diff --git a/README.rdoc b/README.rdoc
index 5af74e3..98de4b6 100644
--- a/README.rdoc
+++ b/README.rdoc
@@ -25,32 +25,93 @@ In your rakefile:
     t.add_files 'test/integration/**/*_test.rb'
   end
 
-Then you can run 'rake hydra'.
+Run:
+
+  $ rake hydra
+
+Hydra defaults to Single Core mode, so you may want to configure it
+to use two (or more) of your cores if you have a multi-processing machine.
 
 == Configuration
 
 Place the config file in the main project directory as
 'hydra.yml' or 'config/hydra.yml'.
 
+=== Examples
+
+==== Dual Core 
+
+  workers:
+    - type: local
+      runners: 2
+
+==== Dual Core, with a remote Quad Core server
+
+The -p3022 tells it to connect on a different port
+
   workers:
     - type: local
       runners: 2
     - type: ssh
-      connect: user@example.com -p3022
+      connect: user@example.com
+      ssh_opts: -p3022
       directory: /absolute/path/to/project
       runners: 4
 
-The "connect" option is passed to SSH. So if you've setup an
-ssh config alias to a server, you can use that.
+==== Two Remote Quad Cores with Synchronization
 
-The "directory" option is the path for the project directory
-where the tests should be run.
+You can use the 'sync' configuration to allow rsync to synchronize
+the local and remote directories every time you run hydra.
 
-The "runners" option is how many processes will be running
-on the remote machine. It's best to pick the same number
+  workers:
+    - type: ssh
+      connect: user@alpha.example.com
+      directory: /path/to/project/on/alpha/
+      runners: 4
+    - type: ssh
+      connect: user@beta.example.com
+      directory: /path/to/project/on/beta/
+      runners: 4
+
+  sync:
+      directory: /my/local/project/directory
+      exclude:
+        - tmp
+        - log
+        - doc
+
+=== Workers Options
+
+==== type
+
+Either "local" or "ssh".
+
+==== runners
+
+The *runners* option is how many processes will be running
+on the machine. It's best to pick the same number
 as the number of cores on that machine (as well as your
 own).
 
+=== SSH Options
+
+==== connect
+
+The *connect* option is passed to SSH. So if you've setup an
+ssh config alias to a server, you can use that. It is also
+used in rsync, so you cannot use options.
+
+==== ssh_opts
+
+The *ssh_opts* option is passed to SSH and to Rsync's RSH so
+that you can use the same ssh options for connecting and rsync.
+Use ssh_opts to set the port or compression options.
+
+==== directory
+
+The *directory* option is the path for the project directory
+where the tests should be run.
+
 == Copyright
 
 Copyright (c) 2010 Nick Gauthier. See LICENSE for details.
diff --git a/TODO b/TODO
index a3188f7..2749725 100644
--- a/TODO
+++ b/TODO
@@ -1,24 +1,5 @@
 = Hydra TODO
 
-== Rsync
-Split SSH into:
-
-  connect: user@site.com
-  ssh_options: -p 3022
-
-Then make an rsync section:
-
-  rsync:
-    source: /path/to/code/locally
-    exclude:
-      - tmp
-      - log
-      - config/test/database.yml
-      - db/*.sqlite3
-      etc...
-
-options: -az
-
 == Setup
 
