diff --git a/nixos/modules/security/audit.nix b/nixos/modules/security/audit.nix
index 16d750c8fbed4..4bcc6c62d1cb8 100644
--- a/nixos/modules/security/audit.nix
+++ b/nixos/modules/security/audit.nix
@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@
 }:
 let
   cfg = config.security.audit;
-  enabled = cfg.enable == "lock" || cfg.enable;
 
   failureModes = {
     silent = 0;
@@ -14,43 +13,14 @@ let
     panic = 2;
   };
 
-  disableScript = pkgs.writeScript "audit-disable" ''
-    #!${pkgs.runtimeShell} -eu
-    # Explicitly disable everything, as otherwise journald might start it.
-    auditctl -D
-    auditctl -e 0 -a task,never
-  '';
-
-  # TODO: it seems like people like their rules to be somewhat secret, yet they will not be if
-  # put in the store like this. At the same time, it doesn't feel like a huge deal and working
-  # around that is a pain so I'm leaving it like this for now.
-  startScript = pkgs.writeScript "audit-start" ''
-    #!${pkgs.runtimeShell} -eu
-    # Clear out any rules we may start with
-    auditctl -D
-
-    # Put the rules in a temporary file owned and only readable by root
-    rulesfile="$(mktemp)"
-    ${lib.concatMapStrings (x: "echo '${x}' >> $rulesfile\n") cfg.rules}
-
-    # Apply the requested rules
-    auditctl -R "$rulesfile"
-
-    # Enable and configure auditing
-    auditctl \
-      -e ${if cfg.enable == "lock" then "2" else "1"} \
-      -b ${toString cfg.backlogLimit} \
-      -f ${toString failureModes.${cfg.failureMode}} \
-      -r ${toString cfg.rateLimit}
-  '';
-
-  stopScript = pkgs.writeScript "audit-stop" ''
-    #!${pkgs.runtimeShell} -eu
-    # Clear the rules
-    auditctl -D
-
-    # Disable auditing
-    auditctl -e 0
+  # The order of the fixed rules is determined by augenrules(8)
+  rules = pkgs.writeTextDir "audit.rules" ''
+    -D
+    -b ${toString cfg.backlogLimit}
+    -f ${toString failureModes.${cfg.failureMode}}
+    -r ${toString cfg.rateLimit}
+    ${lib.concatLines cfg.rules}
+    -e ${if cfg.enable == "lock" then "2" else "1"}
   '';
 in
 {
@@ -110,23 +80,35 @@ in
     };
   };
 
-  config = {
-    systemd.services.audit = {
-      description = "Kernel Auditing";
-      wantedBy = [ "basic.target" ];
+  config = lib.mkIf (cfg.enable == "lock" || cfg.enable) {
+    systemd.services.audit-rules = {
+      description = "Load Audit Rules";
+      wantedBy = [ "sysinit.target" ];
+      before = [
+        "sysinit.target"
+        "shutdown.target"
+      ];
+      conflicts = [ "shutdown.target" ];
 
       unitConfig = {
+        DefaultDependencies = false;
         ConditionVirtualization = "!container";
-        ConditionSecurity = [ "audit" ];
+        ConditionKernelCommandLine = [
+          "!audit=0"
+          "!audit=off"
+        ];
       };
 
-      path = [ pkgs.audit ];
-
       serviceConfig = {
         Type = "oneshot";
         RemainAfterExit = true;
-        ExecStart = "@${if enabled then startScript else disableScript} audit-start";
-        ExecStop = "@${stopScript} audit-stop";
+        ExecStart = "${lib.getExe' pkgs.audit "auditctl"} -R ${rules}/audit.rules";
+        ExecStopPost = [
+          # Disable auditing
+          "${lib.getExe' pkgs.audit "auditctl"} -e 0"
+          # Delete all rules
+          "${lib.getExe' pkgs.audit "auditctl"} -D"
+        ];
       };
     };
   };
diff --git a/nixos/modules/security/auditd.nix b/nixos/modules/security/auditd.nix
index a281c96165fc2..45ea1d9b2af09 100644
--- a/nixos/modules/security/auditd.nix
+++ b/nixos/modules/security/auditd.nix
@@ -9,12 +9,13 @@
   options.security.auditd.enable = lib.mkEnableOption "the Linux Audit daemon";
 
