begin develop configloader

CONFIG.md

@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+# ProjectStructure Configuration
+
+The repository reads user preferences from `config.json` in the ProjectStructure
+root (copied alongside helper batches when they are deployed to projects).
+
+## Keys
+
+| Key | Type | Meaning |
+| --- | --- | --- |
+| `dailyFormat` | bool | `true` → daily folders named `YYYY-MM-DD`; `false` → `daily_*` style. |
+| `structDir` | string | Absolute or relative path to the canonical ProjectStructure directory. Blank values default to the folder containing `config.json`. |
+| `projectsRoot` | string (optional) | Override for the root directory scanned by `UpgradeSeqBatches.ps1`. Defaults to the parent of `structDir`. |
+| `zipper` | bool | `true` → use 7‑Zip (if available); `false` → use Python’s built-in zipfile module. |
+| `compression` | int | Compression level `0-9` (0 = store only, 9 = max). Applies to both zipfile and 7‑Zip. |
+
+## Notes
+
+- `UpgradeSeqBatches.ps1` copies `config.json` and `ConfigLoader.ps1` to every
+  target folder so the helper `.bat` launchers can resolve script locations.
+- When `zipper` is `true`, the tool searches for `7z`/`7za` on `PATH`. If neither
+  is found it logs a warning and falls back to `zipfile`.
+- Leaving `structDir` empty is safe—the scripts fall back to the directory that
+  contains `config.json`.
+

ConfigLoader.ps1

@@ -0,0 +1,113 @@
+Set-StrictMode -Version Latest
+$ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'
+
+$script:LoaderRoot = Split-Path -Parent $MyInvocation.MyCommand.Path
+$script:ConfigPath = Join-Path -Path $script:LoaderRoot -ChildPath 'config.json'
+$script:ConfigCache = $null
+
+function Get-ProjectStructureConfig {
+    if ($null -ne $script:ConfigCache) {
+        return $script:ConfigCache
+    }
+
+    if (Test-Path -LiteralPath $script:ConfigPath) {
+        try {
+            $raw = Get-Content -LiteralPath $script:ConfigPath -Raw -ErrorAction Stop
+            if ($raw.Trim().Length -gt 0) {
+                $script:ConfigCache = $raw | ConvertFrom-Json
+                return $script:ConfigCache
+            }
+        }
+        catch {
+            Write-Warning "Failed to parse config.json: $($_.Exception.Message)"
+        }
+    }
+
+    $script:ConfigCache = [pscustomobject]@{}
+    return $script:ConfigCache
+}
+
+function Get-ConfigValue {
+    param(
+        [Parameter(Mandatory)] [string]$Name,
+        $Default = $null
+    )
+
+    $config = Get-ProjectStructureConfig
+    if ($config.PSObject.Properties.Name -contains $Name) {
+        $value = $config.$Name
+        if ($null -ne $value -and ($value -isnot [string] -or $value.Trim().Length -gt 0)) {
+            return $value
+        }
+    }
+
+    return $Default
+}
+
+function Get-StructDirectory {
+    $value = Get-ConfigValue -Name 'structDir'
+    if ($null -eq $value -or [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($value)) {
+        return $script:LoaderRoot
+    }
+
+    if ([System.IO.Path]::IsPathRooted($value)) {
+        $resolved = Resolve-Path -LiteralPath $value -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+        if ($null -ne $resolved) { return $resolved.Path }
+        return $value
+    }
+
+    $candidate = Join-Path -Path $script:LoaderRoot -ChildPath $value
+    $resolvedCandidate = Resolve-Path -LiteralPath $candidate -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+    if ($null -ne $resolvedCandidate) { return $resolvedCandidate.Path }
+    return $candidate
+}
+
+function Get-ProjectsRoot {
+    $value = Get-ConfigValue -Name 'projectsRoot'
+    if ($null -eq $value -or [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($value)) {
+        $structDir = Get-StructDirectory
+        $parent = Split-Path -Parent $structDir
+        if ($null -eq $parent -or $parent.Length -eq 0 -or $parent -eq $structDir) {
+            return $structDir
+        }
+        return $parent
+    }
+
+    if ([System.IO.Path]::IsPathRooted($value)) {
+        $resolved = Resolve-Path -LiteralPath $value -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+        if ($null -ne $resolved) { return $resolved.Path }
+        return $value
+    }
+
+    $candidate = Join-Path -Path $script:LoaderRoot -ChildPath $value
+    $resolvedCandidate = Resolve-Path -LiteralPath $candidate -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+    if ($null -ne $resolvedCandidate) { return $resolvedCandidate.Path }
+    return $candidate
+}
+
+function Use-IsoDailyFormat {
+    $dailyFormat = Get-ConfigValue -Name 'dailyFormat' -Default $true
+    return [bool]$dailyFormat
+}
+
+function Use-7Zip {
+    $zipper = Get-ConfigValue -Name 'zipper' -Default $true
+    return [bool]$zipper
+}
+
+function Get-ZipCompressionLevel {
+    $value = Get-ConfigValue -Name 'compression' -Default 9
+    if ($value -is [string]) {
+        $parsed = 0
+        if ([int]::TryParse($value, [ref]$parsed)) {
+            $value = $parsed
+        }
+    }
+
+    if ($value -isnot [int]) {
+        return 9
+    }
+
+    return [Math]::Min(9, [Math]::Max(0, $value))
+}
+

