diff --git a/gui/ChronoShareGui.pro b/gui/ChronoShareGui.pro
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e2cad8e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gui/ChronoShareGui.pro
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+#-------------------------------------------------
+#
+# Project created by QtCreator 2013-01-17T18:25:59
+#
+#-------------------------------------------------
+
+QT       += core gui
+
+greaterThan(QT_MAJOR_VERSION, 4): QT += widgets
+
+TARGET = ChronoShareGui
+TEMPLATE = app
+
+
+SOURCES += main.cpp\
+        chronosharegui.cpp
+
+HEADERS  += chronosharegui.h
+
+FORMS    += chronosharegui.ui
+
+RESOURCES += \
+    images.qrc
diff --git a/gui/ChronoShareGui.pro.user b/gui/ChronoShareGui.pro.user
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a40f863
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gui/ChronoShareGui.pro.user
@@ -0,0 +1,239 @@
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diff --git a/gui/chronosharegui.cpp b/gui/chronosharegui.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6faa80b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gui/chronosharegui.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,220 @@
+/* -*- Mode: C++; c-file-style: "gnu"; indent-tabs-mode:nil -*- */
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2012-2013 University of California, Los Angeles
+ *
+ * This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
+ * it under the terms of the GNU General Public License version 2 as
+ * published by the Free Software Foundation;
+ *
+ * This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+ * GNU General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+ * along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software
+ * Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA  02111-1307  USA
+ *
+ * Author: Jared Lindblom <lindblom@cs.ucla.edu>
+ */
+
+#include "chronosharegui.h"
+#include "ui_chronosharegui.h"
+
+ChronoShareGui::ChronoShareGui(QWidget *parent) :
+    QWidget(parent),
+    m_settingsFilePath(QDir::homePath() + ".cronoShare")
+{
+    // load settings
+    if(!loadSettings())
+    {
+        // prompt user to choose folder
+        openMessageBox("First Time Setup", "Please select your shared folder location.");
+        openFileDialog();
+    }
+
+    // create actions that result from clicking a menu option
+    createActions();
+
+    // create tray icon
+    createTrayIcon();
+
+    // set icon image
+    setIcon();
+
+    // show tray icon
+    m_trayIcon->show();
+}
+
+ChronoShareGui::~ChronoShareGui()
+{
+    // cleanup
+    delete m_trayIcon;
+    delete m_trayIconMenu;
+    delete m_openFolder;
+    delete m_viewSettings;
+    delete m_changeFolder;
+    delete m_quitProgram;
+}
+
+void ChronoShareGui::openMessageBox(QString title, QString text)
+{
+    QMessageBox messageBox(this);
+    messageBox.setWindowTitle(title);
+    messageBox.setText(text);
+
+    messageBox.setIconPixmap(QPixmap(":/images/friends-group-icon.png"));
+
+    messageBox.exec();
+}
+
+void ChronoShareGui::openMessageBox(QString title, QString text, QString infotext)
+{
+    QMessageBox messageBox(this);
+    messageBox.setWindowTitle(title);
+    messageBox.setText(text);
+    messageBox.setInformativeText(infotext);
+
+    messageBox.setIconPixmap(QPixmap(":/images/friends-group-icon.png"));
+
+    messageBox.exec();
+}
+
+void ChronoShareGui::createActions()
+{
+    // create the "open folder" action
+    m_openFolder = new QAction(tr("&Open Folder"), this);
+    connect(m_openFolder, SIGNAL(triggered()), this, SLOT(openSharedFolder()));
+
+    // create the "view settings" action
+    m_viewSettings = new QAction(tr("&View Settings"), this);
+    connect(m_viewSettings, SIGNAL(triggered()), this, SLOT(viewSettings()));
+
+    // create the "change folder" action
+    m_changeFolder = new QAction(tr("&Change Folder"), this);
+    connect(m_changeFolder, SIGNAL(triggered()), this, SLOT(openFileDialog()));
+
+    // create the "quit program" action
+    m_quitProgram = new QAction(tr("&Quit"), this);
+    connect(m_quitProgram, SIGNAL(triggered()), qApp, SLOT(quit()));
+
+}
+
+void ChronoShareGui::createTrayIcon()
+{
+    // create a new icon menu
+    m_trayIconMenu = new QMenu(this);
+
+    // add actions to the menu
