diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index cfe6875..e8a9f26 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -45,11 +45,13 @@ In this case, you can modify your `~/.local/share/2rm/config.yml` file to always
 You can specify what directories are soft-deleted anb hard-deleted by using the `~/.local/share/2rm/config.yml` file.
 
 ```yml
+# ~/.local/share/2rm/config.yml
+
 # defaults to /tmp/2rm/ if not specified
 # in the config file
 # any files that are soft deleted will be
 # backed up in the `backups` directory
-backups: /tmp/2rm
+backups: /tmp/2rm/
 hard:
     - node_modules/
     - target/
@@ -59,5 +61,5 @@ hard:
 # regardless of it they are configured
 # for a hard delete
 soft:
-    - *.bak
+    - "*.bak"
 ```
diff --git a/makefile b/makefile
index 5b8f7eb..e1b42e5 100644
--- a/makefile
+++ b/makefile
@@ -6,6 +6,9 @@ build:
 	mkdir -p $(OUT_DIR)
 	go build -o $(OUT_DIR)/2rm ./src/main.go
 
+test:
+	go test ./src/...
+
 clean:
 	rm -rf $(OUT_DIR)
 
diff --git a/src/commands/commands_test.go b/src/commands/commands_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0f9e0a2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/commands/commands_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+package commands
+
+import "testing"
+
+func TestCommandsEcho(t *testing.T) {
+	Execute("echo 'Hello World'")
+}
diff --git a/src/config/parse.go b/src/config/parse.go
index 6c2c466..0371585 100644
--- a/src/config/parse.go
+++ b/src/config/parse.go
@@ -11,6 +11,13 @@ import (
 func ParseConfig(path string) models.Config {
 	parsedConfig := models.Config{}
 
+	_, err := os.Stat(path)
+	if os.IsNotExist(err) {
+		// if the config file does not exist, we want to return an empty config
+		// this will act as a default config
+		return parsedConfig
+	}
+
 	content, err := os.ReadFile(path)
 	if err != nil {
 		log.Fatal(err)
diff --git a/src/config/parse_test.go b/src/config/parse_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b5f9006
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/config/parse_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+package config
+
+import (
+	"hudson-newey/2rm/src/models"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"reflect"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func assertConfig(t *testing.T, configPath string, expectedConfig models.Config) {
+	testConfigDir := "../../tests/assets/configs/"
+	absolutePath, err := filepath.Abs(testConfigDir + configPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("Failed to get absolute path")
+	}
+
+	realizedConfig := ParseConfig(absolutePath)
+
+	if !reflect.DeepEqual(expectedConfig, realizedConfig) {
+		t.Errorf("Expected %v but got %v", expectedConfig, realizedConfig)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestParsingConfig(t *testing.T) {
+	expectedConfig := models.Config{
+		Backups: "/tmp/2rm/",
+		Hard: []string{
+			"node_modules/",
+			"target/",
+			".angular/",
+			".next/",
+		},
+		Soft: []string{
+			"*.bak",
+		},
+	}
+
+	assertConfig(t, "valid.yml", expectedConfig)
+}
+
+// this test asserts that we can parse a partial config
+// we do not have to check every combination of partial configs
+// because that would result in a massive explosion of tests
+// that would not provide much value
+func TestOnlyHardConfig(t *testing.T) {
+	expectedConfig := models.Config{
+		Hard: []string{
+			"node_modules/",
+			"target/",
+			".angular/",
+			".next/",
+		},
+	}
+
+	assertConfig(t, "only_hard.yml", expectedConfig)
+}
+
+func TestOnlyBackups(t *testing.T) {
+	expectedConfig := models.Config{
+		Backups: "/tmp/2rm/",
+	}
+	assertConfig(t, "only_backups.yml", expectedConfig)
+}
+
+func TestParsingEmptyConfig(t *testing.T) {
+	expectedConfig := models.Config{}
+	assertConfig(t, "empty.yml", expectedConfig)
+}
+
+func TestParsingConfigWithMissingFile(t *testing.T) {
+	expectedConfig := models.Config{}
+	assertConfig(t, "missing.yml", expectedConfig)
+}
diff --git a/src/models/config_test.go b/src/models/config_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c9f4b21
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/models/config_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+package models
+
+import "testing"
+
+func TestShouldHardDelete(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Fatal("This test needs to be implemented!")
+}
+
+func TestShouldHardDeleteFalse(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Fatal("This test needs to be implemented!")
+}
+
+func TestShouldHardDeleteEmpty(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Fatal("This test needs to be implemented!")
+}
+
+func TestShouldSoftDelete(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Fatal("This test needs to be implemented!")
+}
+
+func TestShouldSoftDeleteFalse(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Fatal("This test needs to be implemented!")
+}
+
+func TestShouldSoftDeleteEmpty(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Fatal("This test needs to be implemented!")
+}
+
+func TestSoftDeleteDir(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Fatal("This test needs to be implemented!")
+}
+
+func TestSoftDeleteDirDefault(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Fatal("This test needs to be implemented!")
+}
+
+func TestMatchesPatternFile(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Fatal("This test needs to be implemented!")
+}
+
+func TestMatchesPatternDirectory(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Fatal("This test needs to be implemented!")
+}
+
+func TestMatchesPatternGlobPostfix(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Fatal("This test needs to be implemented!")
+}
+
+func TestMatchesPatternGlobPrefix(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Fatal("This test needs to be implemented!")
+}
+
+func TestMatchesAbsolutePath(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Fatal("This test needs to be implemented!")
+}
diff --git a/src/patches/rm.go b/src/patches/rm.go
index 8d7f851..db4dc4a 100644
--- a/src/patches/rm.go
+++ b/src/patches/rm.go
@@ -26,6 +26,12 @@ func RmPatch(arguments []string, config models.Config) {
 		removeDangerousArguments(arguments),
 	)
 
