diff --git a/bash-conf-home/.bash_profile b/bash-conf-home/.bash_profile
index ebf2443..844f17b 100644
--- a/bash-conf-home/.bash_profile
+++ b/bash-conf-home/.bash_profile
@@ -2,10 +2,21 @@
 # ~/.bash_profile
 #
 
-scripts="${HOME}/dotfiles/scripts"
-if [[ -d "${scripts}" ]]; then
-    export PATH="${PATH}:${scripts}"
-fi
-unset scripts
+# KEEP THIS!
+# important for window manager and menu app (fuzzel, rofi, ..)
+# to find scripts and utilities
 
-export PATH="$PATH:$HOME/repos/jlink"
+export_paths=("${HOME}/dotfiles/scripts")
+export_paths+=("$HOME/tools/jlink")
+
+for entry in ${export_paths[@]}; do
+    if ! [[ -d "${entry}" ]]; then
+        continue
+    fi
+    if [[ "$PATH" == *"${entry}"* ]]; then
+        continue
+    fi
+    export PATH="${PATH}:${entry}"
+done
+
+unset export_paths
diff --git a/bash-conf-work/.bash_profile b/bash-conf-work/.bash_profile
index b752cb3..726d5ee 100644
--- a/bash-conf-work/.bash_profile
+++ b/bash-conf-work/.bash_profile
@@ -2,15 +2,25 @@
 # ~/.bash_profile
 #
 
-# extend paths
-scripts="${HOME}/dotfiles/scripts"
-if [[ -d "${scripts}" ]]; then
-    export PATH="${PATH}:${scripts}"
-fi
-unset scripts
+# KEEP THIS!
+# important for window manager and menu app (fuzzel, rofi, ..)
+# to find scripts and utilities
 
-export PATH="$PATH:$HOME/tools/Xilinx/Vivado/2021.1/bin"
-export PATH="$PATH:$HOME/tools/jlink_linux"
+export_paths=("${HOME}/dotfiles/scripts")
+export_paths+=("$HOME/tools/Xilinx/Vivado/2021.1/bin")
+export_paths+=("$HOME/tools/jlink")
+
+for entry in ${export_paths[@]}; do
+    if ! [[ -d "${entry}" ]]; then
+        continue
+    fi
+    if [[ "$PATH" == *"${entry}"* ]]; then
+        continue
+    fi
+    export PATH="${PATH}:${entry}"
+done
+
+unset export_paths
 
 # vivado license
 export XILINXD_LICENSE_FILE=26140@aberdeen.zhaw.ch
diff --git a/bashrc/.bashrc b/bashrc/.bashrc
index 1a6c40b..af9c847 100644
--- a/bashrc/.bashrc
+++ b/bashrc/.bashrc
@@ -111,3 +111,5 @@ done
 if [[ -t 0 && $- = *i* ]]; then
     stty -ixon
 fi
+
+source $HOME/.bash_profile