diff --git a/home/apps/gpg.nix b/home/apps/gpg.nix
index 5e722f5..86053ff 100644
--- a/home/apps/gpg.nix
+++ b/home/apps/gpg.nix
@@ -38,11 +38,6 @@ in {
 
   programs.gpg = {
     enable = true;
-    # NOTE: yet another workaround for gpgme on Darwin, since Firefox isn't aware of $GNUPGHOME
-    homedir =
-      if isDarwin
-      then "${config.home.homeDirectory}/.gnupg"
-      else "${config.xdg.configHome}/gnupg";
     scdaemonSettings."disable-ccid" = true;
     settings = {
       # https://github.com/drduh/config/blob/master/gpg.conf
diff --git a/home/apps/zsh.nix b/home/apps/zsh.nix
index 83dfdb4..10387d2 100644
--- a/home/apps/zsh.nix
+++ b/home/apps/zsh.nix
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ in {
       '';
 
       envExtra = ''
-        export PATH="$PATH:${config.xdg.dataHome}/krew/bin"
+        export PATH="$PATH:${config.xdg.dataHome}/krew/bin:$GOPATH/bin";
         export ZVM_INIT_MODE=sourcing
       '';
 
diff --git a/home/default.nix b/home/default.nix
index 3fa27ae..36ee447 100644
--- a/home/default.nix
+++ b/home/default.nix
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ in {
       ./apps/wezterm.nix
       ./apps/zsh.nix
       ./secrets/sops.nix
+      ./xdg.nix
     ]
     ++ (
       if secretsAvailable
@@ -69,42 +70,17 @@ in {
         unstable.heroic
       ]);
 
-    sessionVariables =
-      {
-        CARGO_HOME = "${config.xdg.dataHome}/cargo";
-        CUDA_CACHE_PATH = "${config.xdg.dataHome}/nv";
-        DOCKER_CONFIG = "${config.xdg.configHome}/docker";
-        NPM_CONFIG_USERCONFIG = "${config.xdg.configHome}/npm/npmrc";
-        PATH = "$PATH:${config.xdg.dataHome}/krew/bin:$GOPATH/bin";
-        RUSTUP_HOME = "${config.xdg.dataHome}/rustup";
-        XCOMPOSECACHE = "${config.xdg.cacheHome}/X11/xcompose";
-      }
-      // (
-        if isDarwin
-        then {
-          SSH_AUTH_SOCK = "${config.programs.gpg.homedir}/S.gpg-agent.ssh";
-        }
-        else {}
-      );
+    sessionVariables = lib.mkIf isDarwin {
+      SSH_AUTH_SOCK = "${config.programs.gpg.homedir}/S.gpg-agent.ssh";
+    };
 
     stateVersion = "22.11";
   };
 
   programs = {
     home-manager.enable = true;
-    go = {
-      enable = true;
-      goPath = "${config.xdg.dataHome}/go";
-    };
+    go.enable = true;
     man.enable = true;
     taskwarrior.enable = true;
   };
-
-  xdg = {
-    enable = true;
-    userDirs.enable = isLinux;
-    cacheHome = "${config.home.homeDirectory}/.cache";
-    configHome = "${config.home.homeDirectory}/.config";
-    dataHome = "${config.home.homeDirectory}/.local/share";
-  };
 }
diff --git a/home/xdg.nix b/home/xdg.nix
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2d6cef4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/home/xdg.nix
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+# assortment of random bs that's needed
+# to make apps use XDG directories
+{
+  config,
+  pkgs,
+  ...
+}: let
+  inherit (pkgs.stdenv.hostPlatform) isDarwin isLinux;
+in {
+  home.sessionVariables = {
+    CARGO_HOME = "${config.xdg.dataHome}/cargo";
+    CUDA_CACHE_PATH = "${config.xdg.dataHome}/nv";
+    DOCKER_CONFIG = "${config.xdg.configHome}/docker";
+    GEM_HOME = "${config.xdg.dataHome}/gem";
+    GEM_SPEC_CACHE = "${config.xdg.cacheHome}/gem";
+    NPM_CONFIG_USERCONFIG = "${config.xdg.configHome}/npm/npmrc";
+    RUSTUP_HOME = "${config.xdg.dataHome}/rustup";
+    XCOMPOSECACHE = "${config.xdg.cacheHome}/X11/xcompose";
+  };
+
+  home.activation.npmrc_xdg = ''
+    export NPM_CONFIG_USERCONFIG="${config.home.sessionVariables.NPM_CONFIG_USERCONFIG}"
+    ${pkgs.nodejs + "/bin/npm"} config set \
+      prefix="${config.xdg.dataHome}/npm" \
+      cache="${config.xdg.cacheHome}/npm" \
+      init-module="${config.xdg.configHome}/npm/config/npm-init.js"
+  '';
+
+  programs.go.goPath = ".local/share/go";
+  # NOTE: workaround for gpgme on Darwin, since GUI apps aren't aware of $GNUPGHOME
+  programs.gpg.homedir =
+    if isDarwin
+    then "${config.home.homeDirectory}/.gnupg"
+    else "${config.xdg.configHome}/gnupg";
+
+  xdg = {
+    enable = true;
+    userDirs.enable = isLinux;
+    cacheHome = "${config.home.homeDirectory}/.cache";
+    configHome = "${config.home.homeDirectory}/.config";
+    dataHome = "${config.home.homeDirectory}/.local/share";
+  };
+}