diff --git a/src/App.vue b/src/App.vue
index 513fc7e..8a52ba7 100644
--- a/src/App.vue
+++ b/src/App.vue
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
             v-for="(event, index) in minion_events"
             :key="index"
           >
-            <summary>{{ event.tag }}</summary>
+            <summary>{{ event_name(event) }}</summary>
             <pre>{{ JSON.stringify(event, null, 2) }}</pre>
           </details>
         </details>
@@ -29,14 +29,33 @@ import { Vue, Component, Prop, Ref } from 'vue-property-decorator';
 
 import credentials from './credentials.json';
 
+import * as salt from './salt';
+
+function isEventType<T extends salt.SaltEvent['splitTag'][1]>(
+  event: salt.SaltEvent,
+  type: T
+): event is Extract<salt.SaltEvent, { splitTag: ['salt', T, ...any[]] }> {
+  return event.splitTag[1] === type;
+}
+
+function isJobEventType<T extends salt.SaltEvent['splitTag'][3]>(
+  event: salt.SaltEvent,
+  type: T
+): event is Extract<
+  salt.SaltEvent,
+  { splitTag: ['salt', 'job', any, T, ...any[]] }
+> {
+  return event.splitTag[3] === type;
+}
+
 const BASE_URL = 'https://salt.sawtooth.claremontmakerspace.org:8000/';
 
 @Component
 export default class App extends Vue {
   evtSource: EventSource | null = null;
-  events: any[] = [];
+  events: salt.SaltEvent[] = [];
 
-  mounted() {
+  mounted(): void {
     fetch(BASE_URL + 'login', {
       method: 'POST',
       mode: 'cors',
@@ -44,50 +63,58 @@ export default class App extends Vue {
     })
       .then(r => r.json())
       .then(r => {
-        const token = r.return[0].token;
+        const token: string = r.return[0].token;
         this.evtSource = new EventSource(BASE_URL + 'events?token=' + token);
         this.evtSource.onmessage = e => {
-          this.events.push(JSON.parse(e.data));
+          const evt = JSON.parse(e.data);
+          evt.splitTag = evt.tag.split('/');
+          this.events.push(evt);
         };
       });
   }
 
-  parse_tag(tag) {
-    // todo: would probably be easier as string splitting at this point
-    const match = tag.match(/salt\/job\/([^\/]*)\/(prog|ret)\/([^\/]*)\/?(.*)/);
-    if (!match) return null;
-    return {
-      jid: match[1],
-      type: match[2],
-      minion: match[3],
-      prog_id: match.length >= 5 ? match[4] : null,
-    };
+  event_name(event: salt.JobEvent) {
+    if (isJobEventType(event, 'prog')) {
+      return `${this.event_symbol(event)} Progress: ${
+        event.data.data.ret.name
+      }|${event.data.data.ret.duration} `;
+    } else if (isJobEventType(event, 'ret')) {
+      return `${this.event_symbol(event)} Return: ${event.data.fun} `;
+    }
   }
 
-  event_symbol(event) {
-    const tag = this.parse_tag(event.tag);
-    if (tag.type === 'prog') {
+  event_symbol(event: salt.JobEvent) {
+    if (isJobEventType(event, 'prog')) {
       const ret = event.data.data.ret;
       if (!ret.result) return '✗';
-      else if ('ret' in ret.changes) return 'Δ';
+      else if (Object.keys(ret.changes).length !== 0) return 'Δ';
       else return '✓';
-    } else if (tag.type === 'ret') {
+    } else if (isJobEventType(event, 'ret')) {
       return event.data.success ? '✓' : '✗';
     }
 
     return '?';
   }
 
-  get jobs() {
-    return this.events.reduce((acc, e) => {
-      const tag = this.parse_tag(e.tag);
-      if (tag) {
-        if (!(tag.jid in acc)) acc[tag.jid] = {};
-        if (!(tag.minion in acc[tag.jid])) acc[tag.jid][tag.minion] = [];
-        acc[tag.jid][tag.minion].push(e);
-      }
-      return acc;
-    }, {});
+  // {jid: {mid: event[]}}
+  get jobs(): { [key: string]: { [key: string]: salt.JobEvent[] } } {
+    return this.events.reduce(
+      (
+        acc: { [key: string]: { [key: string]: salt.JobEvent[] } },
+        e: salt.SaltEvent
+      ) => {
+        if (
+          isEventType(e, 'job') &&
+          (isJobEventType(e, 'prog') || isJobEventType(e, 'ret'))
+        ) {
+          if (!(e.data.jid in acc)) acc[e.data.jid] = {};
+          if (!(e.data.id in acc[e.data.jid])) acc[e.data.jid][e.data.id] = [];
+          acc[e.data.jid][e.data.id].push(e);
+        }
+        return acc;
+      },
+      {}
+    );
   }
 }
 </script>
@@ -96,4 +123,8 @@ export default class App extends Vue {
 .minion .event {
   margin-left: 2ex;
 }
+
+pre {
+  white-space: pre-wrap;
+}
 </style>
diff --git a/src/salt.d.ts b/src/salt.d.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cac1405
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/salt.d.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
+export type MinionID = string;
+export type JobID = string;
+
+export type SaltEvent = AuthenticationEvent | StartEvent | KeyEvent | JobEvent;
+// | RunnerEvent
+// | PresenceEvent
+// | CloudEvent;
+
+export interface AuthenticationEvent {
+  tag: 'salt/auth';
+  splitTag: ['salt', 'auth'];
+  data: {
+    id: MinionID;
+    act: 'accept' | 'pend' | 'reject';
+    pub: string;
+  };
+}
+
+export interface StartEvent {
+  tag: string; // salt/minion/<MID>/start
+  splitTag: ['salt', 'minion', string, 'start'];
+  data: {
+    id: MinionID;
+  };
+}
+
+export interface KeyEvent {
+  tag: 'salt/key';
+  splitTag: ['salt', 'key'];
+  data: {
+    id: MinionID;
+    act: 'accept' | 'delete';
+  };
+}
+
+export type JobEvent = JobNewEvent | JobRetEvent | JobProgEvent;
+
+export interface JobNewEvent {
+  tag: string; // salt/job/<JID>/new
+  splitTag: ['salt', 'job', string, 'new'];
+  data: {
+    jid: JobID;
+    tgt: string;
+    tgt_type: 'glob' | 'grain' | 'compound' | string;
+    fun: string;
+    arg: [string];
+    minions: [MinionID];
+    user: string;
+  };
+}
+
+export interface JobRetEvent {
+  tag: string; // salt/job/<JID>/ret/<MID>
+  splitTag: ['salt', 'job', string, 'ret', string];
+  data: {
+    id: MinionID;
+    jid: JobID;
+    retcode: number;
+    fun: string;
+    fun_args: [string];
+    success: boolean;
+    return: any;
+  };
+}
+
+export interface JobProgEvent {
+  tag: string; // salt/job/<JID>/prog/<MID>/<RUN NUM>
+  splitTag: ['salt', 'job', string, 'prog', string, string];
+  data: {
+    data: any;
+    id: MinionID;
+    jid: JobID;
+  };
+}
+
+// TODO
+export interface RunnerEvent {
+  tag: string;
+  splitTag: [];
+  data: {};
+}
+
+// TODO
+export interface PresenceEvent {
+  tag: string;
+  splitTag: [];
+  data: {};
+}
+
+// TODO
+export interface CloudEvent {
+  tag: string;
+  splitTag: [];
+  data: {};
+}