diff --git a/rowbot b/rowbot
index 050e1d9..b67fba0 100755
--- a/rowbot
+++ b/rowbot
@@ -162,6 +162,33 @@ on_sys_first_001_bootup() {
   log_info "rowbot's pid is %d" "$$"
 }
 
+on_sys_first_999_bootup() {
+  log_debug "registering with the server"
+  nick "${config[nick]}"
+  user "${config[ident]}" "${config[realname]}"
+}
+
+on_sys_before_999_bootup() {
+  local setting setting_name
+  log_debug "storing the config"
+
+  for setting in "${!config[@]}"; do
+    setting_name=${setting//-/_}
+    export "CONFIG_${setting_name^^}=${config[$setting]}"
+  done
+}
+
+on_sys_after_001_bootup() {
+  log_debug "reloading the config"
+  local setting setting_name
+
+  while IFS= read -r setting; do
+    setting_name=${setting#CONFIG_} setting_name=${setting_name//_/-}
+    config[${setting_name,,}]=${!setting}
+    unset "$setting"
+  done < <(compgen -e CONFIG_)
+}
+
 on_sys_exit_999_bootup() {
   log_info "There’s a lot of beauty in ordinary things. Isn’t that kind of the point?"
 }
@@ -227,9 +254,16 @@ on_sys_init_001_log() {
   fi
 }
 
+on_sys_before_999_log() {
+  if [[ -v log_fd ]] && (( log_fd != 1 )); then
+    log_debug "shutting logger down for reload"
+    exec {log_fd}>&-
+  fi
+}
+
 on_sys_exit_999_log() {
   if [[ -v log_fd ]] && (( log_fd != 1 )); then
-    log_debug "shutting logger down"
+    log_debug "shutting logger down for good"
     exec {log_fd}>&-
   fi
 }
@@ -302,6 +336,25 @@ on_sys_first_002_net() {
   fi
 }
 
+on_sys_before_002_net() {
+  if [[ ${config[tls]} = no ]]; then
+    export IRC_SOCK=$irc_sock
+  else
+    export SOCK_DIR=$sock_dir TLS_PID=$tls_pid
+    export OUT_SOCK=$out_sock IN_SOCK=$in_sock
+  fi
+}
+
+on_sys_after_002_net() {
+  if [[ ${config[tls]} = no ]]; then
+    irc_sock=$IRC_SOCK out_sock=$irc_sock in_sock=$irc_sock
+    unset IRC_SOCK
+  else
+    sock_dir=$SOCK_DIR tls_pid=$TLS_PID out_sock=$OUT_SOCK in_sock=$IN_SOCK
+    unset sock_dir tls_pid out_sock in_sock
+  fi
+}
+
 on_sys_exit_998_net() {
   if [[ ${config[tls]} = no ]]; then
     log_info "rowbot is closing the connection to irc://%s:%s" "${config[server]}" "${config[port]}"
@@ -317,6 +370,18 @@ on_sys_exit_998_net() {
   fi
 }
 
+###
+# irc send handlers
+###
+
+nick() {
+  net_send "NICK :%s" "$1"
+}
+
+user() {
+  net_send "USER %s 0 * :%s" "$1" "$2"
+}
+
 ###
 # cleanup
 ###
@@ -333,16 +398,9 @@ trap cleanup EXIT
 ###
 
 reload_config() {
-  local setting setting_name
   run_callbacks on_sys_before_
   run_callbacks on_before_
-
-  for setting in "${!config[@]}"; do
-    setting_name=${setting//-/_}
-    export "${setting_name^^}"="${config[$setting]}"
-  done
-
-  exec "${cmd_line[@]}"
+  RELOADED=yes exec "${cmd_line[@]}"
 }
 
 reload_hup() {
@@ -366,3 +424,56 @@ else
   run_callbacks on_sys_first_
   run_callbacks on_first_
 fi
+
+###
+# driver/protocol parser
+###
+
+while net_recv line; do
+  declare -A msg=([words]=no [original]="$line")
+
+  # parse prefix in the style of nick!ident@host
+
+  if [[ ${line:0:1} = :* ]]; then
+    prefix=${line%% *} prefix=${prefix#:} line=${line#:"$prefix"} line=${line# }
+    log_debug "parsing message prefix %s" "$prefix"
+    msg[host]=${prefix#*@} prefix=${prefix%"${msg[host]}"} prefix=${prefix%@}
+
+    if [[ $prefix ]]; then
+      msg[ident]=${prefix#*!}
+
+      if [[ ${msg[ident]} != "$prefix" ]]; then
+        msg[nick]=${prefix%!*}
+      fi
+    fi
+  fi
+
+  # parse command formatted as a 3 digit integer or as a word consisting of
+  # alphabet values
+
+  msg[cmd]=${line%% *} line=${line#"${msg[cmd]}"} line=${line# }
+  log_debug "parsing message command %s" "${msg[cmd]}"
+
+  # parse the remaining values into white-space separated arguments
+
+  msg_args=()
+
+  while [[ $line ]]; do
+    if [[ ${line:0:1} = : ]]; then
+      msg_args+=( "${line:1}" ) msg[words]=yes line=
+      # Code using this array will be implemented later.
+      # shellcheck disable=SC2034
+      read -ra msg_words <<< "${msg_args[-1]}"
+      log_debug "parsed final argument %s" "${msg_args[-1]}"
+    else
+      arg=${line%% *} msg_args+=( "$arg" ) line=${line#"$arg"} line=${line# }
+      log_debug "parsed argument %s" "$arg"
+    fi
+  done
+
+  if has irc_on_"${msg[cmd]^^}"; then
+    irc_on_"${msg[cmd]^^}"
+  else
+    log_warn "unhandled line: %s" "${msg[original]}"
+  fi
+done