diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index 9dd379c..3538dff 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -16,4 +16,4 @@ RUN apk update && apk -U --no-cache add libpulse avahi libgcc gcompat alsa-lib
 
 COPY --from=build /src/daemon /usr/bin/go-librespot
 
-CMD ["/usr/bin/go-librespot", "--config_dir", "/config"]
\ No newline at end of file
+CMD ["/usr/bin/go-librespot", "--state", "/state", "--config", "/config/config.yaml"]
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 76becaa..f6c8207 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -60,13 +60,18 @@ Details about cross-compiling go-librespot are described [here](/CROSS_COMPILE.m
 
 ## Configuration
 
-The default directory for configuration files is `~/.config/go-librespot`. On macOS devices, this is
-`~/Library/Application Support/go-librespot`. You can change this directory with the
-`-config_dir` flag. The configuration directory contains:
+The main configuration files is `~/.config/go-librespot/config.yaml`. On macOS devices, this is
+`~/Library/Application Support/go-librespot/config.yaml`. It does not exist by default.
 
-- `config.yml`: The main configuration (does not exist by default)
+You can change this path with the `--config` flag.
+
+State files are stored in `~/.local/state/go-librespot` (`~/Library/Application Support/go-librespot` on macOS).
+
+You can change this directory with the `--state` flag.
+
+The state directory contains:
 - `state.json`: The player state and credentials
-- `lockfile`: A lockfile to prevent running multiple instances on the same configuration
+- `lockfile`: A lockfile to prevent multiple instances using the same state
 
 The full configuration schema is available [here](/config_schema.json), only the main options are detailed below.
 
@@ -232,4 +237,4 @@ or using Go:
 
 ```shell
 go generate ./...
-```
\ No newline at end of file
+```
diff --git a/cmd/daemon/main.go b/cmd/daemon/main.go
index 048cbcc..9229836 100644
--- a/cmd/daemon/main.go
+++ b/cmd/daemon/main.go
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ func NewApp(cfg *Config) (app *App, err error) {
 	}
 
 	app.state.SetLogger(app.log)
-	if err := app.state.Read(cfg.ConfigDir); err != nil {
+	if err := app.state.Read(cfg.StateDir); err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
@@ -380,11 +380,12 @@ func (app *App) withAppPlayer(ctx context.Context, appPlayerFunc func(context.Co
 }
 
 type Config struct {
-	ConfigDir string `koanf:"config_dir"`
+	StateDir   string `koanf:"state"`
+	ConfigPath string `koanf:"config"`
 
 	// We need to keep this object around, otherwise it gets GC'd and the
 	// finalizer will run, probably closing the lock.
-	configLock *flock.Flock
+	stateLock *flock.Flock
 
 	LogLevel                      log.Level `koanf:"log_level"`
 	LogDisableTimestamp           bool      `koanf:"log_disable_timestamp"`
@@ -440,8 +441,19 @@ type Config struct {
 	} `koanf:"credentials"`
 }
 
+// backwards compatibility for config_dir flag
+func aliasNormalizeFunc(f *flag.FlagSet, name string) flag.NormalizedName {
+	switch name {
+	case "config_dir":
+		name = "state"
+		break
+	}
+	return flag.NormalizedName(name)
+}
+
 func loadConfig(cfg *Config) error {
 	f := flag.NewFlagSet("config", flag.ContinueOnError)
+	f.SetNormalizeFunc(aliasNormalizeFunc)
 	f.Usage = func() {
 		fmt.Println(f.FlagUsages())
 		os.Exit(0)
@@ -450,8 +462,15 @@ func loadConfig(cfg *Config) error {
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	defaultConfigDir := filepath.Join(userConfigDir, "go-librespot")
-	f.StringVar(&cfg.ConfigDir, "config_dir", defaultConfigDir, "the configuration directory")
+	defaultConfigPath := filepath.Join(userConfigDir, "go-librespot", "config.yaml")
+	f.StringVar(&cfg.ConfigPath, "config", defaultConfigPath, "the configuration file")
+
+	userStateDir, err := UserStateDir() // local implementation
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	defaultStatePath := filepath.Join(userStateDir, "go-librespot")
+	f.StringVar(&cfg.StateDir, "state", defaultStatePath, "the state directory")
 
 	var configOverrides []string
 	f.StringArrayVarP(&configOverrides, "conf", "c", nil, "override config values (format: field=value, use field1.field2=value for nested fields)")
@@ -461,18 +480,18 @@ func loadConfig(cfg *Config) error {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	// Make config directory if needed.
-	err = os.MkdirAll(cfg.ConfigDir, 0o700)
+	// Make state directory if needed.
+	err = os.MkdirAll(cfg.StateDir, 0o700)
 	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("failed creating config directory: %w", err)
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed creating state directory: %w", err)
 	}
 
-	// Lock the config directory (to ensure multiple instances won't clobber
+	// Lock the state directory (to ensure multiple instances won't clobber
 	// each others state).
-	lockFilePath := filepath.Join(cfg.ConfigDir, "lockfile")
-	cfg.configLock = flock.New(lockFilePath)
-	if locked, err := cfg.configLock.TryLock(); err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("could not lock config directory: %w", err)
+	lockFilePath := filepath.Join(cfg.StateDir, "lockfile")
+	cfg.stateLock = flock.New(lockFilePath)
+	if locked, err := cfg.stateLock.TryLock(); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("could not lock state directory: %w", err)
 	} else if !locked {
 		// Lock already taken! Looks like go-librespot is already running.
 		return fmt.Errorf("%w (lockfile: %s)", errAlreadyRunning, lockFilePath)
@@ -505,10 +524,11 @@ func loadConfig(cfg *Config) error {
 
 	// load file configuration (if available)
 	var configPath string
-	if _, err := os.Stat(filepath.Join(cfg.ConfigDir, "config.yaml")); os.IsNotExist(err) {
-		configPath = filepath.Join(cfg.ConfigDir, "config.yml")
+	if _, err := os.Stat(cfg.ConfigPath); os.IsNotExist(err) {
+		// postel: allow .yml in place of .yaml
+		configPath = strings.TrimSuffix(cfg.ConfigPath, filepath.Ext(cfg.ConfigPath)) + ".yml"
 	} else {
-		configPath = filepath.Join(cfg.ConfigDir, "config.yaml")
+		configPath = cfg.ConfigPath
 	}
 
 	if err := k.Load(file.Provider(configPath), yaml.Parser()); err != nil {
diff --git a/cmd/daemon/os.go b/cmd/daemon/os.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..83963de
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/daemon/os.go
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"errors"
+	"os"
+	"runtime"
+)
+
+// UserStateDir is not included in the `os` package.
+// It returns the default root directory to use for user-specific
+// state data. Users should create their own application-specific subdirectory
+// within this one and use that.
+//
+// On Unix systems, it returns $XDG_STATE_HOME as specified by
+// https://specifications.freedesktop.org/basedir-spec/basedir-spec-latest.html if
+// non-empty, else $HOME/.local/state.
+// On other systems it returns os.UserConfigDir
+//
+// If the location cannot be determined (for example, $HOME is not defined)
+// then it will return an error.
+func UserStateDir() (string, error) {
+	var dir string
+
+	switch runtime.GOOS {
+	case "windows", "darwin", "ios", "plan9":
+		return os.UserConfigDir()
+	default: // Unix, as UserConfigDir
+		dir = os.Getenv("XDG_STATE_HOME")
+		if dir == "" {
+			dir = os.Getenv("HOME")
+			if dir == "" {
+				return "", errors.New("neither $XDG_STATE_HOME nor $HOME are defined")
+			}
+			dir += "/.local/state"
+		}
+	}
+
+	return dir, nil
+}
diff --git a/docker-compose.pulse.yml b/docker-compose.pulse.yml
index 24ad4be..5ee1a89 100644
--- a/docker-compose.pulse.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.pulse.yml
@@ -5,9 +5,10 @@ services:
     network_mode: host
     userns_mode: keep-id
     volumes:
+      - ~/.local/state/go-librespot:/state
       - ~/.config/go-librespot:/config
       - ~/.config/pulse/cookie:/pulse_cookie:ro
       - /run/user/1000/pulse/native:/pulse_native # Replace 1000 with your UID
     environment:
       PULSE_SERVER: "unix:/pulse_native"
-      PULSE_COOKIE: "/pulse_cookie"
\ No newline at end of file
+      PULSE_COOKIE: "/pulse_cookie"