diff --git a/cliff.toml b/cliff.toml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8ccc1eb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cliff.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,104 @@
+# CLIFF_VERSION=2.8.0
+# git-cliff ~ default configuration file
+# https://git-cliff.org/docs/configuration
+#
+# Lines starting with "#" are comments.
+# Configuration options are organized into tables and keys.
+# See documentation for more information on available options.
+[remote.gitea]
+owner = "maxp"
+repo = "repoCat"
+
+[changelog]
+# postprocessors
+postprocessors = [
+  { pattern = '<GITEA_URL>', replace = "https://git.0xmax42.io" }, # replace gitea url
+]
+
+# template for the changelog header
+header = """
+# Changelog\n
+All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.\n
+"""
+# template for the changelog body
+# https://keats.github.io/tera/docs/#introduction
+body = """
+{%- macro remote_url() -%}
+  <GITEA_URL>/{{ remote.gitea.owner }}/{{ remote.gitea.repo }}
+{%- endmacro -%}
+
+{% if version %}\
+    {% if previous.version %}\
+        ## [{{ version | trim_start_matches(pat="v") }}]\
+          ({{ self::remote_url() }}/compare/{{ previous.version }}..{{ version }}) - {{ timestamp | date(format="%Y-%m-%d") }}
+    {% else %}\
+        ## [{{ version | trim_start_matches(pat="v") }}] - {{ timestamp | date(format="%Y-%m-%d") }}
+    {% endif %}\
+{% else %}\
+    ## [unreleased]
+{% endif %}\
+{% for group, commits in commits | group_by(attribute="group") %}
+    ### {{ group | striptags | trim | upper_first }}
+    {% for commit in commits %}
+        - {% if commit.scope %}*({{ commit.scope }})* {% endif %}\
+            {% if commit.breaking %}[**breaking**] {% endif %}\
+            {{ commit.message | upper_first }} - \
+            ([{{ commit.id | truncate(length=7, end="") }}]({{ self::remote_url() }}/commit/{{ commit.id }}))\
+    {% endfor %}
+{% endfor %}\n
+"""
+# template for the changelog footer
+footer = """
+
+"""
+# remove the leading and trailing s
+trim = true
+
+# render body even when there are no releases to process
+# render_always = true
+# output file path
+# output = "test.md"
+
+[git]
+# parse the commits based on https://www.conventionalcommits.org
+conventional_commits = true
+# filter out the commits that are not conventional
+filter_unconventional = true
+# process each line of a commit as an individual commit
+split_commits = false
+# regex for preprocessing the commit messages
+commit_preprocessors = [
+  # Replace issue numbers
+  #{ pattern = '\((\w+\s)?#([0-9]+)\)', replace = "([#${2}](<REPO>/issues/${2}))"},
+  # Check spelling of the commit with https://github.com/crate-ci/typos
+  # If the spelling is incorrect, it will be automatically fixed.
+  #{ pattern = '.*', replace_command = 'typos --write-changes -' },
+]
+# regex for parsing and grouping commits
+commit_parsers = [
+  { message = "^feat", group = "<!-- 0 -->🚀 Features" },
+  { message = "^fix", group = "<!-- 1 -->🐛 Bug Fixes" },
+  { message = "^doc", group = "<!-- 3 -->📚 Documentation" },
+  { message = "^perf", group = "<!-- 4 -->⚡ Performance" },
+  { message = "^refactor", group = "<!-- 2 -->🚜 Refactor" },
+  { message = "^style", group = "<!-- 5 -->🎨 Styling" },
+  { message = "^test", group = "<!-- 6 -->🧪 Testing" },
+  { message = "^chore\\(changelog\\)", skip = true },
+  { message = "^chore\\(version\\)", skip = true },
+  { message = "^chore\\(release\\): prepare for", skip = true },
+  { message = "^chore\\(deps.*\\)", skip = true },
+  { message = "^chore\\(pr\\)", skip = true },
+  { message = "^chore\\(pull\\)", skip = true },
+  { message = "^chore|^ci", group = "<!-- 7 -->⚙️ Miscellaneous Tasks" },
+  { body = ".*security", group = "<!-- 8 -->🛡️ Security" },
+  { message = "^revert", group = "<!-- 9 -->◀️ Revert" },
+  { message = ".*", group = "<!-- 10 -->💼 Other" },
+]
+# Regex to select git tags that represent releases.
+tag_pattern = "v[0-9]+\\.[0-9]+\\.[0-9]+"
+# filter out the commits that are not matched by commit parsers
+filter_commits = false
+# sort the tags topologically
+topo_order = false
+# sort the commits inside sections by oldest/newest order
+sort_commits = "newest"
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0d93901
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+[tool.poetry]
+name = "patchman"
+version = "0.1.0"
+description = ""
+authors = ["Max P. <Mail@MPassarello.de>"]
+readme = "README.md"
+packages = [{ include = "patchman", from = "src" }]
+
+[tool.poetry.dependencies]
+python = "<4.0.0,>=3.12"
+typer = { extras = ["all"], version = "^0.15.3" }
+pyyaml = "^6.0.2"
+pydantic = "^2.11.4"
+zstandard = "^0.23.0"
+textual = "^4.0.0"
+
+[tool.poetry.scripts]
+patchman = "patchman.__main__:main"
+
+[build-system]
+requires = ["poetry-core>=2.0.0"]
+build-backend = "poetry.core.masonry.api"
+
+[tool.poetry.group.dev.dependencies]
+twine = "^6.1.0"
diff --git a/src/patchman/.gitkeep b/src/patchman/.gitkeep
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..637ed19
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/patchman/.gitkeep
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+<!-- This checklist outlines the rough plan for the "patchman" tool. It focuses on core functionality and will evolve over time. -->
+
+# Patchman Feature Checklist (Initial Planning)
+
+- [ ] Apply patches in order (like `quilt push`)
+- [ ] Revert applied patches (like `quilt pop`)
+- [ ] Track current patch level
+- [ ] Edit the currently active patch
+- [ ] Generate a new patch from:
+  - [ ] specific files
+  - [ ] all staged changes
+  - [ ] all unstaged changes
+- [ ] Configure upstream source (branch or remote)
+- [ ] Fetch and reset to upstream (optionally via config)
+- [ ] Use a project-local config file (e.g. `patchman.yaml`)
+- [ ] Derive patch series order from numbered filenames (no `series` file required)
+- [ ] Optional reverse-apply (`git revert` or patch reverse)
+- [ ] Integrate with Git (using CLI directly, not a lib)
+- [ ] Provide CLI via `typer` with autocompletion
+- [ ] Build a Textual-based TUI frontend (after CLI is stable)
+- [ ] Handle malformed or outdated patch files gracefully
+- [ ] Support dry-run mode (for testing without modification)