diff --git a/tv/2configs/xserver/default.nix b/tv/2configs/xserver/default.nix
index 6688984e2..7ba78b974 100644
--- a/tv/2configs/xserver/default.nix
+++ b/tv/2configs/xserver/default.nix
@@ -2,6 +2,9 @@
 with import <stockholm/lib>;
 let
   cfg = {
+    cacheDir = cfg.dataDir;
+    configDir = "/var/empty";
+    dataDir = "/run/xdg/${cfg.user.name}/xmonad";
     user = config.krebs.build.user;
   };
 in {
@@ -56,6 +59,10 @@ in {
     environment = {
       DISPLAY = ":${toString config.services.xserver.display}";
 
+      XMONAD_CACHE_DIR = cfg.cacheDir;
+      XMONAD_CONFIG_DIR = cfg.configDir;
+      XMONAD_DATA_DIR = cfg.dataDir;
+
       XMONAD_STARTUP_HOOK = pkgs.writeDash "xmonad-startup-hook" ''
         ${pkgs.xorg.xhost}/bin/xhost +LOCAL: &
         ${pkgs.xorg.xmodmap}/bin/xmodmap ${import ./Xmodmap.nix args} &
@@ -64,8 +71,6 @@ in {
         wait
       '';
 
-      XMONAD_STATE = "/tmp/xmonad.state";
-
       # XXX JSON is close enough :)
       XMONAD_WORKSPACES0_FILE = pkgs.writeText "xmonad.workspaces0" (toJSON [
         "Dashboard" # we start here
@@ -81,6 +86,11 @@ in {
     };
     serviceConfig = {
       SyslogIdentifier = "xmonad";
+      ExecStartPre = "${pkgs.coreutils}/bin/mkdir -p ${toString [
+        "\${XMONAD_CACHE_DIR}"
+        "\${XMONAD_CONFIG_DIR}"
+        "\${XMONAD_DATA_DIR}"
+      ]}";
       ExecStart = "${pkgs.xmonad-tv}/bin/xmonad";
       ExecStop = "${pkgs.xmonad-tv}/bin/xmonad --shutdown";
       User = cfg.user.name;
diff --git a/tv/5pkgs/simple/xmonad-tv/default.nix b/tv/5pkgs/simple/xmonad-tv/default.nix
index 94554f57c..94c70153d 100644
--- a/tv/5pkgs/simple/xmonad-tv/default.nix
+++ b/tv/5pkgs/simple/xmonad-tv/default.nix
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ main = getArgs >>= \case
 mainNoArgs :: IO ()
 mainNoArgs = do
     workspaces0 <- getWorkspaces0
-    xmonad'
+    xmonad
         -- $ withUrgencyHookC dzenUrgencyHook { args = ["-bg", "magenta", "-fg", "magenta", "-h", "2"], duration = 500000 }
         --                   urgencyConfig { remindWhen = Every 1 }
         -- $ withUrgencyHook borderUrgencyHook "magenta"
@@ -95,17 +95,6 @@ mainNoArgs = do
             }
 
 
-xmonad' :: (LayoutClass l Window, Read (l Window)) => XConfig l -> IO ()
-xmonad' conf = do
-    path <- getEnv "XMONAD_STATE"
-    try (readFile path) >>= \case
-        Right content -> do
-            hPutStrLn stderr ("resuming from " ++ path)
-            withArgs ("--resume" : lines content) (xmonad conf)
-        Left e -> do
-            hPutStrLn stderr (displaySomeException e)
-            xmonad conf
-
 getWorkspaces0 :: IO [String]
 getWorkspaces0 =
     try (getEnv "XMONAD_WORKSPACES0_FILE") >>= \case