> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://itsfoss.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Proposal to Centralize Per-User Environment Variables Under Systemd in Fedora Rejected
- URL: https://itsfoss.com/news/fedora-per-user-environment-variables-proposal/
- Published: 2026-04-02T12:11:41.000Z
- Updated: 2026-04-02T12:18:35.000Z
- Description: It was rejected due to insufficient consideration for systemd-less environments like containers.
- Author: Sourav Rudra
- Tags: News

A contributor named Faeiz Mahrus [put forward a change proposal](https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Changes/UseSystemdForManagingPerUserEnvironmentVariables?ref=itsfoss.com) for **Fedora 45** that would change how per-user [environment variables](https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Environment%5Fvariables?ref=itsfoss.com) are managed on the system. Right now, Fedora handles this through shell-specific RC files: `~/.bashrc` for Bash users, `~/.zshrc` for Zsh users.

These files are responsible for things like adding `~/.local/bin` and `~/bin` to your `$PATH`, which is the list of directories your system searches when you run a command.

The problem Faeiz pointed to was that Fedora ships a number of alternative shells ([*Fish*](https://itsfoss.com/fish-shell-features/)*,* [*Nushell*](https://itsfoss.com/nushell/)*,* [*Xonsh*](https://itsfoss.com/xonsh-shell/)*, and* [*Dash*](https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dash?ref=itsfoss.com) *among them*), **but none of those have packaged RC files that do the same job**.

So if you switch your default shell to Fish, any scripts or programs you've installed in `~/.local/bin` suddenly stop being found by the system. They're still there, but your shell doesn't know where to look for them.

The proposed fix was to move this responsibility to [systemd](https://systemd.io/?ref=itsfoss.com)'s `environment-generator` functionality, using drop-in configuration files placed in the `/etc/skel/.config/environment.d/` directory.

Since systemd manages user sessions on [Fedora](https://fedoraproject.org/?ref=itsfoss.com), the idea was that it could apply these environment variables to all user processes regardless of which shell you're running. One config file would cover all shells, with no per-shell fixing required.

## The vote

The proposal [went to the FESCo for a vote](https://pagure.io/fesco/issue/3582?ref=itsfoss.com), and it came back with six votes against and three abstentions. The key objection was that **the proposal didn't adequately account for environments where systemd isn't running**.

Committee member [Neal Gompa](https://pagure.io/user/ngompa?ref=itsfoss.com) (*ngompa*) voted against it, pointing out that [containers](https://linuxhandbook.com/courses/proxmox/proxmox-create-container/?ref=itsfoss.com) don't guarantee systemd is present, which would make the change quietly disruptive for anyone running Fedora-based container images. [Kevin Fenzi](https://pagure.io/user/kevin?ref=itsfoss.com) (*kevin*), another member, said that the proposal wasn't convincing enough yet.

If you didn't know, [FESCo](https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/fesco/?ref=itsfoss.com), or the ***Fedora Engineering and Steering Committee***, is the governing body that reviews and approves all significant proposed changes to Fedora Linux before they land in a release. 

Contributors submit change proposals, FESCo members deliberate, and the committee votes on whether a proposal is ready to ship, needs revision, or should be turned away. It is essentially the gatekeeper for what makes it into a Fedora release.

While the FESCo has marked the ticket as rejected, they haven't fully shut the door on the idea. Committee member [Michel Lind](https://pagure.io/user/salimma?ref=itsfoss.com) (*salimma*) noted in the closing comment that **the proposal owner is welcome to resubmit** once the gaps around systemd-less environments are addressed and more concrete configuration examples are provided.

Via: [Phoronix](https://www.phoronix.com/news/Fedora-Rejects-systemd-Feature?ref=itsfoss.com)

---

**Suggested Read 📖:** [*Fedora project leader suggests using Apple's age verification API*](https://itsfoss.com/news/fedora-leader-suggests-age-verification-api/)

[Fedora Project Leader Suggests Linux Distros Could Adopt Apple’s Age Verification APIHe thinks a cross-distro API standard can be a practical solution to tackle age verification.![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/icon/android-chrome-512x512-360.png)It's FOSSSourav Rudra![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/thumbnail/fedora-apple-age-verification-api-banner-1.png)](https://itsfoss.com/news/fedora-leader-suggests-age-verification-api/)