diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 26d542a..c896707 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ keywords = ["password", "credential", "keychain", "keyring", "cross-platform"]
 license = "MIT OR Apache-2.0"
 name = "keyring"
 repository = "https://github.com/hwchen/keyring-rs.git"
-version = "2.0.5"
+version = "2.1.0"
 edition = "2021"
 exclude = [".github/"]
 readme = "README.md"
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ crate-type = ["staticlib"]
 
 [dev-dependencies]
 clap = { version = "4", features = ["derive", "wrap_help"] }
-rpassword = "7.0"
+rpassword = "7"
 rand = "0.8"
 doc-comment = "0.3"
-whoami = "1.2"
+whoami = "1"
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index d4f463c..6249ebf 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -129,6 +129,7 @@ Thanks to the following for helping make this library better,
 whether through contributing code, discussion, or bug reports!
 
 - @Alexei-Barnes
+- @benwr
 - @bhkaminski
 - @brotskydotcom
 - @complexspaces
diff --git a/src/credential.rs b/src/credential.rs
index 1474914..632ddc5 100644
--- a/src/credential.rs
+++ b/src/credential.rs
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ pub trait CredentialApi {
     /// so a second call to delete_password will return
     /// a [NoEntry](crate::Error::NoEntry) error.
     fn delete_password(&self) -> Result<()>;
-    /// Return the underlying concrete object cast to [Any](std::any::Any).
+    /// Return the underlying concrete object cast to [Any].
     ///
     /// This allows clients
     /// to downcast the credential to its concrete type so they
@@ -45,6 +45,20 @@ impl std::fmt::Debug for Credential {
 /// A thread-safe implementation of the [Credential API](CredentialApi).
 pub type Credential = dyn CredentialApi + Send + Sync;
 
+/// A descriptor for the lifetime of stored credentials, returned from
+/// a credential store's [persistence](CredentialBuilderApi::persistence) call.
+#[non_exhaustive]
+pub enum CredentialPersistence {
+    /// Credentials vanish when the entry vanishes (stored in the entry)
+    EntryOnly,
+    /// Credentials vanish when the process terminates (stored in process memory)
+    ProcessOnly,
+    /// Credentials persist until the machine reboots (stored in kernel memory)
+    UntilReboot,
+    /// Credentials persist until they are explicitly deleted (stored on disk)
+    UntilDelete,
+}
+
 /// The API that [credential builders](CredentialBuilder) implement.
 pub trait CredentialBuilderApi {
     /// Create a credential identified by the given target, service, and user.
@@ -52,12 +66,21 @@ pub trait CredentialBuilderApi {
     /// This typically has no effect on the content of the underlying store.
     /// A credential need not be persisted until its password is set.
     fn build(&self, target: Option<&str>, service: &str, user: &str) -> Result<Box<Credential>>;
-    /// Return the underlying concrete object cast to [Any](std::any::Any).
+    /// Return the underlying concrete object cast to [Any].
     ///
     /// Because credential builders need not have any internal structure,
     /// this call is not so much for clients
     /// as it is to allow automatic derivation of a Debug trait for builders.
     fn as_any(&self) -> &dyn Any;
+
+    /// The lifetime of credentials produced by this builder.
+    ///
+    /// A default implementation is provided for backward compatibility,
+    /// since this API was added in a minor release.  The default assumes
+    /// that keystores use disk-based credential storage.
+    fn persistence(&self) -> CredentialPersistence {
+        CredentialPersistence::UntilDelete
+    }
 }
 
 impl std::fmt::Debug for CredentialBuilder {
diff --git a/src/keyutils.rs b/src/keyutils.rs
index 8bea6b8..21681bd 100644
--- a/src/keyutils.rs
+++ b/src/keyutils.rs
@@ -97,7 +97,9 @@ Alternatively, you can drop the secret-service credential store altogether
 with `--no-default-features` and `--features linux-no-secret-service`.
 
  */
-use super::credential::{Credential, CredentialApi, CredentialBuilder, CredentialBuilderApi};
+use super::credential::{
+    Credential, CredentialApi, CredentialBuilder, CredentialBuilderApi, CredentialPersistence,
+};
 use super::error::{decode_password, Error as ErrorCode, Result};
 use linux_keyutils::{KeyError, KeyRing, KeyRingIdentifier};
 
@@ -284,6 +286,12 @@ impl CredentialBuilderApi for KeyutilsCredentialBuilder {
     fn as_any(&self) -> &dyn std::any::Any {
         self
     }
+
+    /// Since this keystore keeps credentials in kernel memory,
+    /// they vanish on reboot
+    fn persistence(&self) -> CredentialPersistence {
+        CredentialPersistence::UntilReboot
+    }
 }
 
 /// Map an underlying keyutils error to a platform-independent error with annotation.
@@ -313,9 +321,18 @@ fn wrap(err: KeyError) -> Box<dyn std::error::Error + Send + Sync> {
 
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
+    use crate::credential::CredentialPersistence;
     use crate::{tests::generate_random_string, Entry, Error};
 
