diff --git a/nixos/modules/virtualisation/incus.nix b/nixos/modules/virtualisation/incus.nix
index 3b6b88766400..8d4ff2aae9a8 100644
--- a/nixos/modules/virtualisation/incus.nix
+++ b/nixos/modules/virtualisation/incus.nix
@@ -449,6 +449,9 @@ in
       requires = [ "incus.socket" ];
       wantedBy = config.systemd.services.incus.wantedBy;
 
+      # restarting this service will affect instances
+      restartIfChanged = false;
+
       serviceConfig = {
         ExecStart = "${incus-startup} start";
         ExecStop = "${incus-startup} stop";