diff --git a/asibfm700/tests/cfg_test.cpp b/asibfm700/tests/cfg_test.cpp
index 9407272..341fb13 100644
--- a/asibfm700/tests/cfg_test.cpp
+++ b/asibfm700/tests/cfg_test.cpp
@@ -68,5 +68,15 @@ int main()
     std::cout << "refr w: " << e.value_or(0.0) << "\n";
     std::cout << "refr w: " << acfg.refractWavelength << "\n";
 
+
+    mcc::utils::KeyValueHolder kvh(desc);
+    err = kvh.setValue("C", "ewlkjfde");
+    if (err) {
+        std::cout << "cannot set value: " << err.message() << "\n";
+    } else {
+        auto vs = kvh.getValue<std::string>("C");
+        std::cout << "kvh[C] = " << vs.value_or("<no value>") << "\n";
+    }
+
     return 0;
 }
diff --git a/mcc/mcc_utils.h b/mcc/mcc_utils.h
index 57b48b9..89ad893 100644
--- a/mcc/mcc_utils.h
+++ b/mcc/mcc_utils.h
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 #include <charconv>
 #include <cmath>
 #include <cstring>
+#include <expected>
 #include <format>
 #include <numbers>
 #include <ranges>
@@ -399,4 +400,167 @@ static constexpr size_t FNV1aHash(std::forward_iterator auto begin, std::sentine
     return hash;
 }
 
+
+/*    key-value pair holder    */
+
+// to follow std::variant requirements (not references, not array, not void)
+template <typename T>
+concept variant_valid_type_c = requires { !std::is_array_v<T> && !std::is_void_v<T> && !std::is_reference_v<T>; };
+
+
+template <typename T>
+concept keyvalue_record_c = requires(T t) {
+    requires std::same_as<decltype(t.key), std::string_view>;
+    requires variant_valid_type_c<decltype(t.value)>;
+};
+
+
+template <typename T>
+concept keyvalue_desc_c = requires(T t) { []<keyvalue_record_c... Ts>(std::tuple<Ts...>) {}(t); };
+
+
+template <keyvalue_desc_c DESCR_T>
+class KeyValueHolder
+{
+public:
+    static constexpr std::string_view COMMENT_SEQ{"#"};
+    static constexpr std::string_view KEY_VALUE_DELIM{"="};
+    static constexpr std::string_view VALUE_ARRAY_DELIM{","};
+
+    KeyValueHolder(DESCR_T desc) : _keyValue(desc)
+    {
+        [this]<size_t... I>(std::index_sequence<I...>) {
+            ((_hashes[I] = FNV1aHash(std::get<I>(_keyValue).key)), ...);
+        }(std::make_index_sequence<std::tuple_size_v<DESCR_T>>());
+    }
+
+    template <typename T>
+    std::expected<T, std::error_code> getValue(std::string_view key)
+    {
+        T v;
+        auto err = forKey(key, [&v]<typename VT>(const VT& val) {
+            if constexpr (std::convertible_to<VT, T>) {
+                v = val;
+                return std::error_code();
+            } else {
+                return std::make_error_code(std::errc::invalid_argument);
+            }
+        });
+
+        if (err) {
+            return std::unexpected(err);
+        } else {
+            return v;
+        }
+    }
+
+    template <typename T>
+    std::error_code setValue(std::string_view key, const T& value)
+    {
+        return forKey(key, [value]<typename VT>(VT& val) {
+            if constexpr (std::convertible_to<T, VT>) {
+                val = value;
+                return std::error_code();
+            } else {
+                return std::make_error_code(std::errc::invalid_argument);
+            }
+        });
+    }
+
+
+    template <std::ranges::contiguous_range R,
+              typename DeserFuncT,
+              std::ranges::input_range RecDelimT = std::string_view>
+    std::error_code fromCharRange(const R& buffer,
+                                  DeserFuncT&& deser_func,
+                                  RecDelimT rec_delim = std::string_view("\n"))
+    {
+        if constexpr (std::is_array_v<std::decay_t<R>>) {  // char*, const char*
+            if constexpr (std::is_array_v<std::decay_t<RecDelimT>>) {
+                return fromCharRange(std::string_view{buffer}, std::forward<DeserFuncT>(deser_func),
+                                     std::string_view(rec_delim));
+            } else {
+                return fromCharRange(std::string_view{buffer}, std::forward<DeserFuncT>(deser_func),
+                                     std::move(rec_delim));
+            }
+        } else {
+            if constexpr (std::is_array_v<std::decay_t<RecDelimT>>) {
+                return fromCharRange(buffer, std::forward<DeserFuncT>(deser_func), std::string_view(rec_delim));
+            }
+        }
+
+        auto parse_rec = [this, &deser_func](std::string_view rec) -> std::error_code {
+            std::string_view key, value;
+
+            if (rec.size()) {
+                auto found = std::ranges::search(rec, COMMENT_SEQ);
+                if (found.begin() != rec.end()) {  // there was the comment sequence in record
+                    rec = rec.substr(std::distance(rec.begin(), found.begin()));
+                }
+
+                if (rec.size()) {
+                    found = std::ranges::search(rec, KEY_VALUE_DELIM);
+                    if (found.begin() != rec.begin()) {  // ignore an empty key
+                        key = trimSpaces(std::string_view(rec.begin(), found.begin()), TrimType::TRIM_RIGHT);
+                        value = std::string_view(found.end(), rec.end());
+
+                        return forKey(key, [value, &deser_func]<typename VT>(VT& v) { return deser_func(value, v); });
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        };
+
+        auto curr_buffer = std::string_view(buffer.begin(), buffer.end());
+        bool buffer_end = false;
+        std::error_code ec;
+        std::string_view rec;
+
+        auto delim_size = std::ranges::size(rec_delim);
+        if (delim_size == 0) {  // just one record
+            return parse_rec(trimSpaces(buffer, TrimType::TRIM_LEFT));
+        }
+
+        do {
+            auto found = std::ranges::search(curr_buffer, rec_delim);
+            if (found.begin() == curr_buffer.end()) {
+                buffer_end = true;
+            }
+
+            rec = mcc::utils::trimSpaces(std::string_view(curr_buffer.begin(), found.begin()), TrimType::TRIM_LEFT);
+
+            curr_buffer = {found.end(), curr_buffer.end()};
+
+            ec = parse_rec(rec);
+        } while (!buffer_end || !ec);
+
+        return ec;
+    }
+
+protected:
+    DESCR_T _keyValue;
+
+    std::array<size_t, std::tuple_size_v<DESCR_T>> _hashes;
+
+
+    std::error_code forKey(std::string_view key, auto&& func)
+    {
+        return forHash<0>(FNV1aHash(key), std::forward<decltype(func)>(func));
+    }
+
+
+    template <size_t I = 0>
+    std::error_code forHash(size_t hash, auto&& func)
+    {
+        if constexpr (I < std::tuple_size_v<DESCR_T>) {
+            if (hash == _hashes[I]) {
+                return std::forward<decltype(func)>(func)(std::get<I>(_keyValue).value);
+            } else {
+                return forHash<I + 1>(hash, std::forward<decltype(func)>(func));
+            }
+        }
+
+        return std::make_error_code(std::errc::argument_out_of_domain);
+    }
+};
+
 }  // namespace mcc::utils