NewProject.bat

@@ -1,5 +1,27 @@
 @echo off
-setlocal
+setlocal EnableExtensions
+
+set "SCRIPT_DIR=%~dp0"
+set "CONFIG_LOADER=%SCRIPT_DIR%ConfigLoader.ps1"
+set "CONFIG_PATH=%SCRIPT_DIR%config.json"
+
+if not exist "%CONFIG_LOADER%" (
+    echo [ERROR] ConfigLoader.ps1 not found next to NewProject.bat.
+    exit /b 1
+)
+
+if not exist "%CONFIG_PATH%" (
+    echo [ERROR] config.json not found next to NewProject.bat.
+    exit /b 1
+)
+
+for /f "usebackq delims=" %%I in (`powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command ^
+    "Set-StrictMode -Version Latest; $loader = Resolve-Path -LiteralPath '%CONFIG_LOADER%' -ErrorAction Stop; . $loader.Path; Write-Output (Get-StructDirectory)"`) do set "STRUCT_DIR=%%I"
+
+if not defined STRUCT_DIR (
+    echo [ERROR] Unable to resolve ProjectStructure directory from config.
+    exit /b 1
+)
 
 :: Get current date in YYYY-MM-DD format
 for /f "tokens=2-4 delims=/ " %%a in ('date /t') do (
@@ -20,7 +42,7 @@ mkdir "%projectRoot%"
 
 :: Create Assets structure
 mkdir "%projectRoot%\Assets\ElevenLabs"
-if exist "A:\1 Amazon_Active_Projects\3 ProjectStructure\NewDaily.bat" copy /Y "A:\1 Amazon_Active_Projects\3 ProjectStructure\NewDaily.bat" "%projectRoot%\Assets\ElevenLabs\NewDaily.bat" >nul
+if exist "%STRUCT_DIR%\NewDaily.bat" copy /Y "%STRUCT_DIR%\NewDaily.bat" "%projectRoot%\Assets\ElevenLabs\NewDaily.bat" >nul
 mkdir "%projectRoot%\Assets\Blends"
 mkdir "%projectRoot%\Assets\Mocap"
 mkdir "%projectRoot%\Assets\VO"
@@ -40,11 +62,10 @@ mkdir "%projectRoot%\Pr\RnR\RIFE"
 if not exist "%projectRoot%\Renders" mkdir "%projectRoot%\Renders"
 
