diff --git a/recipes-integration/images/core-image-plasma-bigscreen.bb b/recipes-integration/images/core-image-plasma-bigscreen.bb
index b9a27fe..f9112fc 100644
--- a/recipes-integration/images/core-image-plasma-bigscreen.bb
+++ b/recipes-integration/images/core-image-plasma-bigscreen.bb
@@ -21,3 +21,5 @@ IMAGE_INSTALL += " \
     sddm-config-plasma-bigscreen \
     packagegroup-plasma-bigscreen-workspace \
 "
+
+SYSTEMD_DEFAULT_TARGET="graphical.target"
diff --git a/recipes-integration/images/core-image-plasma-mobile.bb b/recipes-integration/images/core-image-plasma-mobile.bb
index 8d7ea09..ed2e112 100644
--- a/recipes-integration/images/core-image-plasma-mobile.bb
+++ b/recipes-integration/images/core-image-plasma-mobile.bb
@@ -19,4 +19,7 @@ IMAGE_INSTALL = " \
                  sddm-config-plasma-mobile \
                  packagegroup-plasma-mobile \
                 "
+
+SYSTEMD_DEFAULT_TARGET="graphical.target"
+
 inherit core-image
diff --git a/recipes-support/sddm/sddm.inc b/recipes-support/sddm/sddm.inc
index eac7763..c345fd4 100644
--- a/recipes-support/sddm/sddm.inc
+++ b/recipes-support/sddm/sddm.inc
@@ -69,9 +69,6 @@ do_install:append() {
     install -d ${D}${localstatedir}/lib/sddm
     chown -R sddm:sddm ${D}${localstatedir}/lib/sddm
     chmod 0750 ${D}${localstatedir}/lib/sddm
-
-    # make SDDM actually auto-start
-    echo "WantedBy=multi-user.target" >> ${D}/${systemd_unitdir}/system/sddm.service
 }
 
 PACKAGES =+ " \
diff --git a/recipes-support/systemd_%.bbappend b/recipes-support/systemd_%.bbappend
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b7ed0b3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/recipes-support/systemd_%.bbappend
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+# Enable the xdg-autostart option so .desktop files are automatically
+# converted to systemd user services. If this option is not present,
+# 'startplasma' falls back on 'classic boot' and this can cause issues
+# like:
+#
+# https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=478313
+#
+# To get an idea of how plasma starts:
+#
+# https://github.com/KDE/plasma-workspace/blob/master/startkde/startplasma.cpp
+#
+PACKAGECONFIG:append = " xdg-autostart"