diff --git a/apps/cic-ussd/emulator/cli/cli.py b/apps/cic-ussd/emulator/cli/cli.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bf28075
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/cic-ussd/emulator/cli/cli.py
@@ -0,0 +1,103 @@
+#!/usr/bin/python3
+
+# Author: Louis Holbrook <dev@holbrook.no> (https://holbrook.no)
+# Description: interactive console for Sempo USSD session
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-3.0-or-later
+
+# standard imports
+import os
+import sys
+import uuid
+import json
+import argparse
+import logging
+import urllib
+from xdg.BaseDirectory import xdg_config_home
+from urllib import request
+
+# third-party imports
+from confini import Config
+
+logging.basicConfig(level=logging.WARNING)
+logg = logging.getLogger()
+
+config_dir = os.path.join(xdg_config_home, 'cli-ussd')
+
+argparser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description='CLI tool to interface a Sempo USSD session')
+argparser.add_argument('-c', type=str, default=config_dir, help='config root to use')
+#argparser.add_argument('-d', type=str, default='local', help='deployment name to interface (config root subdirectory)')
+argparser.add_argument('--host', type=str, default='localhost')
+argparser.add_argument('--port', type=int, default=9000)
+argparser.add_argument('--nossl', help='do not use ssl (careful)', action='store_true')
+argparser.add_argument('phone', help='phone number for USSD session')
+argparser.add_argument('-v', help='be verbose', action='store_true')
+argparser.add_argument('-vv', help='be more verbose', action='store_true')
+
+args = argparser.parse_args(sys.argv[1:])
+
+if args.v == True:
+    logging.getLogger().setLevel(logging.INFO)
+elif args.vv == True:
+    logging.getLogger().setLevel(logging.DEBUG)
+
+#config_dir = os.path.join(args.c, args.d)
+config_dir = os.path.join(args.c)
+os.makedirs(config_dir, 0o777, True)
+
+config = Config(config_dir)
+config.process()
+logg.debug('config loaded from {}'.format(config_dir))
+
+host = config.get('CLIENT_HOST')
+port = config.get('CLIENT_PORT')
+ssl = config.get('CLIENT_SSL')
+
+if host == None:
+    host = args.host
+if port == None:
+    port = args.port
+if ssl == None:
+    ssl = not args.nossl
+elif ssl == 0:
+    ssl = False
+else:
+    ssl = True
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+
+    # TODO: improve url building 
+    url = 'http'
+    if ssl:
+        url += 's'
+    url += '://{}:{}'.format(host, port)
+    url += '/?username={}&password={}'.format(config.get('USSD_USER'), config.get('USSD_PASS'))
+
+    logg.info('service url {}'.format(url))
+    logg.info('phone {}'.format(args.phone))
+
+    session = uuid.uuid4().hex
+    data = {
+            'sessionId': session,
+            'serviceCode': config.get('APP_SERVICE_CODE'),
+            'phoneNumber': args.phone,
+            'text': config.get('APP_SERVICE_CODE'),
+        }
+
+    state = "_BEGIN"
+    while state != "END":
+
+        if state != "_BEGIN":
+            user_input = input('next> ')
+            data['text'] = user_input
+
+        req = urllib.request.Request(url)
+        data_str = json.dumps(data)
+        data_bytes = data_str.encode('utf-8')
+        req.add_header('Content-Type', 'application/json')
+        req.data = data_bytes
+        response = urllib.request.urlopen(req)
+        response_data = response.read().decode('utf-8')
+        state = response_data[:3]
+        out = response_data[4:]
+        print(out)
diff --git a/apps/cic-ussd/emulator/cli/config/app.ini b/apps/cic-ussd/emulator/cli/config/app.ini
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fa041ac
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/cic-ussd/emulator/cli/config/app.ini
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+[app]
+service_code = *483*46#
diff --git a/apps/cic-ussd/emulator/cli/config/client.ini b/apps/cic-ussd/emulator/cli/config/client.ini
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..221d1aa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/cic-ussd/emulator/cli/config/client.ini
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+[client]
+host = 
+port = 
+ssl =
diff --git a/apps/cic-ussd/emulator/cli/config/ussd.ini b/apps/cic-ussd/emulator/cli/config/ussd.ini
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..633ad40
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/cic-ussd/emulator/cli/config/ussd.ini
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+[ussd]
+user =
+pass =