diff --git a/.env.example b/.env.example
index 498f4d8..2b1779c 100644
--- a/.env.example
+++ b/.env.example
@@ -1,9 +1,8 @@
+# You can also set those in settings.json
+
 # The bot token
 BOT_TOKEN=
 
-# The forum ID
-FORUM_ID=
-
 # API key for the OpenAI-compatible provider
 OPENAI_API_KEY=
 
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index a8dac6b..ced5fd5 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1,3 +1,7 @@
 __pycache__/
+
 doc/
-.env
\ No newline at end of file
+threads/
+
+.env
+settings.json
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/Containerfile b/Containerfile
index 696d6af..e7c0dda 100644
--- a/Containerfile
+++ b/Containerfile
@@ -56,6 +56,8 @@ COPY --from=builder --chown=appuser:appuser /app/src ./src
 # This allows us to run executables directly (e.g., `gunicorn`, `uvicorn`)
 ENV PATH="/app/.venv/bin:$PATH"
 
+ENV SETTINGS_PATH="/settings.json"
+
 # Switch to the non-root user
 USER appuser
 
diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
index d741563..d063022 100644
--- a/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -2,10 +2,5 @@ services:
   bot:
     build:
       dockerfile: Containerfile
-    env_file:
-      - .env
-    environment:
-      BOT_TOKEN:
-      FORUM_ID:
-      OPENAI_API_KEY:
-      OPENAI_BASE_URL:
\ No newline at end of file
+    volumes:
+      - ./settings.json:/settings.json:ro
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 74f9eef..1614671 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -20,4 +20,4 @@ build-backend = "poetry.core.masonry.api"
 
 
 [tool.poetry.scripts]
-start = "plugin_assist:main"
+start = "src.plugin_assist:main"
diff --git a/settings.example.json b/settings.example.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9bca5a8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/settings.example.json
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+{
+    "inference": {
+        "api_key": "replace-me-with-your-actual-key",
+        "base_url": "https://nano-gpt.com/api/v1",
+        "models": {
+            "fast": "kimi-k2-instruct-fast",
+            "cheap": "openai/gpt-oss-120b",
+            "image_transcript": "openai/gpt-4.1-nano"
+        }
+    },
+    "assistants": {
+        "RealWeather": {
+            "system_prompt": [
+                "You are an assistant who helps with the RealWeather Minecraft plugin.",
+                "RealWeather is a plugin that synchronizes real weather, time and lightning strikes.",
+                "It's alpha software, and the current limitations make it more ideal for ambience, docs will tell you more.",
+                "You have the documentaton available, use it."
+            ],
+            "documentation_directory": "doc/RealWeather"
+        },
+        "Other": {
+            "system_prompt": [
+                "You are an assistant who answers inquiries about Minecraft plugins.",
+                "Ask if help is needed first. Don't offer any help unless explicitly asked."
+            ]
+        }
+    },
+    "bot": {
+        "token": "Replace.Me.With.Your.Actual.Token",
+        "allowed_forum_ids": [
+            1401918766044151808,
+            1402900706054242445
+        ],
+        "thread_persistence_directory": "threads"
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/plugin_assist/__init__.py b/src/plugin_assist/__init__.py
index b88d4a4..ff9f8eb 100644
--- a/src/plugin_assist/__init__.py
+++ b/src/plugin_assist/__init__.py
@@ -1,25 +1,45 @@
-from .assistant import Assistant
+from .assistant import Assistant, Assistants, Documentation
 from .bot import AssistantBot
+from .settings import Settings, AssistantSettings, BotSettings
 
 from openai import AsyncOpenAI
-from os import environ
+from os import environ, mkdir, path
+from json import loads
+
+def load_settings() -> Settings:
+    settings_dict = loads(open(environ.get("SETTINGS_PATH", "settings.json")).read())
+    return Settings.from_dict(settings_dict)
+
+def make_assistants(settings: Settings, client: AsyncOpenAI) -> Assistants:
+    return Assistants({assistant_name: Assistant(
+        client = client,
+        documentation = Documentation(assistant_settings.documentation_directory) if assistant_settings.documentation_directory else None,
+        system_prompt = assistant_settings.system_prompt,
+        models = settings.inference.models
+    ) for assistant_name, assistant_settings in settings.assistants.items()})
+
+def make_bot(settings: BotSettings, assistants: Assistants) -> AssistantBot:
+    return AssistantBot(
+        assistants = assistants,
+        forum_ids = settings.allowed_forum_ids,
+        thread_persistence_directory = settings.thread_persistence_directory
+    )
 
 def main():
+    settings = load_settings()
+
+    if not path.exists(settings.bot.thread_persistence_directory):
+        mkdir(settings.bot.thread_persistence_directory)
+
     client = AsyncOpenAI(
-        base_url = environ.get("OPENAI_BASE_URL")
+        base_url = environ.get("OPENAI_BASE_URL", settings.inference.base_url),
+        api_key = environ.get("OPENAI_API_KEY", settings.inference.api_key),
     )
 