+	if shouldPassthrough(actionedArgs) {
+		command := "rm " + strings.Join(actionedArgs, " ")
+		commands.Execute(command)
+		return
+	}
+
 	filePaths := extractFilePaths(actionedArgs)
 	extractedArguments := extractArguments(actionedArgs)
 
@@ -55,6 +61,20 @@ func RmPatch(arguments []string, config models.Config) {
 	}
 }
 
+// sometimes we want to pass through the arguments to the original rm command
+// e.g. when executing --help or --version
+func shouldPassthrough(arguments []string) bool {
+	passthroughArguments := []string{"--help", "--version"}
+
+	for _, arg := range arguments {
+		if util.InArray(passthroughArguments, arg) {
+			return true
+		}
+	}
+
+	return false
+}
+
 func removeUnNeededArguments(arguments []string) []string {
 	unNeededArguments := []string{"-r", HARD_DELETE_CLA, SOFT_DELETE_CLA, SILENT_CLA}
 	returnedArguments := []string{}
diff --git a/src/patches/rm_test.go b/src/patches/rm_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8411d5b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/patches/rm_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+package patches
diff --git a/src/util/util.go b/src/util/util.go
index ce1f9d0..2168c2c 100644
--- a/src/util/util.go
+++ b/src/util/util.go
@@ -1,12 +1,11 @@
 package util
 
 func InArray[T comparable](arr []T, query T) bool {
-	for _, value := range(arr) {
-		if (value == query) {
+	for _, value := range arr {
+		if value == query {
 			return true
 		}
 	}
 
 	return false
 }
-
diff --git a/src/util/util_test.go b/src/util/util_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..168f64b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/util/util_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+package util
+
+import "testing"
+
+func TestInArrayTrue(t *testing.T) {
+	expectedResult := true
+	realizedResult := InArray([]int{1, 2, 3}, 1)
+
+	if realizedResult != expectedResult {
+		t.Fatalf("Expected %v but got %v", expectedResult, realizedResult)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestInArrayFalse(t *testing.T) {
+	expectedResult := false
+	realizedResult := InArray([]int{1, 2, 3}, 4)
+
+	if realizedResult != expectedResult {
+		t.Fatalf("Expected %v but got %v", expectedResult, realizedResult)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/tests/assets/configs/empty.yml b/tests/assets/configs/empty.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e69de29
diff --git a/tests/assets/configs/only_backups.yml b/tests/assets/configs/only_backups.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fb7868e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/assets/configs/only_backups.yml
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+backups: /tmp/2rm/
diff --git a/tests/assets/configs/only_hard.yml b/tests/assets/configs/only_hard.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a8bbbe6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/assets/configs/only_hard.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+hard:
+    - node_modules/
+    - target/
+    - .angular/
+    - .next/
diff --git a/tests/assets/configs/readme.txt b/tests/assets/configs/readme.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bf4dcbc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/assets/configs/readme.txt
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+This directory contains the configs that we use in tests
diff --git a/tests/assets/configs/valid.yml b/tests/assets/configs/valid.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..251d0e5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/assets/configs/valid.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+backups: /tmp/2rm/
+hard:
+    - node_modules/
+    - target/
+    - .angular/
+    - .next/
+soft:
+    - "*.bak"