diff --git a/flake.nix b/flake.nix
index e339ce6..91f5a24 100644
--- a/flake.nix
+++ b/flake.nix
@@ -2,10 +2,19 @@
   description = "Emile's Nix Dotfiles";
 
   inputs = {
+    systems = "github:nix-systems/default";
+
     nixpkgs.url = "github:nixos/nixpkgs/nixos-25.05";
     nixpkgs-unstable.url = "github:NixOS/nixpkgs/nixos-unstable";
 
-    colmena.url = "github:zhaofengli/colmena/?rev=47b6414d800c8471e98ca072bc0835345741a56a";
+    colmena = {
+      url = "github:zhaofengli/colmena/?rev=47b6414d800c8471e98ca072bc0835345741a56a";
+      inputs = {
+        nixpkgs.follows = "nixpkgs-unstable";
+        stable.follows = "nixpkgs";
+        flake-utils.inputs.systems.follows = "systems";
+      };
+    };
 
     grub2-themes.url = "github:vinceliuice/grub2-themes";
   };
@@ -30,12 +39,15 @@
     pkgs-unstable = import nixpkgs-unstable {
       inherit system;
       config = {
-        allowUnfree = true; # TODO: bandaid solution... (for minecraft-server)
+        # allowUnfree = true; # TODO: bandaid solution... (for minecraft-server)
+        allowUnfree = false;
       };
     };
     # TODO: come back to this its really cool
     # this is just something I'm experimenting with
-    # PROJECT_ROOT = builtins.toString ./.;
+    # ROOT = ./.;
+
+    specialArgs = {inherit inputs pkgs-unstable;};
   in {
     devShells."x86_64-linux".default = pkgs.mkShell {
       shell = "${pkgs.bash}/bin/bash";
@@ -50,7 +62,7 @@
       # i be on my puter fr
       myputer = nixpkgs.lib.nixosSystem {
         # nix passes these to every single module
-        specialArgs = {inherit inputs pkgs-unstable;};
+        inherit specialArgs;
 
         modules = [
           ./hosts/myputer
@@ -60,7 +72,7 @@
 
       # my laptop 0w0
       lolcathost = nixpkgs.lib.nixosSystem {
-        specialArgs = {inherit inputs pkgs-unstable;};
+        inherit specialArgs;
 
         modules = [
           ./hosts/lolcathost
@@ -73,7 +85,7 @@
     colmenaHive = colmena.lib.makeHive {
       meta = {
         nixpkgs = pkgs;
-        specialArgs = {inherit pkgs-unstable;};
+        inherit specialArgs;
 
         # set nixpkgs per server
         nodeNixpkgs = {