diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 633c4ac..1488546 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1,15 +1,5 @@
-config/emacs/backups/
-config/emacs/eln-cache/
-config/emacs/elpa/
-config/emacs/auto-save/
-config/emacs/auto-save-list/
-config/emacs/custom.el
-config/emacs/places.eld
-config/emacs/projects.eld
-config/emacs/recentf.eld
 config/emacs/.ignore
-config/emacs/session*
-config/emacs/history
+config/emacs/var/
 config/fish/conf.d
 config/fish/functions
 config/fish/fish_variables
diff --git a/config/emacs/early-init.el b/config/emacs/early-init.el
index 79c96a3..f754e73 100644
--- a/config/emacs/early-init.el
+++ b/config/emacs/early-init.el
@@ -21,6 +21,9 @@
 
 ;;; Code:
 
+(startup-redirect-eln-cache (expand-file-name "var/eln-cache/" user-emacs-directory))
+(setq package-user-dir (expand-file-name "var/elpa/" user-emacs-directory))
+
 ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
 ;; Garbage Collection
 ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
diff --git a/config/emacs/init.el b/config/emacs/init.el
index 5f4b0b0..5821ccd 100644
--- a/config/emacs/init.el
+++ b/config/emacs/init.el
@@ -5,16 +5,31 @@
 ;;           to the window on the left.
 ;;; Code:
 
-;;;; 1. Basics
+;;;; 1. Emac setup, files, packages and paths
 (let ((bin (expand-file-name "~/.local/bin")))
   (add-to-list 'exec-path bin)
   (setenv "PATH" (concat bin path-separator (getenv "PATH"))))
 
-;; Custom's output goes to its own file, not here.
-(setq custom-file (expand-file-name "custom.el" user-emacs-directory))
+;; all the emacs runtime files live in var/.
+;; early-init.el redirects eln-cache and elpa. 
+(defvar my/var (locate-user-emacs-file "var/"))
+(make-directory (concat my/var "transient/") t)
+(setq savehist-file              (concat my/var "history")
+      save-place-file            (concat my/var "places.eld")
+      recentf-save-file          (concat my/var "recentf.eld")
+      project-list-file          (concat my/var "projects.eld")
+      transient-history-file     (concat my/var "transient/history.el")
+      transient-levels-file      (concat my/var "transient/levels.el")
+      transient-values-file      (concat my/var "transient/values.el"))
+
+;; Custom output goes to its own file, not here.
+(setq custom-file (expand-file-name "var/custom.el" user-emacs-directory))
 (load custom-file 'noerror 'nomessage)
 
-;; Package archives: GNU and NonGNU are built in, MELPA is added at lowest priority.
+;; No session manager save: stops the empty session.* files.
+(add-hook 'emacs-save-session-functions #'always)
+
+;; Package GNU, NonGNU are built in melpa additional lowest priority.
 (require 'package)
 (add-to-list 'package-archives '("melpa" . "https://melpa.org/packages/") t)
 (setq package-archive-priorities '(("gnu" . 3) ("nongnu" . 2) ("melpa" . 1)))
@@ -23,7 +38,8 @@
 (require 'use-package)
 (setq use-package-always-ensure t)
 
-;;;; 2. UI
+;;;; 2. Ui settings, theme setup and fonts
+(add-to-list 'default-frame-alist '(fullscreen . maximized))
 (menu-bar-mode -1)
 (tool-bar-mode -1)
 (scroll-bar-mode -1)
@@ -46,43 +62,29 @@
 (electric-pair-mode 1)
 (which-key-mode 1)
 
-;; Jellybeans theme.
 (add-to-list 'warning-suppress-types '(files))
 (use-package jbeans-theme
   :config
   (load-theme 'jbeans t))
 
-;; Font, on a darker background than the theme's.
-(set-face-attribute 'default nil
-                    :family "JetBrainsMono Nerd Font"
-                    :height 120
-                    :background "#131313")
+(set-face-attribute 'default nil :family "JetBrainsMono Nerd Font" :height 120)
+(setq-default line-spacing '(4 . 4))
 
-;; Mode line at the top of each window: the header line takes over its
-;; format and look, on the editor background.
+;; set mode line at the top of each window
 (setq-default header-line-format mode-line-format mode-line-format nil)
 (set-face-attribute 'header-line nil :inherit 'mode-line :background "#131313")
 
-(setq-default line-spacing '(4 . 4))
-
 ;; Command launcher.
 (keymap-global-set "C-S-p" #'execute-extended-command)
 
-;; Escape cancels prompts. keyboard-quit can't leave the minibuffer, so there
-;; Escape runs abort-minibuffers, as C-g does.
+;; Escape behaves like C-g
 (keymap-global-set "<escape>" #'keyboard-quit)
 (keymap-set minibuffer-local-map "<escape>" #'abort-minibuffers)
 
