diff --git a/provision/nixos/hosts/kestrel/configuration.nix b/provision/nixos/hosts/kestrel/configuration.nix
index bdb5a687..c195947c 100644
--- a/provision/nixos/hosts/kestrel/configuration.nix
+++ b/provision/nixos/hosts/kestrel/configuration.nix
@@ -37,26 +37,26 @@
   time.timeZone = "America/Los_Angeles";
   i18n.defaultLocale = "en_US.UTF-8";
 
-  services.xserver = {
-    enable = true;
-    layout = "us";
+  #services.xserver = {
+  #  enable = true;
+  #  layout = "us";
 
-    desktopManager.xterm.enable = false;
+  #  desktopManager.xterm.enable = false;
 
-    # Use nvidia drivers
-    videoDrivers = [ "amdgpu" ];
+  #  # Use nvidia drivers
+  #  videoDrivers = [ "amdgpu" ];
 
-    displayManager.gdm.enable = true;
-    desktopManager.gnome.enable = true;
+  #  displayManager.gdm.enable = true;
+  #  desktopManager.gnome.enable = true;
 
-    # Use the xmonad wm
-    windowManager = {
-      xmonad = {
-        enable = true;
-        enableContribAndExtras = true;
-      };
-    };
-  };
+  #  # Use the xmonad wm
+  #  windowManager = {
+  #    xmonad = {
+  #      enable = true;
+  #      enableContribAndExtras = true;
+  #    };
+  #  };
+  #};
 
   # Enable sound.
   sound.enable = true;
@@ -96,6 +96,7 @@
     pinentry-curses 
     zsh
     ripgrep
+    trash-cli
   ];
 
   # Enable user services
@@ -125,12 +126,12 @@
   };
 
 
+  # Enable modules
   imports = [ ../../modules ];
-
   modules = {
     services = {
       samba.enable = true;
-      vfio.enable = true;
+      vfio.enable = false; # Currently broken
     };
     devel = {
       python.enable = true;
@@ -139,6 +140,9 @@
     gaming = {
       steam.enable = true;
     };
+    desktop = {
+      sway.enable = true;
+    };
   };
   
   system.stateVersion = "22.11"; # Did you read the comment?
diff --git a/provision/nixos/hosts/kestrel/home-configuration.nix b/provision/nixos/hosts/kestrel/home-configuration.nix
index 32c083ef..da6b23ce 100644
--- a/provision/nixos/hosts/kestrel/home-configuration.nix
+++ b/provision/nixos/hosts/kestrel/home-configuration.nix
@@ -7,30 +7,17 @@
 
   home.packages = with pkgs; [
     firefox
-    rofi
     alacritty
     gamemode
     lutris
-    prismlauncher
-    nitrogen
-    keepassxc
     pcmanfm
     discord
     inkscape
-    gruvbox-dark-gtk
-    gruvbox-dark-icons-gtk
     libreoffice-fresh
     chezmoi
     rbw 
     vscodium.fhs
   ];
 