 Provide a hydra:setup task to override to be run remotely before testing
diff --git a/hydra.gemspec b/hydra.gemspec
index 2b6afc5..b8178fa 100644
--- a/hydra.gemspec
+++ b/hydra.gemspec
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ Gem::Specification.new do |s|
      "test/fixtures/config.yml",
      "test/fixtures/hello_world.rb",
      "test/fixtures/slow.rb",
+     "test/fixtures/sync_test.rb",
      "test/fixtures/write_file.rb",
      "test/master_test.rb",
      "test/message_test.rb",
@@ -67,6 +68,7 @@ Gem::Specification.new do |s|
      "test/ssh_test.rb",
      "test/fixtures/write_file.rb",
      "test/fixtures/slow.rb",
+     "test/fixtures/sync_test.rb",
      "test/fixtures/assert_true.rb",
      "test/fixtures/hello_world.rb",
      "test/master_test.rb",
diff --git a/lib/hydra/master.rb b/lib/hydra/master.rb
index e6c295b..84ecbf7 100644
--- a/lib/hydra/master.rb
+++ b/lib/hydra/master.rb
@@ -1,10 +1,12 @@
 require 'hydra/hash'
+require 'open3'
 module Hydra #:nodoc:
   # Hydra class responsible for delegate work down to workers.
   #
   # The Master is run once for any given testing session.
   class Master
     include Hydra::Messages::Master
+    include Open3
     traceable('MASTER')
     # Create a new Master
     #
@@ -22,12 +24,15 @@ module Hydra #:nodoc:
       if config_file
         opts.merge!(YAML.load_file(config_file).stringify_keys!)
       end
-      @files = opts.fetch('files') { [] }
+      @files = Array(opts.fetch('files') { nil })
+      raise "No files, nothing to do" if @files.empty?
       @files.sort!{|a,b| File.size(b) <=> File.size(a)} # dumb heuristic
       @incomplete_files = @files.dup
       @workers = []
       @listeners = []
       @verbose = opts.fetch('verbose') { false }
+      @sync = opts.fetch('sync') { nil }
+
       # default is one worker that is configured to use a pipe with one runner
       worker_cfg = opts.fetch('workers') { [ { 'type' => 'local', 'runners' => 1} ] }
 
@@ -42,10 +47,10 @@ module Hydra #:nodoc:
 
     # Message handling
     
-    # Send a file down to a worker. If there are no more files, this will shut the
-    # worker down.
+    # Send a file down to a worker. 
     def send_file(worker)
       f = @files.pop
+      trace "Sending #{f.inspect}"
       worker[:io].write(RunFile.new(:file => f)) if f
     end
 
@@ -101,7 +106,27 @@ module Hydra #:nodoc:
         "ruby -e \"require 'rubygems'; require 'hydra'; Hydra::Worker.new(:io => Hydra::Stdio.new, :runners => #{runners}, :verbose => #{@verbose});\""
       }
 
-      trace "Synchronizing with #{connect} [NOT REALLY]"
+      if @sync
+        @sync.stringify_keys!
+        trace "Synchronizing with #{connect}\n\t#{@sync.inspect}"
+        local_dir = @sync.fetch('directory') { 
+          raise "You must specify a synchronization directory"
+        }
+        exclude_paths = @sync.fetch('exclude') { [] }
+        exclude_opts = exclude_paths.inject(''){|memo, path| memo += "--exclude=#{path} "}
+
+        rsync_command = [
+          'rsync',
+          '-avz',
+          '--delete',
+          exclude_opts,
+          File.expand_path(local_dir)+'/',
+          "-e \"ssh #{ssh_opts}\"",
+          "#{connect}:#{directory}"
+        ].join(" ")
+        trace rsync_command
+        trace `#{rsync_command}`
+      end
 
       trace "Booting SSH worker" 
       ssh = Hydra::SSH.new("#{ssh_opts} #{connect}", directory, command)
diff --git a/lib/hydra/messaging_io.rb b/lib/hydra/messaging_io.rb
index 0534d25..fc981c2 100644
--- a/lib/hydra/messaging_io.rb
+++ b/lib/hydra/messaging_io.rb
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ module Hydra #:nodoc:
       return nil unless message
       return Message.build(eval(message.chomp))
     rescue SyntaxError, NameError
+      # uncomment to help catch remote errors by seeing all traffic
       #$stderr.write "Not a message: [#{message.inspect}]\n"
       return gets
     end
diff --git a/lib/hydra/runner.rb b/lib/hydra/runner.rb
index 0a0c72c..ddacd6e 100644
--- a/lib/hydra/runner.rb
+++ b/lib/hydra/runner.rb
@@ -33,7 +33,13 @@ module Hydra #:nodoc:
     # Run a test file and report the results
     def run_file(file)
       trace "Running file: #{file}"
-      require file
+      begin
+        require file
+      rescue LoadError => ex
+        trace "#{file} does not exist [#{ex.to_s}]"
+        @io.write Results.new(:output => ex.to_s, :file => file)
+        return
+      end
       output = []
       @result = Test::Unit::TestResult.new
       @result.add_listener(Test::Unit::TestResult::FAULT) do |value|
diff --git a/lib/hydra/worker.rb b/lib/hydra/worker.rb
index 6854b2e..94448c3 100644
--- a/lib/hydra/worker.rb
+++ b/lib/hydra/worker.rb
@@ -91,7 +91,6 @@ module Hydra #:nodoc:
       @listeners.each{|l| l.join }
       @io.close
       trace "Done processing messages"
-      exit(0) # avoids test summaries
     end
 