-(add-to-list 'default-frame-alist '(fullscreen . maximized))
-
 ;;;; 3. Files
-(dolist (d '("backups/" "auto-save/"))
-  (make-directory (locate-user-emacs-file d) t))
-
-(setq backup-directory-alist
-      `(("." . ,(locate-user-emacs-file "backups/")))
-      auto-save-file-name-transforms
-      `((".*" ,(locate-user-emacs-file "auto-save/") t))
+(setq make-backup-files nil
+      auto-save-default nil
+      auto-save-list-file-prefix nil
       create-lockfiles nil
       confirm-kill-processes nil
       vc-follow-symlinks t)
@@ -93,8 +95,7 @@
 (global-auto-revert-mode 1)
 
 ;;;; 4. Completion
-;; C-n/C-p move through candidates: Vertico remaps next-line/previous-line,
-;; and section 5 stops Evil from taking those keys in the minibuffer.
+;; C-n/C-p navigates up and down, section 5 stops evil from overrriding
 (use-package vertico
   :init
   (vertico-mode 1)
@@ -117,7 +118,6 @@
   (vertico-posframe-mode 1))
 
 ;;;; 5. Evil
-;; Evil 1.15.0 on Emacs 31 reads this legacy variable, which Emacs no longer defines.
 (defvar evil-mode-buffers nil)
 
 (defun my/insert-tab ()
@@ -127,8 +127,6 @@
 
 (use-package evil
   :init
-  ;; evil-want-keybinding: Evil Collection (below) supplies mode bindings instead
-  ;; of Evil's small built-in set. It has to be set before Evil loads.
   (setq evil-want-C-u-scroll t
         evil-undo-system 'undo-redo
         evil-want-keybinding nil)
@@ -137,21 +135,16 @@
   (evil-mode 1)
 
   (evil-define-key 'insert 'global
-    ;; Literal tab. <tab> as well, or a mode's own <tab> binding wins in GUI frames.
     (kbd "TAB")   #'my/insert-tab
     (kbd "<tab>") #'my/insert-tab
-
-    ;; C-SPC: complete using the buffer's completion sources.
+    ;; complete using the buffer's completion sources.
     (kbd "C-SPC") #'completion-at-point
     (kbd "C-@")   #'completion-at-point)
 
-  ;; Global navigation.
   ;; C-p, C-f and C-b are assigned to Consult below.
   (evil-define-key '(normal motion) 'global
     (kbd "C-e") #'dired-jump))
 
-;; Evil Collection: vim-style bindings for other packages, one mode at a time.
-;; Info here (F1 i); Magit, Magit sections and commit messages in git.el.
 (use-package evil-collection
   :after evil
   :custom
@@ -172,13 +165,12 @@
   (kbd "<escape>") #'abort-minibuffers)
 
 ;; Window navigation (normal/motion state): Ctrl+hjkl move, Ctrl+` closes.
-;; GUI only for C-`: terminals send it as C-@.
 (evil-define-key '(normal motion) 'global
   (kbd "C-h") #'windmove-left
   (kbd "C-j") #'windmove-down
   (kbd "C-k") #'windmove-up
   (kbd "C-l") #'windmove-right
-  (kbd "C-`") #'delete-window)
+  (kbd "C-q") #'delete-window)
 
 ;; Result buffers: hjkl motions and RET to jump to a result.
 (dolist (m '(occur-mode grep-mode xref--xref-buffer-mode))
@@ -269,12 +261,10 @@
             (when-let* ((win (get-buffer-window (process-buffer proc))))
               (select-window win))))
 
-;;;; 9. Languages
+;;;; 9. Modules - additional functionality outside of the core init.el
+;; Magit and the :git command live in modules/git.el.
+(load (locate-user-emacs-file "modules/git.el") nil 'nomessage)
 ;; Setup for dev languages, modes, lsp and lsp keybinds.
-(load (locate-user-emacs-file "development.el") nil 'nomessage)
-
-;;;; 10. Git
-;; Magit and the :git command live in git.el, next to this file.
-(load (locate-user-emacs-file "git.el") nil 'nomessage)
+(load (locate-user-emacs-file "modules/development.el") nil 'nomessage)
 
 ;;; init.el ends here
diff --git a/config/emacs/development.el b/config/emacs/modules/development.el
similarity index 100%
rename from config/emacs/development.el
rename to config/emacs/modules/development.el
diff --git a/config/emacs/git.el b/config/emacs/modules/git.el
similarity index 100%
rename from config/emacs/git.el
rename to config/emacs/modules/git.el