diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 29835c9..0ad4a94 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -53,6 +53,32 @@ Some notes about what I intend to be working on next.
   - commands: `LOAD` and `INI` formats
   - compat with `SQL*Loader` format
 
+Here's an example of the grammar to consider:
+
+    COPY cluttured
+    FROM 'cluttered/cluttered.data'
+           (a, c newline escaped by \, b)
+      AS text
+    WITH field_sep = ^, field_count = 3;
+    
+    LOAD foo
+    FROM 'path/to/file'
+      AS text
+    CASE WHEN 1:2 = "43"
+         THEN table(a, c)
+         SPEC (a sep ';',
+               b sep '=', -- field is not loaded
+               c sep ';')
+    
+         WHEN 001:003 = "HDR"
+         THEN table(a, c)
+         SPEC (a, b, c)
+         WITH field_sep = ','
+     END
+     SET maintenance_work_mem TO '128 MB';
+
+Pick one, or maybe have the two of them?
+
 ### error management
 
   - error management with a local buffer (done)
@@ -94,6 +120,20 @@ offer some other languages (cl-awk etc).
   - user-defined columns (constants, functions of other rows)
   - column re-ordering
 
+Have a try at something approaching:
+
+    WITH data AS (
+		COPY FROM ...
+		RETURNING x, y
+	)
+	SELECT foo(x), bar(y)
+	  FROM data
+	 WHERE ...
+
+A part of that needs to happen client-side, another part server-side, and
+the grammar has to make it clear what happens where. Maybe add a WHERE
+clause to the `COPY` or `LOAD` grammar for the client.
+
 #### UI
 
   - add a web controler with pretty monitoring
diff --git a/package.lisp b/package.lisp
index c0f0322..bb04017 100644
--- a/package.lisp
+++ b/package.lisp
@@ -31,6 +31,11 @@
 	   #:report-pgtable-stats
 	   #:report-pgstate-stats))
 