 :: Place helper scripts into Renders
-set "templateRoot=%~dp0"
+set "templateRoot=%STRUCT_DIR%"
-if not exist "%templateRoot%ZipSeqArchv.bat" set "templateRoot=A:\1 Amazon_Active_Projects\3 ProjectStructure\"
+for %%F in (UpdateSequences.bat ZipSeqArchv.bat UnzipSeqArchv.bat ConfigLoader.ps1 config.json) do (
-if exist "%templateRoot%UpdateSequences.bat" copy /Y "%templateRoot%UpdateSequences.bat" "%projectRoot%\Renders\UpdateSequences.bat" >nul
+  if exist "%templateRoot%\%%F" copy /Y "%templateRoot%\%%F" "%projectRoot%\Renders\%%F" >nul
-if exist "%templateRoot%ZipSeqArchv.bat" copy /Y "%templateRoot%ZipSeqArchv.bat" "%projectRoot%\Renders\ZipSeqArchv.bat" >nul
+)
-if exist "%templateRoot%UnzipSeqArchv.bat" copy /Y "%templateRoot%UnzipSeqArchv.bat" "%projectRoot%\Renders\UnzipSeqArchv.bat" >nul
 
 :: Use repo-provided templates for git config files
 if exist "%~dp0components\gitignore" copy /Y "%~dp0components\gitignore" "%projectRoot%\.gitignore" >nul

UnzipSeqArchv.bat

@@ -1,12 +1,29 @@
 @echo off
-setlocal
+setlocal EnableExtensions
 
 set "REN_DIR=%~dp0"
 for %%I in ("%REN_DIR%..") do set "PROJ_ROOT=%%~fI"
-set "PY_SCRIPT=A:\1 Amazon_Active_Projects\3 ProjectStructure\zip_sequences.py"
 
-if not exist "%PY_SCRIPT%" (
+set "CONFIG_LOADER=%REN_DIR%ConfigLoader.ps1"
-    echo Missing %PY_SCRIPT%
+set "CONFIG_PATH=%REN_DIR%config.json"
+
+if not exist "%CONFIG_LOADER%" (
+    echo [ERROR] ConfigLoader.ps1 not found next to UnzipSeqArchv.bat.
+    echo Please run UpgradeSeqBatches.ps1 to refresh helper files.
+    exit /b 1
+)
+
+if not exist "%CONFIG_PATH%" (
+    echo [ERROR] config.json not found next to UnzipSeqArchv.bat.
+    echo Please run UpgradeSeqBatches.ps1 to refresh helper files.
+    exit /b 1
+)
+
+for /f "usebackq delims=" %%I in (`powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command ^
+    "Set-StrictMode -Version Latest; $loader = Resolve-Path -LiteralPath '%CONFIG_LOADER%' -ErrorAction Stop; . $loader.Path; $pyPath = Join-Path (Get-StructDirectory) 'zip_sequences.py'; if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $pyPath)) { throw \"zip_sequences.py not found at $pyPath\" }; Write-Output $pyPath"`) do set "PY_SCRIPT=%%I"
+
+if not defined PY_SCRIPT (
+    echo [ERROR] Unable to resolve zip_sequences.py path from config.
     exit /b 1
 )
 

UpdateSequences.bat

@@ -1,7 +1,30 @@
 @echo off
 setlocal EnableExtensions
 
-set "ps1=A:\1 Amazon_Active_Projects\3 ProjectStructure\UpdateSequences.ps1"
+set "script_dir=%~dp0"
+set "config_loader=%script_dir%ConfigLoader.ps1"
+set "config_path=%script_dir%config.json"
+
+if not exist "%config_loader%" (
+    echo [ERROR] ConfigLoader.ps1 not found next to UpdateSequences.bat.
+    echo Please run UpgradeSeqBatches.ps1 to refresh helper files.
+    exit /b 1
+)
+
+if not exist "%config_path%" (
+    echo [ERROR] config.json not found next to UpdateSequences.bat.
+    echo Please run UpgradeSeqBatches.ps1 to refresh helper files.
+    exit /b 1
+)
+
+for /f "usebackq delims=" %%I in (`powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command ^
+    "Set-StrictMode -Version Latest; $loader = Resolve-Path -LiteralPath '%config_loader%' -ErrorAction Stop; . $loader.Path; $ps1Path = Join-Path (Get-StructDirectory) 'UpdateSequences.ps1'; if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $ps1Path)) { throw \"UpdateSequences.ps1 not found at $ps1Path\" }; Write-Output $ps1Path"`) do set "ps1=%%I"
+
+if not defined ps1 (
+    echo [ERROR] Unable to resolve UpdateSequences.ps1 path from config.
+    exit /b 1
+)
+
 echo   Running PowerShell update script...
 powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "%ps1%"
 set "rc=%errorlevel%"

