diff --git a/tribes-cli/cli.ts b/tribes-cli/cli.ts
index 4f25b982..fedfe014 100644
--- a/tribes-cli/cli.ts
+++ b/tribes-cli/cli.ts
@@ -1,173 +1,24 @@
-interface BaseArg {
-  kind: 'string' | 'number' | 'bool';
-  name: string;
-  invert?: true;
-}
+import { parseArgs } from '@std/cli';
+import { tribe } from './tribe/mod.ts';
+import { remote } from './remote/mod.ts';
+import { ParsedSubcommand, parseSubcommand } from './utils.ts';
 
-type Argument = BaseArg & { optional?: true };
-type Option = BaseArg & { short?: string };
-
-interface BaseCommand {
-  options: Option[];
-  name: string;
-}
-
-type Command =
-  | (
-    & BaseCommand
-    & ({
-      arguments: Argument[];
-    } | {
-      subcommands: Command[];
-    })
-  )
-  | BaseCommand;
-
-interface ParseResult {
-  [key: string]: boolean | string | number | ParseResult;
-}
-
-const parseArgs = (args: string[], config: Command) => {
-  const result: ParseResult = {};
-
-  let i = 0;
-  const opt = (kind: BaseArg['kind'], idx: number) => kind === 'number' ? Number(args[idx]) : args[idx];
-  const doOption = (cfg: Option, skip = -1, blockLength = -1) => {
-    if (cfg.kind === 'number' || cfg.kind === 'string') {
-      if (skip === -1) {
-        result[cfg.name] = opt(cfg.kind, i + 1);
-        i += 1;
-      } else {
-        result[cfg.name] = opt(cfg.kind, i + skip);
-        if (skip === blockLength) {
-          i += skip;
-        }
-      }
-    } else {
-      result[cfg.name] = !cfg.invert;
-    }
-  };
-
-  if ('arguments' in config && config.arguments.length) {
-    const argumentCount = args.filter((arg) => !arg.startsWith('-')).length;
-    const last = config.arguments.at(-1);
-    const requiredCount = config.arguments.length - (last?.optional ? 1 : 0);
-    if (argumentCount !== requiredCount) throw new Error('Invalid number of arguments passed!');
-  }
-
-  let argumentsParsed = 0;
-  for (i; i < args.length; i++) {
-    const current = args[i];
-    if (current[0] === '-') {
-      if (current.startsWith('--')) {
-        const opt = current.slice(2);
-        const cfg = config.options.find((o) => o.name === opt);
-        if (!cfg) continue;
-        doOption(cfg);
-      } else {
-        const block = current.slice(1).split('');
-        for (let idx = 0; idx < block.length; idx++) {
-          const cfg = config.options.find((o) => o.short === block[idx]);
-          if (!cfg) continue;
-          doOption(cfg, idx + 1, block.length);
-        }
-      }
-    } else {
-      if ('subcommands' in config) {
-        const subcommand = config.subcommands.find((cmd) => cmd.name === current);
-        if (subcommand) {
-          result[subcommand.name] = parseArgs(args.slice(i + 1), subcommand);
-        }
-      } else if ('arguments' in config) {
-        const arg = config.arguments[argumentsParsed++];
-        if (arg.kind === 'bool') {
-          if (args[i] !== 'true' && args[i] !== 'false') {
-            throw new Error(`Non-boolean value passed for boolean argument ${arg.name}!`);
-          }
-          result[arg.name] = args[i] === 'true' ? true : false;
-        } else if (arg.kind === 'string') {
-          result[arg.name] = args[i];
-        } else if (arg.kind === 'number') {
-          result[arg.name] = Number(args[i]);
-        }
-      }
-    }
-  }
-  return result;
+const commands = {
+  tribe,
+  remote,
 };
 
-/**
- * TODOs
- * - get instance list from dokku for pushing updates
- * - fix item duplication issues with colocated postgres
- * - make dokku work with existing postgres
- * - make new-tribe script work with custom domains
- * - get ssh key as -i argument
- * -
- */
+let parserArgs: Partial<ParsedSubcommand> = {
+  string: ['identity-file'],
+};
 
-const res = parseArgs(Deno.args, {
-  name: 'tribes-cli',
-  options: [{
-    kind: 'string',
-    name: 'identity-file',
-    short: 'i',
-  }],
-  subcommands: [{
-    name: 'tribe',
-    options: [{
-      name: 'alice',
-      short: 'a',
-      kind: 'number',
-    }, {
-      name: 'bob',
-      short: 'b',
-      kind: 'string',
-    }, {
-      name: 'charlie',
-      short: 'c',
-      kind: 'number',
-    }],
-    subcommands: [{
-      name: 'new',
-      arguments: [{
-        name: 'name',
-        kind: 'string',
-      }],
-      options: [],
-    }],
-  }],
-});
+for (const [_name, body] of Object.entries(commands)) {
+  for (const subcommand in body) {
+    const s = body[subcommand];
+    parserArgs = parseSubcommand(s, parserArgs);
+  }
 
