diff --git a/tester/Cargo.toml b/tester/Cargo.toml
index 1c2c64f..2fcf716 100644
--- a/tester/Cargo.toml
+++ b/tester/Cargo.toml
@@ -14,3 +14,5 @@ log = "0.4"
 rumqttc = "0.12.0"
 tokio = { version = "1.4.0", features = ["rt", "rt-multi-thread", "macros"] }
 pretty_env_logger = "0.4.0"
+clap = "=3.0.0-beta.2"
+clap_derive = "=3.0.0-beta.5"
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tester/src/main.rs b/tester/src/main.rs
index 6a84e29..ac20ed1 100644
--- a/tester/src/main.rs
+++ b/tester/src/main.rs
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 use sphinx_key_parser as parser;
 
+use clap::{App, AppSettings, Arg};
 use rumqttc::{self, AsyncClient, Event, MqttOptions, Packet, QoS};
+use sphinx_key_signer::{self, InitResponse, PubKey};
 use std::error::Error;
 use std::time::Duration;
 use vls_protocol::msgs;
@@ -13,7 +15,11 @@ const PASSWORD: &str = "sphinx-key-pass";
 #[tokio::main(worker_threads = 1)]
 async fn main() -> Result<(), Box<dyn Error>> {
     pretty_env_logger::init();
-    // color_backtrace::install();
+
+    let app = App::new("tester")
+        .setting(AppSettings::NoAutoVersion)
+        .about("CLN:mqtt-tester - MQTT client signer")
+        .arg(Arg::from("--test run a test against the embedded device"));
 
     let mut mqttoptions = MqttOptions::new("test-1", "localhost", 1883);
     mqttoptions.set_credentials(USERNAME, PASSWORD);
@@ -36,24 +42,61 @@ async fn main() -> Result<(), Box<dyn Error>> {
         .await
         .expect("could not pub");
 
-    loop {
-        let event = eventloop.poll().await;
-        // println!("{:?}", event.unwrap());
-        if let Some(bs) = incoming_bytes(event.expect("failed to unwrap event")) {
-            let (ping, sequence, dbid): (msgs::Ping, u16, u64) =
-                parser::request_from_bytes(bs).expect("read ping header");
-            println!("sequence {}", sequence);
-            println!("dbid {}", dbid);
-            println!("INCOMING: {:?}", ping);
-            let pong = msgs::Pong {
-                id: ping.id,
-                message: ping.message,
-            };
-            let bytes = parser::raw_response_from_msg(pong, sequence)?;
-            client
-                .publish(PUB_TOPIC, QoS::AtMostOnce, false, bytes)
-                .await
-                .expect("could not mqtt publish");
+    let matches = app.get_matches();
+    if matches.is_present("test") {
+        loop {
+            let event = eventloop.poll().await.expect("failed to unwrap event");
+            // println!("{:?}", event);
+            if let Some(ping_bytes) = incoming_bytes(event) {
+                let (ping, sequence, dbid): (msgs::Ping, u16, u64) =
+                    parser::request_from_bytes(ping_bytes).expect("read ping header");
+                println!("sequence {}", sequence);
+                println!("dbid {}", dbid);
+                println!("INCOMING: {:?}", ping);
+                let pong = msgs::Pong {
+                    id: ping.id,
+                    message: ping.message,
+                };
+                let bytes = parser::raw_response_from_msg(pong, sequence)
+                    .expect("couldnt parse raw response");
+                client
+                    .publish(PUB_TOPIC, QoS::AtMostOnce, false, bytes)
+                    .await
+                    .expect("could not mqtt publish");
+            }
+        }
+    } else {
+        // once the init loop is done, the root_handler is returned
+        let root_handler = loop {
+            let init_event = eventloop.poll().await.expect("failed to unwrap event");
+            // this may be another kind of message like MQTT ConnAck
+            // loop around again and wait for the init
+            if let Some(init_msg_bytes) = incoming_bytes(init_event) {
+                let InitResponse {
+                    root_handler,
+                    init_reply,
+                } = sphinx_key_signer::init(init_msg_bytes).expect("failed to init signer");
+                client
+                    .publish(PUB_TOPIC, QoS::AtMostOnce, false, init_reply)
+                    .await
+                    .expect("could not publish init response");
+                // return the root_handler and finish the init loop
+                break root_handler;
+            }
+        };
+        // the actual loop
+        loop {
+            let event = eventloop.poll().await.expect("failed to unwrap event");
+            let dummy_peer = PubKey([0; 33]);
+            if let Some(msg_bytes) = incoming_bytes(event) {
+                match sphinx_key_signer::handle(&root_handler, msg_bytes, dummy_peer.clone()) {
+                    Ok(b) => client
+                        .publish(PUB_TOPIC, QoS::AtMostOnce, false, b)
+                        .await
+                        .expect("could not publish init response"),
+                    Err(e) => panic!("HANDLE FAILED {:?}", e),
+                };
+            }
         }
     }
 }