diff --git a/flake.nix b/flake.nix
index 9f07826..2e300f4 100644
--- a/flake.nix
+++ b/flake.nix
@@ -68,9 +68,7 @@
       nixosConfigurations = (import ./hosts inputs);
 
       colmenaHive = colmena.lib.makeHive self.outputs.colmena;
-      colmena = lib.recursiveUpdate (builtins.mapAttrs (k: v: {
-        imports = v._module.args.modules;
-      }) self.nixosConfigurations) hosts;
+      colmena = hosts;
 
       devShells.${system}.default = pkgs.mkShell {
         buildInputs = with pkgs; [
diff --git a/hosts/default.nix b/hosts/default.nix
index 66c1ee0..239f702 100644
--- a/hosts/default.nix
+++ b/hosts/default.nix
@@ -12,10 +12,7 @@
 let
   agenixOverlay = final: prev: { agenix = agenix.packages.${prev.system}.default; };
 
-  customOverlays = (
-    final: prev: {
-    }
-  );
+  customOverlays = (final: prev: { });
 
   mkPkgs =
     nixpkgsSrc: system:
@@ -61,8 +58,29 @@ let
       inherit specialArgs;
     };
 
+  # Import the unified host definitions
+  hostDefs = import ./hosts.nix;
+
+  # Generate nixosConfigurations from host definitions
+  lxcHosts = nixpkgs.lib.mapAttrs (
+    name: cfg:
+    mkLXC {
+      hostModule = cfg.module;
+      unstable = cfg.unstable or false;
+      extraModules = cfg.extraModules or [ ];
+      specialArgs = cfg.specialArgs or { };
+    }
+  ) hostDefs;
+
 in
-{
+lxcHosts
+// {
+  # Special hosts that don't use mkLXC pattern
+  baseLXC = mkLXC {
+    hostModule = ./base-lxc.nix;
+    specialArgs = { inherit self; };
+  };
+
   # deadbeef = nixpkgs.lib.nixosSystem {
   #   pkgs = mkPkgs nixpkgs "x86_64-linux";
   #   modules = [
@@ -72,41 +90,4 @@ in
   #     agenix.nixosModules.default
   #   ];
   # };
-
-  baseLXC = mkLXC {
-    hostModule = ./base-lxc.nix;
-    specialArgs = { inherit self; };
-  };
-
-  arr = mkLXC { hostModule = ./arr; };
-  caddy = mkLXC { hostModule = ./caddy; };
-  colmena = mkLXC { hostModule = ./colmena; };
-  dns01 = mkLXC { hostModule = ./dns/dns-01.nix; };
-  dns02 = mkLXC { hostModule = ./dns/dns-02.nix; };
-  firefly-iii = mkLXC { hostModule = ./firefly-iii; };
-  forgejo = mkLXC { hostModule = ./forgejo; };
-  immich = mkLXC { hostModule = ./immich; };
-  metrics = mkLXC { hostModule = ./metrics; };
-  n8n = mkLXC { hostModule = ./n8n; };
-  nextcloud = mkLXC { hostModule = ./nextcloud; };
-  plex = mkLXC { hostModule = ./plex; };
-  portainer = mkLXC { hostModule = ./portainer; };
-  shadowsocks = mkLXC { hostModule = ./shadowsocks; };
-  vaultwarden = mkLXC { hostModule = ./vaultwarden; };
-
-  # Hosts requiring nixpkgs-unstable
-  authentik = mkLXC {
-    hostModule = ./authentik;
-    unstable = true;
-  };
-
-  paperless = mkLXC {
-    hostModule = ./paperless;
-    unstable = true;
-  };
-  
-  zigbee2mqtt = mkLXC {
-    hostModule = ./zigbee2mqtt;
-    unstable = true;
-  };
 }
diff --git a/hosts/deployments.nix b/hosts/deployments.nix
index 83617cc..57d49e0 100644
--- a/hosts/deployments.nix
+++ b/hosts/deployments.nix
@@ -2,10 +2,21 @@
 let
   p = import ./parameters.nix;
   hosts = p.hosts;
+  hostDefs = import ./hosts.nix;
+
+  # Generate complete colmena host configs (imports + deployment)
+  mkColmenaHosts = builtins.mapAttrs (name: cfg: {
+    imports = inputs.self.nixosConfigurations.${name}._module.args.modules;
+    deployment = {
+      targetHost = hosts.${name} or null;
+      tags = cfg.tags;
+    };
+  }) hostDefs;
+
 in
-{
+mkColmenaHosts
+// {
   meta = {
-    # Configuration used by colmena to build
     nixpkgs = import inputs.nixpkgs {
       system = "x86_64-linux";
       overlays = [ ];
@@ -15,179 +26,20 @@ in
     nodeSpecialArgs = builtins.mapAttrs (_: v: v._module.specialArgs) inputs.self.nixosConfigurations;
   };
 
