diff --git a/default/proto.lua b/default/proto.lua
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b6c0ec8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/default/proto.lua
@@ -0,0 +1,300 @@
+--============================================================================
+-- proto.lua   Live (Mirror) Syncing Demon
+--
+-- The default behavior of all syncs.
+--
+-- This default layer 1 functions provide the higher layer functionality.
+--
+-- License: GPLv2 (see COPYING) or any later version
+-- Authors: Axel Kittenberger <axkibe@gmail.com>
+--============================================================================
+
+
+if not default then error( 'default not loaded' ) end
+
+if default.proto then error( 'default-proto already loaded' ) end
+
+proto = { }
+
+default.proto = proto
+
+
+--
+-- used to ensure there aren't typos in the keys
+--
+proto.checkgauge =
+{
+	action        =  true,
+	checkgauge    =  true,
+	collect       =  true,
+	delay         =  true,
+	exitcodes     =  true,
+	init          =  true,
+	maxDelays     =  true,
+	maxProcesses  =  true,
+	onAttrib      =  true,
+	onCreate      =  true,
+	onModify      =  true,
+	onDelete      =  true,
+	onStartup     =  true,
+	onMove        =  true,
+	prepare       =  true,
+	source        =  true,
+	target        =  true,
+}
+
+--
+-- On default action the user's on*** scripts are called.
+--
+proto.action = function
+(
+	inlet -- the inlet of the active sync.
+)
+	-- in case of moves getEvent returns the origin and dest of the move
+	local event, event2 = inlet.getEvent( )
+
+	local config = inlet.getConfig( )
+
+	local func = config[ 'on'.. event.etype ]
+
+	if type( func ) == 'function'
+	then
+		func( event, event2 )
+	end
+
+	-- if function didnt change the wait status its not interested
+	-- in this event -> drop it.
+	if event.status == 'wait'
+	then
+		inlet.discardEvent( event )
+	end
+
+end
+
+
+--
+-- Default collector.
+--
+-- Called when collecting a finished child process
+--
+proto.collect = function
+(
+	agent,    -- event or event list being collected
+	exitcode  -- the exitcode of the spawned process
+)
+	local config = agent.config
+
+	local rc
+
+	if agent.syncStopped
+	then
+		log( 'Normal', 'Sync stopped, ignoring exitcode of finished child' )
+		return 'ok'
+	end
+
+	if config.exitcodes
+	then
+		rc = config.exitcodes[ exitcode ]
+	elseif exitcode == 0
+	then
+		rc = 'ok'
+	else
+		rc = 'die'
+	end
+
+	-- TODO synchronize with similar code before
+	if not agent.isList and agent.etype == 'Init'
+	then
+		if rc == 'ok'
+		then
+			log(
+				'Normal',
+				'Startup of ',agent.source, ' -> ',agent.target,' finished.'
+			)
+
+			return 'ok'
+		elseif rc == 'again'
+		then
+			if settings( 'insist' )
+			then
+				log(
+					'Normal',
+					'Retrying startup of ',
+					agent.source, ' -> ', agent.target,
+					': ', exitcode
+				)
+
+				return 'again'
+			end
+		elseif rc == 'die'
+		then
+			log(
+				'Error',
+				'Failure on startup of ',
+				agent.source, ' -> ', agent.target
+			)
+
+			terminate( -1 )
+		else
+			log(
+				'Error',
+				'Unknown exitcode "', exitcode,
+				'" on startup of ',
+				agent.source, ' -> ', agent.target
+			)
+			return 'die'
+		end
+	end
+
+	if agent.isList
+	then
+		if rc == 'ok'
+		then
+			log( 'Normal', 'Finished a list after exitcode: ', exitcode )
+		elseif rc == 'again'
+		then