   config = lib.mkIf config.security.auditd.enable {
-    boot.kernelParams = [ "audit=1" ];
+    # Starting auditd should also enable loading the audit rules..
+    security.audit.enable = lib.mkDefault true;
 
     environment.systemPackages = [ pkgs.audit ];
 
     systemd.services.auditd = {
-      description = "Linux Audit daemon";
+      description = "Security Audit Logging Service";
       documentation = [ "man:auditd(8)" ];
       wantedBy = [ "sysinit.target" ];
       after = [
@@ -28,16 +29,26 @@
       conflicts = [ "shutdown.target" ];
 
       unitConfig = {
-        ConditionVirtualization = "!container";
-        ConditionSecurity = [ "audit" ];
         DefaultDependencies = false;
+        RefuseManualStop = true;
+        ConditionVirtualization = "!container";
+        ConditionKernelCommandLine = [
+          "!audit=0"
+          "!audit=off"
+        ];
       };
 
-      path = [ pkgs.audit ];
-
       serviceConfig = {
-        ExecStartPre = "${pkgs.coreutils}/bin/mkdir -p /var/log/audit";
+        LogsDirectory = "audit";
         ExecStart = "${pkgs.audit}/bin/auditd -l -n -s nochange";
+        Restart = "on-failure";
+        # Do not restart for intentional exits. See EXIT CODES section in auditd(8).
+        RestartPreventExitStatus = "2 4 6";
+
+        # Upstream hardening settings
+        MemoryDenyWriteExecute = true;
+        LockPersonality = true;
+        RestrictRealtime = true;
       };
     };
   };
diff --git a/nixos/tests/all-tests.nix b/nixos/tests/all-tests.nix
index b24bc4d7d7af0..efc42900d364f 100644
--- a/nixos/tests/all-tests.nix
+++ b/nixos/tests/all-tests.nix
@@ -226,6 +226,7 @@ in
   atticd = runTest ./atticd.nix;
   atuin = runTest ./atuin.nix;
   ax25 = runTest ./ax25.nix;
+  audit = runTest ./audit.nix;
   audiobookshelf = runTest ./audiobookshelf.nix;
   auth-mysql = runTest ./auth-mysql.nix;
   authelia = runTest ./authelia.nix;
diff --git a/nixos/tests/audit.nix b/nixos/tests/audit.nix
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..b99a0f98f0ad4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/nixos/tests/audit.nix
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+{
+
+  name = "audit";
+
+  nodes = {
+    machine =
+      { lib, pkgs, ... }:
+      {
+        security.audit = {
+          enable = true;
+          rules = [
+            "-a always,exit -F exe=${lib.getExe pkgs.hello} -k nixos-test"
+          ];
+        };
+        security.auditd.enable = true;
+
+        environment.systemPackages = [ pkgs.hello ];
+      };
+  };
+
+  testScript = ''
+    machine.wait_for_unit("audit-rules.service")
+    machine.wait_for_unit("auditd.service")
+
+    with subtest("Audit subsystem gets enabled"):
+      assert "enabled 1" in machine.succeed("auditctl -s")
+
+    with subtest("Custom rule produces audit traces"):
+      machine.succeed("hello")
+      print(machine.succeed("ausearch -k nixos-test -sc exit_group"))
+
+    with subtest("Stopping audit-rules.service disables the audit subsystem"):
+      machine.succeed("systemctl stop audit-rules.service")
+      assert "enabled 0" in machine.succeed("auditctl -s")
+  '';
+
+}
diff --git a/pkgs/by-name/au/audit/package.nix b/pkgs/by-name/au/audit/package.nix
index 65fa3348f82e6..177bf7212c057 100644
--- a/pkgs/by-name/au/audit/package.nix
+++ b/pkgs/by-name/au/audit/package.nix
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
   enablePython ? stdenv.hostPlatform == stdenv.buildPlatform,
   nix-update-script,
   testers,
+  nixosTests,
 }:
 stdenv.mkDerivation (finalAttrs: {
   pname = "audit";
@@ -90,6 +91,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation (finalAttrs: {
     tests = {
       musl = pkgsCross.musl64.audit;
       pkg-config = testers.testMetaPkgConfig finalAttrs.finalPackage;
+      audit = nixosTests.audit;
     };
   };