diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index db9a92e5..9a6ffe10 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -125,8 +125,10 @@ This is the core of how `deploy-rs` was designed, any number of these can run on
   path = deploy-rs.lib.x86_64-linux.activate.custom pkgs.hello "./bin/hello";
 
   # An optional path to where your profile should be installed to, this is useful if you want to use a common profile name across multiple users, but would have conflicts in your node's profile list.
-  # This will default to `"/nix/var/nix/profiles/$PROFILE_NAME` if `user` is root (see: generic options), `/nix/var/nix/profiles/per-user/$USER/$PROFILE_NAME` if
-  # `/nix/var/nix/profiles/per-user/$USER` already exists, and `${XDG_STATE_HOME:-$HOME}/.local/state/nix/profiles/$PROFILE_NAME` otherwise.
+  # This will default to `"/nix/var/nix/profiles/system` if `user` is `root` and profile name is `system`,
+  # `/nix/var/nix/profiles/per-user/root/$PROFILE_NAME` if profile name is different.
+  # For non-root profiles will default to /nix/var/nix/profiles/per-user/$USER/$PROFILE_NAME if `/nix/var/nix/profiles/per-user/$USER` already exists,
+  # and `${XDG_STATE_HOME:-$HOME/.local/state}/nix/profiles/$PROFILE_NAME` otherwise.
   profilePath = "/nix/var/nix/profiles/per-user/someuser/someprofile";
 
   # ...generic options... (see lower section)
diff --git a/src/bin/activate.rs b/src/bin/activate.rs
index cf4a4002..26f59379 100644
--- a/src/bin/activate.rs
+++ b/src/bin/activate.rs
@@ -497,7 +497,16 @@ fn get_profile_path(
             let nix_state_dir = env::var("NIX_STATE_DIR").unwrap_or("/nix/var/nix".to_string());
             // As per https://nixos.org/manual/nix/stable/command-ref/files/profiles#profiles
             match &profile_user[..] {
-                "root" => Ok(format!("{}/profiles/{}", nix_state_dir, profile_name)),
+                "root" => {
+                    match &profile_name[..] {
+                        // NixOS system profile belongs to the root user, but isn't stored in the 'per-user/root'
+                        "system" => Ok(format!("{}/profiles/system", nix_state_dir)),
+                        _ => Ok(format!(
+                            "{}/profiles/per-user/root/{}",
+                            nix_state_dir, profile_name
+                        )),
+                    }
+                }
                 _ => {
                     let old_user_profiles_dir =
                         format!("{}/profiles/per-user/{}", nix_state_dir, profile_user);
@@ -508,13 +517,12 @@ fn get_profile_path(
                         // https://github.com/NixOS/nix/blob/2.17.0/src/libstore/profiles.cc#L308
                         let state_dir = env::var("XDG_STATE_HOME").or_else(|_| {
                             dirs::home_dir()
-                                .map(|h| format!("{}/.local/state", h.as_path().display().to_string()))
+                                .map(|h| {
+                                    format!("{}/.local/state", h.as_path().display().to_string())
+                                })
                                 .ok_or(GetProfilePathError::NoUserHome(profile_user))
                         })?;
-                        Ok(format!(
-                            "{}/nix/profiles/{}",
-                            state_dir, profile_name
-                        ))
+                        Ok(format!("{}/nix/profiles/{}", state_dir, profile_name))
                     }
                 }
             }