diff --git a/nixos/modules/services/x11/desktop-managers/xterm.nix b/nixos/modules/services/x11/desktop-managers/xterm.nix
index 1408df31295..f76db278a92 100644
--- a/nixos/modules/services/x11/desktop-managers/xterm.nix
+++ b/nixos/modules/services/x11/desktop-managers/xterm.nix
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ with lib;
 let
 
   cfg = config.services.xserver.desktopManager.xterm;
+  xSessionEnabled = config.services.xserver.enable;
 
 in
 
@@ -13,7 +14,8 @@ in
 
     services.xserver.desktopManager.xterm.enable = mkOption {
       type = types.bool;
-      default = (versionOlder config.system.stateVersion "19.09");
+      default = (versionOlder config.system.stateVersion "19.09") && xSessionEnabled;
+      defaultText = if versionOlder config.system.stateVersion "19.09" then "config.services.xserver.enable" else "false";
       description = "Enable a xterm terminal as a desktop manager.";
     };