diff --git a/protocols/net-tapesoftware-dwl-wm-unstable-v1.xml b/protocols/net-tapesoftware-dwl-wm-unstable-v1.xml
index 967708e..967a729 100644
--- a/protocols/net-tapesoftware-dwl-wm-unstable-v1.xml
+++ b/protocols/net-tapesoftware-dwl-wm-unstable-v1.xml
@@ -37,10 +37,35 @@
             </description>
         </request>
 
+        <request name="get_monitor">
+            <description summary="gets a dwl monitor from an output">
+            </description>
+            <arg name="id" type="new_id" interface="znet_tapesoftware_dwl_wm_monitor_v1" />
+            <arg name="output" type="object" interface="wl_output" />
+        </request>
+
         <event name="tag">
             <description summary="announces the presence of a tag">
             </description>
             <arg name="name" type="string"/>
         </event>
     </interface>
+
+    <interface name="znet_tapesoftware_dwl_wm_monitor_v1" version="1">
+        <description summary="control one monitor">
+        </description>
+
+        <request name="release" type="destructor">
+            <description summary="release dwl_monitor">
+            </description>
+        </request>
+
+        <event name="tag">
+            <description summary="sent every time a tag state gets updated">
+            </description>
+            <arg name="tag" type="int"/>
+            <arg name="active" type="int"/>
+            <arg name="num_clients" type="int"/>
+        </event>
+    </interface>
 </protocol>
diff --git a/src/main.cpp b/src/main.cpp
index 4f34dd9..30572ad 100644
--- a/src/main.cpp
+++ b/src/main.cpp
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 // somebar - dwl bar
 // See LICENSE file for copyright and license details.
 
+#include <cstdio>
 #include <fcntl.h>
 #include <math.h>
 #include <signal.h>
@@ -21,6 +22,13 @@
 #include "common.hpp"
 #include "bar.hpp"
 
+struct Monitor {
+    uint32_t name;
+    wl_output *wlOutput;
+    znet_tapesoftware_dwl_wm_monitor_v1 *dwlMonitor;
+    std::optional<Bar> bar;
+};
+
 static void waylandFlush();
 static void waylandWriteReady();
 static void requireGlobal(const void *p, const char *name);
@@ -34,6 +42,7 @@ wl_shm *shm;
 zwlr_layer_shell_v1 *wlrLayerShell;
 znet_tapesoftware_dwl_wm_v1 *dwlWm;
 std::vector<QString> tagNames;
+static std::vector<Monitor> monitors;
 static std::optional<Bar> bar;
 static std::string statusFifoName;
 static int statusFifoFd {-1};
@@ -115,6 +124,25 @@ static const struct znet_tapesoftware_dwl_wm_v1_listener dwlWmListener = {
     },
 };
 
+static const struct znet_tapesoftware_dwl_wm_monitor_v1_listener dwlWmMonitorListener {
+    .tag = [](void*, znet_tapesoftware_dwl_wm_monitor_v1*, int tag, int active, int numClients) {
+        printf("tag %s: active=%d, num_clients=%d\n", qPrintable(tagNames[tag]), active, numClients);
+    }
+};
+
+static void setupOutput(Monitor &monitor) {
+    monitor.dwlMonitor = znet_tapesoftware_dwl_wm_v1_get_monitor(dwlWm, monitor.wlOutput);
+    znet_tapesoftware_dwl_wm_monitor_v1_add_listener(monitor.dwlMonitor, &dwlWmMonitorListener, &monitor);
+    monitor.bar.emplace(monitor.wlOutput);
+}
+
+static void onOutput(int name, wl_output *output) {
+    auto& monitor = monitors.emplace_back(name, output);
+    if (dwlWm) {
+        setupOutput(monitor);
+    }
+}
+
 // called after we have received the initial batch of globals
 static void onReady()
 {
@@ -122,8 +150,14 @@ static void onReady()
     requireGlobal(shm, "wl_shm");
     requireGlobal(seat, "wl_seat");
     requireGlobal(wlrLayerShell, "zwlr_layer_shell_v1");
+    requireGlobal(dwlWm, "znet_tapesoftware_dwl_wm_v1");
     setupStatusFifo();
-    bar.emplace(nullptr);
+    wl_display_roundtrip(display); // roundtrip so we receive all dwl tags etc.
+    for (auto& monitor : monitors) {
+        auto monitor = znet_tapesoftware_dwl_wm_v1_get_monitor(dwlWm, output);
+        printf("created monitor %p for output %p\n", monitor, output);
+        bar.emplace(output);
+    }
 }
 
 static void setupStatusFifo()
@@ -195,9 +229,11 @@ static void registryHandleGlobal(void*, wl_registry *registry, uint32_t name, co
     if (seat == nullptr && reg.handle(seat, wl_seat_interface, 7)) {
         wl_seat_add_listener(seat, &seatListener, nullptr);
     }
+    if (wl_output *output; reg.handle(output, wl_output_interface, 1)) {
+        outputs.push_back(output);
+    }
     if (reg.handle(dwlWm, znet_tapesoftware_dwl_wm_v1_interface, 1)) {
         znet_tapesoftware_dwl_wm_v1_add_listener(dwlWm, &dwlWmListener, nullptr);
-        wl_display_roundtrip(display);
     }
 }
 static const struct wl_registry_listener registry_listener = { registryHandleGlobal, nullptr };