-    assistant = Assistant(
-        client = client,
-        documentation_directory = "doc"
-    )
-
-    bot = AssistantBot(
-        assistant = assistant,
-        forum_id = int(environ.get("FORUM_ID"))
-    )
+    assistants = make_assistants(settings, client)
+    bot = make_bot(settings.bot, assistants)
 
     print("Starting bot")
 
-    token = environ.get("BOT_TOKEN")
+    token = environ.get("BOT_TOKEN", settings.bot.token)
     bot.run(token)
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/plugin_assist/assistant/__init__.py b/src/plugin_assist/assistant/__init__.py
index b4c0e3f..37b3694 100644
--- a/src/plugin_assist/assistant/__init__.py
+++ b/src/plugin_assist/assistant/__init__.py
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 from .assistant import Assistant
+from .multi import Assistants
 from .documentation import Documentation
 
-__all__ = ['Assistant', 'Documentation']
\ No newline at end of file
+__all__ = ['Assistant', 'Assistants', 'Documentation']
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/plugin_assist/assistant/assistant.py b/src/plugin_assist/assistant/assistant.py
index 8da17d0..833921a 100644
--- a/src/plugin_assist/assistant/assistant.py
+++ b/src/plugin_assist/assistant/assistant.py
@@ -2,18 +2,11 @@ from openai import AsyncOpenAI
 from asyncio import AbstractEventLoop, Task, get_running_loop, CancelledError
 from dataclasses import dataclass, field
 from json import loads, dumps
-from typing import Any, Literal, List, Dict
+from typing import Any, Literal, List, Dict, Tuple, Coroutine
 
 from .documentation import Documentation
 
-_DEFAULT_SYSTEM_PROMPT = """
-You are an assistant who helps with the RealWeather Minecraft plugin.
-RealWeather is a plugin that synchronizes real weather, time and lightning strikes.
-It's alpha software, and right now it's kinda more ideal for ambience, docs will tell you more.
-You have the documentaton available, use it.
-"""
-
-_DEFAULT_TOOLS = [{
+_DOCUMENTATION_SEARCH_TOOL = {
     "type": "function",
     "function": {
         "name": "search_documentation",
@@ -24,14 +17,12 @@ _DEFAULT_TOOLS = [{
             "properties": {
                 "query": {
                     "type": "string",
-                    "description": "The detailed search query as tags."
+                    "description": "The detailed search query as separated tags."
                 }
             }
         }
     }
-}]
-
-_DEFAULT_MODEL = "kimi-k2-instruct-fast"
+}
 
 # A type hint for the status, making it clear what the possible values are.
 ResponseStatus = Literal["completed", "cancelled", "error"]
@@ -41,26 +32,31 @@ class AssistantResponse:
     """A structured response from the Assistant."""
     status: ResponseStatus
     content: str = ""
-    messages: List[Dict[str, Any]] = field(default_factory=list)
+    new_messages: List[Dict[str, Any]] = field(default_factory=list)
     error: str | None = None
 
 class Assistant:
-    client: AsyncOpenAI
-    documentation: Documentation
+    _client: AsyncOpenAI
+    documentation: Documentation | None
     system_prompt: str
-    model: str
-    tools: list[dict]
+    models: Dict[str, str]
 