UpdateSequences.ps1

@@ -6,6 +6,18 @@ param(
 Set-StrictMode -Version Latest
 $ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'
 
+if (-not $PSScriptRoot) {
+    $PSScriptRoot = Split-Path -Parent $MyInvocation.MyCommand.Path
+}
+
+$configLoader = Join-Path -Path $PSScriptRoot -ChildPath 'ConfigLoader.ps1'
+if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $configLoader)) {
+    throw "Missing ConfigLoader.ps1 in $PSScriptRoot"
+}
+. $configLoader
+
+$useIsoDailyFormat = Use-IsoDailyFormat
+
 function Sync-SequenceFilenames {
     param(
         [Parameter(Mandatory)] [string]$SequenceFolderPath,
@@ -191,9 +203,12 @@ try {
 
     $sequenceMap = @{}
 
-    $dailyDirs = Get-ChildItem -LiteralPath $root -Directory -Filter 'daily_*' -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue |
+    $primaryPattern = if ($useIsoDailyFormat) { '????-??-??' } else { 'daily_*' }
+    $secondaryPattern = if ($useIsoDailyFormat) { 'daily_*' } else { '????-??-??' }
+
+    $primaryDirs = Get-ChildItem -LiteralPath $root -Directory -Filter $primaryPattern -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue |
         Where-Object { $_.Name -ne '_archive' }
-    foreach ($d in $dailyDirs) {
+    foreach ($d in $primaryDirs) {
         $seqDirs = @(Get-ChildItem -LiteralPath $d.FullName -Directory -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Where-Object { $_.Name -ne '_archive' })
         if ($seqDirs.Count -eq 0) {
             Add-SequenceFolder -Directory $d -Map $sequenceMap
@@ -204,10 +219,9 @@ try {
         }
     }
 
-    # Scan for YYYY-MM-DD format folders (home convention)
+    $secondaryDirs = Get-ChildItem -LiteralPath $root -Directory -Filter $secondaryPattern -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue |
-    $dailyDirsHome = Get-ChildItem -LiteralPath $root -Directory -Filter '????-??-??' -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue |
         Where-Object { $_.Name -ne '_archive' }
-    foreach ($d in $dailyDirsHome) {
+    foreach ($d in $secondaryDirs) {
         $seqDirs = @(Get-ChildItem -LiteralPath $d.FullName -Directory -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Where-Object { $_.Name -ne '_archive' })
         if ($seqDirs.Count -eq 0) {
             Add-SequenceFolder -Directory $d -Map $sequenceMap
@@ -218,9 +232,12 @@ try {
         }
     }
 
-    # Scan for direct sequence folders (not in daily_* or YYYY-MM-DD folders)
     $directSeqs = Get-ChildItem -LiteralPath $root -Directory -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue |
-        Where-Object { $_.Name -ne '_archive' -and $_.Name -notlike 'daily_*' -and $_.Name -notmatch '^\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}$' }
+        Where-Object {
+            $_.Name -ne '_archive' -and
+            $_.Name -notlike 'daily_*' -and
+            $_.Name -notmatch '^\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}$'
+        }
     foreach ($seq in $directSeqs) {
         Add-SequenceFolder -Directory $seq -Map $sequenceMap
     }

UpgradeSeqBatches.ps1

@@ -1,28 +1,59 @@
 # Update subfolders with the latest UpdateSequences and UpdateAllSequences scripts
 
-$sourceBat = "R:\Creative\artsy\maya\0 ProjectStructure\UpdateSequences.bat"
+Set-StrictMode -Version Latest
-$sourceAllBat = "R:\Creative\artsy\maya\0 ProjectStructure\UpdateAllSequences.bat"
+$ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'
 
