diff --git a/common/users/qenya.nix b/common/users/qenya.nix
index e9d11ad..19dc8ed 100644
--- a/common/users/qenya.nix
+++ b/common/users/qenya.nix
@@ -11,4 +11,9 @@ in {
   };
 
   programs.zsh.enable = true;
+
+  home-manager.users.qenya = { config, lib, pkgs, osConfig, ... }: {
+    home.homeDirectory = osConfig.users.users.qenya.home;
+    imports = [ ../../home/qenya ];
+  };
 }
diff --git a/flake.nix b/flake.nix
index 4680f54..98baa2a 100644
--- a/flake.nix
+++ b/flake.nix
@@ -27,19 +27,6 @@
   };
 
   outputs = inputs@{ self, nixpkgs, home-manager, plasma-manager, nur, agenix, birdsong, ... }: {
-    # The name of this output type is not standardised. I have picked
-    # "homeManagerModules" as the discussion here suggests it's the most common:
-    # https://github.com/nix-community/home-manager/issues/1783
-    #
-    # However, note CppNix >= 2.22.3, >= 2.24 has blessed "homeModules":
-    # https://github.com/NixOS/nix/pull/10858
-    homeManagerModules."qenya" = { config, lib, pkgs, ... }: {
-      imports = [
-        plasma-manager.homeManagerModules.plasma-manager
-        ./home/qenya
-      ];
-    };
-
     colmena = {
       meta = {
         nixpkgs = import nixpkgs { system = "x86_64-linux"; };
@@ -48,7 +35,7 @@
         };
       };
 
-      defaults = { name, nodes, ... }: {
+      defaults = { name, nodes, config, ... }: {
         networking.hostName = name;
 
         nix.settings.experimental-features = "nix-command flakes";
@@ -56,10 +43,7 @@
         nixpkgs.config.allowUnfree = true;
 
         nixpkgs.overlays = [ nur.overlay ];
-        
-        # TODO: make this or something like it work without infinite recursion
-        # home-manager.users."qenya" = lib.mkIf (config.users.users ? "qenya") self.homeManagerModules."qenya";
-        home-manager.users."qenya" = self.homeManagerModules."qenya";
+        home-manager.sharedModules = [ plasma-manager.homeManagerModules.plasma-manager ];
 
         imports = [
           home-manager.nixosModules.home-manager
diff --git a/home/qenya/plasma/default.nix b/home/qenya/plasma/default.nix
index f35d05c..6624109 100644
--- a/home/qenya/plasma/default.nix
+++ b/home/qenya/plasma/default.nix
@@ -1,11 +1,19 @@
 { config, lib, pkgs, osConfig, ... }:
 
 let
+  inherit (lib) mkIf;
   isPlasma = osConfig.services.desktopManager.plasma6.enable || osConfig.services.xserver.desktopManager.plasma5.enable;
 in
 {
-  programs.plasma.enable = isPlasma;
-  programs.plasma.overrideConfig = true;
+  # FIXME: this mkIf is necessary because home/qenya is imported into shaw here:
+  #  https://github.com/randomnetcat/nix-configs/blob/75d491dc6904475e43a820287edf3cf2f89abcfb/hosts/shaw/birdsong.nix#L74
+  #  shaw doesn't understand programs.plasma because randomcat doesn't import
+  #  plasma-manager, and is unwilling to because none of her machines run KDE.
+  #  This probably can't be fixed until we merge our configs completely.
+  programs = mkIf isPlasma {
+    plasma.enable = isPlasma;
+    plasma.overrideConfig = true;
+  };
 
   imports = [ ];
 }