+    m_trayIconMenu->addAction(m_openFolder);
+    m_trayIconMenu->addSeparator();
+    m_trayIconMenu->addAction(m_viewSettings);
+    m_trayIconMenu->addAction(m_changeFolder);
+    m_trayIconMenu->addSeparator();
+    m_trayIconMenu->addAction(m_quitProgram);
+
+    // create new tray icon
+    m_trayIcon = new QSystemTrayIcon(this);
+
+    // associate the menu with the tray icon
+    m_trayIcon->setContextMenu(m_trayIconMenu);
+
+    // handle left click of icon
+    connect(m_trayIcon, SIGNAL(activated(QSystemTrayIcon::ActivationReason)), this, SLOT(trayIconClicked(QSystemTrayIcon::ActivationReason)));
+}
+
+void ChronoShareGui::setIcon()
+{
+    // set the icon image
+    m_trayIcon->setIcon(QIcon(":/images/friends-group-icon.png"));
+}
+
+void ChronoShareGui::openSharedFolder()
+{
+    // tell Finder to open the shared folder
+    QStringList scriptArgs;
+    scriptArgs << QLatin1String("-e")
+               << QString::fromLatin1("tell application \"Finder\" to reveal POSIX file \"%1\"")
+                                     .arg(m_dirPath);
+
+    // execute the commands to make it happen
+    QProcess::execute(QLatin1String("/usr/bin/osascript"), scriptArgs);
+
+    // clear command arguments
+    scriptArgs.clear();
+
+    // tell Finder to appear
+    scriptArgs << QLatin1String("-e")
+               << QLatin1String("tell application \"Finder\" to activate");
+
+    // execute the commands to make it happen
+    QProcess::execute("/usr/bin/osascript", scriptArgs);
+}
+
+void ChronoShareGui::openFileDialog()
+{
+    // prompt user for new directory
+    QString tempPath = QFileDialog::getExistingDirectory(this, tr("Choose a new folder"),
+                                                    m_dirPath, QFileDialog::ShowDirsOnly |
+                                                     QFileDialog::DontResolveSymlinks);
+    QFileInfo qFileInfo(tempPath);
+
+    if(qFileInfo.isDir())
+        m_dirPath = tempPath;
+    else
+        openMessageBox("Error", "Not a valid folder, Ignoring.");
+
+    qDebug() << m_dirPath;
+    openMessageBox("Current Folder", "Current Shared Folder:\n" + m_dirPath, "You may change the folder by selecting \"change folder\" from the icon in the system tray.");
+
+    // save settings
+    saveSettings();
+}
+
+void ChronoShareGui::trayIconClicked(QSystemTrayIcon::ActivationReason reason)
+{
+    // if double clicked, open shared folder
+    if(reason == QSystemTrayIcon::DoubleClick)
+    {
+        openSharedFolder();
+    }
+}
+
+void ChronoShareGui::viewSettings()
+{
+    // simple for now
+    openMessageBox("Chronoshare Settings", "CurrentFolder:\n" + m_dirPath);
+}
+
+bool ChronoShareGui::loadSettings()
+{
+    bool successful = false;
+
+    // Load Settings
+    QSettings settings(m_settingsFilePath, QSettings::NativeFormat);
+    if(settings.contains("dirPath"))
+    {
+        m_dirPath = settings.value("dirPath", QDir::homePath()).toString();
+        successful = true;
+    }
+    else
+    {
+        m_dirPath = QDir::homePath();
+        successful = false;
+    }
+
+    return successful;
+}
+
+void ChronoShareGui::saveSettings()
+{
+    // Save Settings
+    QSettings settings(m_settingsFilePath, QSettings::NativeFormat);
+    settings.setValue("dirPath", m_dirPath);
+}
+
+void ChronoShareGui::closeEvent(QCloseEvent* event)
+{
+    qDebug() << "Close Event.";
+    event->ignore(); // don't let the event propagate to the base class
+}
diff --git a/gui/chronosharegui.h b/gui/chronosharegui.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..48e2bc3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gui/chronosharegui.h
@@ -0,0 +1,98 @@
+/* -*- Mode: C++; c-file-style: "gnu"; indent-tabs-mode:nil -*- */
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2012-2013 University of California, Los Angeles
+ *
+ * This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
+ * it under the terms of the GNU General Public License version 2 as
+ * published by the Free Software Foundation;
+ *
+ * This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+ * GNU General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+ * along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software
+ * Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA  02111-1307  USA
+ *
+ * Author: Jared Lindblom <lindblom@cs.ucla.edu>