-  gtk = {
-    enable = true;
-    theme = {
-      name = "gruvbox-dark";
-    };
-  };
-
   home.stateVersion = "22.11";
 }
diff --git a/provision/nixos/modules/default.nix b/provision/nixos/modules/default.nix
index a72bbf60..efa58c8d 100644
--- a/provision/nixos/modules/default.nix
+++ b/provision/nixos/modules/default.nix
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
 { ... }:
 {
-  imports = [ ./gaming ./devel ./services ./editors ];
+  imports = [ ./desktop ./gaming ./devel ./services ];
 }
diff --git a/provision/nixos/modules/desktop/default.nix b/provision/nixos/modules/desktop/default.nix
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..82bc7354
--- /dev/null
+++ b/provision/nixos/modules/desktop/default.nix
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+{ ... }:
+{
+  imports = [ ./sway.nix ];
+}
diff --git a/provision/nixos/modules/desktop/sway.nix b/provision/nixos/modules/desktop/sway.nix
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..24208c5b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/provision/nixos/modules/desktop/sway.nix
@@ -0,0 +1,85 @@
+{ config, lib, pkgs, user, ... }:
+
+let 
+    cfg = config.modules.desktop.sway;
+    # bash script to let dbus know about important env variables and
+    # propagate them to relevent services run at the end of sway config
+    # see
+    # https://github.com/emersion/xdg-desktop-portal-wlr/wiki/"It-doesn't-work"-Troubleshooting-Checklist
+    # note: this is pretty much the same as  /etc/sway/config.d/nixos.conf but also restarts  
+    # some user services to make sure they have the correct environment variables
+    dbus-sway-environment = pkgs.writeTextFile {
+      name = "dbus-sway-environment";
+      destination = "/bin/dbus-sway-environment";
+      executable = true;
+
+      text = ''
+    dbus-update-activation-environment --systemd WAYLAND_DISPLAY XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP=sway
+    systemctl --user stop pipewire pipewire-media-session xdg-desktop-portal xdg-desktop-portal-wlr
+    systemctl --user start pipewire pipewire-media-session xdg-desktop-portal xdg-desktop-portal-wlr
+        '';
+    };
+
+    # currently, there is some friction between sway and gtk:
+    # https://github.com/swaywm/sway/wiki/GTK-3-settings-on-Wayland
+    # the suggested way to set gtk settings is with gsettings
+    # for gsettings to work, we need to tell it where the schemas are
+    # using the XDG_DATA_DIR environment variable
+    # run at the end of sway config
+    configure-gtk = pkgs.writeTextFile {
+        name = "configure-gtk";
+        destination = "/bin/configure-gtk";
+        executable = true;
+        text = let
+          schema = pkgs.gsettings-desktop-schemas;
+          datadir = "${schema}/share/gsettings-schemas/${schema.name}";
+        in ''
+          export XDG_DATA_DIRS=${datadir}:$XDG_DATA_DIRS
+          gnome_schema=org.gnome.desktop.interface
+          gsettings set $gnome_schema gtk-theme 'Dracula'
+          '';
+    };
+
+in {
+  options.modules.desktop.sway.enable = lib.mkEnableOption "sway";
+  config = lib.mkIf cfg.enable {
+
+    environment.systemPackages = with pkgs; [
+      sway
+      dbus-sway-environment
+      wayland
+      configure-gtk
+      xdg-utils # for opening default programs when clicking links
+      glib # gsettings
+      dracula-theme # gtk theme
+      gnome3.adwaita-icon-theme  # default gnome cursors
+      swaylock
+      swayidle
+      grim # screenshot functionality
+      wl-clipboard # wl-copy and wl-paste for copy/paste from stdin / stdout
+      mako # notification system developed by swaywm maintainer
+      wdisplays # tool to configure displays
+      rofi
+    ];
+
+    # xdg-desktop-portal works by exposing a series of D-Bus interfaces
+    # known as portals under a well-known name
+    # (org.freedesktop.portal.Desktop) and object path
+    # (/org/freedesktop/portal/desktop).
+    # The portal interfaces include APIs for file access, opening URIs,
+    # printing and others.
+    services.dbus.enable = true;
+    xdg.portal = {
+      enable = true;
+      wlr.enable = true;
+      # gtk portal needed to make gtk apps happy
+      extraPortals = [ pkgs.xdg-desktop-portal-gtk ];
+    };
+
+    # enable sway window manager
+    programs.sway = {
+      enable = true;
+      wrapperFeatures.gtk = true;
+    };
+  };
+}
diff --git a/provision/nixos/modules/editors/default.nix b/provision/nixos/modules/editors/default.nix
deleted file mode 100644
index ca62e98a..00000000
--- a/provision/nixos/modules/editors/default.nix
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,5 +0,0 @@
-{ ... }:
-
-{
-  imports = [ ./emacs.nix ];
-}
diff --git a/provision/nixos/modules/editors/emacs.nix b/provision/nixos/modules/editors/emacs.nix
deleted file mode 100644
index 7eb6c267..00000000
--- a/provision/nixos/modules/editors/emacs.nix
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,22 +0,0 @@
-# emacs because my life isn't already hard enough
-
-{ config, lib, pkgs, user, ... }:
-
-let cfg = config.modules.editors.emacs;
-in {
-  options.modules.editors.emacs.enable = lib.mkEnableOption "emacs";
-  config = lib.mkIf cfg.enable {
-
-    # Install packages
-    environment.systemPackages = with pkgs; [ emacs silver-searcher ripgrep ];
-
-    # Setup SystemCrafter's awesome crafted-emacs
-    system.userActivationScripts = {
-      installCraftedEmacs = ''
-        if [ ! -d "/home/${user}/.emacs.d" ]; then
-           ${pkgs.git}/bin/git clone "https://github.com/SystemCrafters/crafted-emacs.git" "/home/${user}/.emacs.d"
-        fi
-      '';
-    };
-  };
-}
diff --git a/provision/nixos/modules/gaming/steam.nix b/provision/nixos/modules/gaming/steam.nix
index ab3233c7..409355f1 100644
--- a/provision/nixos/modules/gaming/steam.nix
+++ b/provision/nixos/modules/gaming/steam.nix
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 { config, lib, pkgs, user, ... }:
 
-let cfg = config.modules.editors.steam;
+let cfg = config.modules.gaming.steam;
 in {
-  options.modules.editors.steam.enable = lib.mkEnableOption "steam";
+  options.modules.gaming.steam.enable = lib.mkEnableOption "steam";
   config = lib.mkIf cfg.enable {
     hardware.opengl = { # this fixes the "glXChooseVisual failed" bug, context: https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/issues/47932
       enable = true;