+			log( 'Normal', 'Retrying a list after exitcode = ', exitcode )
+		elseif rc == 'die'
+		then
+			log( 'Error', 'Failure with a list with exitcode = ', exitcode )
+		else
+			log( 'Error', 'Unknown exitcode "', exitcode, '" with a list' )
+
+			rc = 'die'
+		end
+	else
+		if rc == 'ok'
+		then
+			log(
+				'Normal',
+				'Finished ', agent.etype,
+				' on ', agent.sourcePath, ' = ', exitcode
+			)
+		elseif rc == 'again'
+		then
+			log(
+				'Normal',
+				'Retrying ', agent.etype,
+				' on ', agent.sourcePath, ' = ', exitcode
+			)
+		elseif rc == 'die'
+		then
+			log( 'Error',
+				'Failure with ', agent.etype,
+				' on ', agent.sourcePath, ' = ', exitcode
+			)
+		else
+			log(
+				'Normal',
+				'Unknown exitcode "', exitcode,
+				'" with ', agent.etype,
+				' on ', agent.sourcePath, ' = ', exitcode
+			)
+
+			rc = 'die'
+		end
+	end
+
+	return rc
+end
+
+
+--
+-- Called on the Init event sent
+-- on (re)initialization of Lsyncd for every sync
+--
+proto.init = function
+(
+	event -- the precreated init event.
+)
+	local config = event.config
+
+	local inlet = event.inlet
+
+	-- user functions
+	-- calls a startup if given by user script.
+	if type( config.onStartup ) == 'function'
+	then
+		config.onStartup( event )
+		-- TODO honor some return codes of startup like "warmstart".
+	end
+
+	if event.status == 'wait'
+	then
+		-- user script did not spawn anything
+		-- thus the blanket event is deleted again.
+		inlet.discardEvent( event )
+	end
+end
+
+
+--
+-- The collapsor tries not to have more than these delays.
+-- So the delay queue does not grow too large
+-- since calculation for stacking events is n*log( n ) (or so)
+--
+proto.maxDelays = 1000
+
+
+--
+-- The maximum number of processes Lsyncd will
+-- simultanously spawn for this sync.
+--
+proto.maxProcesses = 1
+
+
+--
+-- Checks all keys to be in the checkgauge.
+--
+local function check
+(
+	config,
+	gauge,
+	subtable,
+	level
+)
+	for k, v in pairs( config )
+	do
+		if not gauge[ k ]
+		then
+			error(
+				'Parameter "' .. subtable .. k .. '" unknown.'
+				.. ' ( if this is not a typo add it to checkgauge )',
+				level
+			);
+		end
+
+		if type( gauge [ k ] ) == 'table'
+		then
+			if type( v ) ~= 'table'
+			then
+				error(
+					'Parameter "' .. subtable .. k .. '" must be a table.',
+					level
+				)
+			end
+
+			check(
+				config[ k ],
+				gauge[ k ],
+				subtable .. k .. '.',
+				level + 1
+			)
+		end
+	end
+end
+
+
+proto.prepare = function
+(
+	config, -- the config to prepare for
+	level   -- current callback level for error reporting
+)
+
+	local gauge = config.checkgauge
+
+	if not gauge then return end
+
+	check( config, gauge, '', level + 1 )
+end
+
diff --git a/default/rsync.lua b/default/rsync.lua
index 5f72c68..9d47524 100644
--- a/default/rsync.lua
+++ b/default/rsync.lua
@@ -31,7 +31,6 @@ default.rsync = rsync
 -- used to ensure there aren't typos in the keys
 --
 rsync.checkgauge = {
-
 	-- unsets default user action handlers
 	onCreate    =  false,
 	onModify    =  false,
@@ -628,14 +627,9 @@ rsync.delete = true
 --
 rsync.exitcodes =
 {
-	--
 	-- if another config provides the same table
-	-- this will not be inherited (merged) into that one
-	--
-	-- if it does not, integer keys are to be copied
-	-- verbatim
-	--
-	_verbatim = true,
+	-- this will not be merged into that one
+	_merge = false,
 
