diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 7a397e02d..407633736 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -4,6 +4,9 @@
 
 ### Added
 
+- Functionality:
+    - In the desktop version, changes to graphics options are now persisted across launches.
+
 - `all-is-cubes-ui` library:
     - `apps::Settings` manages user-editable settings that eventually will be more than just the graphics options.
     - `apps::SessionBuilder::settings()` links a possibly-shared `Settings` to the created session.
diff --git a/all-is-cubes-desktop/src/bin/all-is-cubes/main.rs b/all-is-cubes-desktop/src/bin/all-is-cubes/main.rs
index 549527b15..c8a469614 100644
--- a/all-is-cubes-desktop/src/bin/all-is-cubes/main.rs
+++ b/all-is-cubes-desktop/src/bin/all-is-cubes/main.rs
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ use clap::{CommandFactory as _, Parser as _};
 use all_is_cubes::euclid::Size2D;
 use all_is_cubes::listen;
 use all_is_cubes_render::camera::{GraphicsOptions, Viewport};
+use all_is_cubes_ui::apps::Settings;
 
 #[cfg(feature = "record")]
 use all_is_cubes_desktop::record;
@@ -81,8 +82,8 @@ fn main() -> Result<(), anyhow::Error> {
             }
         })?;
 
-    let graphics_options = if no_config_files {
-        GraphicsOptions::default()
+    let settings = if no_config_files {
+        Settings::new(Arc::new(GraphicsOptions::default()))
     } else {
         load_config().context("Error loading configuration files")?
     };
@@ -104,14 +105,13 @@ fn main() -> Result<(), anyhow::Error> {
     let mut session = runtime.block_on(
         Session::builder()
             .ui(viewport_cell.as_source())
+            .settings_from(settings)
             .quit(Arc::new(|| {
                 // TODO: command the event loop to exit instead
                 std::process::exit(0)
             }))
             .build(),
     );
-    // TODO: this code should live in the lib
-    session.settings().set_graphics_options(graphics_options);
     universe_task.attach_to_session(&mut session);
     let session_done_time = Instant::now();
     log::debug!(
diff --git a/all-is-cubes-desktop/src/config_files.rs b/all-is-cubes-desktop/src/config_files.rs
index beb0c3a9a..66f3b2b59 100644
--- a/all-is-cubes-desktop/src/config_files.rs
+++ b/all-is-cubes-desktop/src/config_files.rs
@@ -1,15 +1,17 @@
-use std::fs::create_dir_all;
+use std::fs;
 use std::fs::File;
 use std::io::BufReader;
 use std::path::Path;
+use std::sync::Arc;
 
+use all_is_cubes_ui::apps::Settings;
 use directories_next::ProjectDirs;
 use serde::{de::DeserializeOwned, Serialize};
 
 use all_is_cubes_render::camera::GraphicsOptions;
 
 /// Load preferences/settings/config files from a platform-appropriate read/write location.
-pub fn load_config() -> Result<GraphicsOptions, anyhow::Error> {
+pub fn load_config() -> Result<Settings, anyhow::Error> {
     // TODO: make testable
     // TODO: allow users of this library function to pick their own config dir
 
@@ -23,15 +25,23 @@ pub fn load_config() -> Result<GraphicsOptions, anyhow::Error> {
 
     let project_dirs = ProjectDirs::from("org.switchb", "", "all-is-cubes")
         .ok_or_else(|| anyhow::anyhow!("could not find configuration directory"))?;
-    create_dir_all(project_dirs.config_dir())?;
+    fs::create_dir_all(project_dirs.config_dir())?;
+
+    let settings_path = project_dirs.config_dir().join("graphics.json");
 
     let graphics_options = read_or_create_default_json_file(
         "graphics options",
-        &project_dirs.config_dir().join("graphics.json"),
+        &settings_path,
         GraphicsOptions::default,
     );
 
-    Ok(graphics_options)
+    Ok(Settings::with_persistence(
+        Arc::new(graphics_options),
+        // TODO: ideally, writes would be performed asynchronously and with rate-limiting
+        Arc::new(move |data| {
+            write_json_file("graphics options", &settings_path, &data);
+        }),
+    ))
 }
 
 fn read_or_create_default_json_file<V: DeserializeOwned + Serialize>(
@@ -63,7 +73,7 @@ fn read_or_create_default_json_file<V: DeserializeOwned + Serialize>(
             );
             let value = default();
             let json_text = serde_json::to_string_pretty(&value).unwrap();
-            std::fs::write(path, json_text.as_bytes()).expect("Error writing default file");
+            fs::write(path, json_text.as_bytes()).expect("Error writing default file");
             value
         }
         Err(e) => {
@@ -77,3 +87,27 @@ fn read_or_create_default_json_file<V: DeserializeOwned + Serialize>(
         }
     }
 }
+
+fn write_json_file<V: Serialize>(description: &str, path: &Path, value: &V) {
+    match fs::OpenOptions::new().write(true).truncate(true).open(path) {
+        Ok(file) => match serde_json::to_writer_pretty(file, &value) {
+            Ok(()) => log::trace!("Wrote {} to {}", description, path.to_string_lossy()),
+            Err(e) => {
+                log::error!(
+                    "Error while writing {} file {}: {}",
+                    description,
+                    path.to_string_lossy(),
+                    e
+                );
+            }
+        },
+        Err(e) => {
+            log::error!(
+                "Error while opening {} file {}: {}",
+                description,
+                path.to_string_lossy(),
+                e
+            );
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/all-is-cubes-desktop/src/record/rmain.rs b/all-is-cubes-desktop/src/record/rmain.rs
index 25990753f..3b6c61835 100644
--- a/all-is-cubes-desktop/src/record/rmain.rs
+++ b/all-is-cubes-desktop/src/record/rmain.rs
@@ -34,13 +34,14 @@ where
     // Modify graphics options to suit recording
     // TODO: Find a better place to put this policy, and in particular allow the user to
     // override it if they do want to record the UI.
-    dsession
-        .session
-        .settings()
-        .mutate_graphics_options(|graphics_options| {
-            graphics_options.show_ui = false;
-            graphics_options.debug_info_text = false;
-        });
+    let settings = dsession.session.settings();
+    // TODO: instead of blanket disinheriting, there should be a way to set explicitly ephemeral
+    // settings.
+    settings.disinherit();
+    settings.mutate_graphics_options(|graphics_options| {
+        graphics_options.show_ui = false;
+        graphics_options.debug_info_text = false;
+    });
 
     Ok(())
 }