diff --git a/modules/platforms/lxc.nix b/modules/platforms/lxc.nix
index 7d6cee4..0188cef 100644
--- a/modules/platforms/lxc.nix
+++ b/modules/platforms/lxc.nix
@@ -114,30 +114,39 @@ in
   # /etc/ssh/ssh_host_ed25519_key; deletion cascades into every sops secret
   # failing with "Error getting data key: 0 successful groups required, got 0".
   #
-  # Fix: two activation scripts that bracket the etc step.
-  #   preserveSshHostKey — no deps, runs before etc — saves the live key to
-  #                        /run (tmpfs) before etc can delete it.
-  #   restoreSshHostKey  — deps=[etc], runs after etc — reinstalls the key via
-  #                        `install` (atomic, sets mode) if etc removed it.
-  #                        The resulting file is not registered in environment.etc
-  #                        for either the previous or current generation, so
-  #                        subsequent rebuilds leave it alone permanently.
-  system.activationScripts.preserveSshHostKey = ''
-    if [ -f /etc/ssh/ssh_host_ed25519_key ]; then
-      cp /etc/ssh/ssh_host_ed25519_key /run/sshd-host-key-preserve.tmp
-      cp /etc/ssh/ssh_host_ed25519_key.pub /run/sshd-host-key-preserve.pub.tmp
-    fi
-  '';
-
-  system.activationScripts.restoreSshHostKey = {
-    deps = [ "etc" ];
-    text = ''
-      if [ ! -f /etc/ssh/ssh_host_ed25519_key ] && [ -f /run/sshd-host-key-preserve.tmp ]; then
-        install -m 0600 /run/sshd-host-key-preserve.tmp /etc/ssh/ssh_host_ed25519_key
-        install -m 0644 /run/sshd-host-key-preserve.pub.tmp /etc/ssh/ssh_host_ed25519_key.pub
+  # Fix: activation scripts that bracket the etc step, with explicit deps
+  # to enforce the correct ordering. Without deps the topological sort places
+  # preserveSshHostKey AFTER etc (confirmed live on a deployed lxc-tor-relay:
+  # position 7 vs etc's position 5) -- the key is already gone by the time it
+  # tries to save it. The etc/setupSecrets entries ADD to existing deps
+  # (types.listOf concatenates across module definitions).
+  system.activationScripts = {
+    # Saves the live key to /run before etc can delete it.
+    preserveSshHostKey = ''
+      if [ -f /etc/ssh/ssh_host_ed25519_key ]; then
+        cp /etc/ssh/ssh_host_ed25519_key /run/sshd-host-key-preserve.tmp
+        cp /etc/ssh/ssh_host_ed25519_key.pub /run/sshd-host-key-preserve.pub.tmp
       fi
-      rm -f /run/sshd-host-key-preserve.tmp /run/sshd-host-key-preserve.pub.tmp
     '';
+
+    # Reinstalls the key after etc runs if it was removed as "obsolete".
+    # The resulting file is not registered in environment.etc for either
+    # generation, so subsequent rebuilds leave it alone permanently.
+    restoreSshHostKey = {
+      deps = [ "etc" ];
+      text = ''
+        if [ ! -f /etc/ssh/ssh_host_ed25519_key ] && [ -f /run/sshd-host-key-preserve.tmp ]; then
+          install -m 0600 /run/sshd-host-key-preserve.tmp /etc/ssh/ssh_host_ed25519_key
+          install -m 0644 /run/sshd-host-key-preserve.pub.tmp /etc/ssh/ssh_host_ed25519_key.pub
+        fi
+        rm -f /run/sshd-host-key-preserve.tmp /run/sshd-host-key-preserve.pub.tmp
+      '';
+    };
+
+    # Force etc to wait until the key is saved, and sops to wait until the
+    # key is restored. Without these the topological sort breaks the chain.
+    etc = { deps = [ "preserveSshHostKey" ]; };
+    setupSecrets = { deps = [ "restoreSshHostKey" ]; };
   };
 
   # virtualisation/proxmox-lxc.nix (imported above) registers the Nix
@@ -146,9 +155,12 @@ in
   # sops-nix's "for users" secrets (password hashes -- installed by the
   # activation script itself, not a systemd service, since they need to
   # exist *before* user creation) nor the user-creation step that
-  # consumes them ever run on a real lxc-* boot. Regular secrets
-  # (nix-serve's key, beszel's token, etc.) work anyway because sops-nix
-  # provides its own systemd service for those.
+  # consumes them ever run on a real lxc-* boot. In this config sops-nix
+  # does NOT generate its own boot-time service (confirmed live: no
+  # sops-nix.service in systemctl list-unit-files on a deployed
+  # lxc-tor-relay container); /run/secrets is a tmpfs cleared on every
+  # reboot, so secrets must be reinstalled on each non-first boot by
+  # nixos-lxc-sops-reinstall (below).
   #
   # A systemd service, not boot.postBootCommands: tried that first (it's
   # a genuine, generally-invoked hook -- nixos/modules/system/boot/stage-2-init.sh,
@@ -199,4 +211,37 @@ in
       touch /var/lib/nixos-lxc-first-boot-activated
     '';
   };
+
+  # Reinstalls sops secrets on every non-first boot. /run/secrets is a
+  # tmpfs that is cleared on each reboot; without this service, secrets
+  # are permanently absent after the first boot and every service that
+  # reads from /run/secrets fails on start.
+  #
+  # wantedBy/before sysinit.target + DefaultDependencies=false mirrors how
+  # the sops-nix module places its own service when it generates one. This
+  # ensures secrets exist before basic.target (and thus before any user
+  # service) starts. DefaultDependencies=false is required to avoid a
+  # circular ordering: without it, systemd would add After=sysinit.target
+  # to a service that is itself part of sysinit.target.
+  #
+  # ConditionPathExists=... skips this service on the genuine first boot
+  # (the marker doesn't exist yet); nixos-lxc-first-boot-activate handles
+  # that case. On every subsequent boot the condition passes and secrets
+  # are reinstalled before user services start.
+  systemd.services.nixos-lxc-sops-reinstall = {
+    description = "Reinstall sops secrets on each non-first boot (LXC, /run is tmpfs)";
+    wantedBy = [ "sysinit.target" ];
+    before = [ "sysinit.target" ];
+    unitConfig = {
+      DefaultDependencies = false;
+      ConditionPathExists = "/var/lib/nixos-lxc-first-boot-activated";
+    };
+    serviceConfig = {
+      Type = "oneshot";
+      RemainAfterExit = true;
+    };
+    script = ''
+      /run/current-system/bin/switch-to-configuration test
+    '';
+  };
 }