diff --git a/Sources/CliClient/CliClient.swift b/Sources/CliClient/CliClient.swift
index 4272d04..aaa45db 100644
--- a/Sources/CliClient/CliClient.swift
+++ b/Sources/CliClient/CliClient.swift
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ public struct CliClient: Sendable {
   public var encoder: @Sendable () -> JSONEncoder = { .init() }
   public var loadConfiguration: @Sendable () throws -> Configuration
   public var runCommand: @Sendable ([String], Bool, ShellCommand.Shell) async throws -> Void
-  public var createConfiguration: @Sendable (String) throws -> Void
+  public var createConfiguration: @Sendable (_ path: String, _ json: Bool) throws -> Void
 
   public func runCommand(
     quiet: Bool,
@@ -50,16 +50,14 @@ extension CliClient: DependencyKey {
     } encoder: {
       encoder
     } loadConfiguration: {
-      let urls = try findConfigurationFiles(env: env)
+      let url = try findConfigurationFiles(env: env)
       var env = env
 
-      logger.trace("Loading configuration from: \(urls)")
-
-      for url in urls {
-        try fileClient.loadFile(url, &env, decoder)
-      }
+      logger.trace("Loading configuration from: \(url)")
+      try fileClient.loadFile(url, &env, decoder)
 
       return try .fromEnv(env, encoder: encoder, decoder: decoder)
+
     } runCommand: { args, quiet, shell in
       @Dependency(\.asyncShellClient) var shellClient
       if !quiet {
@@ -76,8 +74,27 @@ extension CliClient: DependencyKey {
         in: nil,
         args
       ))
-    } createConfiguration: { path in
-      try fileClient.write(path, Data(Configuration.fileTemplate.utf8))
+    } createConfiguration: { path, json in
+
+      // Early out if a file exists at the path already.
+      guard !fileClient.fileExists(path) else {
+        throw CliClientError.fileExistsAtPath(path)
+      }
+
+      var path = path
+      let data: Data
+
+      if !json {
+        // Write the default env template.
+        data = Data(Configuration.fileTemplate.utf8)
+      } else {
+        if !path.contains(".json") {
+          path += ".json"
+        }
+        data = try jsonEncoder.encode(Configuration.mock)
+      }
+
+      try fileClient.write(path, data)
     }
   }
 
@@ -87,3 +104,13 @@ extension CliClient: DependencyKey {
 
   public static let testValue: CliClient = Self()
 }
+
+enum CliClientError: Error {
+  case fileExistsAtPath(String)
+}
+
+private let jsonEncoder: JSONEncoder = {
+  var encoder = JSONEncoder()
+  encoder.outputFormatting = [.prettyPrinted, .withoutEscapingSlashes]
+  return encoder
+}()
diff --git a/Sources/CliClient/Configuration.swift b/Sources/CliClient/Configuration.swift
index 20e1a82..9f9bf1b 100644
--- a/Sources/CliClient/Configuration.swift
+++ b/Sources/CliClient/Configuration.swift
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ import Foundation
 import ShellClient
 
 /// Represents the configuration.
-public struct Configuration: Decodable {
+public struct Configuration: Codable {
 
   public let playbookDir: String?
   public let inventoryPath: String?
@@ -41,8 +41,21 @@ public struct Configuration: Decodable {
     return try decoder.decode(Configuration.self, from: data)
   }
 
+  static var mock: Self {
+    .init(
+      playbookDir: "/path/to/playbook",
+      inventoryPath: "/path/to/inventory.ini",
+      templateRepo: "https://git.example.com/consult-template.git",
+      templateRepoVersion: "main",
+      templateDir: "/path/to/local/template",
+      defaultPlaybookArgs: "--vault-id=myId@$SCRIPTS/vault-gopass-client"
+    )
+  }
+
   static var fileTemplate: String {
     """
+    # vi: ft=sh
+
     # Example configuration, uncomment the lines and set the values appropriate for your
     # usage.
 
diff --git a/Sources/CliClient/FileClient.swift b/Sources/CliClient/FileClient.swift
index c8bf3f4..283442c 100644
--- a/Sources/CliClient/FileClient.swift
+++ b/Sources/CliClient/FileClient.swift
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ public struct FileClient: Sendable {
   public var homeDir: @Sendable () -> URL = { URL(string: "~/")! }
   public var isDirectory: @Sendable (URL) -> Bool = { _ in false }
   public var isReadable: @Sendable (URL) -> Bool = { _ in false }
+  public var fileExists: @Sendable (String) -> Bool = { _ in false }
   public var write: @Sendable (String, Data) throws -> Void
 }
 
@@ -33,6 +34,7 @@ extension FileClient: DependencyKey {
       homeDir: { client.homeDir },
       isDirectory: { client.isDirectory(url: $0) },
       isReadable: { client.isReadable(url: $0) },
+      fileExists: { client.fileExists(at: $0) },
       write: { path, data in
         try data.write(to: URL(filePath: path))
       }
@@ -66,6 +68,10 @@ private struct LiveFileClient: @unchecked Sendable {
     try fileManager.contentsOfDirectory(at: url, includingPropertiesForKeys: nil)
   }
 