-    def __init__(self, client: AsyncOpenAI, documentation_directory: str, system_prompt: str | None = None):
-        self.client = client
-        self.documentation = Documentation(documentation_directory)
-        self.system_prompt = system_prompt if system_prompt is not None else _DEFAULT_SYSTEM_PROMPT
-        self.model = _DEFAULT_MODEL
-        self.tools = _DEFAULT_TOOLS
+    _tools: List[Dict]
+    _tool_map: Dict[str, Coroutine[Any, Any, Dict]]
+
+    def __init__(self, client: AsyncOpenAI, documentation: Documentation | None, system_prompt: str, models: dict[str, str]):
+        self._client = client
+        self.documentation = documentation
+        self.system_prompt = system_prompt
+        self.models = models
+
+        self._tools = [_DOCUMENTATION_SEARCH_TOOL] if documentation is not None else []
+        self._tool_map = {"search_documentation": self.documentation.search_documentation} if documentation is not None else {}
 
     def ask(
         self,
         messages: list[dict],
+        images_to_transcript: List[Tuple[int, int, str]] = [],
         *,
         loop: AbstractEventLoop | None = None,
     ) -> Task[AssistantResponse]:
@@ -68,80 +64,107 @@ class Assistant:
         Start generating the assistant response and immediately return the asyncio.Task, so the caller can `await` it OR cancel it.
         """
         loop = loop or get_running_loop()
-        task = loop.create_task(self._ask(messages))
+        task = loop.create_task(self._ask(messages, images_to_transcript))
         return task
 
     # MODIFIED: The method now returns our structured response and handles cancellation.
-    async def _ask(self, messages: list[dict]) -> AssistantResponse:
+    async def _ask(self, messages: list[dict], images_to_transcript: List[Tuple[int, int, str]]) -> AssistantResponse:
         messages_copy = messages.copy() # The messages are not expected to be modified
         messages_copy.insert(0, {"role": "system", "content": self.system_prompt})
 
         try:
             # The core logic is now wrapped to catch cancellation.
-            response_content = await self._ask_inner(messages_copy)
+            new_messages, response_text = await self._ask_inner(messages_copy, images_to_transcript)
             print(messages_copy)
             
             return AssistantResponse(
                 status="completed",
-                content=response_content,
-                messages=messages_copy
+                content=response_text,
+                new_messages=new_messages
             )
             
         except CancelledError:
-            print("Assistant 'ask' task was cancelled.")
-            # Return a specific response indicating cancellation.
             return AssistantResponse(
                 status="cancelled",
-                messages=messages_copy # Return the history up to the point of cancellation
+                new_messages=[]
             )
             
         except Exception as e:
-            print(f"An unexpected error occurred in 'ask': {e}")
-            # Return a response for any other errors.
+            print(f"An error occurred in 'ask': {e}")
+
             return AssistantResponse(
                 status="error",
-                messages=messages_copy,
+                new_messages=[],
                 error=str(e)
             )
 
-    async def _ask_inner(self, messages: List[Dict[str, Any]]) -> str:
-        response_segments = []
+    async def _ask_inner(self, messages: List[Dict[str, Any]], images_to_transcript: List[Tuple[int, int, str]]) -> Tuple[List[Dict[str, Any]], str]:
+        # +1 because system prompt
+        for message_index, transcript_index, image_url in images_to_transcript:
+            print("Transcribing", message_index+1, transcript_index, image_url)
+            transcript = await self.transcribe_image(image_url)
+            messages[message_index+1]['content'] = messages[message_index+1]['content'].replace(f"%TRANSCRIPT_{transcript_index}%", transcript)
+
+        new_messages = []
+        response_text_parts = []
         finish_reason = "tool_calls"
         
+        model = self.models['cheap'] if len(messages) > 10 else self.models['fast'] # TODO not hardcode
+        print("Using model", model)
+        
         while finish_reason == "tool_calls":
             print("Making API call...")
-            completion = await self.client.chat.completions.create(
-                model=self.model,
-                messages=messages,
+            completion = await self._client.chat.completions.create(
+                model=model,
+                messages=messages + new_messages,
                 temperature=0.0,
-                tools=self.tools,
+                tools=self._tools,
                 tool_choice="auto"
             )
             
             choice = completion.choices[0]
             finish_reason = choice.finish_reason
-            messages.append(choice.message)
+            new_messages.append(choice.message)
             
             if choice.message.content:
-                response_segments.append(choice.message.content)
+                response_text_parts.append(choice.message.content)
                 
             if finish_reason == "tool_calls" and choice.message.tool_calls is not None:
-                tool_map = {"search_documentation": self.documentation.search_documentation}
-
                 for tool_call in choice.message.tool_calls:
                     tool_call_name = tool_call.function.name
                     tool_call_arguments = loads(tool_call.function.arguments)
-                    tool_function = tool_map[tool_call_name]
                     
                     print(f"Executing tool: {tool_call_name}...")
+                    tool_function = self._tool_map[tool_call_name]
                     tool_result = await tool_function(**tool_call_arguments)
                     print("Tool result:", tool_result)
 
