diff --git a/modules/fs/default.nix b/modules/fs/default.nix
index 3806be1ab..ce6900417 100644
--- a/modules/fs/default.nix
+++ b/modules/fs/default.nix
@@ -129,9 +129,7 @@ let
   };
 
   # given a mountEntry definition, evaluate its toplevel `config` output.
-  mkMountConfig = path: opt: let
-    fsEntry = config.fileSystems."${path}";
-  in {
+  mkMountConfig = path: opt: {
     # create the mount point, with desired acl
     systemd.tmpfiles.settings."00-10-sane-fs"."${path}".d = opt.acl;
     fileSystems."${path}" = {
@@ -144,22 +142,27 @@ let
         # systemd-tmpfiles.service is one such example.
         # so, we *prefer* to be ordered before `local-fs.target` (since everything pulls that in),
         # but we generally don't want to *fail* `local-fs.target`, since that breaks everything, even `ssh`
+        # on the other hand, /mnt/persist/private can take an indeterminate amount of time to be mounted,
+        # and if they block local-fs, that might block things like networking as well...
+        # so don't even required `before=local-fs.target`
         # "noauto"
         "nofail"
         # x-systemd options documented here:
         # - <https://www.freedesktop.org/software/systemd/man/systemd.mount.html>
-        "x-systemd.before=local-fs.target"
+        # "x-systemd.before=local-fs.target"
       ];
       noCheck = true;
     };
     # specify `systemd.mounts` because otherwise systemd doesn't seem to pick up my `x-systemd` fs options?
-    systemd.mounts = [{
-      where = path;
-      what = if fsEntry.device != null then fsEntry.device else "";
-      type = fsEntry.fsType;
-      options = lib.concatStringsSep "," fsEntry.options;
-      before = [ "local-fs.target" ];
-    }];
+    # systemd.mounts = let
+    #   fsEntry = config.fileSystems."${path}";
+    # in [{
+    #   where = path;
+    #   what = if fsEntry.device != null then fsEntry.device else "";
+    #   type = fsEntry.fsType;
+    #   options = lib.concatStringsSep "," fsEntry.options;
+    #   # before = [ "local-fs.target" ];
+    # }];
   };
 
   mkDirConfig = path: opt: {