Hey there,
I’m running a distro called NixOS that has an interesting feature called “impermanence” - it basically wipes most of the system state on each reboot and rebuilds everything from configuration files. This keeps the system clean and reproducible, but it means I need to explicitly specify which settings and data should persist between reboots.
I’ve got almost everything working, but I’m struggling with two GNOME-specific settings:
- Bluetooth on/off state - Whether Bluetooth is enabled or disabled
- Screen brightness level - My preferred brightness setting
What I’ve Already Tried
I’m already persisting these directories/files:
/nix- Nix package store/etc/nixos/- System configuration/etc/NetworkManager/- Needed for WiFi/VPN connections in GNOME/var/lib/nixos- Important system files like uid/gid mappings/var/log/var/tmp/var/lib/AccountsService- Needed to show user profile pictures/var/lib/NetworkManager/- Additional network state/var/lib/bluetooth- Persist bluetooth connections (saves paired devices but not power state)/var/lib/systemd/timers- Persist system timers/run/NetworkManager- Some additional network state- My entire home directory (
/home/username)
The Bluetooth power state and screen brightness seem to be GNOME-specific settings that aren’t saved in the standard locations I’m persisting. When I reboot, Bluetooth reverts to its default state (on) and brightness goes back to a default level (max brightness).
For those familiar with GNOME’s internals, where does GNOME store:
- The Bluetooth power state (enabled/disabled toggle)?
- The screen brightness level?
I’m looking for the specific files or directories where GNOME saves these user preferences so I can add them to my persistence configuration.
Any help from GNOME power users who know where these settings live would be greatly appreciated 
Thanks in advance!