+(defpackage #:pgloader.parser
+  (:use #:cl #:esrap #:pgloader.params)
+  (:export #:parse-load
+	   #:parse-copy))
+
 (defpackage #:pgloader.queue
   (:use #:cl)
   (:export #:map-pop-queue
diff --git a/parser.lisp b/parser.lisp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..460620d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/parser.lisp
@@ -0,0 +1,144 @@
+;;;
+;;; Parse the pgloader commands grammar
+;;;
+
+(in-package :pgloader.parser)
+
+(defparameter *default-postgresql-port* 5432)
+
+;;
+;; Some useful rules
+;;
+(defrule whitespace (+ (or #\space #\tab #\newline))
+  (:constant 'whitespace))
+
+(defrule ignore-whitespace (* whitespace)
+  (:constant nil))
+
+(defrule punct (or #\, #\- #\_)
+  (:text t))
+
+(defrule namestring (and (alpha-char-p character)
+			 (* (or (alpha-char-p character)
+				(digit-char-p character)
+				punct)))
+  (:text t)))
+
+(defrule quoted-namestring (and #\' namestring #\')
+  (:destructure (open name close) (declare (ignore open close)) name))
+
+(defrule name (or namestring quoted-namestring)
+  (:text t))
+
+(defrule trimmed-name (and ignore-whitespace name)
+  (:destructure (whitespace name) (declare (ignore whitespace)) name))))
+
+;;
+;; Parse PostgreSQL database connection strings
+;;
+;;  at postgresql://[user[:password]@][netloc][:port][/dbname][?param1=value1&...]
+;;
+;; http://www.postgresql.org/docs/9.2/static/libpq-connect.html#LIBPQ-CONNSTRING
+;;
+(defrule dsn-port (and ":" (* (digit-char-p character)))
+  (:destructure (colon digits &aux (port (coerce digits 'string)))
+		(declare (ignore colon))
+		(list :port (if (null digits)
+				*default-postgresql-port*
+				(parse-integer port)))))
+
+(defrule dsn-user-password (and namestring
+				(? (and ":" (? namestring)))
+				"@")
+  (:lambda (args)
+    (destructuring-bind (username &optional password)
+	(butlast args)
+      ;; password looks like '(":" "password")
+      (list :user username :password (cadr password)))))
+
+(defrule hostname (and namestring (? (and "." hostname)))
+  (:text t))
+
+(defrule dsn-hostname (and hostname (? dsn-port))
+  (:destructure (hostname &optional port)
+		(append (list :host hostname)
+			(or port
+			    (list :port *default-postgresql-port*)))))
+
+(defrule dsn-dbname (and "/" namestring)
+  (:destructure (slash dbname)
+		(declare (ignore slash))
+		(list :dbname dbname)))
+
+(defrule postgresql-connection-uri (and "postgresql://"
+					(? dsn-user-password)
+					(? dsn-hostname)
+					dsn-dbname)
+  (:lambda (uri)
+    (destructuring-bind (&key user
+			      password
+			      (host "localhost")
+			      (port 5432)
+			      dbname)
+	;; ignore the postgresql:// prefix, (first uri)
+	(append (second uri) (third uri) (fourth uri))
+      (list :user user
+	    :password password
+	    :host host
+	    :port port
+	    :dbname dbname))))
+
+(defrule target-dsn (and "at" ignore-whitespace connection-uri)
+  (:destructure (at whitespace uri) (declare (ignore at whitespace)) uri))
+
+;;
+;; The main target parsing
+;;
+;;  COPY target-table-name AT connection-uri
+;;  COPY foo AT postgresql://user@localhost:5432/dbname
+;;
+(defrule target (and "COPY" trimmed-name (? (and ignore-whitespace target-dsn)))
+  (:destructure (copy target &optional dsn)
+    (declare (ignore copy))
+    (append (list :table-name target) (cadr dsn))))
+
+;;
+;; Source parsing (filename)
+;;
+
+;; parsing filename
+(defun filename-character-p (char)
+  (let ((extras (coerce "/\.-_!@#$%^&*() " 'list)))
+    (or (member char extras)
+	(alphanumericp char))))
+
+(defrule filename (and #\'
+		       (* (filename-character-p character))
+		       #\')
+  (:destructure (open f close)
+    (declare (ignore open close))
+    (parse-namestring (coerce f 'string))))
+
+(defrule trimmed-filename (and ignore-whitespace filename)
+  (:destructure (whitespace filename) (declare (ignore whitespace)) filename))
+
+(defrule source (and "FROM" trimmed-filename)
+  (:destructure (from source)
+    (declare (ignore from))
+    source))
+
+;;
+;; Putting it all together, the COPY command
+;;
+;; The output format is Lisp code using the pgloader API.
+;;
+(defrule copy (and target ignore-whitespace source)
+  (:destructure (target whitespace source)
+    (declare (ignore whitespace))
+    (destructuring-bind (&key table-name user password host port dbname)
+	target
+      `(lambda (&key (*pgconn-host* ,host)
+		  (*pgconn-port* ,port)
+		  (*pgconn-user* ,user)
+		  (*pgconn-pass* ,password))
+	 (pgloader.pgsql:copy-from-file ,dbname ,table-name ,source)))))
diff --git a/pgloader.asd b/pgloader.asd
index 5e8fb37..5806d6b 100644
--- a/pgloader.asd
+++ b/pgloader.asd
@@ -13,13 +13,16 @@
 	       #:cl-mysql		; CFFI binding to libmysqlclient-dev
 	       #:split-sequence		; some parsing is made easy
                #:cl-csv			; full CSV reader
-               #:lparallel)		; threads, workers, queues
+               #:lparallel		; threads, workers, queues
+	       #:esrap			; parser generator
+	       )
   :components ((:file "params")
 	       (:file "package" :depends-on ("params"))
 	       (:file "utils"  :depends-on ("package"))
 	       (:file "pgloader" :depends-on ("package" "utils"))
 
 	       ;; those are one-package-per-file
+	       (:file "parser" :depends-on ("package" "params"))
 	       (:file "queue" :depends-on ("package")) ; package pgloader.queue
 	       (:file "csv"  :depends-on ("package"))  ; package pgloader.csv