diff --git a/modules/fs/default.nix b/modules/fs/default.nix
index dd2cbbdfb..200992978 100644
--- a/modules/fs/default.nix
+++ b/modules/fs/default.nix
@@ -22,7 +22,6 @@ let
     srcRoot = ./.;
   };
 
-  mountNameFor = path: "${utils.escapeSystemdPath path}.mount";
   serviceNameFor = path: "ensure-${utils.escapeSystemdPath path}";
 
   # sane.fs."<path>" top-level options
@@ -53,21 +52,6 @@ let
         type = types.nullOr (mountEntryFor name);
         default = null;
       };
-      wantedBy = mkOption {
-        type = types.listOf types.str;
-        default = [];
-        description = ''
-          list of units or targets which, when activated, should trigger this fs entry to be created.
-        '';
-      };
-      wantedBeforeBy = mkOption {
-        type = types.listOf types.str;
-        default = [];
-        description = ''
-          list of units or targets which, when activated, should first start and wait for this fs entry to be created.
-          if this unit fails, it will not block the targets in this list.
-        '';
-      };
     };
     config = let
       default-acl = {
@@ -245,9 +229,8 @@ let
       # prevent systemd making this unit implicitly dependent on sysinit.target.
       # see: <https://www.freedesktop.org/software/systemd/man/systemd.special.html>
       unitConfig.DefaultDependencies = "no";
-
-      before = opt.wantedBeforeBy;
-      wantedBy = opt.wantedBy ++ opt.wantedBeforeBy;
+      # try to create all entries at boot, but don't block on them. blocking can be more targeted, by higher layers, via e.g. `RequiresMountsFor`
+      wantedBy = [ "default.target" ];
     };
   };
 
@@ -266,17 +249,16 @@ let
       device = ifBind opt.mount.bind;
       options = (lib.optionals isBind [ "bind" ])
         ++ [
-          # disable defaults: don't require this to be mount as part of local-fs.target
-          # we'll handle that stuff precisely.
-          "noauto"
+          # noauto: removes implicit `WantedBy=local-fs.target`
+          # nofail: removes implicit `Before=local-fs.target`
+          #   because e.g. private data may not be available before local-fs
+          # "noauto"
           "nofail"
           # x-systemd options documented here:
           # - <https://www.freedesktop.org/software/systemd/man/systemd.mount.html>
         ]
         ++ (builtins.map (unit: "x-systemd.after=${unit}") requires)
-        ++ (builtins.map (unit: "x-systemd.requires=${unit}") requires)
-        ++ (builtins.map (unit: "x-systemd.before=${unit}") opt.wantedBeforeBy)
-        ++ (builtins.map (unit: "x-systemd.wanted-by=${unit}") (opt.wantedBy ++ opt.wantedBeforeBy));
+        ++ (builtins.map (unit: "x-systemd.requires=${unit}") requires);
       noCheck = ifBind true;
     };
     systemd.mounts = [{
@@ -286,8 +268,6 @@ let
       options = lib.concatStringsSep "," fsEntry.options;
       after = requires;
       requires = requires;
-      before = opt.wantedBeforeBy;
-      wantedBy = opt.wantedBeforeBy;
       inherit (opt.mount) mountConfig unitConfig;
     }];
   };
diff --git a/modules/persist/default.nix b/modules/persist/default.nix
index 97863c2f5..44963e790 100644
--- a/modules/persist/default.nix
+++ b/modules/persist/default.nix
@@ -46,21 +46,6 @@ let
           preferred way to link items from the store into the fs
         '';
       };
-      defaultOrdering.wantedBeforeBy = mkOption {
-        type = types.listOf types.str;
-        default = [ "local-fs.target" ];
-        description = ''
-          list of units or targets which would prefer that everything in this store
-          be initialized before they run, but failing to do so should not error the items in this list.
-        '';
-      };
-      defaultOrdering.wantedBy = mkOption {
-        type = types.listOf types.str;
-        default = [ ];
-        description = ''
-          list of units or targets which, upon activation, should activate all units in this store.
-        '';
-      };
     };
   };
 
@@ -217,9 +202,7 @@ in
       in lib.mkMerge [
         {
           # create destination dir, with correct perms
-          sane.fs."${fspath}" = {
-            inherit (store.defaultOrdering) wantedBy wantedBeforeBy;
-          } // (lib.optionalAttrs (method == "bind") {
+          sane.fs."${fspath}" = (lib.optionalAttrs (method == "bind") {
             # inherit perms & make sure we don't mount until after the mount point is setup correctly.
             dir.acl = opt.acl;
             mount.bind = fsPathToBackingPath fspath;