-  arr.deployment = {
-    targetHost = hosts.arr;
-    tags = [
-      "lxc"
-      "bacco"
-      "arr"
-    ];
+  # Special hosts not defined in hosts.nix
+  baseLXC = {
+    imports = inputs.self.nixosConfigurations.baseLXC._module.args.modules;
+    deployment = {
+      targetHost = null;
+      tags = [ "template" ];
+    };
   };
 
-  caddy.deployment = {
-    targetHost = hosts.caddy;
-    tags = [
-      "lxc"
-      "bacco"
-      "arr"
-      "auth"
-      "metrics"
-      "nextcloud"
-      "portainer"
-      "vaultwarden"
-      "immich"
-      "firefly-iii"
-      "paperless"
-    ];
+  deadbeef = {
+    deployment = {
+      allowLocalDeployment = true;
+      targetHost = null;
+      tags = [ "local" ];
+    };
   };
-
-  metrics.deployment = {
-    targetHost = hosts.metrics;
-    tags = [
-      "lxc"
-      "bacco"
-      "metrics"
-    ];
-  };
-
-  nextcloud.deployment = {
-    targetHost = hosts.nextcloud;
-    tags = [
-      "lxc"
-      "bacco"
-      "nextcloud"
-    ];
-  };
-
-  vaultwarden.deployment = {
-    targetHost = hosts.vaultwarden;
-    tags = [
-      "lxc"
-      "bacco"
-      "vaultwarden"
-    ];
-  };
-
-  plex.deployment = {
-    targetHost = hosts.plex;
-    tags = [
-      "lxc"
-      "node"
-    ];
-  };
-
-  portainer.deployment = {
-    targetHost = hosts.portainer;
-    tags = [
-      "lxc"
-      "bacco"
-      "portainer"
-    ];
-  };
-
-  authentik.deployment = {
-    targetHost = hosts.authentik;
-    tags = [
-      "lxc"
-      "bacco"
-      "auth"
-    ];
-  };
-
-  colmena.deployment = {
-    targetHost = hosts.colmena;
-    tags = [
-      "lxc"
-      "bacco"
-      "colmena"
-    ];
-  };
-
-  dns01.deployment = {
-    targetHost = hosts.dns01;
-    tags = [
-      "lxc"
-      "bacco"
-      "dns"
-    ];
-  };
-
-  dns02.deployment = {
-    targetHost = hosts.dns02;
-    tags = [
-      "lxc"
-      "bacco"
-      "dns"
-    ];
-  };
-
-  shadowsocks.deployment = {
-    targetHost = hosts.shadowsocks;
-    tags = [
-      "lxc"
-      "bacco"
-      "shadowsocks"
-    ];
-  };
-
-  immich.deployment = {
-    targetHost = hosts.immich;
-    tags = [
-      "lxc"
-      "bacco"
-      "immich"
-    ];
-  };
-
-  firefly-iii.deployment = {
-    targetHost = hosts.firefly-iii;
-    tags = [
-      "lxc"
-      "bacco"
-      "firefly-iii"
-    ];
-  };
-
-  paperless.deployment = {
-    targetHost = hosts.paperless;
-    tags = [
-      "lxc"
-      "bacco"
-      "paperless"
-    ];
-  };
-
-  zigbee2mqtt.deployment = {
-    targetHost = hosts.zigbee2mqtt;
-    tags = [
-      "lxc"
-      "bacco"
-      "zigbee2mqtt"
-    ];
-  };
-
-  forgejo.deployment = {
-    targetHost = hosts.forgejo;
-    tags = [
-      "lxc"
-      "bacco"
-      "forgejo"
-    ];
-  };
-
-  n8n.deployment = {
-    targetHost = hosts.n8n;
-    tags = [
-      "lxc"
-      "bacco"
-      "n8n"
-    ];
-  };
-
-  deadbeef.deployment = {
