diff --git a/modules/solr-configset/src/main/scripts/cli/util/model/Block.java b/modules/solr-configset/src/main/scripts/cli/util/model/Block.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..3c9f8f331f7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/modules/solr-configset/src/main/scripts/cli/util/model/Block.java
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+package cli.util.model;
+
+import java.util.List;
+import java.util.Optional;
+
+public final class Block {
+    public static final String TRIGGER = Constants.TRIGGER_INDICATOR + "metadataBlock";
+    
+    private Block() {}
+    
+    Optional<List<Field>> fields = Optional.empty();
+}
diff --git a/modules/solr-configset/src/main/scripts/cli/util/model/Constants.java b/modules/solr-configset/src/main/scripts/cli/util/model/Constants.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..1fd8c6cdb67
--- /dev/null
+++ b/modules/solr-configset/src/main/scripts/cli/util/model/Constants.java
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+package cli.util.model;
+
+public class Constants {
+    public static final String COMMENT_INDICATOR = "%%";
+    public static final String TRIGGER_INDICATOR = "#";
+    public static final String COLUMN_SEPARATOR = "\t";
+}
diff --git a/modules/solr-configset/src/main/scripts/cli/util/model/ControlledVocabulary.java b/modules/solr-configset/src/main/scripts/cli/util/model/ControlledVocabulary.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..7804c617945
--- /dev/null
+++ b/modules/solr-configset/src/main/scripts/cli/util/model/ControlledVocabulary.java
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+package cli.util.model;
+
+public class ControlledVocabulary {
+    public static final String TRIGGER = Constants.TRIGGER_INDICATOR + "controlledVocabulary";
+}
diff --git a/modules/solr-configset/src/main/scripts/cli/util/model/Field.java b/modules/solr-configset/src/main/scripts/cli/util/model/Field.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..f4e7eed04d2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/modules/solr-configset/src/main/scripts/cli/util/model/Field.java
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+package cli.util.model;
+
+import java.util.List;
+import java.util.Optional;
+
+public class Field {
+    public static final String TRIGGER = Constants.TRIGGER_INDICATOR + "datasetField";
+    
+    private Field() {}
+    
+    Optional<List<ControlledVocabulary>> controlledVocabularyValues = Optional.empty();
+}
diff --git a/modules/solr-configset/src/main/scripts/cli/util/model/ParsingState.java b/modules/solr-configset/src/main/scripts/cli/util/model/ParsingState.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..fc4e11c141f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/modules/solr-configset/src/main/scripts/cli/util/model/ParsingState.java
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+package cli.util.model;
+
+import cli.util.TsvBlockReader;
+
+public enum ParsingState {
+    Vocabularies(ControlledVocabulary.TRIGGER),
+    Fields(Field.TRIGGER, Vocabularies),
+    MetadataBlock(Block.TRIGGER, Fields),
+    // This state is only used exactly once and should never be reached from input.
+    // For safety, make the validation fail.