-                    messages.append({
+                    new_messages.append({
                         "role": "tool",
                         "tool_call_id": tool_call.id,
                         "name": tool_call_name,
                         "content": dumps(tool_result)
                     })
 
-        return '\n\n'.join(response_segments)
\ No newline at end of file
+        return new_messages, '\n\n'.join(response_text_parts)
+
+    async def transcribe_image(self, image_url: str) -> str:
+        response = await self._client.chat.completions.create(
+            model=self.models['image_transcript'],
+            messages=[{
+                "role": "user",
+                "content": [
+                    {"type": "text", "text": "Transcribe this image in detail."},
+                    {
+                        "type": "image_url",
+                        "image_url": {
+                            "url": image_url,
+                        },
+                    },
+                ],
+            }],
+        )
+
+        print("Image transcript result", response)
+
+        return response.choices[0].message.content
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/plugin_assist/assistant/documentation.py b/src/plugin_assist/assistant/documentation.py
index 9f24978..e2578d4 100644
--- a/src/plugin_assist/assistant/documentation.py
+++ b/src/plugin_assist/assistant/documentation.py
@@ -4,55 +4,7 @@ from collections import Counter
 
 from typing import List, Tuple, Any
 
-from .persistent import caio_read_file
-
-def _partition_by_most_frequent(data_list: List[Any]) -> Tuple[List[Any], List[Any]]:
-    """
-    Partitions a list into two lists based on element frequency.
-
-    The first list contains all occurrences of the element(s) that appear
-    most frequently. The second list contains all other elements.
-
-    Args:
-        data_list: The input list of elements.
-
-    Returns:
-        A tuple containing two lists:
-        - The first list with all instances of the most frequent element(s).
-        - The second list with the remaining elements.
-    """
-    if not data_list:
-        return [], []
-
-    counts = Counter(data_list)
-
-    max_frequency = counts.most_common(1)[0][1]
-
-    most_frequent_keys = {
-        item for item, count in counts.items() if count == max_frequency
-    }
-
-    most_list = [item for item in data_list if item in most_frequent_keys]
-    other_list = [item for item in data_list if item not in most_frequent_keys]
-
-    return most_list, other_list
-
-def _load_tags(base_directory: str) -> dict:
-    tag_map = {}
-
-    for root, _, files in os.walk(base_directory):
-        for name in files:
-            file_path = os.path.join(root, name)
-            tag_line = open(file_path).readline()
-            tags = [tag.strip() for tag in tag_line[6:].split(",")]
-
-            for tag in tags:
-                if tag in tag_map:
-                    tag_map[tag].append(file_path)
-                else :
-                    tag_map[tag] = [file_path]
-
-    return tag_map
+from ..common.persistence import caio_read_file
 
 class Documentation:
     base_directory: str
@@ -108,4 +60,42 @@ class Documentation:
                 "probable": p[1]
             },
             "guide": "Call this function again with the filename as query to view that file."
-        }
\ No newline at end of file
+        }
+
+def _partition_by_most_frequent(data_list: List[Any]) -> Tuple[List[Any], List[Any]]:
+    if not data_list:
+        return [], []
+
+    counts = Counter(data_list)
+
+    # Find the highest frequency value. Using max() is more direct than most_common().
+    max_frequency = max(counts.values())
+
+    most_frequent_items = []
+    other_items = []
+
+    # Iterate through the unique items and their counts
+    for item, count in counts.items():
+        if count == max_frequency:
+            most_frequent_items.append(item)
+        else:
+            other_items.append(item)
+
+    return most_frequent_items, other_items
+
+def _load_tags(base_directory: str) -> dict:
+    tag_map = {}
+
+    for root, _, files in os.walk(base_directory):
+        for name in files:
+            file_path = os.path.join(root, name)
+            tag_line = open(file_path).readline()
+            tags = [tag.strip() for tag in tag_line[6:].split(",")]
+
+            for tag in tags:
+                if tag in tag_map:
+                    tag_map[tag].append(file_path)
+                else :
+                    tag_map[tag] = [file_path]
+
+    return tag_map
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/plugin_assist/assistant/multi.py b/src/plugin_assist/assistant/multi.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ae5f3fd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/plugin_assist/assistant/multi.py
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+from .assistant import Assistant
+
+class Assistants:
+    _assistants: dict[str, Assistant]
+
+    def __init__(self, assistants: dict[str, Assistant]):
+        self._assistants = assistants
+
+    def get_assistant(self, id: str):
+        return self._assistants[id]
+
+    def get_assistant_ids(self) -> set[str]:
+        return set(self._assistants.keys())
+    
+    def has_assistant(self, id: str):
+        return id in self._assistants
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/plugin_assist/bot/__init__.py b/src/plugin_assist/bot/__init__.py
index 90ddaa5..48df1bd 100644
--- a/src/plugin_assist/bot/__init__.py
+++ b/src/plugin_assist/bot/__init__.py
@@ -1,23 +1,25 @@
 import disnake
 from disnake.ext import commands 
 
