diff --git a/options/emacs-init.nix b/options/emacs-init.nix
index af5d85e..717590d 100644
--- a/options/emacs-init.nix
+++ b/options/emacs-init.nix
@@ -402,7 +402,16 @@ in
           concatMap (v: getPkg (v.package))
             (builtins.attrValues cfg.usePackage)
         );
-    machine.pkgsets.emacs.pkgwrap = (pkgs.emacsWithPackages config.machine.pkgsets.emacs.pkgs);
+
+    # use lucid as toolkit; emacs will otherwise crash quite frequently when run in daemon mode
+    # https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gtk/issues/221
+    machine.pkgsets.emacs.pkgwrap = let
+      emacsWithPackages = (pkgs.emacsPackagesFor
+        (pkgs.emacs.override {
+          withGTK2 = false;
+          withGTK3 = false;
+        })).emacsWithPackages;
+    in (emacsWithPackages config.machine.pkgsets.emacs.pkgs);
 
     environment.systemPackages = [
       ((pkgs.emacsPackagesNgGen config.machine.pkgsets.emacs.pkgwrap).trivialBuild {