+    Init(Constants.COMMENT_INDICATOR, MetadataBlock);
+    
+    private final String stateTrigger;
+    private final ParsingState nextState;
+    
+    ParsingState(String trigger, ParsingState next) {
+        this.stateTrigger = trigger;
+        this.nextState = next;
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * Create final state (no next step)
+     * @param trigger
+     */
+    ParsingState(String trigger) {
+        this.stateTrigger = trigger;
+        this.nextState = this;
+    }
+    
+    public boolean isAllowedFinalState() {
+        return this == Fields || this == Vocabularies;
+    }
+    
+    public ParsingState transitionState(String headerLine) throws ParserException {
+        // if not null, not starting the same state again (no loops allowed) and starting the correct next state, return the next state
+        if(headerLine != null && ! headerLine.startsWith(this.stateTrigger) &&
+           headerLine.startsWith(this.nextState.stateTrigger)) {
+            return this.nextState;
+        }
+        // otherwise throw a parsing exception
+        throw new ParserException("Invalid header '" +
+            (headerLine == null ? "null" : headerLine.substring(0, Math.min(25, headerLine.length()))) +
+            "...' while in section '" + this.stateTrigger + "'");
+    }
+}
diff --git a/modules/solr-configset/src/test/java/cli/util/model/ParsingStateTest.java b/modules/solr-configset/src/test/java/cli/util/model/ParsingStateTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..b498639c852
--- /dev/null
+++ b/modules/solr-configset/src/test/java/cli/util/model/ParsingStateTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+package cli.util.model;
+
+import org.junit.jupiter.params.ParameterizedTest;
+import org.junit.jupiter.params.provider.Arguments;
+import org.junit.jupiter.params.provider.MethodSource;
+
+import java.util.stream.Stream;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertThrows;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
+
+class ParsingStateTest {
+
+    static Stream<Arguments> failingStateTransitionExamples() {
+        return Stream.of(
+            Arguments.of(ParsingState.Init, null),
+            Arguments.of(ParsingState.MetadataBlock, null),
+            Arguments.of(ParsingState.Fields, null),
+            Arguments.of(ParsingState.Vocabularies, null),
+    
+            Arguments.of(ParsingState.Init, ""),
+            Arguments.of(ParsingState.MetadataBlock, ""),
+            Arguments.of(ParsingState.Fields, ""),
+            Arguments.of(ParsingState.Vocabularies, ""),
+    
+            Arguments.of(ParsingState.Init, "foobar"),
+            Arguments.of(ParsingState.MetadataBlock, "foobar"),
+            Arguments.of(ParsingState.Fields, "foobar"),
+            Arguments.of(ParsingState.Vocabularies, "foobar"),
+    
+            Arguments.of(ParsingState.Init, Constants.TRIGGER_INDICATOR),
+            Arguments.of(ParsingState.Init, Constants.COMMENT_INDICATOR),
+            Arguments.of(ParsingState.Init, Constants.COLUMN_SEPARATOR),
+            
+            Arguments.of(ParsingState.Init, Field.TRIGGER),
+            Arguments.of(ParsingState.Init, ControlledVocabulary.TRIGGER),
+    
+            Arguments.of(ParsingState.MetadataBlock, Constants.COMMENT_INDICATOR),
+            Arguments.of(ParsingState.MetadataBlock, ControlledVocabulary.TRIGGER),
+    
+            Arguments.of(ParsingState.Fields, Constants.COMMENT_INDICATOR),
+            Arguments.of(ParsingState.Fields, Block.TRIGGER),
+    
+            Arguments.of(ParsingState.Vocabularies, Constants.COMMENT_INDICATOR),
+            Arguments.of(ParsingState.Vocabularies, Block.TRIGGER),
+            Arguments.of(ParsingState.Vocabularies, Field.TRIGGER)
+        );
+    }
+    
+    @ParameterizedTest
+    @MethodSource("failingStateTransitionExamples")
+    void failingTransitions(ParsingState source, String triggerLine) throws ParserException {
+        ParserException ex = assertThrows(ParserException.class, () -> source.transitionState(triggerLine));
+    }
+    
+    static Stream<Arguments> successfulStateTransitionExamples() {
+        return Stream.of(
+            Arguments.of(ParsingState.Init, Block.TRIGGER, ParsingState.MetadataBlock),
+            Arguments.of(ParsingState.MetadataBlock, Field.TRIGGER, ParsingState.Fields),
+            Arguments.of(ParsingState.Fields, ControlledVocabulary.TRIGGER, ParsingState.Vocabularies)
+        );
+    }
+    
+    @ParameterizedTest
+    @MethodSource("successfulStateTransitionExamples")
+    void successfulTransitions(ParsingState source, String triggerLine, ParsingState expected) throws ParserException {
+        assertEquals(expected, source.transitionState(triggerLine));
+    }
+
+}
\ No newline at end of file