diff --git a/extern/default.nix b/extern/default.nix
index 5484eb4e..66f4e782 100644
--- a/extern/default.nix
+++ b/extern/default.nix
@@ -24,4 +24,7 @@
   userModules = [
   ];
 
+  # passed to all home-manager modules
+  userSpecialArgs = {
+  };
 }
diff --git a/hosts/default.nix b/hosts/default.nix
index 1e8dec35..930f5f23 100644
--- a/hosts/default.nix
+++ b/hosts/default.nix
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ let
         useGlobalPkgs = true;
         useUserPackages = true;
 
+        extraSpecialArgs = extern.userSpecialArgs // { suites = suites.user; };
         sharedModules = extern.userModules ++ (builtins.attrValues self.homeModules);
       };
 
@@ -71,7 +72,7 @@ let
     flakeModules = { imports = builtins.attrValues self.nixosModules ++ extern.modules; };
   };
 
-  specialArgs = extern.specialArgs // { inherit suites; };
+  specialArgs = extern.specialArgs // { suites = suites.system; };
 
   mkHostConfig = hostName:
     let
diff --git a/suites/default.nix b/suites/default.nix
index 7eb11e50..e1b7d668 100644
--- a/suites/default.nix
+++ b/suites/default.nix
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ let
   inherit (lib) dev;
 
   profiles = dev.os.mkProfileAttrs (toString ../profiles);
+  userProfiles = dev.os.mkProfileAttrs (toString ../users/profiles);
   users = dev.os.mkProfileAttrs (toString ../users);
 
   allProfiles =
@@ -17,7 +18,18 @@ let
   suites = with profiles; rec {
     base = [ users.nixos users.root ];
   };
+
+  # available as 'suites' within the home-manager configuration
+  userSuites = with userProfiles; rec {
+    base = [ direnv git ];
+  };
+
 in
-lib.mapAttrs (_: v: dev.os.profileMap v) suites // {
-  inherit allProfiles allUsers;
+{
+  system = lib.mapAttrs (_: v: dev.os.profileMap v) suites // {
+    inherit allProfiles allUsers;
+  };
+  user = lib.mapAttrs (_: v: dev.os.profileMap v) userSuites // {
+    allProfiles = userProfiles;
+  };
 }
diff --git a/users/nixos/default.nix b/users/nixos/default.nix
index 38bf20fd..700467b9 100644
--- a/users/nixos/default.nix
+++ b/users/nixos/default.nix
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 { ... }:
 {
-  home-manager.users.nixos = {
-    imports = [ ../profiles/git ../profiles/direnv ];
+  home-manager.users.nixos = { suites, ... }: {
+    imports = suites.base;
   };
 
   users.users.nixos = {