diff --git a/cmd/wmii/dat.h b/cmd/wmii/dat.h
index af9cd456..5a07f200 100644
--- a/cmd/wmii/dat.h
+++ b/cmd/wmii/dat.h
@@ -106,6 +106,7 @@ typedef struct Group Group;
 typedef struct Key Key;
 typedef struct Rule Rule;
 typedef struct Ruleset Ruleset;
+typedef struct Ruleval Ruleval;
 typedef struct Strut Strut;
 typedef struct View View;
 typedef struct WMScreen WMScreen;
@@ -223,10 +224,10 @@ struct Key {
 };
 
 struct Rule {
-	Rule*	next;
-	Reprog*	regex;
-	char	value[256];
-
+	Rule*		next;
+	Reprog*		regex;
+	char*		value;
+	Ruleval*	values;
 };
 
 struct Ruleset {
@@ -235,6 +236,12 @@ struct Ruleset {
 	uint	size;
 };
 
+struct Ruleval {
+	Ruleval*	next;
+	char*		key;
+	char*		value;
+}
+
 struct Strut {
 	Rectangle	left;
 	Rectangle	right;
@@ -271,8 +278,9 @@ EXTERN struct {
 	Font*	font;
 	char*	keys;
 	uint	keyssz;
-	Ruleset	tagrules;
 	Ruleset	colrules;
+	Ruleset	tagrules;
+	Ruleset	rules;
 	char	grabmod[5];
 	ulong	mod;
 	uint	border;
diff --git a/cmd/wmii/fs.c b/cmd/wmii/fs.c
index a4ef1066..4752131c 100644
--- a/cmd/wmii/fs.c
+++ b/cmd/wmii/fs.c
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ enum {	/* Dirs */
 	FsFEvent,
 	FsFKeys,
 	FsFRctl,
+	FsFRules,
 	FsFTagRules,
 	FsFTctl,
 	FsFTindex,
@@ -90,6 +91,7 @@ dirtab_root[]=	 {{".",		QTDIR,		FsRoot,		0500|DMDIR },
 		  {"colrules",	QTFILE,		FsFColRules,	0600 },
 		  {"event",	QTFILE,		FsFEvent,	0600 },
 		  {"keys",	QTFILE,		FsFKeys,	0600 },
+		  {"rules",	QTFILE,		FsFRules,	0600 },
 		  {"tagrules",	QTFILE,		FsFTagRules,	0600 },
 		  {nil}},
 dirtab_clients[]={{".",		QTDIR,		FsDClients,	0500|DMDIR },
@@ -336,6 +338,9 @@ lookup_file(IxpFileId *parent, char *name)
 			case FsFColRules:
 				file->p.rule = &def.colrules;
 				break;
+			case FsFRules:
+				file->p.rule = &def.tagrules;
+				break;
 			case FsFTagRules:
 				file->p.rule = &def.tagrules;
 				break;
@@ -379,6 +384,7 @@ fs_size(IxpFileId *f) {
 	default:
 		return 0;
 	case FsFColRules:
+	case FsFRules:
 	case FsFTagRules:
 		return f->p.rule->size;
 	case FsFKeys:
@@ -447,6 +453,7 @@ fs_read(Ixp9Req *r) {
 			respond(r, nil);
 			return;
 		case FsFColRules:
+		case FsFRules:
 		case FsFTagRules:
 			ixp_srv_readbuf(r, f->p.rule->string, f->p.rule->size);
 			respond(r, nil);
@@ -515,6 +522,7 @@ fs_write(Ixp9Req *r) {
 
 	switch(f->tab.type) {
 	case FsFColRules:
+	case FsFRules:
 	case FsFTagRules:
 		ixp_srv_writebuf(r, &f->p.rule->string, &f->p.rule->size, 0);
 		respond(r, nil);
@@ -681,16 +689,18 @@ fs_clunk(Ixp9Req *r) {
 
 	switch(f->tab.type) {
 	case FsFColRules:
-		update_rules(&f->p.rule->rule, f->p.rule->string);
-		break;
+	case FsFRules:
 	case FsFTagRules:
 		update_rules(&f->p.rule->rule, f->p.rule->string);
+		break;
 		/*
+	case FsFTagRules:
+		update_rules(&f->p.rule->rule, f->p.rule->string);
 		for(c=client; c; c=c->next)
 			apply_rules(c);
 		view_update_all();
-		*/
 		break;
+		*/
 	case FsFKeys:
 		update_keys();
 		break;
diff --git a/cmd/wmii/rule.c b/cmd/wmii/rule.c
index 28f68f45..b060b280 100644
--- a/cmd/wmii/rule.c
+++ b/cmd/wmii/rule.c
@@ -22,33 +22,59 @@ trim(char *str, const char *chars) {
 	*q = '\0';
 }
 
+void
+update_rules(Rule **rule, const char *data) {
+#define putc(m, c) BLOCK(if(m.pos < m.end) *m.pos++ = c)
+#define getc(m) (m.pos < m.end ? *m.pos++ : 0)
+#define ungetc(m) BLOCK(if(m.pos > m.data) --m.pos)
+	IxpMsg buf, outbuf, rebuf;
+	char regex[256];
+	char c;
+
+	buf = ixp_message(data, strlen(data), MsgUnpack);
+}
+
 /* XXX: I hate this. --KM */
 void
 update_rules(Rule **rule, const char *data) {
-	/* basic rule matching language /regex/ -> value
-	 * regex might contain POSIX regex syntax defined in regex(3) */
 	enum {
+		COMMENT,
 		IGNORE,
 		REGEX,
 		VALUE,
-		COMMENT,
+		WAIT,
 	};
-	int state;
+	int state, old_state;
+	IxpMsg m;
+	Ruleval **rvp;
+	Ruleval *rv;
 	Rule *rul;
-	char regex[256], value[256];
+	char regex[256];
 	char *regex_end = regex + sizeof(regex) - 1;
-	char *value_end = value + sizeof(value) - 1;
+	char *value_end = buffer + sizeof(buffer) - 1;
 	char *r, *v;
 	const char *p;
 	char c;
+	int len;
+
+#define NEXT(next) BLOCK(		\
+		old_state = state	\
+		state = next;		\
+		continue;		\
+	)
 
 	SET(r);
 	SET(v);
+	SET(old_state);
 
 	if(!data || !strlen(data))
 		return;
 	while((rul = *rule)) {
 		*rule = rul->next;
+		while((rv = rul->values)) {
+			rul->values = rv->next;
+			free(rv);
+		}
 		free(rul->regex);
 		free(rul);
 	}
@@ -57,11 +83,11 @@ update_rules(Rule **rule, const char *data) {
 		switch(state) {
 		case COMMENT:
 			if(c == '\n')
-				state = IGNORE;
+				state = old_state;
 			break;
 		case IGNORE:
 			if(c == '#')
-				state = COMMENT;
+				goto comment;
 			else if(c == '/') {
 				r = regex;
 				state = REGEX;
@@ -75,6 +101,10 @@ update_rules(Rule **rule, const char *data) {
 		case REGEX:
 			if(c == '\\' && p[1] == '/')
 				p++;
+			else if(c == '\\' && p[1] == '\\' && p[2] == '/')
+				p++;
+			else if(c == '\\' && r < regex_end)
+				*r++ = *p++;
 			else if(c == '/') {
 				*r = 0;
 				state = IGNORE;
@@ -84,24 +114,49 @@ update_rules(Rule **rule, const char *data) {
 				*r++ = c;
 			break;
 		case VALUE:
-			if(c == '\n' || c == '#' || c == 0) {
-				*v = 0;
-				trim(value, " \t");
-				*rule = emallocz(sizeof **rule);
-				(*rule)->regex = regcomp(regex);
-				if((*rule)->regex) {
-					utflcpy((*rule)->value, value, sizeof rul->value);
-					rule = &(*rule)->next;
-				}else
-					free(*rule);
-				state = IGNORE;
-				if(c == '#')
-					state = COMMENT;
-			}
-			else if(v < value_end)
+			if(c == '#')
+				NEXT(COMMENT);
+			if(c == '\n')
+				NEXT(WAIT);
+			if(v < value_end)
 				*v++ = c;
 			break;
+		case WAIT:
+			if(c == '#')
+				NEXT(COMMENT);
+			if(c == '/') {
+				state = 
+			break;
 		default: /* can't happen */
 			die("invalid state");
+		accept:
+
+			*v = 0;
+			*rule = emallocz(sizeof **rule);
+			(*rule)->regex = regcomp(regex);
+			if((*rule)->regex) {
+				(*rule)->value = strdup(buffer);
+				trim((*rule)->value, " \t");
+
+				rvp = &(*rule)->values;
+				m = ixp_message(buffer, v - buffer, MsgUnpack);
+				while((r = msg_getword(&m)))
+					if((v = strchr(r, '='))) {
+						len = strlen(r) + 1;
+						*rvp = rv = emalloc(sizeof *rv + len);
+						rvp = &rv->next;
+
+						memcpy(&rv[1], r, len);
+						tokenize(&rv->key, 2, (char*)&rv[1], '=');
+					}
+
+
+				rule = &(*rule)->next;
+			}else
+				free(*rule);
+
+			r = regex;
+
+			break;
 		}
 }
diff --git a/lib/libstuff/printevent.c b/lib/libstuff/printevent.c
index b0b09322..adae25e0 100644
--- a/lib/libstuff/printevent.c
+++ b/lib/libstuff/printevent.c
@@ -558,7 +558,7 @@ VerbButton(Fmt *fmt, XEvent *e) {
 		TInt, _(x), TInt, _(y),
 		TInt, _(x_root), TInt, _(y_root),
 		TModState, _(state),
-		TModState, _(button),
+		TInt, _(button),
 		TBool, _(same_screen),
 		TEnd
 	);