diff --git a/config.def.h b/config.def.h
index 125d2e3..04c85bc 100644
--- a/config.def.h
+++ b/config.def.h
@@ -236,6 +236,11 @@ static MouseShortcut mshortcuts[] = {
 #define MODKEY Mod1Mask
 #define TERMMOD (ControlMask|ShiftMask)
 
+/* xresources shortcuts -- 100 picked arbitrarily */
+static Shortcut xres_shortcuts[100];
+
+/* static char* xres_shortcuts_commands[100][5] = {}; */
+
 static Shortcut shortcuts[] = {
 	/* mask                 keysym          function        argument */
 	{ XK_ANY_MOD,           XK_Break,       sendbreak,      {.i =  0} },
@@ -252,7 +257,6 @@ static Shortcut shortcuts[] = {
 	{ TERMMOD,              XK_Num_Lock,    numlock,        {.i =  0} },
 	{ ShiftMask,            XK_Page_Up,     kscrollup,      {.i = -1} },
 	{ ShiftMask,            XK_Page_Down,   kscrolldown,    {.i = -1} },
-	{ MODKEY,               'u',            externalpipe,   {.v = "xurls | eval dmenu $(dmenu_options) | xargs -r $BROWSER" } },
 };
 
 /*
diff --git a/st.c b/st.c
index df79b53..96aaf91 100644
--- a/st.c
+++ b/st.c
@@ -2031,6 +2031,8 @@ externalpipe(const Arg *arg)
 		dup2(to[0], STDIN_FILENO);
 		close(to[0]);
 		close(to[1]);
+
+		printf("I'm being called! %s ?\n", ((char **)arg->v)[0]);
 		execvp(((char **)arg->v)[0], (char **)arg->v);
 		fprintf(stderr, "st: execvp %s\n", ((char **)arg->v)[0]);
 		perror("failed");
diff --git a/x.c b/x.c
index 4dcb168..0fe4032 100644
--- a/x.c
+++ b/x.c
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ typedef struct {
 	uint mod;
 	KeySym keysym;
 	void (*func)(const Arg *);
-	const Arg arg;
+	Arg arg;
 } Shortcut;
 
 typedef struct {
@@ -1931,6 +1931,14 @@ kpress(XEvent *ev)
 		}
 	}
 
+	for (bp = xres_shortcuts; bp < xres_shortcuts + LEN(xres_shortcuts); bp++) {
+		if (ksym == bp->keysym && match(bp->mod, e->state)) {
+			printf("hit!\n");
+			bp->func(&(bp->arg));
+			return;
+		}
+	}
+
 	/* 2. custom keys from config.h */
 	if ((customkey = kmap(ksym, e->state))) {
 		ttywrite(customkey, strlen(customkey), 1);
diff --git a/xst.c b/xst.c
index 277e874..6b86266 100644
--- a/xst.c
+++ b/xst.c
@@ -44,7 +44,8 @@ xrdb_load(void)
 
 		/* handling colors here without macros to do via loop. */
 		int i = 0;
-		char loadValue[12] = "";
+		/* this value is also used for keybinds  */
+		char loadValue[100] = "";
 		for (i = 0; i < 256; i++)
 		{
 			sprintf(loadValue, "%s%d", "st.color", i);
@@ -106,6 +107,70 @@ xrdb_load(void)
 		XRESOURCE_LOAD_INTEGER("boxdraw_braille", boxdraw_braille);
 
 		XRESOURCE_LOAD_INTEGER("depth", opt_depth);
+
+		/*
+		  st.bind_alt_{a-z}
+		  st.bind_shift_{a-z}
+		  st.bind_shift_alt_{a-z}
+		  st.bind_ctrl_alt_{a-z}
+		  st.bind_ctrl_shift_{a-z}
+		  all with optional suffix `_withcontent`, for
+		 */
+
+		const char* bind_types[5] = {
+			"alt",
+			"shift",
+			"shift_alt",
+			"ctrl_alt",
+			"ctrl_shift",
+		};
+
+		const int bind_masks[5] = {
+			Mod1Mask,
+			ShiftMask,
+			(Mod1Mask|ShiftMask),
+			(ControlMask|Mod1Mask),
+			(ControlMask|ShiftMask),
+		};
+
+
+		/* int i = 0; */
+		int xres_shortcut_index = 0;
+		int j = 0;
+		for (i = 0; i < 5; i++)
+		{
+			for (j = 0; j < 26; j++)
+			{
+				char letter = 'a' + j;
+				sprintf(loadValue, "st.kb_%s_%c", bind_types[i], letter);
+				/* printf("checking: %s\n", loadValue); */
+
+				if(XrmGetResource(xrdb, loadValue, loadValue, &type, &ret))
+					{
+						printf("found shortcut: %s\n", loadValue);
+						printf("value: %s\n", ret.addr);
+
+						/* char *command[5] = { "/bin/sh", "-c", ret.addr, "externalpipe", NULL }; */
+
+						/* xres_shortcuts_commands[xres_shortcut_index] = command; */
+							/* { "/bin/sh", "-c", ret.addr, "externalpipe", NULL }; */
+						/* Arg bindarg = {.v = command}; */
+						/* Arg bindarg = {.v = xres_shortcuts_commands[xres_shortcut_index]}; */
+
+						/* Shortcut bind; */
+						Shortcut bind = {
+							.mod = bind_masks[i],
+							.keysym = letter,
+							.func = externalpipe,
+							/* .arg = bindarg, */
+							.arg = {.v = (char *[]){ "/bin/sh", "-c", ret.addr, "externalpipe", NULL }}
+							/* .arg = {.v = command}, */
+						};
+
+						xres_shortcuts[xres_shortcut_index++] = bind;
+					}
+			}
+		}
 	}
 	XFlush(dpy);
 }