+ */
+
+#ifndef CHRONOSHAREGUI_H
+#define CHRONOSHAREGUI_H
+
+#include <QWidget>
+#include <QSystemTrayIcon>
+#include <QMenu>
+#include <QDebug>
+#include <QProcess>
+#include <QSettings>
+#include <QDir>
+#include <QFileDialog>
+#include <QCloseEvent>
+#include <QMessageBox>
+
+class ChronoShareGui : public QWidget
+{
+    Q_OBJECT
+    
+public:
+    // constructor
+    explicit ChronoShareGui(QWidget* parent = 0);
+
+    // destructor
+    ~ChronoShareGui();
+
+private slots:
+    // open the shared folder
+    void openSharedFolder();
+
+    // open file dialog
+    void openFileDialog();
+
+    // handle left click of tray icon
+    void trayIconClicked(QSystemTrayIcon::ActivationReason reason);
+
+    // view chronoshare settings
+    void viewSettings();
+
+private:
+    // create actions that result from clicking a menu option
+    void createActions();
+
+    // create tray icon
+    void createTrayIcon();
+
+    // set icon image
+    void setIcon();
+
+    // load persistent settings
+    bool loadSettings();
+
+    // save persistent settings
+    void saveSettings();
+
+    // prompt user dialog box
+    void openMessageBox(QString title, QString text);
+
+    // overload
+    void openMessageBox(QString title, QString text, QString infotext);
+
+    // capture close event
+    void closeEvent(QCloseEvent* event);
+
+private:
+    QSystemTrayIcon* m_trayIcon; // tray icon
+    QMenu* m_trayIconMenu; // tray icon menu
+
+    QAction* m_openFolder; // open the shared folder action
+    QAction* m_viewSettings; // chronoShare settings
+    QAction* m_changeFolder; // change the shared folder action
+    QAction* m_quitProgram; // quit program action
+
+    QString m_dirPath; // shared directory
+
+    QString m_settingsFilePath; // settings file path
+};
+
+#endif // CHRONOSHAREGUI_H
diff --git a/gui/chronosharegui.ui b/gui/chronosharegui.ui
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..685ec22
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gui/chronosharegui.ui
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+<ui version="4.0">
+ <class>ChronoShareGui</class>
+ <widget class="QWidget" name="ChronoShareGui" >
+  <property name="geometry" >
+   <rect>
+    <x>0</x>
+    <y>0</y>
+    <width>400</width>
+    <height>300</height>
+   </rect>
+  </property>
+  <property name="windowTitle" >
+   <string>ChronoShareGui</string>
+  </property>
+ </widget>
+ <layoutDefault spacing="6" margin="11" />
+ <pixmapfunction></pixmapfunction>
+ <resources/>
+ <connections/>
+</ui>
diff --git a/gui/friends-group-icon.png b/gui/friends-group-icon.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a6ae00c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gui/friends-group-icon.png
Binary files differ
diff --git a/gui/images.qrc b/gui/images.qrc
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..15d4acf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gui/images.qrc
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+<RCC>
+    <qresource prefix="/images">
+        <file>friends-group-icon.png</file>
+    </qresource>
+</RCC>
diff --git a/gui/main.cpp b/gui/main.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0b9a176
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gui/main.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+/* -*- Mode: C++; c-file-style: "gnu"; indent-tabs-mode:nil -*- */
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2012-2013 University of California, Los Angeles
+ *
+ * This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
+ * it under the terms of the GNU General Public License version 2 as
+ * published by the Free Software Foundation;
+ *
+ * This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+ * GNU General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+ * along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software
+ * Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA  02111-1307  USA
+ *
+ * Author: Jared Lindblom <lindblom@cs.ucla.edu>
+ */
+
+#include "chronosharegui.h"
+#include <QApplication>
+
+int main(int argc, char *argv[])
+{
+    QApplication app(argc, argv);
+
+    // do not quit when last window closes
+    app.setQuitOnLastWindowClosed(false);
+
+    // invoke gui
+    ChronoShareGui gui;
+    
+    return app.exec();
+}