-console.log(res);
-
-Deno.exit(1);
-/*
-if (import.meta.main) {
-  const tribes =
-    new Command('tribes-cli')
-      .description('CLI for managing Ditto Tribes instances.')
-      .version("0.0.1")
-      .option('-i --identity-file <string>', 'Path to the ssh identity file.', defaultIdentityFile())
-      .action(async args => {
-        if (!args.identityFile) {
-          throw new InvalidArgumentError(`Invalid or missing identity file ${args.identityFile || '<empty string>'}`);
-        }
-        try {
-          console.log(args.identityFile);
-          const file = await Deno.readTextFile(args.identityFile);
-          sessionStorage.setItem('identity', file);
-          console.log(`Read identity file from ${args.identityFile} successfully.`);
-        }
-        catch (e) {
-          throw new InvalidArgumentError(`Error reading identity file: ${e.message}`);
-        }
-      })
-      .showHelpAfterError();
-
-  [tribe, remote].forEach(cmd => tribes.addCommand(cmd));
-  const foo = await tribes.parseAsync(Deno.args, { from: 'user' });
-  console.log(foo);
+  // TODO: construct a help string here
 }
 
-*/
+console.log(parserArgs);
diff --git a/tribes-cli/remote/init.ts b/tribes-cli/remote/init.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ad07e351
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tribes-cli/remote/init.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+export const init = () => {
+};
diff --git a/tribes-cli/remote/mod.ts b/tribes-cli/remote/mod.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..188c96f8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tribes-cli/remote/mod.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+import { Subcommand } from '../utils.ts';
+import { init } from './init.ts';
+
+export const remote: Record<string, Subcommand> = {
+  init: {
+    action: init,
+    description: 'Initialise a brand new Ditto remote.',
+  },
+};
diff --git a/tribes-cli/tribe/config.ts b/tribes-cli/tribe/config.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..9d8aeb6d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tribes-cli/tribe/config.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+/**
+ * Change a tribe's configuration.
+ */
+export const config = () => {
+};
diff --git a/tribes-cli/tribe/destroy.ts b/tribes-cli/tribe/destroy.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f1282701
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tribes-cli/tribe/destroy.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+/**
+ * Destroy a tribe. Non-reversible.
+ */
+
+export const destroy = () => {
+};
diff --git a/tribes-cli/tribe/mod.ts b/tribes-cli/tribe/mod.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..99bcc733
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tribes-cli/tribe/mod.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+import { create } from './new.ts';
+import { config } from './config.ts';
+import { Subcommand } from '../utils.ts';
+
+export const tribe: Record<string, Subcommand> = {
+  create: {
+    action: create,
+    description: 'Create a new tribe.',
+    options: {
+      '-c --custom-domain': {
+        description: 'Do not use a subdomain of the tribes server; instead, use a custom domain.',
+      },
+      '-s --subdomain': {
+        description: 'Use a subdomain of the tribes server to host the new Ditto instance.',
+      },
+    },
+  },
+};
diff --git a/tribes-cli/tribe/new.ts b/tribes-cli/tribe/new.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e94d1765
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tribes-cli/tribe/new.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+export const create = () => {
+};
diff --git a/tribes-cli/tribe/update.ts b/tribes-cli/tribe/update.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f1161b35
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tribes-cli/tribe/update.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+/**
+ * Update a tribe's software.
+ */
+
+export const update = () => {
+};
diff --git a/tribes-cli/utils.ts b/tribes-cli/utils.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3975ab7f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tribes-cli/utils.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,76 @@
+import { join } from '@std/path';
+
+let identity = '';
+export const defaultIdentityFile = async () => {
+  if (!identity) {
+    const home = Deno.env.get('HOME');
+    if (home) return identity = await Deno.readTextFile(join(home, '.ssh', 'id_rsa'));
+  }
+  return '';
+};
+
+export interface Subcommand {
+  action: Function;
+  description: string;
+  options?: Record<
+    string,
+    & { description: string }
+    & ({
+      default?: string;
+    } | {
+      bool: true;
+      default?: boolean;
+    })
+  >;
+  commands?: Record<string, Subcommand>;
+}
+
+export const cleanArg = (arg: string) => {
+  return arg.replace(/^--?/g, '');
+};
+
+export interface ParsedSubcommand {
+  string: string[];
+  boolean: string[];
+  alias: Record<string, string[]>;
+  default: Record<string, string | boolean>;
+}
+
+export const defaultParsedSubcommand = (): ParsedSubcommand => {
+  return {
+    string: [],
+    boolean: [],
+    alias: {},
+    default: {},
+  };
+};
+
+export const parseSubcommand = (command: Subcommand, existing?: Partial<ParsedSubcommand>): ParsedSubcommand => {
+  const res = Object.assign(defaultParsedSubcommand(), existing);
+
+  if (command.options) {
+    for (const option in command.options) {
+      const split = option.split(' ').toSorted((a, b) => b.length - a.length).map(cleanArg);
+      const name = split[0];
+      const body = command.options[option];
+      if ('bool' in body) {
+        res.boolean.push(name);
+      } else {
+        res.string.push(name);
+      }
+      res.alias[name] = split;
+    }
+  }
+
+  if (command.commands) {
+    for (const subcommand in command.commands) {
+      const parsed = parseSubcommand(command.commands[subcommand]);
+      Object.assign(res.alias, parsed.alias);
+      Object.assign(res.default, parsed.default);
+      res.boolean.push(...parsed.boolean);
+      res.string.push(...parsed.string);
+    }
+  }
+
+  return res;
+};