-from ..assistant import Assistant
-from .threads import AssistedThread
+from ..assistant import Assistants
+from .threads import AssistedThreads
+from .persistence import ThreadPersistence
 
 class AssistantBot(commands.InteractionBot):
-    forum_id: int
-    assistant: Assistant
-    threads: dict[int, AssistedThread]
+    assistants: Assistants
+    forum_ids: list[int]
+
+    threads: AssistedThreads
     
-    def __init__(self, forum_id: int, assistant: Assistant, **kwargs):
+    def __init__(self, assistants: Assistants, forum_ids: list[int], thread_persistence_directory: str, **kwargs):
         intents = disnake.Intents.default()
         intents.message_content = True
 
         super().__init__(intents=intents, **kwargs)
 
-        self.forum_id = forum_id
-        self.assistant = assistant
-        self.threads = {}
+        self.assistants = assistants
+        self.forum_ids = forum_ids
+        self.threads = AssistedThreads(assistants, ThreadPersistence(thread_persistence_directory))
 
     async def on_ready(self):
         print(f"Logged in as {self.user} (ID: {self.user.id})\n------")
@@ -27,50 +29,52 @@ class AssistantBot(commands.InteractionBot):
         )
 
     async def on_thread_create(self, thread: disnake.Thread):
-        if thread.parent_id != self.forum_id:
+        if thread.parent_id not in self.forum_ids:
             return
         
-        if thread.id not in self.threads:
-            self.threads[thread.id] = AssistedThread(thread, self.assistant)
+        self.threads.create(thread)
 
     async def on_thread_update(self, before: disnake.Thread, thread: disnake.Thread):
-        if thread.parent_id != self.forum_id:
+        if thread.parent_id not in self.forum_ids:
+            return
+
+        assisted_thread = await self.threads.get_by_thread(thread)
+        if assisted_thread is None:
             return
-        if thread.id not in self.threads:
-            return # TODO the two checks will be replaced
         
         print("Thread updated", thread.applied_tags)
         
         if len(thread.applied_tags) != 1:
             return
         
-        plugin_name = thread.applied_tags[0].name
+        assistant_name = thread.applied_tags[0].name
         
         print("and thread is good")
 
-        if await self.threads[thread.id].initialize(plugin_name):
-            await self.threads[thread.id].respond()
-
+        if await assisted_thread.initialize(assistant_name):
+            await assisted_thread.respond()
 
     async def on_message(self, message: disnake.Message):
-        if message.author == self.user:
+        if not await self.should_respond_to_message(message):
             return
         
+        await self.threads.process_message(message)
+
+    async def should_respond_to_message(self, message: disnake.Message) -> bool:
+        if message.author == self.user:
+            return False
+        
         if isinstance(message.channel, disnake.DMChannel):
             await message.reply("I can't respond to DMs. I can help only on our server.")
-            return
+            return False
         
         if not isinstance(message.channel, disnake.Thread):
-            return
+            return False
+        
+        if message.channel.parent_id not in self.forum_ids:
+            return False
         