-    use super::KeyutilsCredential;
+    use super::{default_credential_builder, KeyutilsCredential};
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_persistence() {
+        assert!(matches!(
+            default_credential_builder().persistence(),
+            CredentialPersistence::UntilReboot
+        ))
+    }
 
     fn entry_new(service: &str, user: &str) -> Entry {
         crate::tests::entry_from_constructor(KeyutilsCredential::new_with_target, service, user)
diff --git a/src/macos.rs b/src/macos.rs
index 968d0a6..42bb56c 100644
--- a/src/macos.rs
+++ b/src/macos.rs
@@ -238,9 +238,18 @@ pub fn decode_error(err: Error) -> ErrorCode {
 
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
+    use crate::credential::CredentialPersistence;
     use crate::{tests::generate_random_string, Entry, Error};
 
-    use super::MacCredential;
+    use super::{default_credential_builder, MacCredential};
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_persistence() {
+        assert!(matches!(
+            default_credential_builder().persistence(),
+            CredentialPersistence::UntilDelete
+        ))
+    }
 
     fn entry_new(service: &str, user: &str) -> Entry {
         crate::tests::entry_from_constructor(MacCredential::new_with_target, service, user)
diff --git a/src/mock.rs b/src/mock.rs
index fb7bebf..e8e2e3e 100644
--- a/src/mock.rs
+++ b/src/mock.rs
@@ -14,8 +14,8 @@ set_default_credential_builder(mock::default_credential_builder());
 ```
 
 You can then create entries as you usually do, and call their usual methods
-to set, get, and delete passwords.  There is no peristence between
-runs, so getting a credential before setting it will always result
+to set, get, and delete passwords.  There is no persistence other than
+in the entry itself, so getting a password before setting it will always result
 in a [NotFound](Error::NoEntry) error.
 
 If you want a method call on an entry to fail in a specific way, you can
@@ -36,7 +36,9 @@ entry.set_password("test").expect("error has been cleared");
 use std::cell::RefCell;
 use std::sync::Mutex;
 
-use super::credential::{Credential, CredentialApi, CredentialBuilder, CredentialBuilderApi};
+use super::credential::{
+    Credential, CredentialApi, CredentialBuilder, CredentialBuilderApi, CredentialPersistence,
+};
 use super::error::{Error, Result};
 
 /// The concrete mock credential
@@ -180,6 +182,11 @@ impl CredentialBuilderApi for MockCredentialBuilder {
     fn as_any(&self) -> &dyn std::any::Any {
         self
     }
+
+    /// This keystore keeps the password in the entry!
+    fn persistence(&self) -> CredentialPersistence {
+        CredentialPersistence::EntryOnly
+    }
 }
 
 /// Return a mock credential builder for use by clients.
@@ -189,9 +196,18 @@ pub fn default_credential_builder() -> Box<CredentialBuilder> {
 
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
-    use super::MockCredential;
+    use super::{default_credential_builder, MockCredential};
+    use crate::credential::CredentialPersistence;
     use crate::{tests::generate_random_string, Entry, Error};
 
+    #[test]
+    fn test_persistence() {
+        assert!(matches!(
+            default_credential_builder().persistence(),
+            CredentialPersistence::EntryOnly
+        ))
+    }
+
     fn entry_new(service: &str, user: &str) -> Entry {
         let credential = MockCredential::new_with_target(None, service, user).unwrap();
         Entry::new_with_credential(Box::new(credential))
diff --git a/src/secret_service.rs b/src/secret_service.rs
index a8a427b..a9f4484 100644
--- a/src/secret_service.rs
+++ b/src/secret_service.rs
@@ -440,9 +440,18 @@ fn wrap(err: Error) -> Box<dyn std::error::Error + Send + Sync> {
 
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
+    use crate::credential::CredentialPersistence;
     use crate::{tests::generate_random_string, Entry, Error};
 
-    use super::SsCredential;
+    use super::{default_credential_builder, SsCredential};
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_persistence() {
+        assert!(matches!(
+            default_credential_builder().persistence(),
+            CredentialPersistence::UntilDelete
+        ))
+    }
 
     fn entry_new(service: &str, user: &str) -> Entry {
         crate::tests::entry_from_constructor(SsCredential::new_with_target, service, user)
diff --git a/src/windows.rs b/src/windows.rs
index dda96b8..91c0505 100644
--- a/src/windows.rs
+++ b/src/windows.rs
@@ -395,9 +395,18 @@ fn wrap(code: DWORD) -> Box<dyn std::error::Error + Send + Sync> {
 mod tests {
     use super::*;
 
+    use crate::credential::CredentialPersistence;
     use crate::tests::{generate_random_string, generate_random_string_of_len};
     use crate::Entry;
 
+    #[test]
+    fn test_persistence() {
+        assert!(matches!(
+            default_credential_builder().persistence(),
+            CredentialPersistence::UntilDelete
+        ))
+    }
+
     fn entry_new(service: &str, user: &str) -> Entry {
         crate::tests::entry_from_constructor(WinCredential::new_with_target, service, user)
     }