diff --git a/modules/nixos/services/aria/default.nix b/modules/nixos/services/aria/default.nix
index 227cbac..be35909 100644
--- a/modules/nixos/services/aria/default.nix
+++ b/modules/nixos/services/aria/default.nix
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ in
 
     my.system.persist.directories = [
       cfg.downloadDir
-      config.users.users.aria2.home
+      "/var/lib/aria2"
     ];
 
     # NOTE: unfortunately aria2 does not log connection failures for fail2ban
diff --git a/modules/nixos/services/fail2ban/default.nix b/modules/nixos/services/fail2ban/default.nix
index a40e03e..8dcc80d 100644
--- a/modules/nixos/services/fail2ban/default.nix
+++ b/modules/nixos/services/fail2ban/default.nix
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ in
     };
 
     my.system.persist.directories = [
-      "/var/lib/${config.systemd.services.fail2ban.serviceConfig.StateDirectory}"
+      "/var/lib/fail2ban"
     ];
   };
 }
diff --git a/modules/nixos/services/flood/default.nix b/modules/nixos/services/flood/default.nix
index b4fecef..b129617 100644
--- a/modules/nixos/services/flood/default.nix
+++ b/modules/nixos/services/flood/default.nix
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ in
     };
 
     my.system.persist.directories = [
-      "/var/lib/${config.systemd.services.flood.serviceConfig.StateDirectory}"
+      "/var/lib/flood"
     ];
 
     # NOTE: unfortunately flood does not log connection failures for fail2ban
diff --git a/modules/nixos/services/indexers/default.nix b/modules/nixos/services/indexers/default.nix
index 332ae30..58f845d 100644
--- a/modules/nixos/services/indexers/default.nix
+++ b/modules/nixos/services/indexers/default.nix
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ in
       };
 
       my.system.persist.directories = [
-        "/var/lib/${config.systemd.services.prowlarr.serviceConfig.StateDirectory}"
+        "/var/lib/prowlarr"
       ];
 
       services.fail2ban.jails = {
diff --git a/modules/nixos/services/jellyfin/default.nix b/modules/nixos/services/jellyfin/default.nix
index d5de6d5..3a421ec 100644
--- a/modules/nixos/services/jellyfin/default.nix
+++ b/modules/nixos/services/jellyfin/default.nix
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ in
     };
 
     my.system.persist.directories = [
-      "/var/lib/${config.systemd.services.jellyfin.serviceConfig.StateDirectory}"
+      "/var/lib/jellyfin"
     ];
 
     services.fail2ban.jails = {
diff --git a/modules/nixos/services/lohr/default.nix b/modules/nixos/services/lohr/default.nix
index 64925a2..c69075f 100644
--- a/modules/nixos/services/lohr/default.nix
+++ b/modules/nixos/services/lohr/default.nix
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ in
     };
 
     my.system.persist.directories = [
-      "/var/lib/${config.systemd.services.lohr.serviceConfig.StateDirectory}"
+      "/var/lib/lohr"
     ];
   };
 }
diff --git a/modules/nixos/services/mealie/default.nix b/modules/nixos/services/mealie/default.nix
index 920081a..630231f 100644
--- a/modules/nixos/services/mealie/default.nix
+++ b/modules/nixos/services/mealie/default.nix
@@ -74,14 +74,10 @@ in
 
     my.services.backup = {
       paths = [
-        config.systemd.services.mealie.environment.DATA_DIR
+        "/var/lib/mealie"
       ];
     };
 
-    my.system.persist.directories = [
-      config.systemd.services.mealie.environment.DATA_DIR
-    ];
-
     services.fail2ban.jails = {
       mealie = ''
         enabled = true
diff --git a/modules/nixos/services/navidrome/default.nix b/modules/nixos/services/navidrome/default.nix
index 106e01d..0fc3539 100644
--- a/modules/nixos/services/navidrome/default.nix
+++ b/modules/nixos/services/navidrome/default.nix
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ in
     };
 
     my.system.persist.directories = [
-      "/var/lib/${config.systemd.services.navidrome.serviceConfig.StateDirectory}"
+      "/var/lib/navidrome"
     ];
 
     services.fail2ban.jails = {
diff --git a/modules/nixos/services/nextcloud/default.nix b/modules/nixos/services/nextcloud/default.nix
index e561ce2..5452dac 100644
--- a/modules/nixos/services/nextcloud/default.nix
+++ b/modules/nixos/services/nextcloud/default.nix
@@ -94,7 +94,6 @@ in
 
     my.system.persist.directories = [
       config.services.nextcloud.home
-      config.services.nextcloud.datadir
     ];
 