         if '[-ai]' in message.content:
-            return
+            return False
         
-        thread = message.channel
-        
-        if thread.parent_id != self.forum_id:
-            return
-        if thread.id not in self.threads:
-            return # TODO the two checks will be replaced
-        
-        await self.threads[thread.id].on_message(message)
\ No newline at end of file
+        return True
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/plugin_assist/bot/persistence.py b/src/plugin_assist/bot/persistence.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..96991fc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/plugin_assist/bot/persistence.py
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+from json import JSONEncoder, JSONDecoder, loads, dumps
+from openai.types.chat.chat_completion import ChatCompletionMessage
+from disnake import Thread
+
+from ..common.persistence import Persistence
+from ..assistant import Assistants
+
+from .threads import AssistedThread
+
+class ThreadPersistence(Persistence):
+    async def save(self, thread: AssistedThread):
+        data = {
+            "enabled": thread.enabled,
+            "assistant_name": thread.assistant_name,
+            "messages": thread.cached_messages,
+            "transcript_queue": thread._transcript_queue
+        }
+
+        print("Saving", data)
+        content = dumps(data, cls=ChatCompletionMessageJSONEncoder)
+        await self.save_string(str(thread.thread.id), content)
+
+    async def load(self, thread: Thread, assistants: Assistants) -> AssistedThread | None:
+        data_raw = await self.load_string(str(thread.id))
+        if data_raw is None:
+            return None
+        
+        data = loads(data_raw)
+        print("Loaded", data)
+
+        return AssistedThread(
+            thread=thread,
+            assistants=assistants,
+            enabled=data['enabled'],
+            assistant_name=data['assistant_name'],
+            cached_messages=data['messages'],
+            _transcript_queue=data['transcript_queue']
+        )
+    
+class ChatCompletionMessageJSONEncoder(JSONEncoder):
+    def _prepare_message(self, message: ChatCompletionMessage):
+        return {k: v for k, v in message.__dict__.items() if v is not None}
+
+    def default(self, obj):
+        if isinstance(obj, ChatCompletionMessage):
+            return self._prepare_message(obj)
+        
+        return super().default(obj)
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/plugin_assist/bot/threads.py b/src/plugin_assist/bot/threads.py
index f0071cb..b0dbd69 100644
--- a/src/plugin_assist/bot/threads.py
+++ b/src/plugin_assist/bot/threads.py
@@ -1,101 +1,171 @@
 import disnake
 from dataclasses import dataclass, field
 from asyncio import Task
-from typing import List
+from typing import List, Dict, Tuple
 
-from ..assistant.assistant import Assistant
+from ..assistant.multi import Assistants
+
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from .persistence import ThreadPersistence
+
+@dataclass
+class AssistedThreads:
+    assistants: Assistants
+    persistence: 'ThreadPersistence'
+
+    _threads: dict[int, 'AssistedThread'] = field(default_factory=dict)
+
+    def create(self, thread: disnake.Thread) -> 'AssistedThread':
+        if thread.id in self._threads:
+            return self._threads[thread.id]
+        
+        self._threads[thread.id] = AssistedThread(thread, self.assistants)
+        return self._threads[thread.id]
+
+    def get_by_id(self, id: int) -> 'AssistedThread':
+        return self._threads[id]
+
+    async def get_by_thread(self, thread: disnake.Thread) -> 'AssistedThread':
+        if not thread.id in self._threads:
+            loaded_thread = await self.persistence.load(thread, self.assistants)
+
+            if loaded_thread is not None:
+                self._threads[thread.id] = loaded_thread
+            else:
+                self.create(thread)
+            
+        return self._threads[thread.id]
+    
+    async def process_message(self, message: disnake.Message):
+        if not isinstance(message.channel, disnake.Thread):
+            return
+        
+        assisted_thread = await self.get_by_thread(message.channel)
+
+        await assisted_thread.on_message(message)
+        await self.persistence.save(assisted_thread)
 
 @dataclass
 class AssistedThread:
     thread: disnake.Thread
-    assistant: Assistant
+    assistants: Assistants
     enabled: bool = False
-    plugin: str = ""
-    cached_messages: List[dict] = field(default_factory=list)
-    last_warning: disnake.Message | None = None
-    current_response: Task | None = None
+    assistant_name: str = ""
+    cached_messages: List[Dict] = field(default_factory=list)
 
-    async def on_message(self, message: disnake.Message):
-        """TODO handle editing and alike: messages = [{
-                "role": "user" if m.author != self.user else "assistant",
-                "content": m.content
-            } async for m in query_message.channel.history(oldest_first=True)]"""
-        
+    _transcript_queue: List[Tuple[int, int, str]] = field(default_factory=list)
+    _last_warning: disnake.Message | None = None
+    _current_response: Task | None = None
+
+    async def _add_new_message(self, message: disnake.Message):
         content = message.content
+        message_index = len(self.cached_messages)
 
         for attachment in message.attachments:
+            content += f"\n\nAttached file {attachment.filename}:\n"
             if 'text' in attachment.content_type:
-                data = await attachment.read()
-                content += f"\n\nAttached file {attachment.filename}:\n---\n{data.decode('utf-8')}\n---"
+                data = await attachment.read() # TODO this is the only await maybe we could remove it?
+                content += "---\n" + data.decode('utf-8') + "\n---"
+            elif 'image' in attachment.content_type:
+                self._transcript_queue.append((message_index, attachment.id, attachment.proxy_url))
+                content += f"---\nImage transcript:\n%TRANSCRIPT_{attachment.id}%\n---"
             else:
-                content += "\n\nAttached file " + attachment.filename + " is of unsupported type, cannot read."
+                content += "unsupported type, cannot read."
         
