diff --git a/controls.config b/controls.config
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..97bb816
--- /dev/null
+++ b/controls.config
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+ACTION_LEFT:KEY_S
+ACTION_RIGHT:KEY_F
+ACTION_UP:KEY_E
+ACTION_DOWN:KEY_D
+ACTION_JUMP:KEY_K
+ACTION_ATTACK:KEY_J
diff --git a/fcore/game-type.sml b/fcore/game-type.sml
index ab68004..ba67bd5 100644
--- a/fcore/game-type.sml
+++ b/fcore/game-type.sml
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ sig
     , userKeys: CoreKey.user_key
     }
 
-  val initial: game_type
+  val initial: CoreKey.user_key -> game_type
 end
 
 structure GameType :> GAME_TYPE =
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ struct
         end
     | enemyMapFromList ([], map) = map
 
-  val initial: game_type =
+  fun initial userKeys =
     let
       val player =
         { yAxis = EntityType.JUMPING 0
@@ -55,16 +55,6 @@ struct
         , platID = ~1
         }
 
-      (* todo: replace initialKeys with keys parsed from file *)
-      val initialKeys =
-        { left = CoreKey.KEY_S
-        , right = CoreKey.KEY_L
-        , up = CoreKey.KEY_E
-        , down = CoreKey.KEY_D
-        , jump = CoreKey.KEY_K
-        , attack = CoreKey.KEY_J
-        }
-
       val wall1 = {id = 1, x = 0, y = 0, width = 100, height = 1080}
       val wall2 = {id = 2, x = 1820, y = 0, width = 100, height = 1080}
       val wall3 = {id = 3, x = 0, y = 980, width = 1920, height = 108}
@@ -152,7 +142,7 @@ struct
       , enemies = enemies
       , graph = graph
       , fallingEnemies = FallingEnemyMap.empty
-      , userKeys = initialKeys
+      , userKeys = userKeys
       }
     end
 end
diff --git a/oms.mlb b/oms.mlb
index 6852636..3188452 100644
--- a/oms.mlb
+++ b/oms.mlb
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ in
 end
 
 shell/input-state.sml
+shell/parse-controls.sml
 shell/gl-shaders.sml
 shell/gl-draw.sml
-shell/parse-controls.sml
 shell/shell.sml
diff --git a/shell/gl-draw.sml b/shell/gl-draw.sml
index 8f632a7..c3e418b 100644
--- a/shell/gl-draw.sml
+++ b/shell/gl-draw.sml
@@ -265,7 +265,20 @@ struct
     | true => Glfw.terminate ()
 
   fun loop window =
-    let val shellState = create window
-    in helpLoop (shellState, GameType.initial)
+    let
+      val shellState = create window
+      val controls =
+        case ParseControls.parse () of
+          SOME controls => controls
+        | NONE =>
+            { left = CoreKey.KEY_LEFT
+            , right = CoreKey.KEY_RIGHT
+            , up = CoreKey.KEY_UP
+            , down = CoreKey.KEY_DOWN
+            , jump = CoreKey.KEY_Z
+            , attack = CoreKey.KEY_X
+            }
+    in
+      helpLoop (shellState, GameType.initial controls)
     end
 end
diff --git a/shell/parse-controls.sml b/shell/parse-controls.sml
index e36ae1f..3c2f26c 100644
--- a/shell/parse-controls.sml
+++ b/shell/parse-controls.sml
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ struct
     | "ACTION_RIGHT" => SOME ACTION_RIGHT
     | "ACTION_UP" => SOME ACTION_UP
     | "ACTION_DOWN" => SOME ACTION_DOWN
-    | "ACTTION_JUMP" => SOME ACTION_JUMP
+    | "ACTION_JUMP" => SOME ACTION_JUMP
     | "ACTION_ATTACK" => SOME ACTION_ATTACK
     | _ => NONE
 
@@ -107,6 +107,17 @@ struct
       | _ => NONE
     end
 
+  (* We don't want to attempt to parse strings 
+   * which have trailing spaces or newlines 
+   * so get the length of the last non-space chr *)
+  fun getLastPos (pos, line) =
+    if pos = String.size line then
+      String.size line - 1
+    else
+      let val chr = String.sub (line, pos)
+      in if Char.isSpace chr then pos - 1 else getLastPos (pos + 1, line)
+      end
+
   fun helpParse (controls, io) =
     case TextIO.inputLine io of
       SOME line =>
@@ -117,13 +128,13 @@ struct
             helpParse (controls, io)
           else
             let
-              val actionStart = colon + 1
-              val actionLength = String.size line - actionStart
-              val actionString =
-                String.substring (line, actionStart, actionLength)
+              val actionString = String.substring (line, 0, colon)
               val action = actionFromString actionString
 
-              val keyString = String.substring (line, 0, colon)
+              val keyStart = colon + 1
+              val keyFinish = getLastPos (keyStart, line)
+              val keyLength = keyFinish - keyStart + 1
+              val keyString = String.substring (line, keyStart, keyLength)
               val key = CoreKey.keyFromString keyString
 
               val controls =
@@ -135,7 +146,7 @@ struct
               helpParse (controls, io)
             end
         end
-    | NONE => returnControls controls
+    | NONE => let val () = TextIO.closeIn io in returnControls controls end
 
   fun parse () =
     let