diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 85cd543..836fc17 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -518,8 +518,8 @@ session itself) keep running until you log out or reboot: `uninstall` lists
 them and removes Nix without waiting. If Nix's uninstaller fails, the rest
 still runs (the `~/.config/home-manager` link goes) except the per-user Nix
 state, and the closing message says to reboot and run `uninstall` again.
-Your configuration, `*.hm-backup-*` files, app data, Flatpaks and the GitHub
-CLI login (`~/.config/gh`) stay.
+Your configuration, `*.hm-backup-*` files (the closing message names both),
+app data, Flatpaks and the GitHub CLI login (`~/.config/gh`) stay.
 
 To drop steam-frame-nix from a Home Manager configuration you keep, first
 run `steam-frame-nix-cleanup --all`, then remove it and switch. Or set Home
diff --git a/install.sh b/install.sh
index 9034d46..bdba2e8 100755
--- a/install.sh
+++ b/install.sh
@@ -126,6 +126,10 @@ EOF
 
 # --- helpers ----------------------------------------------------------------
 
+tilde() { # path, as ~/... below $HOME
+  if [[ $1 == "$HOME" || $1 == "$HOME"/* ]]; then printf '%s\n' "~${1#"$HOME"}"; else printf '%s\n' "$1"; fi
+}
+
 have_tty() { { : <"$SFN_TTY"; } 2>/dev/null; }
 
 confirm() { # question [default answer: n|y]
@@ -1298,6 +1302,13 @@ remove_path() {
   if [[ -e $1 || -L $1 ]]; then rm -rf -- "$1"; info "removed $1"; fi
 }
 
+# Files Home Manager renamed out of its way (hm_activate's -b); kept.
+hm_backups() {
+  { find "$HOME" -maxdepth 4 \( -path "$HOME/.cache" -o -path "$HOME/.var" -o -path "$HOME/.steam" \
+      -o -path "$HOME/.local/share/Steam" -o -path "$HOME/.local/share/docker" \) -prune \
+      -o -name '*.hm-backup-*' -print 2>/dev/null || true; } | LC_ALL=C sort
+}
+
 remove_leftovers() { # keep_nix
   step "Removing per-user leftovers"
   local state="${XDG_STATE_HOME:-$HOME/.local/state}"
@@ -1345,6 +1356,11 @@ cmd_uninstall() {
   fi
   confirm "Continue?" || die "aborted"
 
+  # The configuration, for the closing message (its link goes).
+  local cfg=$DEFAULT_CONFIG_DIR again=install f backups=()
+  if [[ -L $HM_CONFIG_LINK ]]; then cfg="$(readlink -f "$HM_CONFIG_LINK" || true)"
+  elif [[ -d $HM_CONFIG_LINK ]]; then cfg=$HM_CONFIG_LINK; fi
+
   load_nix
   stop_hm_services
   cmd_cleanup --all
@@ -1372,15 +1388,17 @@ cmd_uninstall() {
   remove_leftovers "$keep_nix"
 
   step "Done"
-  cat <<EOF
-
-Intentionally left in place:
-  - your configuration (e.g. $DEFAULT_CONFIG_DIR, also when cloned)
-  - files Home Manager renamed to *.hm-backup-<time>
-  - app data, e.g. ~/.local/share/docker, Firefox profiles, and Flatpak apps
-Log out or reboot: running sessions drop the removed tweaks, and programs
-that were started from Nix restart without it.
-EOF
+  echo
+  if [[ -n $cfg && -e $cfg/flake.nix ]]; then
+    [[ $cfg -ef $DEFAULT_CONFIG_DIR || $cfg -ef $HM_CONFIG_LINK ]] || again="install --flake $(tilde "$cfg")"
+    echo "Your configuration stays in $(tilde "$cfg") ($again uses it again)."
+  fi
+  mapfile -t backups < <(hm_backups)
+  if (( ${#backups[@]} )); then
+    echo "Home Manager kept these files it had renamed when it was installed:"
+    for f in "${backups[@]}"; do printf '  - %s\n' "$(tilde "$f")"; done
+  fi
+  echo "Log out or reboot: programs that were started from Nix restart without it."
   if (( ${#CLEAN_DEFERRED[@]} || nix_failed )); then
     printf '\nNot done yet:\n'
     (( ${#CLEAN_DEFERRED[@]} )) && printf '  - %s\n' "${CLEAN_DEFERRED[@]}"
diff --git a/modules/cleanup/check.nix b/modules/cleanup/check.nix
index 4fa7f68..0ae242a 100644
--- a/modules/cleanup/check.nix
+++ b/modules/cleanup/check.nix
@@ -541,7 +541,7 @@ pkgs.runCommand "cleanup-check" { nativeBuildInputs = [ cleanup pkgs.jq pkgs.git
   chmod +x $root/nix-installer
   uninst() { # mounted: 1|0
     local m=$1
-    : > $LOG; rm -rf $HOME/.config; mkdir -p $HOME/.config; ln -s $HOME/cfg $HOME/.config/home-manager
+    : > $LOG; rm -rf $HOME/.config; mkdir -p $HOME/.config; ln -s ''${CFG:-$HOME/cfg} $HOME/.config/home-manager
     (STEAM_FRAME_NIX_PROC=$P STEAM_FRAME_NIX_SYSTEM_RUNTIME=$root/run-system; . $INSTALL
      ASSUME_YES=1 NIX_INSTALLER_BIN=$root/nix-installer
      # sudo without root: systemctl only logged
@@ -556,7 +556,7 @@ pkgs.runCommand "cleanup-check" { nativeBuildInputs = [ cleanup pkgs.jq pkgs.git
   res=$(uninst 1) || fail "uninstall failed: $res"
   echo "$res"
   for p in "zsh (PID 30)" "app (PID 40)" "cwd (PID 41)" "fd (PID 42)" "keep running until you log out or reboot"; do has "$res" "$p"; done
-  for p in "PID 31" "PID 32" "PID 43" "PID $$" "Not done yet"; do hasnt "$res" "$p"; done
+  for p in "PID 31" "PID 32" "PID 43" "PID $$" "Not done yet" "Your configuration" "hm-backup" "Flatpak"; do hasnt "$res" "$p"; done
   log=$(cat $LOG)
   has "$log" "nix-installer uninstall --no-confirm"
   has "$log" "LazyUnmount=yes"     # the drop-in was there while it ran
@@ -573,6 +573,15 @@ pkgs.runCommand "cleanup-check" { nativeBuildInputs = [ cleanup pkgs.jq pkgs.git
   res=$(RC=term uninst 1) && fail "interrupted uninstall succeeded: $res"
   has "$(cat $LOG)" "LazyUnmount=yes"
   gone $D
+  # the closing message: the configuration and the files Home Manager renamed
+  mkdir -p $HOME/cfg $HOME/nix-config $HOME/.cache; touch $HOME/cfg/flake.nix $HOME/nix-config/flake.nix
+  touch $HOME/.bashrc.hm-backup-20260101-000000 $HOME/.cache/x.hm-backup-20260101-000000
+  res=$(uninst 0) || fail "uninstall failed: $res"
+  has "$res" "Your configuration stays in ~/cfg (install --flake ~/cfg uses it again)."
+  has "$res" "Home Manager kept these files it had renamed when it was installed:"
+  has "$res" "  - ~/.bashrc.hm-backup-20260101-000000"; hasnt "$res" "x.hm-backup"
+  res=$(CFG=$HOME/nix-config uninst 0) || fail "uninstall failed: $res"
+  has "$res" "Your configuration stays in ~/nix-config (install uses it again)."
   SH
   echo "H ok"
   touch $out