diff --git a/modules/nixos/services/aria/default.nix b/modules/nixos/services/aria/default.nix
index be35909..227cbac 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
-      "/var/lib/aria2"
+      config.users.users.aria2.home
     ];
 
     # 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 8dcc80d..a40e03e 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/fail2ban"
+      "/var/lib/${config.systemd.services.fail2ban.serviceConfig.StateDirectory}"
     ];
   };
 }
diff --git a/modules/nixos/services/flood/default.nix b/modules/nixos/services/flood/default.nix
index b129617..b4fecef 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/flood"
+      "/var/lib/${config.systemd.services.flood.serviceConfig.StateDirectory}"
     ];
 
     # 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 58f845d..332ae30 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/prowlarr"
+        "/var/lib/${config.systemd.services.prowlarr.serviceConfig.StateDirectory}"
       ];
 
       services.fail2ban.jails = {
diff --git a/modules/nixos/services/jellyfin/default.nix b/modules/nixos/services/jellyfin/default.nix
index 3a421ec..d5de6d5 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/jellyfin"
+      "/var/lib/${config.systemd.services.jellyfin.serviceConfig.StateDirectory}"
     ];
 
     services.fail2ban.jails = {
diff --git a/modules/nixos/services/lohr/default.nix b/modules/nixos/services/lohr/default.nix
index c69075f..64925a2 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/lohr"
+      "/var/lib/${config.systemd.services.lohr.serviceConfig.StateDirectory}"
     ];
   };
 }
diff --git a/modules/nixos/services/mealie/default.nix b/modules/nixos/services/mealie/default.nix
index 630231f..920081a 100644
--- a/modules/nixos/services/mealie/default.nix
+++ b/modules/nixos/services/mealie/default.nix
@@ -74,10 +74,14 @@ in
 
     my.services.backup = {
       paths = [
-        "/var/lib/mealie"
+        config.systemd.services.mealie.environment.DATA_DIR
       ];
     };
 
+    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 0fc3539..106e01d 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/navidrome"
+      "/var/lib/${config.systemd.services.navidrome.serviceConfig.StateDirectory}"
     ];
 
     services.fail2ban.jails = {
diff --git a/modules/nixos/services/nextcloud/default.nix b/modules/nixos/services/nextcloud/default.nix
index 5452dac..e561ce2 100644
--- a/modules/nixos/services/nextcloud/default.nix
+++ b/modules/nixos/services/nextcloud/default.nix
@@ -94,6 +94,7 @@ 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 ab69efd..32c1b7d 100644
--- a/modules/nixos/services/nginx/default.nix
+++ b/modules/nixos/services/nginx/default.nix
@@ -488,7 +488,7 @@ in
     };
 
     my.system.persist.directories = [
-      "/var/lib/acme"
+      config.users.user.acme.home
     ];
   };
 }
diff --git a/modules/nixos/services/paperless/default.nix b/modules/nixos/services/paperless/default.nix
index 0754721..22ca8ad 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.dataDir
-      config.services.paperless.mediaDir
+      config.services.paperless-ng.dataDir
+      config.services.paperless-ng.mediaDir
     ];
   };
 }
diff --git a/modules/nixos/services/pdf-edit/default.nix b/modules/nixos/services/pdf-edit/default.nix
index 180e520..0928a14 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/stirling-pdf"
+      "/var/lib/${config.systemd.services.stirling-pdf.serviceConfig.StateDirectory}"
     ];
 
     services.fail2ban.jails = {
diff --git a/modules/nixos/services/pyload/default.nix b/modules/nixos/services/pyload/default.nix
index ec5042b..a8ec3b2 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/pyload"
+      "/var/lib/${config.systemd.services.pyload.StateDirectory}"
     ];
 
     services.fail2ban.jails = {
diff --git a/modules/nixos/services/servarr/default.nix b/modules/nixos/services/servarr/default.nix
index c0f57df..3330b0f 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.${service}.dataDir
-          else "/var/lib/bazarr";
+          else config.users.user.${service}.home;
       in
       [ dataDir ];
   };
diff --git a/modules/nixos/services/tandoor-recipes/default.nix b/modules/nixos/services/tandoor-recipes/default.nix
index 0bfa9fe..ea45e74 100644
--- a/modules/nixos/services/tandoor-recipes/default.nix
+++ b/modules/nixos/services/tandoor-recipes/default.nix
@@ -85,14 +85,17 @@ in
 
     my.services.backup = {
       paths = [
-        "/var/lib/tandoor-recipes"
+        "/var/lib/${config.systemd.services.tandoor-recipes.StateDirectory}"
+        config.systemd.services.tandoor-recipes.environment.MEDIA_ROOT
       ];
     };
 
     my.system.persist.directories = [
-      "/var/lib/tandoor-recipes"
+      "/var/lib/${config.systemd.services.tandoor-recipes.StateDirectory}"
+      config.systemd.services.tandoor-recipes.environment.MEDIA_ROOT
     ];
 
+
     # 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 a5393eb..674fa81 100644
--- a/modules/nixos/services/transmission/default.nix
+++ b/modules/nixos/services/transmission/default.nix
@@ -92,7 +92,6 @@ 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 2e7bb07..3033595 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
       ]
-      ++ lib.unique cfg.files
+      ++ cfg.files
       ;
 
       directories = [
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ in
         "/var/spool" # FIXME: needed?
         "/var/tmp" # FIXME: needed?
       ]
-      ++ lib.unique cfg.directories
+      ++ cfg.directories
       ;
     };
   };