         self.cached_messages.append(
             {'role': 'user', 'content': content}
         )
 
-        if not self.enabled:
-            if self.last_warning is None:
-                if len(self.thread.applied_tags) != 1:
-                    await self.warning(":label: Please keep only a single tag on this thread, I'll then be able to assist you better.")
-                    return
-                else:
-                    plugin_name = self.thread.applied_tags[0].name
-                    await self.initialize(plugin_name)
-            else:
-                return
+    async def _check_tags(self) -> bool:
+        if len(self.thread.applied_tags) == 0:
+            await self.warning(":label: Please tag this thread, I'll be able to assist you better.")
+            return False
         
-        #await self.respond(message)
-        await self.respond()
+        if len(self.thread.applied_tags) > 1:
+            await self.warning(":label: Please keep only a single tag on this thread, I'll be able to assist you better.")
+            return False
+        
+        return True
 
-    async def initialize(self, plugin: str) -> bool:
+    async def on_message(self, message: disnake.Message):
+        """TODO handle editing and alike?? messages = [{
+                "role": "user" if m.author != self.user else "assistant",
+                "content": m.content
+            } async for m in query_message.channel.history(oldest_first=True)]"""
+        
+        await self._add_new_message(message)
+
+        if not self.enabled:
+            if self._last_warning is not None:
+                return False
+            
+            if await self._check_tags():
+                assistant_name = self.thread.applied_tags[0].name
+                await self.initialize(assistant_name)
+        
+        return await self.respond()
+
+    async def initialize(self, assistant_name: str) -> bool:
         if self.enabled:
             return False
         
         await self.remove_last_warning()
-        
-        if plugin != "RealWeather":
-            #await self.warning(":slight_frown: The automated assistant cannot assist you with this plugin. :hourglass: Wait for human support.")
-            self.enabled = False
+
+        if not self.assistants.has_assistant(assistant_name):
             return False
         
-        self.plugin = plugin
+        self.assistant_name = assistant_name
         self.enabled = True
 
         return True
 
     async def warning(self, message: str, reply_to: disnake.Message | None = None):
         if reply_to is None:
-            self.last_warning = await self.thread.send(message)
+            self._last_warning = await self.thread.send(message)
         else:
-            self.last_warning = await reply_to.reply(message)
+            self._last_warning = await reply_to.reply(message)
 
     async def remove_last_warning(self):
-        if self.last_warning is not None:
-            await self.last_warning.delete()
-            self.last_warning = None
+        if self._last_warning is not None:
+            await self._last_warning.delete()
+            self._last_warning = None
         
-    async def respond(self, message: disnake.Message | None = None):
-        if self.current_response is not None:
+    async def respond(self, message: disnake.Message | None = None) -> bool:
+        if not self.enabled:
+            print("Want to respond but disabled")
+            return False
+
+        if self._current_response is not None:
             print("Cancelled old message")
-            self.current_response.cancel()
+            self._current_response.cancel()
 
         async with self.thread.typing():
-            self.current_response = self.assistant.ask(self.cached_messages)
-            response = await self.current_response
+            assistant = self.assistants.get_assistant(self.assistant_name)
+            self._current_response = assistant.ask(self.cached_messages, self._transcript_queue)
+            response = await self._current_response
             
         if response.status == 'completed':
-            self.cached_messages = response.messages
-
-            if message is not None:
-                await reply_long(message, response.content)
-            else:
-                await send_long(self.thread, response.content)
+            print("New messages:", response.new_messages)
+            self.cached_messages += response.new_messages
+            self._transcript_queue = []
+            self._current_response = None
 
+            await self.send_or_reply(response.content, message)
+            
+            return True
         elif response.status == 'cancelled':
             pass
         else:
-            await message.reply(":bangbang: Sorry, an error occurred. Cannot proceed with your request.")
+            await self.send_or_reply(":bangbang: Sorry, an error occurred. Cannot proceed with your request.", message)
+
+        return False
+
+    async def send_or_reply(self, content: str, message: disnake.Message | None = None):
+        if message is not None:
+            await reply_long(message, content)
+        else:
+            await send_long(self.thread, content)
 