-if (-not (Test-Path $sourceBat)) { Write-Error "Source file not found: $sourceBat"; exit 1 }
+if (-not $PSScriptRoot) {
-if (-not (Test-Path $sourceAllBat)) { Write-Error "Source file not found: $sourceAllBat"; exit 1 }
+    $PSScriptRoot = Split-Path -Parent $MyInvocation.MyCommand.Path
+}
 
-$root = "R:\Creative\artsy\maya"
+$configLoader = Join-Path -Path $PSScriptRoot -ChildPath 'ConfigLoader.ps1'
+if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $configLoader)) {
+    throw "Missing ConfigLoader.ps1 in $PSScriptRoot"
+}
+. $configLoader
+
+$structDir = Get-StructDirectory
+$projectsRoot = Get-ProjectsRoot
+
+$sourceBat = Join-Path -Path $structDir -ChildPath 'UpdateSequences.bat'
+$sourceAllBat = Join-Path -Path $structDir -ChildPath 'UpdateAllSequences.bat'
+$sourceZipBat = Join-Path -Path $structDir -ChildPath 'ZipSeqArchv.bat'
+$sourceUnzipBat = Join-Path -Path $structDir -ChildPath 'UnzipSeqArchv.bat'
+$configLoaderSource = Join-Path -Path $structDir -ChildPath 'ConfigLoader.ps1'
+$configJsonSource = Join-Path -Path $structDir -ChildPath 'config.json'
+
+if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $sourceBat)) { Write-Error "Source file not found: $sourceBat"; exit 1 }
+if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $sourceAllBat)) { Write-Error "Source file not found: $sourceAllBat"; exit 1 }
+if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $sourceZipBat)) { Write-Error "Source file not found: $sourceZipBat"; exit 1 }
+if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $sourceUnzipBat)) { Write-Error "Source file not found: $sourceUnzipBat"; exit 1 }
+if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $configLoaderSource)) { Write-Error "Config loader not found: $configLoaderSource"; exit 1 }
+if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $configJsonSource)) { Write-Error "Config file not found: $configJsonSource"; exit 1 }
 
 $specs = @(
     @{ Name = "UpdateSequences.bat"; Source = $sourceBat },
-    @{ Name = "UpdateAllSequences.bat"; Source = $sourceAllBat }
+    @{ Name = "UpdateAllSequences.bat"; Source = $sourceAllBat },
+    @{ Name = "ZipSeqArchv.bat"; Source = $sourceZipBat },
+    @{ Name = "UnzipSeqArchv.bat"; Source = $sourceUnzipBat }
+)
+
+$sharedAssets = @(
+    @{ Name = 'ConfigLoader.ps1'; Source = $configLoaderSource },
+    @{ Name = 'config.json'; Source = $configJsonSource }
 )
 
 $grandTotal = 0
 $grandUpdated = 0
 $grandFailed = 0
+$touchedDirs = @{}
 
 foreach ($spec in $specs) {
     Write-Host "=== Updating $($spec.Name) files ===" -ForegroundColor Cyan
     Write-Host "Source: $($spec.Source)" -ForegroundColor White
     Write-Host "" 
     
