diff --git a/hexrd/cli/preprocess.py b/hexrd/cli/preprocess.py
index 52018ddf..67d095bc 100644
--- a/hexrd/cli/preprocess.py
+++ b/hexrd/cli/preprocess.py
@@ -83,11 +83,14 @@ def add_profile_subparser(subparsers, name, klass):
     )
 
 def _remove_non_dataclass_args(args_dict):
-    """Remove args that do not belong to any dataclass. These are standard args we manually inserted and now remove to allows the rest initialize dataclass"""
-    d = {}
+    """Remove args that do not belong to any dataclass. These are standard args
+    we manually inserted and now remove to allow the rest of the arguments to
+    initialize dataclass"""
+
+    extra = {}
     for key in ["profile", "config", "generate_default_config"]:
         v = args_dict.get(key, None)
-        d[key] = v
+        extra[key] = v
         if v is not None:
             del args_dict[key]
-    return args_dict, d
+    return args_dict, extra
diff --git a/hexrd/preprocess/profiles.py b/hexrd/preprocess/profiles.py
index a0d160dc..db5be7c8 100644
--- a/hexrd/preprocess/profiles.py
+++ b/hexrd/preprocess/profiles.py
@@ -1,6 +1,15 @@
+from dataclasses import dataclass, field
+import glob
+import os
 import yaml
-from hexrd.preprocess.argument_classes_factory import ArgumentClassesFactory
-from hexrd.preprocess.yaml_internals import HexrdScriptArgumentsDumper, HexrdScriptArgumentsSafeLoader
+from hexrd.preprocess.argument_classes_factory import (
+    ArgumentClassesFactory,
+    autoregister,
+)
+from hexrd.preprocess.yaml_internals import (
+    HexrdScriptArgumentsDumper,
+    HexrdScriptArgumentsSafeLoader,
+)
 
 
 # Classes holding script arguments and their defaults based on the detector.
@@ -14,6 +23,7 @@
 # yaml_tag will be used in the configuration file and profile_name is
 # how we refer to the argument class in the cli.
 
+
 class HexrdScript_Arguments(yaml.YAMLObject):
     # yaml tag to help deserialiser pick the right type write It is used in the
     # YAML file to indicate the class that should be created when reading a
@@ -53,6 +63,102 @@ def load_from_config(cls, buffer: str):
         """Create an HexrdScript_Arguments instance from yaml string"""
         try:
             args = yaml.load(buffer, Loader=HexrdScriptArgumentsSafeLoader)
-        except:
-            raise RuntimeError("Could not read config from buffer")
+        except Exception as e:
+            raise RuntimeError(f"Could not read config from buffer: {e}")
         return args
+
+
+@dataclass
+@autoregister
+class Eiger_Arguments(HexrdScript_Arguments):
+    yaml_tag = "!Eiger_Arguments"
+    profile_name = "eiger"
+    # fields
+    base_dir: str = None
+    expt_name: str = None
+    samp_name: str = None
+    scan_number: int = None
+    num_frames: int = 1440
+    start_frame: int = 0
+    threshold: int = 5
+    ome_start: float = 0.0
+    ome_end: float = 360.0
+    absolute_path: str = None
+    panel_opts: dict[str, any] = field(default_factory=dict)
+    style: str = "npz"
+    output: str = "test"
+
+    # class helpers
+    # we gather all argument messages here to allow for automated help
+    # generation but also easier derivation of new dataclass arguments
+    # through inheritance
+    help_messages = {
+        "base_dir": "raw data path on chess daq",
+        "expt_name": "experiment name",
+        "samp_name": "sample name",
+        "scan_number": "ff scan number",
+        "num_frames": "number of frames to read",
+        "start_frame": "index of first data frame",
+        "threshold": "threshold for frame caches",
+        "ome_start": "start omega",
+        "ome_end": "end omega",
+        "absolute_path": "absolute path to image file",
+        "panel_opts": "detector-specific options",
+        "style": "format for saving framecache",
+        "output": "output filename",
+    }
+
+    short_switches = {
+        "num_frames": "n",
+        "start_frame": "s",
+        "threshold": "t",
+        "ome_start": "o",
+        "ome_end": "e",
+        "absolute_path": "ap",
+    }
+
+    @property
+    def ostep(self) -> float:
+        return (self.ome_end - self.ome_start) / float(self.num_frames)
+
+    @property
+    def file_name(self) -> str:
+        if self.absolute_path:
+            file_name = os.path.abspath(self.absolute_path)
+        else:
+            file_name = glob.glob(
+                os.path.join(
+                    self.base_dir,
+                    self.expt_name,
+                    self.samp_name,
+                    str(self.scan_number),
+                    "ff",
+                    "*.h5",
+                )
+            )
+        if not os.path.exists(file_name):
+            raise RuntimeError(f"File {file_name} does not exist!")
+
+        return file_name
+
+
+@dataclass
+@autoregister
+class Dexelas_Arguments(Eiger_Arguments):
+    yaml_tag = "!Dexelas_Arguments"
+    profile_name = "dexelas"
+    # !!!: hard coded options for each dexela for April 2017
+    panel_opts: dict[str, any] = field(
+        default_factory=lambda: {
+            "FF1": [
+                ("add-row", 1944),
+                ("add-column", 1296),
+                ("flip", "v"),
+            ],
+            "FF2": [("add-row", 1944), ("add-column", 1296), ("flip", "h")],
+        }
+    )
+
+    num_frames: int = 1441
+    start_frame: int = 4  # usually 4 for normal CHESS stuff
+    threshold: int = 50