diff --git a/configuration.nix b/configuration.nix
index 6c347af..744d31f 100644
--- a/configuration.nix
+++ b/configuration.nix
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
     (modulesPath + "/installer/scan/not-detected.nix")
     ./disk-config.nix
     ./deck.nix
+    ./onscreen-keyboard.nix
   ];
 
   # just kind of a grab bag of stuff
diff --git a/deck.nix b/deck.nix
index eb18660..c26e4b1 100644
--- a/deck.nix
+++ b/deck.nix
@@ -31,7 +31,8 @@
   };
 
   environment.systemPackages = with pkgs; [
-    maliit-keyboard # onscreen keyboard, integrates with plasma nicely
+    glib.bin
+
     steamdeck-firmware # gives us `jupiter-biosupdate` and `jupiter-controller-update` https://jovian-experiments.github.io/Jovian-NixOS/devices/valve-steam-deck/index.html
     jupiter-dock-updater-bin # `jupiter-dock-updater`
   ];
diff --git a/onscreen-keyboard.nix b/onscreen-keyboard.nix
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7282f98
--- /dev/null
+++ b/onscreen-keyboard.nix
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+{ modulesPath, config, lib, pkgs, ... }: let
+
+# Shell script which invokes gsettings with the schemas for maliit-keyboard set.
+schema-path = "${pkgs.maliit-keyboard}/share/gsettings-schemas/maliit-keyboard-2.3.1/glib-2.0/schemas"; # todo: derivation that just gets the schema path inside of this. right now it hardcodes the kb version...
+gsettings-maliit = pkgs.writeShellScriptBin "gsettings-maliit" ''
+# usage suggestion: gsettings-maliit list-recursively
+env GSETTINGS_SCHEMA_DIR=$GSETTINGS_SCHEMA_DIR:${schema-path} ${pkgs.glib.bin}/bin/gsettings "$@"
+'';
+
+dconf-editor-maliit = pkgs.writeShellScriptBin "dconf-editor-maliit" ''
+env GSETTINGS_SCHEMA_DIR=$GSETTINGS_SCHEMA_DIR:${schema-path} ${pkgs.gnome.dconf-editor}/bin/dconf-editor ${schema-path} --I-understand-that-changing-options-can-break-applications "$@"
+'';
+
+maliit-apply-viv-settings = pkgs.writeShellScriptBin "maliit-apply-viv-settings" ''
+# these don't seem to really work yet
+${gsettings-maliit}/bin/gsettings-maliit set org.maliit.keyboard.maliit auto-capitalization false
+${gsettings-maliit}/bin/gsettings-maliit set org.maliit.keyboard.maliit opacity 0.7
+${gsettings-maliit}/bin/gsettings-maliit set org.maliit.keyboard.maliit plugin-paths ${maliit-keyboard}/lib/maliit/plugins # gsettings can only set an entire array at once, put in quotes and quare brackets and single quotes
+
+'';
+
+in {
+  environment.systemPackages = with pkgs; [
+    maliit-keyboard # onscreen keyboard, integrates with plasma nicely
+    gsettings-maliit
+    dconf-editor-maliit
+  ];
+
+  system.activationScripts.configureMaliit = pkgs.lib.stringAfter [ "var" ] ''
+  # todo apply some settings here? if it makes sense to do it globally?
+  '';
+}
+