     def process_messages_from_master
diff --git a/test/fixtures/sync_test.rb b/test/fixtures/sync_test.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..13e00a5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/sync_test.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+require 'test/unit'
+
+class SyncTest < Test::Unit::TestCase
+  def test_truth
+    assert true
+  end
+end
+
diff --git a/test/master_test.rb b/test/master_test.rb
index 000e6a8..cc45b07 100644
--- a/test/master_test.rb
+++ b/test/master_test.rb
@@ -57,7 +57,6 @@ class MasterTest < Test::Unit::TestCase
       assert (finish-start) < 15, "took #{finish-start} seconds"
     end
 
-
     should "run a test via ssh" do
       Hydra::Master.new(
         :files => [test_file],
@@ -80,5 +79,57 @@ class MasterTest < Test::Unit::TestCase
       assert File.exists?(target_file)
       assert_equal "HYDRA", File.read(target_file)
     end
+
+    should "synchronize a test file over ssh with rsync" do
+      local = File.join(Dir.tmpdir, 'hydra', 'local')
+      remote = File.join(Dir.tmpdir, 'hydra', 'remote')
+      sync_test = File.join(File.dirname(__FILE__), 'fixtures', 'sync_test.rb')
+      [local, remote].each{|f| FileUtils.rm_rf f; FileUtils.mkdir_p f}
+
+      # setup the folders:
+      # local:
+      #   - test_a
+      #   - test_c
+      # remote:
+      #   - test_b
+      #
+      # add test_c to exludes
+      FileUtils.cp(sync_test, File.join(local, 'test_a.rb'))
+      FileUtils.cp(sync_test, File.join(local, 'test_c.rb'))
+      FileUtils.cp(sync_test, File.join(remote, 'test_b.rb'))
+
+      # ensure a is not on remote
+      assert !File.exists?(File.join(remote, 'test_a.rb')), "A should not be on remote"
+      # ensure c is not on remote
+      assert !File.exists?(File.join(remote, 'test_c.rb')), "C should not be on remote"
+      # ensure b is on remote
+      assert File.exists?(File.join(remote, 'test_b.rb')),  "B should be on remote"
+
+      # fake as if the test got run, so only the sync code is really being tested
+      fake_result = Hydra::Messages::Worker::Results.new(
+        :file => 'test_a.rb', :output => '.'
+      ).serialize.inspect
+
+      Hydra::Master.new(
+        :files => ['test_a.rb'],
+        :workers => [{
+          :type => :ssh,
+          :connect => 'localhost',
+          :directory => remote,
+          :runners => 1,
+          :command => "ruby -e 'puts #{fake_result}' && exit"
+        }],
+        :sync => {
+          :directory => local,
+          :exclude => ['test_c.rb']
+        }
+      )
+      # ensure a is copied
+      assert File.exists?(File.join(remote, 'test_a.rb')), "A was not copied"
+      # ensure c is not copied
+      assert !File.exists?(File.join(remote, 'test_c.rb')), "C was copied, should be excluded"
+      # ensure b is deleted
+      assert !File.exists?(File.join(remote, 'test_b.rb')), "B was not deleted"
+    end
   end
 end