diff --git a/modules/nixos/profiles/desktop.nix b/modules/nixos/profiles/desktop.nix
index f5eae38..870f7fc 100644
--- a/modules/nixos/profiles/desktop.nix
+++ b/modules/nixos/profiles/desktop.nix
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ in {
         desktop.plasma.enable = true;
         multimedia.enable = true;
 
-        networking.networkmanager.enable = true;
+        networking.networkmanager = { };
       };
     };
   };
diff --git a/modules/nixos/system/networking/default.nix b/modules/nixos/system/networking/default.nix
index 5b892a1..cdb08de 100644
--- a/modules/nixos/system/networking/default.nix
+++ b/modules/nixos/system/networking/default.nix
@@ -1,9 +1,14 @@
-{ ... }: {
+{ lib, ... }: {
   imports = [
     ./networkmanager.nix
   ];
+
+  options.cyclamen.system.networking = lib.mkOption {
+    type = lib.types.attrTag {};
+  };
   
   config = {
+    # always use networkd if declarative networking is selected
     networking = {
       useNetworkd = true;
     };
diff --git a/modules/nixos/system/networking/networkmanager.nix b/modules/nixos/system/networking/networkmanager.nix
index 30de1c3..149679d 100644
--- a/modules/nixos/system/networking/networkmanager.nix
+++ b/modules/nixos/system/networking/networkmanager.nix
@@ -1,11 +1,20 @@
 { config, lib, ... }: let
   cfg = config.cyclamen.system.networking.networkmanager;
 in {
-  options.cyclamen.system.networking.networkmanager = {
-    enable = lib.mkEnableOption "NetworkManager network management daemon";
+  options.cyclamen.system.networking = lib.mkOption {
+    type = lib.types.attrTag {
+      networkmanager = lib.mkOption {
+        # TODO: ummm ... do i need any config for networkmanager? if not ... what do we put here ...
+        type = lib.types.attrsOf lib.types.anything;
+      };
+    };
   };
 
-  config = lib.mkIf cfg.enable {
+  config = lib.mkIf (cfg != null) {
+    # cyclamen always uses networkd as the backend for the declarative networking config. disabling networkd thus disables the declarative networking all together
+    # we do that since we want networkmanager to manage the networking instead
+    systemd.network.enable = lib.mkForce false;
+    
     networking.networkmanager = {
       enable = true;
       dns = "systemd-resolved";