diff --git a/src/plugin/configuration.cpp b/src/plugin/configuration.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a7fd2984
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/plugin/configuration.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
+// yabridge: a Wine VST bridge
+// Copyright (C) 2020  Robbert van der Helm
+//
+// This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+// it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+// the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
+// (at your option) any later version.
+//
+// This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+// but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+// MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+// GNU General Public License for more details.
+//
+// You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+// along with this program.  If not, see <https://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+
+#include "configuration.h"
+
+#include <fnmatch.h>
+#include <toml++/toml.h>
+#include <fstream>
+
+#include "utils.h"
+
+namespace fs = boost::filesystem;
+
+Configuration::Configuration() {}
+
+Configuration::Configuration(const fs::path& config_path,
+                             const fs::path& yabridge_path)
+    : Configuration() {
+    // Will throw a `toml::parsing_error` if the file cannot be parsed. Better
+    // to throw here rather than failing silently since syntax errors would
+    // otherwise be impossible to spot.
+    toml::table table = toml::parse_file(config_path.string());
+
+    const fs::path relative_path =
+        yabridge_path.lexically_relative(config_path.parent_path());
+    for (const auto& [pattern, value] : table) {
+        // First try to match the glob pattern, allow matching an entire
+        // directory for ease of use. If none of the patterns in the file match
+        // the plugin path then everything will be left at the defaults.
+        if (fnmatch(pattern.c_str(), relative_path.c_str(),
+                    FNM_PATHNAME | FNM_LEADING_DIR) != 0) {
+            continue;
+        }
+
+        matched_file = config_path;
+        matched_pattern = pattern;
+
+        // If the table is missing some fields then they will simply be left at
+        // their defaults
+        if (toml::table* config = value.as_table(); config != nullptr) {
+            group = (*config)["group"].value<std::string>();
+        }
+
+        break;
+    }
+}
+
+Configuration Configuration::load_for(const fs::path& yabridge_path) {
+    // First find the closest `yabridge.tmol` file for the plugin, falling back
+    // to default configuration settings if it doesn't exist
+    const std::optional<fs::path> config_file =
+        find_dominating_file("yabridge.toml", yabridge_path);
+    if (!config_file.has_value()) {
+        return Configuration();
+    }
+
+    return Configuration(config_file.value(), yabridge_path);
+}
diff --git a/src/plugin/configuration.h b/src/plugin/configuration.h
index d9e96ccf..ca88a8f6 100644
--- a/src/plugin/configuration.h
+++ b/src/plugin/configuration.h
@@ -20,33 +20,81 @@
 #include <optional>
 
 /**
- * Starting from the starting file or directory, go up in the directory
- * hierarchy until we find a file named `filename`.
+ * An object that's used to provide plugin-specific configuration. Right now
+ * this is only used to declare plugin groups. A plugin group is a set of
+ * plugins that will be hosted in the same process rather than individually so
+ * they can share resources. Configuration file loading works as follows:
  *
- * @param filename The name of the file we're looking for. This can also be a
- *   directory name since directories are also files.
- * @param starting_from The directory to start searching in. If this is a file,
- *   then start searching in the directory the file is located in.
- * @param predicate The predicate to use to check if the path matches a file.
- *   Needed as an easy way to limit the search to directories only since C++17
- *   does not have any built in coroutines or generators.
+ * 1. `Configuration::load_for(path)` gets called with a path to the copy of or
+ *    symlink to `libyabridge.so` that the plugin host has tried to load.
+ * 2. We start looking for a file named `yabridge.toml` in the same directory as
+ *    that `.so` file, iteratively continuing to search one directory higher
+ *    until we either find the file or we reach the filesystem root.
+ * 3. If the file is found, then parse it as a TOML file and look for the first
+ *    table whose key is a glob pattern that (partially) matches the relative
+ *    path between the found `yabridge.toml` and the `.so` file. As a rule of
+ *    thumb, if the `find <pattern> -type f` command executed in Bash would list
+ *    the `.so` file, then the following table in `yabridge.tmol` would also
+ *    match the same `.so` file:
  *
- * @return The path to the *file* found, or `std::nullopt` if the file could not
- *   be found.
+ *    ```toml
+ *    ["<patern>"]
+ *    group = "..."
+ *    ```
+ * 4. If one of these glob patterns could be matched with the relative path of
+ *    the `.so` file then we'll use the settings specified in that section.
+ *    Otherwise the default settings will be used.
  */
-template <typename F = bool(const boost::filesystem::path&)>
-std::optional<boost::filesystem::path> find_dominating_file(
-    const std::string& filename,
-    boost::filesystem::path starting_dir,
-    F predicate = boost::filesystem::exists) {
-    while (starting_dir != "") {
-        const boost::filesystem::path candidate = starting_dir / filename;
-        if (predicate(candidate)) {
-            return candidate;
-        }
+class Configuration {
+    /**
+     * Create an empty configuration object with default settings.
+     */
+    Configuration();
 
