diff --git a/lib/devos/devosSystem.nix b/lib/devos/devosSystem.nix
index b0f53fd84..95da127bf 100644
--- a/lib/devos/devosSystem.nix
+++ b/lib/devos/devosSystem.nix
@@ -20,8 +20,7 @@ lib.nixosSystem (args // {
               # avoid unwanted systemd service startups
               # all strings in disabledModules get appended to modulesPath
               # so convert each to list which can be coerced to string
-              disabledModules = map (x: [ x ])
-                (lib.remove modules.core suites.allProfiles);
+              disabledModules = map (x: [ x ]) suites.allProfiles;
 
               nix.registry = lib.mapAttrs (n: v: { flake = v; }) inputs;
 
diff --git a/lib/devos/mkHosts.nix b/lib/devos/mkHosts.nix
index 1d1bfce0e..ee670aad1 100644
--- a/lib/devos/mkHosts.nix
+++ b/lib/devos/mkHosts.nix
@@ -12,7 +12,8 @@ let
   ];
 
   modules = {
-    core = "${self}/profiles/core";
+    core = "${self}/modules/core";
+
     modOverrides = { config, overrideModulesPath, ... }:
       let
         inherit (overrides) modules disabledModules;
@@ -24,7 +25,7 @@ let
           modules;
       };
 
-    global = { config, ... }: {
+    global = { config, pkgs, ... }: {
       home-manager = {
         useGlobalPkgs = true;
         useUserPackages = true;
@@ -33,8 +34,32 @@ let
         sharedModules = extern.userModules ++ (builtins.attrValues self.homeModules);
       };
 
+      devos.defaults = {
+        shell = lib.mkDefault true;
+        fonts = lib.mkDefault true;
+        packages = lib.mkDefault true;
+      };
+
+      users.mutableUsers = false;
+
+      services.earlyoom.enable = true;
       hardware.enableRedistributableFirmware = lib.mkDefault true;
 
+      nix.package = pkgs.nixFlakes;
+
+      nix = {
+        autoOptimiseStore = true;
+        gc.automatic = true;
+        optimise.automatic = true;
+
+        useSandbox = true;
+
+        allowedUsers = [ "@wheel" ];
+        trustedUsers = [ "root" "@wheel" ];
+      };
+
+      nix.systemFeatures = [ "nixos-test" "benchmark" "big-parallel" "kvm" ];
+
       nix.nixPath = [
         "nixpkgs=${nixos}"
         "nixos-config=${self}/compat/nixos"
@@ -53,6 +78,11 @@ let
         experimental-features = ${lib.concatStringsSep " "
           experimentalFeatures
         }
+        min-free = 536870912
+        keep-outputs = true
+        keep-derivations = true
+        fallback = true
+
       '';
 