 
 # TODO move this stuff
diff --git a/src/plugin_assist/common/file_utils.py b/src/plugin_assist/common/file_utils.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a8cdc1a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/plugin_assist/common/file_utils.py
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+from caio import AsyncioContext
+
+async def caio_read_file(context: AsyncioContext, fd: int) -> str:
+    message = bytearray()
+    offset = 0
+    
+    while True:
+        content = await context.read(512, fd, offset)
+
+        if len(content) == 0:
+            break
+
+        message += content
+        offset += len(content)
+
+    return message.decode('utf-8')
+
+async def caio_write_file(context: AsyncioContext, fd: int, content: str):
+    await context.write(content.encode(), fd, 0)
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/plugin_assist/assistant/persistent.py b/src/plugin_assist/common/persistence.py
similarity index 56%
rename from src/plugin_assist/assistant/persistent.py
rename to src/plugin_assist/common/persistence.py
index e981eaa..d14b29f 100644
--- a/src/plugin_assist/assistant/persistent.py
+++ b/src/plugin_assist/common/persistence.py
@@ -1,23 +1,7 @@
 import os
 from caio import AsyncioContext
 
-async def caio_read_file(context: AsyncioContext, fd: int) -> str:
-    message = bytearray()
-    offset = 0
-    
-    while True:
-        content = await context.read(512, fd, offset)
-
-        if len(content) == 0:
-            break
-
-        message += content
-        offset += len(content)
-
-    return message.decode('utf-8')
-
-async def caio_write_file(context: AsyncioContext, fd: int, content: str):
-    await context.write(content.encode(), fd, 0)
+from .file_utils import caio_read_file, caio_write_file
 
 class Persistence:
     context: AsyncioContext
@@ -27,7 +11,7 @@ class Persistence:
         self.context = AsyncioContext()
         self.base_directory = base_directory
 
-    async def save(self, id: str, content: str):
+    async def save_string(self, id: str, content: str):
         filename = os.path.join(self.base_directory, id)
         fd = os.open(filename, os.O_CREAT | os.O_WRONLY)
 
@@ -36,7 +20,7 @@ class Persistence:
         finally:
             os.close(fd)
 
-    async def load(self, id: str) -> str:
+    async def load_string(self, id: str) -> str | None:
         filename = os.path.join(self.base_directory, id)
         fd = os.open(filename, os.O_RDONLY)
 
diff --git a/src/plugin_assist/settings.py b/src/plugin_assist/settings.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ccceebf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/plugin_assist/settings.py
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+from dataclasses import dataclass
+
+@dataclass
+class InferenceSettings:
+    base_url: str | None
+    api_key: str | None
+    models: dict[str, str]
+
+    @staticmethod
+    def from_dict(data: dict) -> 'InferenceSettings':
+        return InferenceSettings(
+            base_url = data.get('base_url', None),
+            api_key = data.get('api_key', None),
+            models = data['models']
+        )
+
+@dataclass
+class AssistantSettings:
+    system_prompt: str
+    documentation_directory: str | None
+
+    @staticmethod
+    def from_dict(data: dict) -> 'AssistantSettings':
+        return AssistantSettings(
+            system_prompt = '\n'.join(data['system_prompt']),
+            documentation_directory = data.get('documentation_directory', None)
+        )
+    
+@dataclass
+class BotSettings:
+    token: str | None
+    allowed_forum_ids: list[int]
+    thread_persistence_directory: str
+
+    @staticmethod
+    def from_dict(data: dict) -> 'BotSettings':
+        return BotSettings(
+            token = data.get('token', None),
+            allowed_forum_ids = data['allowed_forum_ids'],
+            thread_persistence_directory = data.get('thread_persistence_directory', 'threads')
+        )
+
+@dataclass
+class Settings:
+    inference: InferenceSettings
+    assistants: dict[str, AssistantSettings]
+    bot: BotSettings
+
+    @staticmethod
+    def from_dict(data: dict) -> 'Settings':
+        return Settings(
+            inference = InferenceSettings.from_dict(data['inference']),
+            assistants = {k: AssistantSettings.from_dict(v) for k, v in data['assistants'].items()},
+            bot = BotSettings.from_dict(data['bot'])
+        )
\ No newline at end of file