diff --git a/Feature/AutoMod/AutoMod.cs b/Feature/AutoMod/AutoMod.cs
index a8cf37e..affbd45 100644
--- a/Feature/AutoMod/AutoMod.cs
+++ b/Feature/AutoMod/AutoMod.cs
@@ -29,12 +29,15 @@ namespace Noikoio.RegexBot.Feature.AutoMod
         public override async Task<object> ProcessConfiguration(JToken configSection)
         {
             List<Rule> rules = new List<Rule>();
-            foreach (JObject ruleconf in configSection)
+
+            foreach (var def in configSection.Children<JProperty>())
             {
-                var rule = new Rule(this, ruleconf);
+                string label = def.Name;
+                var rule = new Rule(this, def);
                 rules.Add(rule);
                 await Log($"Added rule '{rule.Label}'");
             }
+            
             return rules.AsReadOnly();
         }
 
diff --git a/Feature/AutoMod/Rule.cs b/Feature/AutoMod/Rule.cs
index 3c494a5..dd767db 100644
--- a/Feature/AutoMod/Rule.cs
+++ b/Feature/AutoMod/Rule.cs
@@ -41,13 +41,14 @@ namespace Noikoio.RegexBot.Feature.AutoMod
         /// <summary>
         /// Creates a new Rule instance to represent the given configuration.
         /// </summary>
-        public Rule(AutoMod instance, JObject ruleconf)
+        public Rule(AutoMod instance, JProperty definition)
         {
             _instance = instance;
 
-            _label = ruleconf["label"]?.Value<string>();
-            if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(_label))
-                throw new RuleImportException("Label not defined.");
+            _label = definition.Name;
+            var ruleconf = (JObject)definition.Value;
+            // TODO validation. does the above line even throw an exception in the right cases?
+            // and what about the label? does it make for a good name?
 
             string errpfx = $" in definition for rule '{_label}'.";
 
diff --git a/Feature/AutoRespond/AutoRespond.cs b/Feature/AutoRespond/AutoRespond.cs
index b550ea1..51283d3 100644
--- a/Feature/AutoRespond/AutoRespond.cs
+++ b/Feature/AutoRespond/AutoRespond.cs
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ namespace Noikoio.RegexBot.Feature.AutoRespond
         public override Task<object> ProcessConfiguration(JToken configSection)
         {
             var responses = new List<ResponseDefinition>();
-            foreach (JObject def in configSection)
+            foreach (var def in configSection.Children<JProperty>())
             {
                 // Everything is left to the constructor
                 responses.Add(new ResponseDefinition(def));
diff --git a/Feature/AutoRespond/ResponseDefinition.cs b/Feature/AutoRespond/ResponseDefinition.cs
index 168cbe0..5aaa268 100644
--- a/Feature/AutoRespond/ResponseDefinition.cs
+++ b/Feature/AutoRespond/ResponseDefinition.cs
@@ -25,19 +25,17 @@ namespace Noikoio.RegexBot.Feature.AutoRespond
         public FilterList Filter => _filter;
         public RateLimitCache RateLimit => _limit;
 
-        public ResponseDefinition(JObject definition)
+        public ResponseDefinition(JProperty definition)
         {
-            // label
-            _label = definition["label"]?.Value<string>();
-            if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(_label))
-                throw new RuleImportException("Label is not defined in response definition.");
+            _label = definition.Name;
+            var data = (JObject)definition.Value;
 
             // error postfix string
             string errorpfx = $" in response definition for '{_label}'.";
 
             // regex trigger
             const RegexOptions rxopts = RegexOptions.Compiled | RegexOptions.IgnoreCase | RegexOptions.Multiline;
-            string triggerstr = definition["trigger"]?.Value<string>();
+            string triggerstr = data["trigger"]?.Value<string>();
             if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(triggerstr))
                 throw new RuleImportException("Regular expression trigger is not defined" + errorpfx);
             try
@@ -56,7 +54,7 @@ namespace Noikoio.RegexBot.Feature.AutoRespond
             _rtype = ResponseType.None;
 
             // exec response ---
-            string execstr = definition["exec"]?.Value<string>();
+            string execstr = data["exec"]?.Value<string>();
             if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(execstr))
             {
                 _rbody = execstr;
@@ -64,7 +62,7 @@ namespace Noikoio.RegexBot.Feature.AutoRespond
             }
 
             // reply response
-            string replystr = definition["reply"]?.Value<string>();
+            string replystr = data["reply"]?.Value<string>();
             if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(replystr))
             {
                 if (_rbody != null)
@@ -78,10 +76,10 @@ namespace Noikoio.RegexBot.Feature.AutoRespond
             // ---
 
             // whitelist/blacklist filtering
-            _filter = new FilterList(definition);
+            _filter = new FilterList(data);
 
             // rate limiting
-            string rlstr = definition["ratelimit"].Value<string>();
+            string rlstr = data["ratelimit"].Value<string>();
             if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(rlstr))
             {
                 _limit = new RateLimitCache(RateLimitCache.DefaultTimeout);