-    $targets = Get-ChildItem -Path $root -Recurse -Filter $spec.Name | Where-Object { $_.FullName -ne $spec.Source }
+    $targets = Get-ChildItem -LiteralPath $projectsRoot -Recurse -Filter $spec.Name -File -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue |
+        Where-Object { $_.FullName -ne $spec.Source }
     Write-Host "Found $($targets.Count) target files to update:" -ForegroundColor Yellow
     foreach ($t in $targets) { Write-Host "  - $($t.FullName)" -ForegroundColor Gray }
     Write-Host "" 
@@ -30,10 +61,24 @@ foreach ($spec in $specs) {
     $updated = 0
     $failed = 0
     foreach ($t in $targets) {
+        $targetDir = $t.Directory.FullName
         try {
             Copy-Item -Path $spec.Source -Destination $t.FullName -Force
             Write-Host "✓ Updated: $($t.FullName)" -ForegroundColor Green
             $updated++
+
+            if (-not $touchedDirs.ContainsKey($targetDir)) {
+                foreach ($asset in $sharedAssets) {
+                    try {
+                        Copy-Item -Path $asset.Source -Destination (Join-Path -Path $targetDir -ChildPath $asset.Name) -Force
+                    }
+                    catch {
+                        Write-Host "✗ Failed to copy $($asset.Name) to $targetDir" -ForegroundColor Red
+                        Write-Host "  Error: $($_.Exception.Message)" -ForegroundColor Red
+                    }
+                }
+                $touchedDirs[$targetDir] = $true
+            }
         }
         catch {
             Write-Host "✗ Failed to update: $($t.FullName)" -ForegroundColor Red

UpgradeToGitProj.bat

@@ -56,6 +56,18 @@ for %%F in (UpdateSequences.bat ZipSeqArchv.bat UnzipSeqArchv.bat) do (
   )
 )
 
+for %%F in (ConfigLoader.ps1 config.json) do (
+  if exist "%scriptDir%%%F" (
+    if "%DRY%"=="1" (
+      echo [DRY] copy "%scriptDir%%%F" "%rendersDir%\%%F"
+    ) else (
+      copy /Y "%scriptDir%%%F" "%rendersDir%\%%F" >nul
+    )
+  ) else (
+    echo [WARN] Missing template: "%scriptDir%%%F"
+  )
+)
+
 :: -----------------------------
 :: Merge .gitignore and .gitattributes from templates
 :: -----------------------------

ZipSeqArchv.bat

@@ -1,12 +1,29 @@
 @echo off
-setlocal
+setlocal EnableExtensions
 
 set "REN_DIR=%~dp0"
 for %%I in ("%REN_DIR%..") do set "PROJ_ROOT=%%~fI"
-set "PY_SCRIPT=A:\1 Amazon_Active_Projects\3 ProjectStructure\zip_sequences.py"
 
-if not exist "%PY_SCRIPT%" (
+set "CONFIG_LOADER=%REN_DIR%ConfigLoader.ps1"
-    echo Missing %PY_SCRIPT%
+set "CONFIG_PATH=%REN_DIR%config.json"
+
+if not exist "%CONFIG_LOADER%" (
+    echo [ERROR] ConfigLoader.ps1 not found next to ZipSeqArchv.bat.
+    echo Please run UpgradeSeqBatches.ps1 to refresh helper files.
+    exit /b 1
+)
+
+if not exist "%CONFIG_PATH%" (
+    echo [ERROR] config.json not found next to ZipSeqArchv.bat.
+    echo Please run UpgradeSeqBatches.ps1 to refresh helper files.
+    exit /b 1
+)
+
+for /f "usebackq delims=" %%I in (`powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command ^
+    "Set-StrictMode -Version Latest; $loader = Resolve-Path -LiteralPath '%CONFIG_LOADER%' -ErrorAction Stop; . $loader.Path; $pyPath = Join-Path (Get-StructDirectory) 'zip_sequences.py'; if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $pyPath)) { throw \"zip_sequences.py not found at $pyPath\" }; Write-Output $pyPath"`) do set "PY_SCRIPT=%%I"
+
+if not defined PY_SCRIPT (
+    echo [ERROR] Unable to resolve zip_sequences.py path from config.
     exit /b 1
 )
 

config.json

@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+{
+  "dailyFormat": true,
+  "structDir": "D:\\ProjectStructure",
+  "zipper": true,
+  "compression": 9
+}
+

zip_sequences.py

@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ from __future__ import annotations
 
