Issue with some dead keys when running with Niri

[fabiano]

" ' ` characters are not being inserted while using Kitty (0.43.1) with Niri (25.08). I have a custom .XCompose to include cedilha ç, and this one works after I type 'c.

Removing the .XCompose file fixes the issue, but I don't have this issue while running Kitty with GNOME.

.XCompose content:

<dead_acute> <c> : "ç"
<dead_acute> <C> : "Ç"

Any suggestion on how to try to find what is causing this issue? Below is the output of running Kitty with debug-keyboard flag and typing ' + space.

GNOME

[0,045] Loading new XKB keymaps
[0,048] Modifier indices alt: 0x3 super: 0x6 hyper: 0xffffffff meta: 0xffffffff numlock: 0x4 shift: 0x0 capslock: 0x1 control: 0x2
[0,115]
text-input: updating cursor position: left=3 top=3 width=9 height=20
[0,156] on_focus_change: window id: 0x1 focused: 1
[0,156]
text-input: updating IME focus state, ime_focused: 0 ev->focused: 1
[0,156]
text-input: updating IME focus state, ime_focused: 0 ev->focused: 1
[0,156] text-input: enter event
[0,156] Got notification server capabilities: frozenset({'body', 'actions', 'sound', 'icon-static', 'body-markup','persistence'})
[0,159] text-input: done event: serial: 4 current_commit_serial: 4
[8,463] text-input: preedit_string event: text: ´ cursor_begin: 2 cursor_end: 2
[8,463] text-input: done event: serial: 4 current_commit_serial: 4
[8,463] on_IME_input: text: ´ [8,463]
text-input: updating cursor position: left=30 top=44 width=9 height=20
updated pre-edit text: '´'
[8,466] text-input: preedit_string event: text: ´ cursor_begin: 2 cursor_end: 2
[8,466] text-input: done event: serial: 5 current_commit_serial: 5
[8,536] Release xkb_keycode: 0x28 clean_sym: dead_acute mods: none glfw_key: 0 (UNKNOWN) xkb_key: 65105 (dead_acute) alternate_key: 39 (')
[9,089] text-input: preedit_string event: text: (null) cursor_begin: 0 cursor_end: 0
[9,089] text-input: commit_string event: text: '
[9,089] text-input: preedit_string event: text: (null) cursor_begin: 0 cursor_end: 0
[9,089] text-input: done event: serial: 5 current_commit_serial: 5
[9,089] on_key_input: glfw key: 0x0 native_code: 0x0 action: RELEASE mods: none text: '' state: 3 handled wayland IME done event
[9,089] on_IME_input: text: ' committed pre-edit text: ' sent to child as text.
[9,162] Release xkb_keycode: 0x39 clean_sym: space mods: none glfw_key: 32 ( ) xkb_key: 32 (space)

Niri

[0,045] Loading new XKB keymaps
[0,048] Modifier indices alt: 0x3 super: 0x6 hyper: 0xffffffff meta: 0xffffffff numlock: 0x4 shift: 0x0 capslock: 0x1 control: 0x2
[0,104]
text-input: updating cursor position: left=3 top=3 width=9 height=20
[0,145] on_focus_change: window id: 0x1 focused: 1
[0,145]
text-input: updating IME focus state, ime_focused: 0 ev->focused: 1
[0,145]
text-input: updating IME focus state, ime_focused: 0 ev->focused: 1
[0,145] Got notification server capabilities: frozenset({'body-markup', 'body', 'actions', 'x-canonical-private-synchronous', 'x-dunst-stack-tag'})
[0,145] Release xkb_keycode: 0x1c clean_sym: Return mods: none glfw_key: 57345 (ENTER) xkb_key: 65293 (Return)
[3,961] Press xkb_keycode: 0x28 clean_sym: dead_acute compose not complete, ignoring.
[4,058] Release xkb_keycode: 0x28 clean_sym: dead_acute mods: none glfw_key: 0 (UNKNOWN) xkb_key: 65105 (dead_acute) alternate_key: 39 (')
[4,149] Press xkb_keycode: 0x39 clean_sym: space compose not complete, ignoring.
[4,244] Release xkb_keycode: 0x39 clean_sym: space mods: none glfw_key: 32 ( ) xkb_key: 32 (space)

Niri without .XCompose

[0,045] Loading new XKB keymaps
[0,049] Modifier indices alt: 0x3 super: 0x6 hyper: 0xffffffff meta: 0xffffffff numlock: 0x4 shift: 0x0 capslock: 0x1 control: 0x2
[0,102]
text-input: updating cursor position: left=3 top=3 width=9 height=20
[0,142] on_focus_change: window id: 0x1 focused: 1
[0,142]
text-input: updating IME focus state, ime_focused: 0 ev->focused: 1
[0,142]
text-input: updating IME focus state, ime_focused: 0 ev->focused: 1
[0,142] Got notification server capabilities: frozenset({'body', 'body-markup', 'x-canonical-private-synchronous','actions', 'x-dunst-stack-tag'})
[3,261] Press xkb_keycode: 0x28 clean_sym: dead_acute compose not complete, ignoring.
[3,335] Release xkb_keycode: 0x28 clean_sym: dead_acute mods: none glfw_key: 0 (UNKNOWN) xkb_key: 65105 (dead_acute) alternate_key: 39 (')
[3,609] Press xkb_keycode: 0x39 clean_sym: space composed_sym: apostrophe composed_text: ' mods: none glfw_key: 39(') xkb_key: 39 (apostrophe) shifted_key: 32 ( ) alternate_key: 32 ( )
[3,609] on_key_input: glfw key: 0x27 native_code: 0x27 action: PRESS mods: none text: ''' state: 0 [3,609]
text-input: updating cursor position: left=21 top=43 width=9 height=20
sent key as text to child (window_id: 1): '
[3,706] Release xkb_keycode: 0x39 clean_sym: space mods: none glfw_key: 32 ( ) xkb_key: 32 (space)
[3,706] on_key_input: glfw key: 0x27 native_code: 0x27 action: RELEASE mods: none text: '' state: 0 [3,706]
text-input: updating cursor position: left=30 top=43 width=9 height=20
ignoring as keyboard mode does not support encoding this event

[kovidgoyal]

You need to ask niri's developers. As can be seen from the logs, kitty gets different events from the compositor.