+  func fileExists(at path: String) -> Bool {
+    fileManager.fileExists(atPath: path)
+  }
+
   func loadFile(at url: URL, into env: inout [String: String], decoder: JSONDecoder) throws {
     @Dependency(\.logger) var logger
     logger.trace("Begin load file for: \(path(for: url))")
diff --git a/Sources/CliClient/Helpers.swift b/Sources/CliClient/Helpers.swift
index 6e05506..f469da4 100644
--- a/Sources/CliClient/Helpers.swift
+++ b/Sources/CliClient/Helpers.swift
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import ShellClient
 @_spi(Internal)
 public func findConfigurationFiles(
   env: [String: String] = ProcessInfo.processInfo.environment
-) throws -> [URL] {
+) throws -> URL {
   @Dependency(\.logger) var logger
   @Dependency(\.fileClient) var fileClient
 
@@ -13,50 +13,47 @@ public func findConfigurationFiles(
   logger.trace("Env: \(env)")
 
   let homeDir = fileClient.homeDir()
-  var url = homeDir.appending(path: ".hparc")
-
-  if fileClient.isReadable(url) {
-    logger.debug("Found configuration in home directory")
-    return [url]
-  }
 
+  // Check for environment variable pointing to a directory that the
+  // the configuration lives.
   if let configHome = env["HPA_CONFIG_HOME"] {
-    url = .init(filePath: configHome)
+    let url = URL(filePath: configHome).appending(path: "config")
 
-    if fileClient.isDirectory(url) {
-      logger.debug("Found configuration directory from hpa config home env var.")
-      return try fileClient.contentsOfDirectory(url)
-    }
     if fileClient.isReadable(url) {
       logger.debug("Found configuration from hpa config home env var.")
-      return [url]
+      return url
     }
   }
 
+  // Check home directory for a `.hparc` file.
+  let url = homeDir.appending(path: ".hparc")
+  if fileClient.isReadable(url) {
+    logger.debug("Found configuration in home directory")
+    return url
+  }
+
+  // Check for environment variable pointing to a directory that the
+  // the configuration lives.
   if let pwd = env["PWD"] {
-    url = .init(filePath: "\(pwd)").appending(path: ".hparc")
+    let url = URL(filePath: "\(pwd)").appending(path: ".hparc")
     if fileClient.isReadable(url) {
       logger.debug("Found configuration in current working directory.")
-      return [url]
+      return url
     }
   }
 
+  // Check in xdg config home, under an hpa-playbook directory.
   if let xdgConfigHome = env["XDG_CONFIG_HOME"] {
     logger.debug("XDG Config Home: \(xdgConfigHome)")
 
-    url = .init(filePath: "\(xdgConfigHome)")
+    let url = URL(filePath: "\(xdgConfigHome)")
       .appending(path: "hpa-playbook")
+      .appending(path: "config")
 
     logger.debug("XDG Config url: \(url.absoluteString)")
 
-    if fileClient.isDirectory(url) {
-      logger.debug("Found configuration in xdg config home.")
-      return try fileClient.contentsOfDirectory(url)
-    }
-
     if fileClient.isReadable(url) {
-      logger.debug("Not directory, but readable.")
-      return [url]
+      return url
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/Sources/hpa/GenerateConfigCommand.swift b/Sources/hpa/GenerateConfigCommand.swift
index 0d5e832..4660f90 100644
--- a/Sources/hpa/GenerateConfigCommand.swift
+++ b/Sources/hpa/GenerateConfigCommand.swift
@@ -11,8 +11,14 @@ struct GenerateConfigurationCommand: AsyncParsableCommand {
     abstract: "\("Generate a local configuration file.".blue)",
     discussion: """
 
-    If a directory is not supplied then a configuration file will be created
-    at \("'~/.config/hpa-playbook/config'".yellow).
+    \("NOTE:".yellow) If a directory is not supplied then a configuration file will be created
+          at \("'~/.config/hpa-playbook/config'".yellow).
+
+    \("Example:".yellow)
+
+      \("Create a directory and generate the configuration file.".green)
+      $ mkdir -p ~/.config/hpa-playbook
+      $ hpa generate-config --path ~/.config/hpa-playbook
 
     """
   )
@@ -24,6 +30,12 @@ struct GenerateConfigurationCommand: AsyncParsableCommand {
   )
   var path: String?
 
+  @Flag(
+    name: .shortAndLong,
+    help: "Generate a json file, instead of default env style"
+  )
+  var json: Bool = false
+
   @OptionGroup var globals: BasicGlobalOptions
 
   mutating func run() async throws {
@@ -48,7 +60,7 @@ struct GenerateConfigurationCommand: AsyncParsableCommand {
         actualPath = "\(path)/config"
       }
 
-      try cliClient.createConfiguration(actualPath)
+      try cliClient.createConfiguration(actualPath, json)
     }
   }
 }
diff --git a/Sources/hpa/GlobalOptions.swift b/Sources/hpa/GlobalOptions.swift
index 07130d3..a830180 100644
--- a/Sources/hpa/GlobalOptions.swift
+++ b/Sources/hpa/GlobalOptions.swift
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ struct BasicGlobalOptions: ParsableArguments {
 
 }
 
+@dynamicMemberLookup
 struct GlobalOptions: ParsableArguments {
 
   @Option(
@@ -44,4 +45,9 @@ struct GlobalOptions: ParsableArguments {
 
   @OptionGroup var basic: BasicGlobalOptions
 
+  subscript<T>(dynamicMember keyPath: WritableKeyPath<BasicGlobalOptions, T>) -> T {
+    get { basic[keyPath: keyPath] }
+    set { basic[keyPath: keyPath] = newValue }
+  }
+
 }