 import argparse
 import json
+import subprocess
 import os
 import shutil
 import sys
@@ -30,6 +31,52 @@ SEQUENCE_EXTENSIONS = {
     ".exr",
 }
 STATE_SUFFIX = ".meta.json"
+CONFIG_PATH = Path(__file__).resolve().with_name("config.json")
+DEFAULT_CONFIG = {
+    "zipper": True,
+    "compression": 9,
+}
+
+
+def load_config() -> dict:
+    try:
+        text = CONFIG_PATH.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+    except FileNotFoundError:
+        return DEFAULT_CONFIG.copy()
+    except OSError:
+        return DEFAULT_CONFIG.copy()
+
+    try:
+        data = json.loads(text)
+    except json.JSONDecodeError:
+        return DEFAULT_CONFIG.copy()
+
+    if not isinstance(data, dict):
+        return DEFAULT_CONFIG.copy()
+
+    merged = DEFAULT_CONFIG.copy()
+    merged.update(data)
+    return merged
+
+
+CONFIG = load_config()
+USE_7Z = bool(CONFIG.get("zipper", True))
+COMPRESSION_LEVEL = CONFIG.get("compression", 9)
+if isinstance(COMPRESSION_LEVEL, str):
+    try:
+        COMPRESSION_LEVEL = int(COMPRESSION_LEVEL)
+    except ValueError:
+        COMPRESSION_LEVEL = 9
+if not isinstance(COMPRESSION_LEVEL, int):
+    COMPRESSION_LEVEL = 9
+COMPRESSION_LEVEL = max(0, min(9, COMPRESSION_LEVEL))
+
+SEVEN_Z_EXE: str | None = None
+if USE_7Z:
+    SEVEN_Z_EXE = shutil.which("7z") or shutil.which("7za")
+    if SEVEN_Z_EXE is None:
+        print("[zip] Requested 7z compression but no 7z executable was found; falling back to zipfile.", file=sys.stderr)
+        USE_7Z = False
 
 
 def parse_args() -> argparse.Namespace:
@@ -138,24 +185,55 @@ def state_path_for(zip_path: Path) -> Path:
 
 
 def zip_sequence(seq_dir: Path, zip_path: Path) -> None:
-    from zipfile import ZIP_STORED, ZipFile
+    if USE_7Z and SEVEN_Z_EXE:
+        zip_path.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+        cmd = [
+            SEVEN_Z_EXE,
+            "a",
+            "-y",
+            f"-mx={COMPRESSION_LEVEL}",
+            "-tzip",
+            str(zip_path),
+            ".\\*",
+        ]
+        subprocess.run(cmd, cwd=seq_dir, check=True, stdout=subprocess.PIPE, stderr=subprocess.PIPE)
+        return
+
+    from zipfile import ZIP_DEFLATED, ZIP_STORED, ZipFile
 
     zip_path.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
-    with ZipFile(zip_path, "w", compression=ZIP_STORED) as archive:
+    if COMPRESSION_LEVEL <= 0:
+        compression = ZIP_STORED
+        zip_kwargs = {}
+    else:
+        compression = ZIP_DEFLATED
+        zip_kwargs = {"compresslevel": COMPRESSION_LEVEL}
+
+    with ZipFile(zip_path, "w", compression=compression, **zip_kwargs) as archive:
         for file_path in iter_sequence_files(seq_dir):
             archive.write(file_path, arcname=file_path.relative_to(seq_dir).as_posix())
 
 
 def expand_sequence(zip_path: Path, seq_state: dict) -> None:
-    from zipfile import ZipFile
-
     target_dir = sequence_dir_for(zip_path)
     if target_dir.exists():
         shutil.rmtree(target_dir)
     target_dir.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
 
-    with ZipFile(zip_path, "r") as archive:
+    if USE_7Z and SEVEN_Z_EXE:
-        archive.extractall(target_dir)
+        cmd = [
+            SEVEN_Z_EXE,
+            "x",
+            "-y",
+            str(zip_path),
+            f"-o{target_dir}",
+        ]
+        subprocess.run(cmd, check=True, stdout=subprocess.PIPE, stderr=subprocess.PIPE)
+    else:
+        from zipfile import ZipFile
+
+        with ZipFile(zip_path, "r") as archive:
+            archive.extractall(target_dir)
 
     for entry in seq_state.get("files", []):
         file_path = target_dir / entry["path"]