diff --git a/ConfigItem/EntityList.cs b/ConfigItem/EntityList.cs
index 76bd0a5..a448757 100644
--- a/ConfigItem/EntityList.cs
+++ b/ConfigItem/EntityList.cs
@@ -127,8 +127,11 @@ namespace Noikoio.RegexBot.ConfigItem
         }
 
         /// <summary>
-        /// Helper method for reading whitelist and blacklist filtering lists
+        /// Helper method for reading whitelist and blacklist filtering lists.
         /// </summary>
+        /// <param name="section">
+        /// A JSON object which presumably contains an array named "whitelist" or "blacklist".
+        /// </param>
         public static (FilterType, EntityList) GetFilterList(JObject section)
         {
             var mode = FilterType.None;
diff --git a/Feature/AutoRespond/ResponseConfigItem.cs b/Feature/AutoRespond/ResponseConfigItem.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cdd400f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Feature/AutoRespond/ResponseConfigItem.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+using Newtonsoft.Json.Linq;
+using Noikoio.RegexBot.ConfigItem;
+using System;
+using System.Text.RegularExpressions;
+
+namespace Noikoio.RegexBot.Feature.AutoRespond
+{
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Represents a single autoresponse definition.
+    /// </summary>
+    struct ResponseConfigItem
+    {
+        public enum ResponseType { None, Exec, Reply }
+
+        string _label;
+        Regex _trigger;
+        ResponseType _rtype;
+        string _rbody; // response body
+        private FilterType _filtermode;
+        private EntityList _filterlist;
+
+        public string Label => _label;
+        public Regex Trigger => _trigger;
+        public (ResponseType, string) Response => (_rtype, _rbody);
+        public (FilterType, EntityList) Filter => (_filtermode, _filterlist);
+
+        public ResponseConfigItem(JObject definition)
+        {
+            // label
+            _label = definition["label"]?.Value<string>();
+            if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(_label))
+                throw new RuleImportException("Label is not defined in response definition.");
+
+            // 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>();
+            if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(triggerstr))
+                throw new RuleImportException("Regular expression trigger is not defined" + errorpfx);
+            try
+            {
+                _trigger = new Regex(triggerstr, rxopts);
+            }
+            catch (ArgumentException ex)
+            {
+                throw new RuleImportException
+                    ("Failed to parse regular expression pattern" + errorpfx +
+                    $" ({ex.GetType().Name}: {ex.Message})");
+            }
+
+            // response - defined in either "exec" or "reply", but not both
+            _rbody = null;
+            _rtype = ResponseType.None;
+
+            // exec response ---
+            string execstr = definition["exec"]?.Value<string>();
+            if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(execstr))
+            {
+                _rbody = execstr;
+                _rtype = ResponseType.Exec;
+            }
+
+            // reply response
+            string replystr = definition["reply"]?.Value<string>();
+            if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(replystr))
+            {
+                if (_rbody != null)
+                    throw new RuleImportException("A value for both 'exec' and 'reply' is not allowed" + errorpfx);
+                _rbody = replystr;
+                _rtype = ResponseType.Reply;
+            }
+
+            if (_rbody == null)
+                throw new RuleImportException("A response value of either 'exec' or 'reply' was not defined" + errorpfx);
+            // ---
+
+            // whitelist/blacklist filtering
+            (_filtermode, _filterlist) = EntityList.GetFilterList(definition);
+        }
+    }
+}