After signing in to NymVPN on Qubes OS, rebooting the AppVM, and opening NymVPN again, you may be prompted to enter your Nym passphrase each time. This is caused by how Qubes handles storage, and a one-time configuration change fixes it.
Why this happens
In Qubes OS, only the directories /home and /rw persist across reboots. NymVPN's login key pair (public and secret keys) is stored outside those locations, so the files are lost whenever the AppVM restarts and the app has to ask you to sign in again.
How to make your credentials persist
Configure Qubes to preserve the directories where NymVPN stores its keys:
Open a terminal in your AppVM.
-
Create a configuration file at:
/rw/config/qubes-bind-dirs.d/50_user.conf -
Add the following lines to the file:
binds+=( '/etc/nym' ) binds+=( '/var/lib/nym-vpnd' ) binds+=( '/var/log/nym-vpnd' ) Restart the AppVM for the change to take effect.
This configuration tells Qubes to persist these directories across reboots. From now on, your NymVPN credentials are retained whenever the AppVM restarts, and you can use NymVPN in Qubes OS without re-entering your passphrase.
Related questions
Does this change weaken Qubes isolation?
It only adds the listed NymVPN directories to what already persists in that one AppVM. Nothing changes for other VMs or for how Qubes isolates them.
I am still asked for my passphrase after applying this. What now?
Double-check the file path and the three binds+= lines for typos, restart the AppVM, and if it persists contact Nym Support with your setup details.