 	[   0 ] = 'ok',
 	[   1 ] = 'die',
diff --git a/default/rsyncssh.lua b/default/rsyncssh.lua
index d9746d9..abf1cdd 100644
--- a/default/rsyncssh.lua
+++ b/default/rsyncssh.lua
@@ -41,6 +41,8 @@ default.rsyncssh = rsyncssh
 -- used to ensure there aren't typos in the keys
 --
 rsyncssh.checkgauge = {
+	-- inherits the rsync checkgauge
+	default.rsync.checkgauge,
 
 	-- unsets the inherited value of from default.rsync
 	target          =  false,
@@ -577,13 +579,8 @@ rsyncssh.sshExitCodes =
 {
 	--
 	-- if another config provides the same table
-	-- this will not be inherited (merged) into that one
-	--
-	-- if it does not, integer keys are to be copied
-	-- verbatim
-	--
+	-- this will not be merged into that one
 	_merge = false,
-	_verbatim = true,
 
 	[   0 ] = 'ok',
 	[ 255 ] = 'again',
diff --git a/mantle/syncmaster.lua b/mantle/syncmaster.lua
index f30e904..3dfbd15 100644
--- a/mantle/syncmaster.lua
+++ b/mantle/syncmaster.lua
@@ -80,11 +80,40 @@ local function get
 	return syncList[ i ]
 end
 
+
+local inherit
+
+
 --
--- Helper function for inherit
--- defined below
+-- Inherits the contents of all tables with array keys
+-- Returns the table with flattened inhertance,
+-- also returns array size
 --
-local inheritKV
+--
+local function flattenInheritance
+(
+	t
+)
+	local tf = { }
+
+	inherit( tf, t )
+
+	for k, v in ipairs( t )
+	do
+		-- numbers as key and table as value
+		-- means recursive inherit
+		if type( v ) == 'table'
+		then
+			local vv = flattenInheritance( v )
+			inherit( tf, vv )
+		else
+			if tf[ k ] == nil then tf[ k ] = v end
+		end
+	end
+
+	return tf
+end
+
 
 --
 -- Recursevly inherits a source table to a destionation table
@@ -93,75 +122,52 @@ local inheritKV
 -- All entries with integer keys are inherited as additional
 -- sources for non-verbatim tables
 --
-local function inherit
+inherit = function
 (
-	cd,       -- table copy destination
-	cs,       -- table copy source
-	verbatim  -- forced verbatim ( for e.g. 'exitcodes' )
+	cd, -- table copy destination
+	cs  -- table copy source
 )
-	-- First copies all entries with non-integer keys.
-	--
-	-- Tables are merged; already present keys are not
-	-- overwritten
-	--
-	-- For verbatim tables integer keys are treated like
-	-- non-integer keys
+	local imax = 0
+
+	for k, _ in ipairs( cs ) do imax = k end
+
 	for k, v in pairs( cs )
 	do
-		if type( k ) ~= 'number'
-		or verbatim
-		or cs._verbatim == true
+		if type( k ) == 'number'
 		then
-			inheritKV( cd, k, v )
-		end
-	end
+			if( k < 1 or k > imax or math.floor( k ) ~= k )
+			then
+				-- not an array integer
+				if type( v ) == 'table'
+				then
+					error( 'non sequence numeric key used as inheritance', 2 )
+				end
 
-	-- recursevely inherits all integer keyed tables
-	-- ( for non-verbatim tables )
-	if cs._verbatim ~= true
-	then
-		for k, v in ipairs( cs )
-		do
+				if cd[ k ] == nil then cd[ k ] = v end
+			end
+		else
 			if type( v ) == 'table'
 			then
-				inherit( cd, v )
-			else
-				cd[ #cd + 1 ] = v
+				v = flattenInheritance( v )
+			end
+
+			local dv = cd[ k ]
+
+			if dv == nil
+			then
+				cd[ k ] = v
+			elseif type( dv ) == 'table'
+			and type( v ) == 'table'
+			and v._merge ~= false
+			then
+				dv = inherit( { }, dv )
+				dv = inherit( dv, v )
+				cd[ k ] = dv
 			end
 		end
-
 	end
-end
 
---
--- Helper to inherit. Inherits one key.
---
-inheritKV =
-	function(
-		cd,  -- table copy destination
-		k,   -- key
-		v    -- value
-	)
-
-	-- don't merge inheritance controls
-	if k == '_verbatim' then return end
-
-	local dtype = type( cd [ k ] )
-
-	if type( v ) == 'table'
-	then
-		if dtype == 'nil'
-		then
-			cd[ k ] = { }
-			inherit( cd[ k ], v, k == 'exitcodes' )
-		elseif dtype == 'table'
-		then
-			inherit( cd[ k ], v, k == 'exitcodes' )
-		end
-	elseif dtype == 'nil'
-	then
-		cd[ k ] = v
-	end
+	return cd
 end
 
 
@@ -174,11 +180,7 @@ local function add
 )
 	-- Creates a new config table which inherits all keys/values
 	-- from integer keyed tables
-	local uconfig = config
-
-	config = { }
-
-	inherit( config, uconfig )
+	config = flattenInheritance( config )
 
 	-- last and least default prototype is inherited
 	inherit( config, userenv.default.proto )