diff --git a/TODO.md b/TODO.md
index a12b8c3..5536d7f 100755
--- a/TODO.md
+++ b/TODO.md
@@ -1,3 +1,7 @@
+- [ ] base should automatically be set as the default (dont do anything with the default)
+- [ ] try to remove common foot guns, ie abort if the user provides the home-manager or microvm nixosModules
+      since cerulean ALREADY provides these
+
 - [ ] deploy port should default to the first port given to `services.openssh`
 
 - [ ] use the Nix module system instead of projectOnto for `cerulean.mkNexus`
diff --git a/cerulean/nexus/nexus.nix b/cerulean/nexus/nexus.nix
index 22424ba..b30647d 100644
--- a/cerulean/nexus/nexus.nix
+++ b/cerulean/nexus/nexus.nix
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
 }: let
   inherit
     (builtins)
+    all
     attrNames
     concatLists
     concatStringsSep
@@ -184,33 +185,47 @@ in {
     outputs = rec {
       nixosConfigurations = mapNodes nexus (
         {
+          base,
           lib,
           nodeName,
           node,
           ...
         }: let
-          nixosDecl = lib.nixosSystem rec {
-            system = node.system;
-            specialArgs =
-              nexus.args
-              // node.args
-              // {
-                inherit root specialArgs;
-                inherit (node) system;
-                _deploy-rs = inputs.deploy-rs;
+          nixosDecl = let
+            userArgs = nexus.args // node.args;
+            ceruleanArgs = {
+              inherit root base;
+              inherit (node) system;
+              _cerulean = {
+                inherit inputs userArgs;
+                args = ceruleanArgs;
               };
-            modules =
-              [
-                self.nixosModules.default
-                (findImport (root + "/hosts/${nodeName}"))
+            };
+            specialArgs = assert (userArgs
+              |> attrNames
+              |> all (argName:
+                ! ceruleanArgs ? argName
+                || abort ''
+                  `specialArgs` are like super important to Cerulean my love... </3
+                  But `args.${argName}` is a reserved argument name :(
+                ''));
+              userArgs // ceruleanArgs;
+          in
+            lib.nixosSystem {
+              inherit (node) system;
+              inherit specialArgs;
+              modules =
+                [
+                  self.nixosModules.default
+                  (findImport (root + "/hosts/${nodeName}"))
 
-                inputs.home-manager.nixosModules.default
-                # inputs.microvm.nixosModules.microvm
-              ]
-              ++ (getGroupModules root nodeName node)
-              ++ node.modules
-              ++ nexus.modules;
-          };
+                  inputs.home-manager.nixosModules.default
+                  # inputs.microvm.nixosModules.microvm
+                ]
+                ++ (getGroupModules root nodeName node)
+                ++ node.modules
+                ++ nexus.modules;
+            };
         in
           nixosDecl
       );
diff --git a/cerulean/nexus/nodes.nix b/cerulean/nexus/nodes.nix
index a1b6117..25b4bb3 100644
--- a/cerulean/nexus/nodes.nix
+++ b/cerulean/nexus/nodes.nix
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ in rec {
           '';
     in
       f {
-        inherit nodeName node;
-        lib = base.lib;
+        inherit nodeName node base;
+        inherit (base) lib;
       });
 }
diff --git a/cerulean/nixos/default.nix b/cerulean/nixos/default.nix
index f15b236..bd8d03d 100644
--- a/cerulean/nixos/default.nix
+++ b/cerulean/nixos/default.nix
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
 {
   root,
   system,
-  _deploy-rs,
+  _cerulean,
   ...
 } @ args: {
   imports = [
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@
     ./home-manager.nix
   ];
 
-  environment.systemPackages = [
-    _deploy-rs.packages.${system}.default
+  environment.systemPackages = with _cerulean.inputs; [
+    deploy-rs.packages.${system}.default
   ];
 }
diff --git a/cerulean/nixos/home-manager.nix b/cerulean/nixos/home-manager.nix
index 21ee78c..7c3d12d 100644
--- a/cerulean/nixos/home-manager.nix
+++ b/cerulean/nixos/home-manager.nix
@@ -13,10 +13,9 @@
 # limitations under the License.
 {
   root,
-  system,
   config,
   lib,
-  specialArgs,
+  _cerulean,
   ...
 } @ args: let
   inherit
@@ -34,17 +33,13 @@ in {
         |> filter (x: pathExists (root + "/homes/${x}"))
         |> (x: lib.genAttrs x (y: import (root + "/homes/${y}")));
 
-      extraSpecialArgs = {inherit root system;} // (specialArgs.inputs or {});
+      extraSpecialArgs = _cerulean.args;
       sharedModules = [
         # user configuration
         (import (root + "/nixpkgs.nix"))
         # options declarations
         (import ./nixpkgs.nix (args // {contextName = "homes";}))
       ];
-
-      # disable home-manager trying anything fancy
-      # we control the pkgs now!!
-      # useGlobalPkgs = true;
     };
   };
 }