       system.configurationRevision = lib.mkIf (self ? rev) self.rev;
diff --git a/modules/core/default.nix b/modules/core/default.nix
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4dc031c54
--- /dev/null
+++ b/modules/core/default.nix
@@ -0,0 +1,133 @@
+{ config, lib, pkgs, ... }:
+with lib;
+let
+  cfg = config.devos.defaults;
+in
+{
+  options = {
+    devos.defaults = {
+      shell = mkEnableOption "sane shell aliases and prompt";
+      fonts = mkEnableOption "and install useful fonts";
+      packages = mkEnableOption "useful packages in the environment";
+    };
+  };
+
+  config = mkMerge [
+    (mkIf cfg.packages {
+      environment.systemPackages = with pkgs; [
+        binutils
+        coreutils
+        curl
+        deploy-rs
+        direnv
+        dnsutils
+        dosfstools
+        fd
+        git
+        gotop
+        gptfdisk
+        iputils
+        jq
+        manix
+        moreutils
+        nix-index
+        nmap
+        ripgrep
+        skim
+        tealdeer
+        utillinux
+        whois
+      ];
+    })
+    (mkIf cfg.shell {
+      environment = {
+        shellInit = ''
+          export STARSHIP_CONFIG=${
+            pkgs.writeText "starship.toml"
+            (fileContents ./starship.toml)
+          }
+        '';
+
+
+        shellAliases =
+          let ifSudo = lib.mkIf config.security.sudo.enable;
+          in
+          {
+            # quick cd
+            ".." = "cd ..";
+            "..." = "cd ../..";
+            "...." = "cd ../../..";
+            "....." = "cd ../../../..";
+
+            # git
+            g = "git";
+
+            # grep
+            grep = "rg";
+            gi = "grep -i";
+
+            # internet ip
+            myip = "dig +short myip.opendns.com @208.67.222.222 2>&1";
+
+            # nix
+            n = "nix";
+            np = "n profile";
+            ni = "np install";
+            nr = "np remove";
+            ns = "n search --no-update-lock-file";
+            nf = "n flake";
+            nepl = "n repl '<nixpkgs>'";
+            srch = "ns nixos";
+            orch = "ns override";
+            nrb = ifSudo "sudo nixos-rebuild";
+            mn = ''
+              manix "" | grep '^# ' | sed 's/^# \(.*\) (.*/\1/;s/ (.*//;s/^# //' | sk --preview="manix '{}'" | xargs manix
+            '';
+
+            # fix nixos-option
+            nixos-option = "nixos-option -I nixpkgs=${toString ../../compat}";
+
+            # sudo
+            s = ifSudo "sudo -E ";
+            si = ifSudo "sudo -i";
+            se = ifSudo "sudoedit";
+
+            # top
+            top = "gotop";
+
+            # systemd
+            ctl = "systemctl";
+            stl = ifSudo "s systemctl";
+            utl = "systemctl --user";
+            ut = "systemctl --user start";
+            un = "systemctl --user stop";
+            up = ifSudo "s systemctl start";
+            dn = ifSudo "s systemctl stop";
+            jtl = "journalctl";
+
+          };
+      };
+      programs.bash = {
+        promptInit = ''
+          eval "$(${pkgs.starship}/bin/starship init bash)"
+        '';
+        interactiveShellInit = ''
+          eval "$(${pkgs.direnv}/bin/direnv hook bash)"
+        '';
+      };
+    })
+    (mkIf cfg.fonts {
+      fonts = {
+        fonts = with pkgs; [ powerline-fonts dejavu_fonts ];
+
+        fontconfig.defaultFonts = {
+
+          monospace = [ "DejaVu Sans Mono for Powerline" ];
+
+          sansSerif = [ "DejaVu Sans" ];
+
+        };
+      };
+    })
+  ];
+}
diff --git a/profiles/core/starship.toml b/modules/core/starship.toml
similarity index 100%
rename from profiles/core/starship.toml
rename to modules/core/starship.toml
diff --git a/profiles/core/default.nix b/profiles/core/default.nix
deleted file mode 100644
index 1e789a497..000000000
--- a/profiles/core/default.nix
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,150 +0,0 @@
-{ config, lib, pkgs, ... }:
-let inherit (lib) fileContents;
-in
-{
-  nix.package = pkgs.nixFlakes;
-
-  nix.systemFeatures = [ "nixos-test" "benchmark" "big-parallel" "kvm" ];
-
-  environment = {
-
-    systemPackages = with pkgs; [
-      binutils
-      coreutils
-      curl
-      deploy-rs
-      direnv
-      dnsutils
-      dosfstools
-      fd
-      git
-      gotop
-      gptfdisk
-      iputils
-      jq
-      manix
-      moreutils
-      nix-index
-      nmap
-      ripgrep
-      skim
-      tealdeer
-      utillinux
-      whois
-    ];
-
-    shellInit = ''
-      export STARSHIP_CONFIG=${
-        pkgs.writeText "starship.toml"
-        (fileContents ./starship.toml)
-      }
-    '';
-
-    shellAliases =
-      let ifSudo = lib.mkIf config.security.sudo.enable;
-      in
-      {
-        # quick cd
-        ".." = "cd ..";
-        "..." = "cd ../..";
-        "...." = "cd ../../..";
-        "....." = "cd ../../../..";
-
-        # git
-        g = "git";
-
-        # grep
-        grep = "rg";
-        gi = "grep -i";
-
-        # internet ip
-        myip = "dig +short myip.opendns.com @208.67.222.222 2>&1";
-
-        # nix
-        n = "nix";
-        np = "n profile";
-        ni = "np install";
-        nr = "np remove";
-        ns = "n search --no-update-lock-file";
-        nf = "n flake";
-        nepl = "n repl '<nixpkgs>'";
-        srch = "ns nixos";
-        orch = "ns override";
-        nrb = ifSudo "sudo nixos-rebuild";
-        mn = ''
-          manix "" | grep '^# ' | sed 's/^# \(.*\) (.*/\1/;s/ (.*//;s/^# //' | sk --preview="manix '{}'" | xargs manix
-        '';
-
-        # fix nixos-option
-        nixos-option = "nixos-option -I nixpkgs=${toString ../../compat}";
-
-        # sudo
-        s = ifSudo "sudo -E ";
-        si = ifSudo "sudo -i";
-        se = ifSudo "sudoedit";
-
-        # top
-        top = "gotop";
-
-        # systemd
-        ctl = "systemctl";
-        stl = ifSudo "s systemctl";
-        utl = "systemctl --user";
-        ut = "systemctl --user start";
-        un = "systemctl --user stop";
-        up = ifSudo "s systemctl start";
-        dn = ifSudo "s systemctl stop";
-        jtl = "journalctl";
-
-      };
-  };
-
-  fonts = {
-    fonts = with pkgs; [ powerline-fonts dejavu_fonts ];
-
-    fontconfig.defaultFonts = {
-
-      monospace = [ "DejaVu Sans Mono for Powerline" ];
-
-      sansSerif = [ "DejaVu Sans" ];
-
-    };
-  };
-
-  nix = {
-
-    autoOptimiseStore = true;
-
-    gc.automatic = true;
-
-    optimise.automatic = true;
-
-    useSandbox = true;
-
-    allowedUsers = [ "@wheel" ];
-
-    trustedUsers = [ "root" "@wheel" ];
-
-    extraOptions = ''
-      min-free = 536870912
-      keep-outputs = true
-      keep-derivations = true
-      fallback = true
-    '';
-
-  };
-
-  programs.bash = {
-    promptInit = ''
-      eval "$(${pkgs.starship}/bin/starship init bash)"
-    '';
-    interactiveShellInit = ''
-      eval "$(${pkgs.direnv}/bin/direnv hook bash)"
-    '';
-  };
-
-  services.earlyoom.enable = true;
-
-  users.mutableUsers = false;
-
-}