diff --git a/hosts/common/default.nix b/hosts/common/default.nix
index 56fba0f9..96d7c921 100644
--- a/hosts/common/default.nix
+++ b/hosts/common/default.nix
@@ -120,9 +120,6 @@
     '';
   };
 
-  # disable non-required packages like nano, perl, rsync, strace
-  environment.defaultPackages = [];
-
   # dconf docs: <https://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-us/red_hat_enterprise_linux/7/html/desktop_migration_and_administration_guide/profiles>
   # this lets programs temporarily write user-level dconf settings (aka gsettings).
   # they're written to ~/.config/dconf/user, unless `DCONF_PROFILE` is set to something other than the default of /etc/dconf/profile/user
diff --git a/hosts/common/polyunfill.nix b/hosts/common/polyunfill.nix
index 1fdfc5bc..720c53f3 100644
--- a/hosts/common/polyunfill.nix
+++ b/hosts/common/polyunfill.nix
@@ -2,6 +2,9 @@
 
 { lib, ... }:
 {
+  # disable non-required packages like nano, perl, rsync, strace
+  environment.defaultPackages = [];
+
   # remove all the non-existent default directories from XDG_DATA_DIRS, XDG_CONFIG_DIRS to simplify debugging.
   # this is defaulted in <repo:nixos/nixpkgs:nixos/modules/programs/environment.nix>,
   # without being gated by any higher config.