opendir(notesDirectoryString);
+        if (notesDirectory == NULL)  // opendir returns NULL if couldn't open directory
+    {
+        printf("Could not open current directory" );
+        return 1;
+    }
+    // Refer https://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/7990989775/xsh/readdir.html
+    // for readdir()
+    while ((notesDirectoryEntry = readdir(notesDirectory)) != NULL)
+            printf("%s\n", notesDirectoryEntry->d_name);
+
+
+    //--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+    // list all the directories (except hidden ones). They are like obsidian vaults
+
+    // Cleanup
+    if (dirJsonFormat && notesDirectoryString != dirJsonFormat->valuestring) free(notesDirectoryString); // only free strdup
+    closedir(notesDirectory);
+    cJSON_Delete(json);
+    free(data);
+
+    return 0;
+}