Index: README.md
===================================================================
--- README.md	(revision 7a52e57b2759c902c8a00dd433a2398103d1f6fc)
+++ README.md	(revision c251a80369035228dd05be30b271381aa5edc5ba)
@@ -18,17 +18,26 @@
 - Python 3.x
 
+### Test without install
+   ```bash
+   git clone --branch guix https://gitlab.kid.local:/legacy/flowtimer.git
+   cd flowtimer
+
+   guix shell python python:tk python-pillow --
+   export PYTHONPATH=$PYTHONPATH:./
+   python3 flowtimer/main.py
+   ```
+
 ### Installation
 
 1. Clone the repository:
    ```bash
-   git clone --branch guix https://gitlab.kid.local:/legacy/flowtimer.git
-   cd flowtimer
+    git clone --branch guix https://gitlab.kid.local:/legacy/flowtimer.git
+	cd flowtimer
    ```
+2. Install the app and required dependencies
+   ```bash
+	pip3 install .
 
-2. Install the required dependencies:
-   ```bash
-   pip3 install .
    ```
-
 ### Usage
 
@@ -101,5 +110,5 @@
 2. **Run Flowtimer:**
    ```bash
-   python flowtimer.py --config /path/to/config_file.json
+   python3 flowtimer.py --start --config /path/to/config_file.json
    ```
 
@@ -109,11 +118,4 @@
    To change the timings or the order of phases, simply edit the JSON file and rerun the script.
 
-### Default Configuration
-
-If no configuration file is provided, Flowtimer will use the following default settings:
-
-- 25 minutes of work
-- 5 minutes of short break
-- 4 work sessions before a 15-minute long break
 
 ### Command-line Options
@@ -125,5 +127,5 @@
 
 ```bash
-python flowtimer.py --config myconfig.json
+python3 flowtimer.py --config myconfig.json
 ```
 
Index: flowtimer/main.py
===================================================================
--- flowtimer/main.py	(revision 7a52e57b2759c902c8a00dd433a2398103d1f6fc)
+++ flowtimer/main.py	(revision c251a80369035228dd05be30b271381aa5edc5ba)
@@ -1,25 +1,29 @@
 import tkinter as tk
 import tkinter.ttk as ttk
-from tkinter import filedialog
-from Schedule import Schedule
+from tkinter import filedialog, messagebox
 from PIL import Image, ImageTk
 from pathlib import Path
 import datetime
+import argparse
+
+from Schedule import Schedule
 
 
 class TimerApp(tk.Frame):
 
-    def __init__(self, parent, tickspeed):
+    def __init__(self, parent, tick_speed, config_file, autostart):
 
         super().__init__(parent)
         self.parent = parent
-        self.tick_speed = tickspeed
-        self.count = 0
-        self.load_config()
+        self.tick_speed = tick_speed
         self.photo = ImageTk.PhotoImage(file=Path(__file__).parent /
                                         'resources' / 'flowtimer_startbg_new.png')
         self.config_state = 'default'
+        print("Config:", config_file)
+        self.schedule = self.load_config(config_file)
 
         self.build_gui()
+        if autostart:
+            self.start()
 
     def build_gui(self):
@@ -170,8 +174,14 @@
     def change_config(self, json_string):
         self.schedule = Schedule.from_json(json_string)
+        return self.schedule
 
     def load_config(self, file_name=Path(__file__).parent / 'configs' / 'default.json'):
-        with open(file_name) as config_file:
-            self.change_config(config_file.read())
+        try:
+            with open(file_name) as config_file:
+                schedule = self.change_config(config_file.read())
+        except Exception as e:
+            messagebox.showerror('Config error', f'Can not load {file_name}\n\nDefault loaded instead')
+            return Schedule.default()
+        return schedule
 
     def select_config(self):
@@ -189,11 +199,24 @@
 time = now.strftime("%H:%M:%S")
 
+parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description="Load specified config file and autostart if needed")
+parser.add_argument('--start', dest='autostart', action='store_true', default=False,
+                    required=False, help='use --start to autostart the timer with the given config')
+parser.add_argument('--config', dest='config_file', required=False, default=Path(__file__).parent / 'configs' / 'default.json',
+                    help='use --config /path/to/config_file.json to specify the configuration of the timer')
+
+args = parser.parse_args()
+
 root = tk.Tk()
 root.title("--=> flowtimer <=-- " + "  date: " + date + "  time: " + time)
 root.geometry("1280x860")
 root.config(bg='black')
-root.iconphoto(False, ImageTk.PhotoImage(Image.open(Path(__file__).parent / 'resources' / 'icon_bombtimer.png')))
-
-app = TimerApp(root, tickspeed=1)
+root.iconphoto(False, ImageTk.PhotoImage(Image.open(Path(__file__).parent /
+                                                    'resources' /
+                                                    'icon_bombtimer.png')))
+
+app = TimerApp(root,
+               tick_speed=1,
+               config_file=args.config_file,
+               autostart=args.autostart)
 
 app.mainloop()