-    allowLocalDeployment = true;
-    targetHost = null;
-    tags = [ "local" ];
-  };
-
 }
diff --git a/hosts/hosts.nix b/hosts/hosts.nix
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..69e96bb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hosts/hosts.nix
@@ -0,0 +1,183 @@
+# Single source of truth for all host definitions
+# Each host specifies its module path, deployment tags, and optional flags
+{
+  arr = {
+    module = ./arr;
+    tags = [
+      "lxc"
+      "bacco"
+      "arr"
+    ];
+  };
+
+  authentik = {
+    module = ./authentik;
+    unstable = true;
+    tags = [
+      "lxc"
+      "bacco"
+      "auth"
+    ];
+  };
+
+  caddy = {
+    module = ./caddy;
+    tags = [
+      "lxc"
+      "bacco"
+      "arr"
+      "auth"
+      "metrics"
+      "nextcloud"
+      "portainer"
+      "vaultwarden"
+      "immich"
+      "firefly-iii"
+      "paperless"
+    ];
+  };
+
+  colmena = {
+    module = ./colmena;
+    tags = [
+      "lxc"
+      "bacco"
+      "colmena"
+    ];
+  };
+
+  dns01 = {
+    module = ./dns/dns-01.nix;
+    tags = [
+      "lxc"
+      "bacco"
+      "dns"
+    ];
+  };
+
+  dns02 = {
+    module = ./dns/dns-02.nix;
+    tags = [
+      "lxc"
+      "bacco"
+      "dns"
+    ];
+  };
+
+  firefly-iii = {
+    module = ./firefly-iii;
+    tags = [
+      "lxc"
+      "bacco"
+      "firefly-iii"
+    ];
+  };
+
+  forgejo = {
+    module = ./forgejo;
+    tags = [
+      "lxc"
+      "bacco"
+      "forgejo"
+    ];
+  };
+
+  immich = {
+    module = ./immich;
+    tags = [
+      "lxc"
+      "bacco"
+      "immich"
+    ];
+  };
+
+  metrics = {
+    module = ./metrics;
+    tags = [
+      "lxc"
+      "bacco"
+      "metrics"
+    ];
+  };
+
+  n8n = {
+    module = ./n8n;
+    tags = [
+      "lxc"
+      "bacco"
+      "n8n"
+    ];
+  };
+
+  nextcloud = {
+    module = ./nextcloud;
+    tags = [
+      "lxc"
+      "bacco"
+      "nextcloud"
+    ];
+  };
+
+  paperless = {
+    module = ./paperless;
+    unstable = true;
+    tags = [
+      "lxc"
+      "bacco"
+      "paperless"
+    ];
+  };
+
+  plex = {
+    module = ./plex;
+    tags = [
+      "lxc"
+      "node"
+    ];
+  };
+
+  portainer = {
+    module = ./portainer;
+    tags = [
+      "lxc"
+      "bacco"
+      "portainer"
+    ];
+  };
+
+  shadowsocks = {
+    module = ./shadowsocks;
+    tags = [
+      "lxc"
+      "bacco"
+      "shadowsocks"
+    ];
+  };
+
+  vaultwarden = {
+    module = ./vaultwarden;
+    tags = [
+      "lxc"
+      "bacco"
+      "vaultwarden"
+    ];
+  };
+
+  zigbee2mqtt = {
+    module = ./zigbee2mqtt;
+    unstable = true;
+    tags = [
+      "lxc"
+      "bacco"
+      "zigbee2mqtt"
+    ];
+  };
+
+  # Special hosts (non-LXC or local deployment)
+  # deadbeef = {
+  #   module = ./deadbeef;
+  #   type = "workstation";  # Not an LXC
+  #   localDeployment = true;
+  #   tags = [ "local" ];
+  # };
+}