     services.fail2ban.jails = {
diff --git a/modules/nixos/services/nginx/default.nix b/modules/nixos/services/nginx/default.nix
index 32c1b7d..ab69efd 100644
--- a/modules/nixos/services/nginx/default.nix
+++ b/modules/nixos/services/nginx/default.nix
@@ -488,7 +488,7 @@ in
     };
 
     my.system.persist.directories = [
-      config.users.user.acme.home
+      "/var/lib/acme"
     ];
   };
 }
diff --git a/modules/nixos/services/paperless/default.nix b/modules/nixos/services/paperless/default.nix
index 22ca8ad..0754721 100644
--- a/modules/nixos/services/paperless/default.nix
+++ b/modules/nixos/services/paperless/default.nix
@@ -148,8 +148,8 @@ in
     };
 
     my.system.persist.directories = [
-      config.services.paperless-ng.dataDir
-      config.services.paperless-ng.mediaDir
+      config.services.paperless.dataDir
+      config.services.paperless.mediaDir
     ];
   };
 }
diff --git a/modules/nixos/services/pdf-edit/default.nix b/modules/nixos/services/pdf-edit/default.nix
index 0928a14..180e520 100644
--- a/modules/nixos/services/pdf-edit/default.nix
+++ b/modules/nixos/services/pdf-edit/default.nix
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ in
     };
 
     my.system.persist.directories = [
-      "/var/lib/${config.systemd.services.stirling-pdf.serviceConfig.StateDirectory}"
+      "/var/lib/stirling-pdf"
     ];
 
     services.fail2ban.jails = {
diff --git a/modules/nixos/services/pyload/default.nix b/modules/nixos/services/pyload/default.nix
index a8ec3b2..ec5042b 100644
--- a/modules/nixos/services/pyload/default.nix
+++ b/modules/nixos/services/pyload/default.nix
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ in
 
     my.system.persist.directories = [
       cfg.downloadDirectory
-      "/var/lib/${config.systemd.services.pyload.StateDirectory}"
+      "/var/lib/pyload"
     ];
 
     services.fail2ban.jails = {
diff --git a/modules/nixos/services/servarr/default.nix b/modules/nixos/services/servarr/default.nix
index 3330b0f..c0f57df 100644
--- a/modules/nixos/services/servarr/default.nix
+++ b/modules/nixos/services/servarr/default.nix
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ let
         dataDir =
           if service != "bazarr"
           then config.services.${service}.dataDir
-          else config.users.user.${service}.home;
+          else "/var/lib/bazarr";
       in
       [ dataDir ];
   };
diff --git a/modules/nixos/services/tandoor-recipes/default.nix b/modules/nixos/services/tandoor-recipes/default.nix
index ea45e74..0bfa9fe 100644
--- a/modules/nixos/services/tandoor-recipes/default.nix
+++ b/modules/nixos/services/tandoor-recipes/default.nix
@@ -85,17 +85,14 @@ in
 
     my.services.backup = {
       paths = [
-        "/var/lib/${config.systemd.services.tandoor-recipes.StateDirectory}"
-        config.systemd.services.tandoor-recipes.environment.MEDIA_ROOT
+        "/var/lib/tandoor-recipes"
       ];
     };
 
     my.system.persist.directories = [
-      "/var/lib/${config.systemd.services.tandoor-recipes.StateDirectory}"
-      config.systemd.services.tandoor-recipes.environment.MEDIA_ROOT
+      "/var/lib/tandoor-recipes"
     ];
 
-
     # NOTE: unfortunately tandoor-recipes does not log connection failures for fail2ban
   };
 }
diff --git a/modules/nixos/services/transmission/default.nix b/modules/nixos/services/transmission/default.nix
index 674fa81..a5393eb 100644
--- a/modules/nixos/services/transmission/default.nix
+++ b/modules/nixos/services/transmission/default.nix
@@ -92,6 +92,7 @@ in
     };
 
     my.system.persist.directories = [
+      cfg.downloadBase
       config.services.transmission.home
     ];
 
diff --git a/modules/nixos/system/persist/default.nix b/modules/nixos/system/persist/default.nix
index 3033595..2e7bb07 100644
--- a/modules/nixos/system/persist/default.nix
+++ b/modules/nixos/system/persist/default.nix
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ in
         "/etc/machine-id" # Machine-specific ID
         "/etc/adjtime" # Clock drift factor and offsets
       ]
-      ++ cfg.files
+      ++ lib.unique cfg.files
       ;
 
       directories = [
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ in
         "/var/spool" # FIXME: needed?
         "/var/tmp" # FIXME: needed?
       ]
-      ++ cfg.directories
+      ++ lib.unique cfg.directories
       ;
     };
   };