diff --git a/.hgignore b/.hgignore
index 81d4b47..f418d13 100644
--- a/.hgignore
+++ b/.hgignore
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ syntax: glob
 *.orig
 iambuttbot_password
 persist
+config
 pep8.py
 .project
-.pydevproject
\ No newline at end of file
+.pydevproject
diff --git a/bot.py b/bot.py
index 0fb66da..4a74297 100755
--- a/bot.py
+++ b/bot.py
@@ -1,9 +1,5 @@
 #!/usr/bin/python
 
-network = "localhost"
-nick = "skybot"
-channel = "#test"
-
 import sys
 import os
 import Queue
@@ -27,19 +23,28 @@ reload(init=True)
 
 print 'Connecting to IRC'
 
-bot.nick = nick
-bot.channel = channel
-bot.network = network
-bot.irc = irc(network, nick)
-bot.irc.join(channel)
+bot.conns = {}
+
+for connection in bot.config['connections']:
+    for name, conf in connection.iteritems():
+        if name in bot.conns:
+            print 'ERROR: more than one connection named "%s"' % name
+            raise ValueError
+        bot.conns[name] = irc(conf['server'], conf['nick'])
+        for channel in conf.get('channels', []):
+            bot.conns[name].join(channel)
+ 
 bot.persist_dir = os.path.abspath('persist')
 
 print 'Running main loop'
 
 while True:
     try:
-        out = bot.irc.out.get(timeout=1)
-        reload()
-        main(out)
+        reload() # these functions only do things
+        config() #  if changes have occured
+
+        for conn in bot.conns.itervalues():
+            out = conn.out.get(timeout=1)
+            main(conn, out)
     except Queue.Empty:
         pass
diff --git a/core/config.py b/core/config.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0fc8dee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/config.py
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+import os
+
+from util import yaml
+
+if not os.path.exists('config'):
+    conf = {'connections': [
+        {'local irc': {'nick': 'skybot',
+         'server': 'localhost',
+         'channels': ["#test"]}}]}
+    yaml.dump(conf, open('config', 'w'))
+    del conf
+
+bot.config = yaml.load(open('config'))
+bot._config_dirty = False
+bot._config_mtime = os.stat('config').st_mtime
+
+def config_dirty(self): 
+    "signals that config has changed and should be written to disk"
+    self._config_dirty = True
+
+bot.config_dirty = config_dirty
+
+def config():
+    # reload config from file if file has changed
+    if bot._config_mtime != os.stat('config').st_mtime:
+        bot.config = yaml.load(open('config'))
+        bot._config_dirty = False
+
+    # save config to file if config has changed
+    if bot._config_dirty:
+        yaml.dump(bot.config, open('config', 'w'))
diff --git a/core/irc.py b/core/irc.py
index e8a09dd..aa7a66f 100644
--- a/core/irc.py
+++ b/core/irc.py
@@ -62,13 +62,15 @@ class irc(object):
     "handles the IRC protocol"
     #see the docs/ folder for more information on the protocol
 
-    def __init__(self, network, nick, port=6667):
-        self.conn = crlf_tcp(network, port)
+    def __init__(self, server, nick, port=6667):
+        self.server = server
+        self.conn = crlf_tcp(server, port)
         thread.start_new_thread(self.conn.run, ())
         self.out = Queue.Queue() #responses from the server are placed here
         # format: [rawline, prefix, command, params,
         # nick, user, host, paramlist, msg]
-        self.nick(nick)
+        self.nick = nick
+        self.set_nick(nick)
         self.cmd("USER", ["skybot v0.01", "0", "bot"])
         thread.start_new_thread(self.parse_loop, ())
 
@@ -89,7 +91,7 @@ class irc(object):
             if command == "PING":
                 self.cmd("PONG", [params])
 
-    def nick(self, nick):
+    def set_nick(self, nick):
         self.cmd("NICK", [nick])
 
     def join(self, channel):
diff --git a/core/main.py b/core/main.py
index 643fdad..23e3edd 100644
--- a/core/main.py
+++ b/core/main.py
@@ -3,8 +3,9 @@ import traceback
 
 class Input(object):
 
-    def __init__(self, raw, prefix, command,
+    def __init__(self, conn, raw, prefix, command,
             params, nick, user, host, paraml, msg):
+        self.conn = conn
         self.raw = raw
         self.prefix = prefix
         self.command = command
@@ -15,7 +16,7 @@ class Input(object):
         self.paraml = paraml
         self.msg = msg
         self.chan = paraml[0]
-        if self.chan == bot.nick:
+        if self.chan == conn.nick:
             self.chan = nick
         elif command =='JOIN':
             self.chan = msg
@@ -23,20 +24,21 @@ class Input(object):
 
 class FakeBot(object):
 
