diff --git a/sbysrc/sby_core.py b/sbysrc/sby_core.py
index 599e7bc..b12723e 100644
--- a/sbysrc/sby_core.py
+++ b/sbysrc/sby_core.py
@@ -248,6 +248,7 @@ class SbyConfig:
         self.options = dict()
         self.engines = list()
         self.setup = dict()
+        self.stage = dict()
         self.script = list()
         self.autotune_config = None
         self.files = dict()
@@ -301,6 +302,27 @@ class SbyConfig:
                         self.error(f"sby file syntax error: {line}")
                     continue
 
+                if entries[0] == "stage":
+                    mode = "stage"
+                    if len(entries) > 3 or len(entries) < 2:
+                        self.error(f"sby file syntax error: {line}")
+
+                    if len(entries) == 2:
+                        parent = None
+                    else:
+                        parent = entries[2]
+
+                    key = entries[1]
+
+                    if key in self.stage:
+                        self.error(f"stage {key} already defined")
+
+                    self.stage[key] = {
+                        'parent': parent
+                    }
+
+                    continue
+
                 if section == "script":
                     mode = "script"
                     if len(self.script) != 0:
@@ -380,6 +402,35 @@ class SbyConfig:
                         self.setup[key] = kvp[1:]
                 continue
 
+                if mode == "stage":
+                    self.error("[stage] section not yet supported")
+                    kvp = line.split()
+                    if key is None or key == '':
+                        self.error(f"sby file syntax error: in stage mode but unknown key")
+
+                    if len(kvp) == 0:
+                        continue
+
+                    if kvp[0] not in ("mode", "depth", "timeout", "expect", "engine",
+                                      "cutpoint", "enable", "disable", "assume", "skip",
+                                      "check", "prove", "abstract", "setsel") or len(kvp) < 2:
+                        self.error(f"sby file syntax error: {line}")
+                    else:
+                        stmt = kvp[0]
+                        if stmt == 'setsel':
+                            if len(kvp[1:]) < 2:
+                                self.error(f"sby file syntax error: {line}")
+                            elif kvp[1][0] != '@':
+                                self.error(f"sby file syntax error: {line}")
+                            else:
+                                name = kvp[1][1:]
+                                self.stage[key][stmt] = {
+                                    'name': name, 'pattern': kvp[2:]
+                                }
+                        else:
+                            self.stage[key][stmt] = kvp[1:]
+                    continue
+
             if mode == "script":
                 self.script.append(line)
                 continue
@@ -834,6 +885,11 @@ class SbyTask(SbyConfig):
         with open(f"{self.workdir}/config.sby", "r") as f:
             self.parse_config(f)
 
+        if len(self.stage) == 0:
+            self.stage['default'] = {
+                'enable', '*'
+            }
+
         self.handle_str_option("mode", None)
 
         if self.opt_mode not in ["bmc", "prove", "cover", "live"]: