diff --git a/core/cmd/dms/commands_setup.go b/core/cmd/dms/commands_setup.go
index e6281dfe..acde3f2a 100644
--- a/core/cmd/dms/commands_setup.go
+++ b/core/cmd/dms/commands_setup.go
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ func runSetup() error {
 
 	wm, wmSelected := promptCompositor()
 	terminal, terminalSelected := promptTerminal()
+	useSystemd := promptSystemd()
 
 	if !wmSelected && !terminalSelected {
 		fmt.Println("No configurations selected. Exiting.")
@@ -67,14 +68,14 @@ func runSetup() error {
 	var err error
 
 	if wmSelected && terminalSelected {
-		results, err = deployer.DeployConfigurationsWithTerminal(ctx, wm, terminal)
+		results, err = deployer.DeployConfigurationsWithSystemd(ctx, wm, terminal, useSystemd)
 	} else if wmSelected {
-		results, err = deployer.DeployConfigurationsWithTerminal(ctx, wm, deps.TerminalGhostty)
+		results, err = deployer.DeployConfigurationsWithSystemd(ctx, wm, deps.TerminalGhostty, useSystemd)
 		if len(results) > 1 {
 			results = results[:1]
 		}
 	} else if terminalSelected {
-		results, err = deployer.DeployConfigurationsWithTerminal(ctx, deps.WindowManagerNiri, terminal)
+		results, err = deployer.DeployConfigurationsWithSystemd(ctx, deps.WindowManagerNiri, terminal, useSystemd)
 		if len(results) > 0 && results[0].ConfigType == "Niri" {
 			results = results[1:]
 		}
@@ -144,6 +145,19 @@ func promptTerminal() (deps.Terminal, bool) {
 	}
 }
 
+func promptSystemd() bool {
+	fmt.Println("\nUse systemd for session management?")
+	fmt.Println("1) Yes (recommended for most distros)")
+	fmt.Println("2) No (standalone, no systemd integration)")
+
+	var response string
+	fmt.Print("\nChoice (1-2): ")
+	fmt.Scanln(&response)
+	response = strings.TrimSpace(response)
+
+	return response != "2"
+}
+
 func checkExistingConfigs(wm deps.WindowManager, wmSelected bool, terminal deps.Terminal, terminalSelected bool) bool {
 	homeDir := os.Getenv("HOME")
 	willBackup := false
diff --git a/core/internal/config/deployer.go b/core/internal/config/deployer.go
index 2c2ef30a..56946055 100644
--- a/core/internal/config/deployer.go
+++ b/core/internal/config/deployer.go
@@ -46,11 +46,20 @@ func (cd *ConfigDeployer) DeployConfigurationsWithTerminal(ctx context.Context,
 	return cd.DeployConfigurationsSelective(ctx, wm, terminal, nil, nil)
 }
 
+// DeployConfigurationsWithSystemd deploys configurations with systemd option
+func (cd *ConfigDeployer) DeployConfigurationsWithSystemd(ctx context.Context, wm deps.WindowManager, terminal deps.Terminal, useSystemd bool) ([]DeploymentResult, error) {
+	return cd.deployConfigurationsInternal(ctx, wm, terminal, nil, nil, nil, useSystemd)
+}
+
 func (cd *ConfigDeployer) DeployConfigurationsSelective(ctx context.Context, wm deps.WindowManager, terminal deps.Terminal, installedDeps []deps.Dependency, replaceConfigs map[string]bool) ([]DeploymentResult, error) {
 	return cd.DeployConfigurationsSelectiveWithReinstalls(ctx, wm, terminal, installedDeps, replaceConfigs, nil)
 }
 
 func (cd *ConfigDeployer) DeployConfigurationsSelectiveWithReinstalls(ctx context.Context, wm deps.WindowManager, terminal deps.Terminal, installedDeps []deps.Dependency, replaceConfigs map[string]bool, reinstallItems map[string]bool) ([]DeploymentResult, error) {
+	return cd.deployConfigurationsInternal(ctx, wm, terminal, installedDeps, replaceConfigs, reinstallItems, true)
+}
+
+func (cd *ConfigDeployer) deployConfigurationsInternal(ctx context.Context, wm deps.WindowManager, terminal deps.Terminal, installedDeps []deps.Dependency, replaceConfigs map[string]bool, reinstallItems map[string]bool, useSystemd bool) ([]DeploymentResult, error) {
 	var results []DeploymentResult
 
 	shouldReplaceConfig := func(configType string) bool {
@@ -64,7 +73,7 @@ func (cd *ConfigDeployer) DeployConfigurationsSelectiveWithReinstalls(ctx contex
 	switch wm {
 	case deps.WindowManagerNiri:
 		if shouldReplaceConfig("Niri") {
-			result, err := cd.deployNiriConfig(terminal)
+			result, err := cd.deployNiriConfig(terminal, useSystemd)
 			results = append(results, result)
 			if err != nil {
 				return results, fmt.Errorf("failed to deploy Niri config: %w", err)
@@ -72,7 +81,7 @@ func (cd *ConfigDeployer) DeployConfigurationsSelectiveWithReinstalls(ctx contex
 		}
 	case deps.WindowManagerHyprland:
 		if shouldReplaceConfig("Hyprland") {
-			result, err := cd.deployHyprlandConfig(terminal)
+			result, err := cd.deployHyprlandConfig(terminal, useSystemd)
 			results = append(results, result)
 			if err != nil {
 				return results, fmt.Errorf("failed to deploy Hyprland config: %w", err)
@@ -110,7 +119,7 @@ func (cd *ConfigDeployer) DeployConfigurationsSelectiveWithReinstalls(ctx contex
 	return results, nil
 }
 
-func (cd *ConfigDeployer) deployNiriConfig(terminal deps.Terminal) (DeploymentResult, error) {
+func (cd *ConfigDeployer) deployNiriConfig(terminal deps.Terminal, useSystemd bool) (DeploymentResult, error) {
 	result := DeploymentResult{
 		ConfigType: "Niri",
 		Path:       filepath.Join(os.Getenv("HOME"), ".config", "niri", "config.kdl"),
@@ -162,6 +171,10 @@ func (cd *ConfigDeployer) deployNiriConfig(terminal deps.Terminal) (DeploymentRe
 
 	newConfig := strings.ReplaceAll(NiriConfig, "{{TERMINAL_COMMAND}}", terminalCommand)
 
+	if !useSystemd {
+		newConfig = cd.transformNiriConfigForNonSystemd(newConfig, terminalCommand)
+	}
+
 	if existingConfig != "" {
 		mergedConfig, err := cd.mergeNiriOutputSections(newConfig, existingConfig)
 		if err != nil {
@@ -440,7 +453,7 @@ func (cd *ConfigDeployer) mergeNiriOutputSections(newConfig, existingConfig stri
 }
 
 // deployHyprlandConfig handles Hyprland configuration deployment with backup and merging
-func (cd *ConfigDeployer) deployHyprlandConfig(terminal deps.Terminal) (DeploymentResult, error) {
+func (cd *ConfigDeployer) deployHyprlandConfig(terminal deps.Terminal, useSystemd bool) (DeploymentResult, error) {
 	result := DeploymentResult{
 		ConfigType: "Hyprland",
 		Path:       filepath.Join(os.Getenv("HOME"), ".config", "hypr", "hyprland.conf"),
@@ -472,7 +485,6 @@ func (cd *ConfigDeployer) deployHyprlandConfig(terminal deps.Terminal) (Deployme
 		cd.log(fmt.Sprintf("Backed up existing config to %s", result.BackupPath))
 	}
 
-	// Determine terminal command based on choice
 	var terminalCommand string
 	switch terminal {
 	case deps.TerminalGhostty:
@@ -482,12 +494,15 @@ func (cd *ConfigDeployer) deployHyprlandConfig(terminal deps.Terminal) (Deployme
 	case deps.TerminalAlacritty:
 		terminalCommand = "alacritty"
 	default:
-		terminalCommand = "ghostty" // fallback to ghostty
+		terminalCommand = "ghostty"
 	}
 
 	newConfig := strings.ReplaceAll(HyprlandConfig, "{{TERMINAL_COMMAND}}", terminalCommand)
 
-	// If there was an existing config, merge the monitor sections
+	if !useSystemd {
+		newConfig = cd.transformHyprlandConfigForNonSystemd(newConfig, terminalCommand)
+	}
+
 	if existingConfig != "" {
 		mergedConfig, err := cd.mergeHyprlandMonitorSections(newConfig, existingConfig)
 		if err != nil {
@@ -510,24 +525,16 @@ func (cd *ConfigDeployer) deployHyprlandConfig(terminal deps.Terminal) (Deployme
 
 // mergeHyprlandMonitorSections extracts monitor sections from existing config and merges them into the new config
 func (cd *ConfigDeployer) mergeHyprlandMonitorSections(newConfig, existingConfig string) (string, error) {
-	// Regular expression to match monitor lines (including commented ones)
-	// Matches: monitor = NAME, RESOLUTION, POSITION, SCALE, etc.
-	// Also matches commented versions: # monitor = ...
 	monitorRegex := regexp.MustCompile(`(?m)^#?\s*monitor\s*=.*$`)
-
-	// Find all monitor lines in the existing config
 	existingMonitors := monitorRegex.FindAllString(existingConfig, -1)
 
 	if len(existingMonitors) == 0 {
-		// No monitor sections to merge
 		return newConfig, nil
 	}
 
-	// Remove the example monitor line from the new config
 	exampleMonitorRegex := regexp.MustCompile(`(?m)^# monitor = eDP-2.*$`)
 	mergedConfig := exampleMonitorRegex.ReplaceAllString(newConfig, "")
 
-	// Find where to insert the monitor sections (after the MONITOR CONFIG header)
 	monitorHeaderRegex := regexp.MustCompile(`(?m)^# MONITOR CONFIG\n# ==================$`)
 	headerMatch := monitorHeaderRegex.FindStringIndex(mergedConfig)
 
@@ -535,8 +542,7 @@ func (cd *ConfigDeployer) mergeHyprlandMonitorSections(newConfig, existingConfig
 		return "", fmt.Errorf("could not find MONITOR CONFIG section")
 	}
 
-	// Insert after the header
-	insertPos := headerMatch[1] + 1 // +1 for the newline
+	insertPos := headerMatch[1] + 1
 
 	var builder strings.Builder
 	builder.WriteString(mergedConfig[:insertPos])
@@ -551,3 +557,69 @@ func (cd *ConfigDeployer) mergeHyprlandMonitorSections(newConfig, existingConfig
 
 	return builder.String(), nil
 }
+
+func (cd *ConfigDeployer) transformHyprlandConfigForNonSystemd(config, terminalCommand string) string {
+	lines := strings.Split(config, "\n")
+	var result []string
+	startupSectionFound := false
+
+	for _, line := range lines {
+		trimmed := strings.TrimSpace(line)
+		if strings.HasPrefix(trimmed, "exec-once = dbus-update-activation-environment") {
+			continue
+		}
+		if strings.HasPrefix(trimmed, "exec-once = systemctl --user start") {
+			startupSectionFound = true
+			result = append(result, "exec-once = dms run")
+			result = append(result, "env = QT_QPA_PLATFORM,wayland")
+			result = append(result, "env = ELECTRON_OZONE_PLATFORM_HINT,auto")
+			result = append(result, "env = QT_QPA_PLATFORMTHEME,gtk3")
+			result = append(result, "env = QT_QPA_PLATFORMTHEME_QT6,gtk3")
+			result = append(result, fmt.Sprintf("env = TERMINAL,%s", terminalCommand))
+			continue
+		}
+		result = append(result, line)
+	}
+
+	if !startupSectionFound {
+		for i, line := range result {
+			if strings.Contains(line, "STARTUP APPS") {
+				insertLines := []string{
+					"exec-once = dms run",
+					"env = QT_QPA_PLATFORM,wayland",
+					"env = ELECTRON_OZONE_PLATFORM_HINT,auto",
+					"env = QT_QPA_PLATFORMTHEME,gtk3",
+					"env = QT_QPA_PLATFORMTHEME_QT6,gtk3",
+					fmt.Sprintf("env = TERMINAL,%s", terminalCommand),
+				}
+				result = append(result[:i+2], append(insertLines, result[i+2:]...)...)
+				break
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	return strings.Join(result, "\n")
+}
+
+func (cd *ConfigDeployer) transformNiriConfigForNonSystemd(config, terminalCommand string) string {
+	envVars := fmt.Sprintf(`environment {
+  XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP "niri"
+  QT_QPA_PLATFORM "wayland"
+  ELECTRON_OZONE_PLATFORM_HINT "auto"
+  QT_QPA_PLATFORMTHEME "gtk3"
+  QT_QPA_PLATFORMTHEME_QT6 "gtk3"
+  TERMINAL "%s"
+}`, terminalCommand)
+
+	config = regexp.MustCompile(`environment \{[^}]*\}`).ReplaceAllString(config, envVars)
+
+	spawnDms := `spawn-at-startup "dms" "run"`
+	if !strings.Contains(config, spawnDms) {
+		config = strings.Replace(config,
+			`spawn-at-startup "bash" "-c" "wl-paste --watch cliphist store &"`,
+			`spawn-at-startup "bash" "-c" "wl-paste --watch cliphist store &"`+"\n"+spawnDms,
+			1)
+	}
+
+	return config
+}
diff --git a/core/internal/config/deployer_test.go b/core/internal/config/deployer_test.go
index bc816cf7..995673bc 100644
--- a/core/internal/config/deployer_test.go
+++ b/core/internal/config/deployer_test.go
@@ -395,7 +395,7 @@ func TestHyprlandConfigDeployment(t *testing.T) {
 	cd := NewConfigDeployer(logChan)
 
 	t.Run("deploy hyprland config to empty directory", func(t *testing.T) {
-		result, err := cd.deployHyprlandConfig(deps.TerminalGhostty)
+		result, err := cd.deployHyprlandConfig(deps.TerminalGhostty, true)
 		require.NoError(t, err)
 
 		assert.Equal(t, "Hyprland", result.ConfigType)
@@ -425,7 +425,7 @@ general {
 		err = os.WriteFile(hyprPath, []byte(existingContent), 0644)
 		require.NoError(t, err)
 
-		result, err := cd.deployHyprlandConfig(deps.TerminalKitty)
+		result, err := cd.deployHyprlandConfig(deps.TerminalKitty, true)
 		require.NoError(t, err)
 
 		assert.Equal(t, "Hyprland", result.ConfigType)
diff --git a/core/internal/distros/arch.go b/core/internal/distros/arch.go
index cb77f219..6954978e 100644
--- a/core/internal/distros/arch.go
+++ b/core/internal/distros/arch.go
@@ -360,10 +360,8 @@ func (a *ArchDistribution) InstallPackages(ctx context.Context, dependencies []d
 		a.log(fmt.Sprintf("Warning: failed to write environment config: %v", err))
 	}
 
-	if wm == deps.WindowManagerHyprland {
-		if err := a.WriteHyprlandSessionTarget(); err != nil {
-			a.log(fmt.Sprintf("Warning: failed to write hyprland session target: %v", err))
-		}
+	if err := a.WriteWindowManagerConfig(wm); err != nil {
+		a.log(fmt.Sprintf("Warning: failed to write window manager config: %v", err))
 	}
 
 	if err := a.EnableDMSService(ctx); err != nil {
diff --git a/core/internal/distros/base.go b/core/internal/distros/base.go
index 1c918dfc..5a092866 100644
--- a/core/internal/distros/base.go
+++ b/core/internal/distros/base.go
@@ -611,6 +611,15 @@ func (b *BaseDistribution) EnableDMSService(ctx context.Context) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
+func (b *BaseDistribution) WriteWindowManagerConfig(wm deps.WindowManager) error {
+	if wm == deps.WindowManagerHyprland {
+		if err := b.WriteHyprlandSessionTarget(); err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("failed to write hyprland session target: %w", err)
+		}
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
 func (b *BaseDistribution) WriteHyprlandSessionTarget() error {
 	homeDir, err := os.UserHomeDir()
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/core/internal/distros/debian.go b/core/internal/distros/debian.go
index 31f00802..e4e1c31b 100644
--- a/core/internal/distros/debian.go
+++ b/core/internal/distros/debian.go
@@ -338,6 +338,10 @@ func (d *DebianDistribution) InstallPackages(ctx context.Context, dependencies [
 		d.log(fmt.Sprintf("Warning: failed to write environment config: %v", err))
 	}
 
+	if err := d.WriteWindowManagerConfig(wm); err != nil {
+		d.log(fmt.Sprintf("Warning: failed to write window manager config: %v", err))
+	}
+
 	if err := d.EnableDMSService(ctx); err != nil {
 		d.log(fmt.Sprintf("Warning: failed to enable dms service: %v", err))
 	}
diff --git a/core/internal/distros/fedora.go b/core/internal/distros/fedora.go
index c5eeba6a..ab5988fd 100644
--- a/core/internal/distros/fedora.go
+++ b/core/internal/distros/fedora.go
@@ -359,6 +359,10 @@ func (f *FedoraDistribution) InstallPackages(ctx context.Context, dependencies [
 		f.log(fmt.Sprintf("Warning: failed to write environment config: %v", err))
 	}
 
+	if err := f.WriteWindowManagerConfig(wm); err != nil {
+		f.log(fmt.Sprintf("Warning: failed to write window manager config: %v", err))
+	}
+
 	if err := f.EnableDMSService(ctx); err != nil {
 		f.log(fmt.Sprintf("Warning: failed to enable dms service: %v", err))
 	}
diff --git a/core/internal/distros/gentoo.go b/core/internal/distros/gentoo.go
index 60b58364..f3922f0a 100644
--- a/core/internal/distros/gentoo.go
+++ b/core/internal/distros/gentoo.go
@@ -436,6 +436,10 @@ func (g *GentooDistribution) InstallPackages(ctx context.Context, dependencies [
 		g.log(fmt.Sprintf("Warning: failed to write environment config: %v", err))
 	}
 
+	if err := g.WriteWindowManagerConfig(wm); err != nil {
+		g.log(fmt.Sprintf("Warning: failed to write window manager config: %v", err))
+	}
+
 	if err := g.EnableDMSService(ctx); err != nil {
 		g.log(fmt.Sprintf("Warning: failed to enable dms service: %v", err))
 	}
diff --git a/core/internal/distros/opensuse.go b/core/internal/distros/opensuse.go
index 4fc40c15..be00f9b9 100644
--- a/core/internal/distros/opensuse.go
+++ b/core/internal/distros/opensuse.go
@@ -377,6 +377,10 @@ func (o *OpenSUSEDistribution) InstallPackages(ctx context.Context, dependencies
 		o.log(fmt.Sprintf("Warning: failed to write environment config: %v", err))
 	}
 
+	if err := o.WriteWindowManagerConfig(wm); err != nil {
+		o.log(fmt.Sprintf("Warning: failed to write window manager config: %v", err))
+	}
+
 	if err := o.EnableDMSService(ctx); err != nil {
 		o.log(fmt.Sprintf("Warning: failed to enable dms service: %v", err))
 	}
diff --git a/core/internal/distros/ubuntu.go b/core/internal/distros/ubuntu.go
index f69e0552..c031f628 100644
--- a/core/internal/distros/ubuntu.go
+++ b/core/internal/distros/ubuntu.go
@@ -357,6 +357,10 @@ func (u *UbuntuDistribution) InstallPackages(ctx context.Context, dependencies [
 		u.log(fmt.Sprintf("Warning: failed to write environment config: %v", err))
 	}
 
+	if err := u.WriteWindowManagerConfig(wm); err != nil {
+		u.log(fmt.Sprintf("Warning: failed to write window manager config: %v", err))
+	}
+
 	if err := u.EnableDMSService(ctx); err != nil {
 		u.log(fmt.Sprintf("Warning: failed to enable dms service: %v", err))
 	}