-        starting_dir = starting_dir.parent_path();
-    }
+    /**
+     * Load the configuration for an instance of yabridge from a configuration
+     * file by matching the plugin's relative path to the glob patterns in that
+     * configuration file. Will leave the object empty if the plugin cannot be
+     * matched to any of the patterns. Not meant to be used directly.
+     *
+     * @throw toml::parsing_error If the file could not be parsed.
+     *
+     * @see Configuration::load_for
+     */
+    Configuration(const boost::filesystem::path& config_path,
+                  const boost::filesystem::path& yabridge_path);
 
-    return std::nullopt;
-}
+    /**
+     * Load the configuration that belongs to a copy of or symlink to
+     * `libyabridge.so`. If no configuration file could be found then this will
+     * return an empty configuration object with default settings.
+     *
+     * @param yabridge_path The path to the .so file that's being loaded.by the
+     *   VST host. This will be used both for the starting location of the
+     *   search and to determine which section in the config file to use.
+     *
+     * @return Either a configuration object populated with values from matched
+     *   glob pattern within the found configuration file, or an empty
+     *   configuration object if no configuration file could be found or if the
+     *   plugin could not be matched to any of the glob patterns in the
+     *   configuration file.
+     */
+    static Configuration load_for(const boost::filesystem::path& yabridge_path);
+
+    /**
+     * The name of the plugin group that should be used for the plugin this
+     * configuration object was created for. If not set, then the plugin should
+     * be hosted individually instead.
+     */
+    std::optional<std::string> group;
+
+    /**
+     * The path to the configuration file that was parsed.
+     */
+    std::optional<boost::filesystem::path> matched_file;
+
+    /**
+     * The matched glob pattern in the above configuration file.
+     */
+    std::optional<std::string> matched_pattern;
+};
diff --git a/src/plugin/utils.h b/src/plugin/utils.h
index 9978511e..ad481852 100644
--- a/src/plugin/utils.h
+++ b/src/plugin/utils.h
@@ -141,3 +141,35 @@ std::string get_wine_version();
  * using the user's default prefix.
  */
 boost::process::environment set_wineprefix();
+
+/**
+ * Starting from the starting file or directory, go up in the directory
+ * hierarchy until we find a file named `filename`.
+ *
+ * @param filename The name of the file we're looking for. This can also be a
+ *   directory name since directories are also files.
+ * @param starting_from The directory to start searching in. If this is a file,
+ *   then start searching in the directory the file is located in.
+ * @param predicate The predicate to use to check if the path matches a file.
+ *   Needed as an easy way to limit the search to directories only since C++17
+ *   does not have any built in coroutines or generators.
+ *
+ * @return The path to the *file* found, or `std::nullopt` if the file could not
+ *   be found.
+ */
+template <typename F = bool(const boost::filesystem::path&)>
+std::optional<boost::filesystem::path> find_dominating_file(
+    const std::string& filename,
+    boost::filesystem::path starting_dir,
+    F predicate = boost::filesystem::exists) {
+    while (starting_dir != "") {
+        const boost::filesystem::path candidate = starting_dir / filename;
+        if (predicate(candidate)) {
+            return candidate;
+        }
+
+        starting_dir = starting_dir.parent_path();
+    }
+
+    return std::nullopt;
+}