-    def __init__(self, bot, input, func):
+    def __init__(self, bot, conn, input, func):
         self.bot = bot
+        self.conn = conn
         self.persist_dir = bot.persist_dir
-        self.network = bot.network
+        self.server = conn.server
         self.input = input
-        self.msg = bot.irc.msg
-        self.cmd = bot.irc.cmd
-        self.join = bot.irc.join
+        self.msg = conn.msg
+        self.cmd = conn.cmd
+        self.join = conn.join
         self.func = func
         self.doreply = True
         self.chan = input.chan
-
+    
     def say(self, msg):
-        self.bot.irc.msg(self.chan, msg)
+        self.conn.msg(self.chan, msg)
 
     def reply(self, msg):
         self.say(self.input.nick + ': ' + msg)
@@ -53,9 +55,9 @@ class FakeBot(object):
             else:
                 self.say(unicode(out))
 
-def main(out):
+def main(conn, out):
     for csig, func, args in (bot.plugs['command'] + bot.plugs['event']):
-        input = Input(*out)
+        input = Input(conn, *out)
         for fsig, sieve in bot.plugs['sieve']:
             try:
                 input = sieve(bot, input, func, args)
@@ -67,4 +69,4 @@ def main(out):
                 break
         if input == None:
             continue
-        thread.start_new_thread(FakeBot(bot, input, func).run, ())
+        thread.start_new_thread(FakeBot(bot, conn, input, func).run, ())
diff --git a/plugins/log.py b/plugins/log.py
index fb81b8f..aa1e68b 100644
--- a/plugins/log.py
+++ b/plugins/log.py
@@ -30,8 +30,8 @@ ctcp_formats = {'ACTION': '* %(nick)s %(ctcpmsg)s'}
 irc_color_re = re.compile(r'(\x03(\d+,\d+|\d)|[\x0f\x02\x16\x1f])')
 
 
-def get_log_filename(dir, network, chan):
-    return os.path.join(dir, 'log', gmtime('%Y'), network,
+def get_log_filename(dir, server, chan):
+    return os.path.join(dir, 'log', gmtime('%Y'), server,
             gmtime('%%s.%m-%d.log') % chan).lower()
 
 
@@ -63,9 +63,9 @@ def beautify(input):
     return format % args
 
 
-def get_log_fd(dir, network, chan):
-    fn = get_log_filename(dir, network, chan)
-    cache_key = '%s %s' % (network, chan)
+def get_log_fd(dir, server, chan):
+    fn = get_log_filename(dir, server, chan)
+    cache_key = '%s %s' % (server, chan)
     filename, fd = log_fds.get(cache_key, ('', 0))
 
     if fn != filename: # we need to open a file for writing
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ def log(bot, input):
     with lock:
         timestamp = gmtime(timestamp_format)
 
-        fd = get_log_fd(bot.persist_dir, bot.network, 'raw')
+        fd = get_log_fd(bot.persist_dir, bot.server, 'raw')
         fd.write(timestamp + ' ' + input.raw + '\n')
 
         if input.command == 'QUIT': # these are temporary fixes until proper
@@ -99,5 +99,5 @@ def log(bot, input):
         print '%s %s %s' % (timestamp, input.chan, beau)
 
         if input.chan:
-            fd = get_log_fd(bot.persist_dir, bot.network, input.chan)
+            fd = get_log_fd(bot.persist_dir, bot.server, input.chan)
             fd.write(timestamp + ' ' + beau + '\n')
diff --git a/plugins/sieve.py b/plugins/sieve.py
index 218f53b..bb3fde3 100644
--- a/plugins/sieve.py
+++ b/plugins/sieve.py
@@ -16,8 +16,9 @@ def sieve_suite(bot, input, func, args):
     hook = args.get('hook', r'(.*)')
 
     if args.get('prefix', True):
+        # add a prefix, unless it's a private message
         hook = (r'^(?:[.!]|' if input.chan != input.nick else r'^(?:[.!]?|') \
-                + bot.nick +r'[:,]*\s*)' + hook
+                + input.conn.nick + r'[:,]*\s*)' + hook
 
     input.re = re.match(hook, input.msg, flags=re.I)
     if input.re is None: