diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 1df3d26..91aea49 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,13 +1,50 @@
 # git_deps_py
 
-manage dependencies between git repositories (poor mans "git submodules")
+manage dependencies between git repositories (lightweight "git submodules")
 
 # Status
 
-- TODO
+- experimental
 
 # Features
 
 - Standardized way how to document and manage dependencies to other repositories
 - For each dependency an init script can be specified
 - Reasonable behaviour of indirect dependencies (e.g. avoid redundant downloads and init scripts)
+
+# Usage Example
+
+consider `example` your git project with dependencies. Lets cd into it:
+
+	$ cd example
+	$ ls
+	> dependencies.conf
+
+`dependencies.conf` specifies the dependencies.
+Open it in your favourite editor to see how it is constructed.
+Let's install the dependencies:
+
+	$ ../bin/git_deps_py
+
+This will clone the git repositories specified in `dependencies.conf` into a folder (default: `./dependencies/`).
+Also, for each dependency the specified versions (git hash) are "checked out" and the init script (if specified) is run.
+To see default settings and learn the command line arguments, run:
+
+	$ ../bin/git_deps_py --help
+
+# Installation
+
+## From Git
+
+1. clone the git repository
+		
+		$ git clone https://github.molgen.mpg.de/EditionOpenAccess/git_deps_py.git
+
+1. checkout the right version
+
+		$ cd git_deps_py
+		$ git checkout 0.1
+
+1. install into your PATH via pip
+
+		$ pip install --user .
diff --git a/bin/git_deps_py b/bin/git_deps_py
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..e40328a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bin/git_deps_py
@@ -0,0 +1,262 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+
+
+from pathlib import Path
+from configparser import ConfigParser
+from argparse import ArgumentParser, ArgumentDefaultsHelpFormatter
+from time import sleep
+from subprocess import check_call, check_output, PIPE, STDOUT, Popen
+import shlex
+from os import environ
+
+import logging 
+
+# these can be overwritten by cmd line args:
+REPO_DIR = Path ( "." )
+STORE_DIR = REPO_DIR / "dependencies"
+DEP_DIR = REPO_DIR / "dependencies"
+CONFIG_FILE = REPO_DIR / "dependencies.conf"
+
+
+repo_keys = ('uri', 'hash', 'init')
+
+def read_config(
+        config_file
+):
+    parser = ConfigParser()
+    parser.read( config_file )
+    for dep in parser.sections():
+        for key in ('uri', 'hash'):
+            if key not in parser[dep]:
+                raise( Exception( f"error reading config file: dependency '{dep}': missing key '{key}'" ) )
+        for key in parser[dep]:
+            if key not in repo_keys:
+                raise( Exception( f"error reading config file: dependency '{dep}': unknown field '{key}'" ) )
+    return parser
+
+def get_dep(
+        dest_dir,
+        log_dir,
+        name,
+        uri,
+        hash,
+        init_script = None
+):
+    logging.info( f"dependency: {name}" )
+
+    # clone, if necessary:
+    repo_dir = (dest_dir / name)
+    log_file = (log_dir / name) . with_suffix( ".log" )
+    if not repo_dir . is_dir():
+        exec_command(
+                f'git clone "{uri}" "{repo_dir}"'
+        )
+        exec_command(
+            f'git checkout "{hash}"',
+            cwd = repo_dir
+        )
+
+        # run script, if any:
+        if init_script is not None:
+            logging.debug( f"calling init script '{init_script}'..." )
+            env = environ.copy()
+            env['PYTHONUNBUFFERED'] = '1'
+            exec_command(
+                    init_script,
+                    cwd = repo_dir,
+                    env = env,
+                    output_to = ToFile( log_file ),
+            )
+
+    # if wrong version, error!
+    current_version = \
+        check_output(
+            ["git", "rev-parse", "HEAD"],
+            cwd = repo_dir,
+            universal_newlines = True
+        ).strip()
+    if current_version != hash:
+        logging.error( f"{name}: version conflict. Needed: '{hash}', found: '{current_version}'" )
+        logging.info( f"remove the repo and try again!" )
+        exit(1)
+
+def init_logging(
+        log_level, # log level in the terminal
+        log_file,
+        log_level_file = logging.DEBUG
+        ):
+
+    ######################
+    # Set up logging     #
+    ######################
+
+    log_dir = log_file.parent
+    if not (log_dir.exists() and log_dir.is_dir()):
+        log_dir . mkdir( parents=True, exist_ok=True )
+    sleep( 1 )
+
+    # always log to file:
+    logging.basicConfig(
+            level=logging.DEBUG,
+            format='%(asctime)s - %(levelname)s - %(message)s',
+            filename = log_file,
+            filemode = "w"
+    )
+
+    rootLogger = logging.getLogger()
+
+    # set up logging to terminal:
+    terminal_formatter = \
+        logging.Formatter(
+            "%(levelname)s - %(message)s"
+        )
+    consoleHandler = logging.StreamHandler()
+    consoleHandler.setFormatter(terminal_formatter)
+    consoleHandler.setLevel( log_level )
+    rootLogger.addHandler(consoleHandler)
+
+class ToFile:
+    def __init__( self, filename ):
+        self.filename = filename
+
+class ToLog:
+    pass
+
+def exec_command(
+        command,
+        error_msg = "ERROR while running {command}",
+        cwd = None,
+        env = None,
+        output_to = ToLog(),
+        log_level = "INFO",
+        # ignore_fail = False
+        exit_code_ok = lambda x: x == 0,
+        ):
+
+    logging.log(
+            getattr(logging,log_level),
+            f"executing '{command}'",
+    )
+
+    arguments = shlex.split(command)
+
+    stdout_file = None
+    if isinstance( output_to, ToFile ):
+        log_file = Path( output_to.filename )
+        log_dir = log_file.parent
+        logging.info(
+                f"output: '{log_file}'",
+        )
+        if not (log_dir.exists() and log_dir.is_dir()):
+            os.makedirs( log_dir )
+        stdout_file = open( output_to.filename, "w", 1)
+    elif isinstance( output_to, ToLog ):
+        logging.info(
+                f"output:",
+        )
+    if env is not None:
+        env_arg = env
+    else:
+        env_arg = environ.copy()
+    with Popen(
+            arguments,
+            cwd = cwd,
+            env = env_arg,
+            stdout= PIPE,
+            stderr= STDOUT,
+            universal_newlines = True,
+            ) as proc:
+        for line in proc.stdout:
+            if isinstance( output_to, ToFile ):
+                stdout_file.write( line )
+            elif isinstance( output_to, ToLog ):
+                logging.debug( "> " + line )
+
+        ret = proc.wait() # 0 means success
+    if stdout_file is not None:
+        stdout_file.close()
+    if (not exit_code_ok(ret)) and ret != 0:
+        logging.error( error_msg.format( command = command) )
+        raise( Exception( error_msg.format( command=command ) ) )
+
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    parser = ArgumentParser(
+            description="download dependencies to other git repositories",
+            formatter_class = ArgumentDefaultsHelpFormatter,
+    )
+    parser.add_argument(
+        "-c", "--config",
+        dest = "CONFIG_FILE",
+        default = CONFIG_FILE,
+        type = Path,
+        help = "config file specifying the current repositories dependencies"
+    )
+    parser.add_argument(
+        "-d", "--dep-dir",
+        dest = "DEP_DIR",
+        default = DEP_DIR,
+        type = Path,
+        help = "where to the current repository expects dependencies"
+    )
+    parser.add_argument(
+        "-s", "--store-dir",
+        dest = "STORE_DIR",
+        default = STORE_DIR,
+        type = Path,
+        help = "where to store dependencies"
+    )
+    parser.add_argument(
+        "-v", "--verbose",
+        default = 'INFO',
+        help = "verbosity level. can be one of DEBUG, INFO, WARNING, ERROR"
+    )
+    parser.add_argument(
+        "-l", "--log-dir",
+        default = DEP_DIR / 'log',
+        type = Path,
+        help = "config file specifying the current repositories dependencies"
+    )
+
+
+    args = parser.parse_args()
+    CONFIG_FILE = args.CONFIG_FILE
+    DEP_DIR = args.DEP_DIR
+    STORE_DIR = args.STORE_DIR
+
+    init_logging(
+            log_level = args.verbose,
+            log_file = args.log_dir / "git_deps_py.log"
+    );
+    for val in ('CONFIG_FILE', 'DEP_DIR', 'STORE_DIR'):
+        logging.debug(
+                f"{val} = {globals()[val]}"
+        )
+
+    config = read_config( CONFIG_FILE )
+
+    for dep in config.sections():
+
+        get_dep(
+                dest_dir = STORE_DIR,
+                log_dir = args.log_dir,
+                name = dep,
+                uri = config[dep]['uri'],
+                hash = config[dep]['hash'],
+                init_script =
+                    config[dep]['init'] if 'init' in config[dep] else None
+        )
+        # if the deps are expected in DEP_DIR, but stored in STORE_DIR:
+        # make links DEP_DIR/* -> STORE_DIR/:
+        if DEP_DIR != STORE_DIR:
+            src = DEP_DIR / dep
+            if src.is_symlink():
+                src.unlink()
+            import os
+            dst = STORE_DIR / dep
+            if not dst.is_absolute():
+                dst = os.path.relpath(dst, start = src.parent )
+            logging.debug( f"creating link: {src} -> {dst}")
+            src . symlink_to(
+                    dst,
+                    target_is_directory = True
+            )
diff --git a/example/dependencies.conf b/example/dependencies.conf
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8f16837
--- /dev/null
+++ b/example/dependencies.conf
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+[test]
+
+uri = https://github.molgen.mpg.de/EditionOpenAccess/EOASkripts.git
+hash = 5bf3c45a5c0b822eb425038c2ceb14722694dbe0
+init = scripts/init.py
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e520449
--- /dev/null
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+
+from setuptools import setup
+
+setup(name='git_deps_py',
+      version='0.1',
+      description='manage dependencies to other git repositories',
+      classifiers=[
+        'Development Status :: experimental',
+        'Programming Language :: Python :: 3.7',
+      ],
+      url='https://github.molgen.mpg.de/EditionOpenAccess/git_deps_py',
+      author='Samuel Gfrörer',
+      author_email='SamuelGfroerer@googlemail.com',
+      license='MIT',
+      scripts=['bin/git_deps_py'],
+      packages=[],
+      python_requires='>=3',
+      zip_safe=False)
+