diff --git a/machine/imperium/default.nix b/machine/imperium/default.nix
index 21c8961..59dfdf3 100644
--- a/machine/imperium/default.nix
+++ b/machine/imperium/default.nix
@@ -54,7 +54,6 @@
     firefox
     libreoffice
     mpv
-    syncthing
     unzip
   ];
 
@@ -62,6 +61,17 @@
     enable = false;
   };
 
+  # tvb monopolizes the system syncthing for now. User services are harder to get working
+  # and nobody else uses imperium right now. In the future, rewriting the syncthing module
+  # to allow multiple instances is probably the right move.
+  services.syncthing = {
+    enable = true;
+    dataDir = "/home/tvb";
+    openDefaultPorts = true;
+    user = "tvb";
+    group = "tvb";
+  };
+
   # This value governs how some stateful data, like databases, are handled
   # across different versions of NixOS. This should not be changed to a new
   # release unless the sysadmin has determined that no services would be