Alt key bindings stop working randomly

[audishos]

Recently I've been encountering this problem where my alt-{key} bindings stop working. When I first boot, everything works as expected. Eventually, these bindings will just stop working and instead produce alt character text output such as:

alt-1: ¡
alt-2: ™
alt-3: £
etc.

I've tried messing with my keyboard settings and text input sources, but this hasn't helped. It also doesn't explain why these bindings work perfectly fine for an arbitrary amount of time and then just stop working. AeroSpace has been excellent up until now and I really want to resolve this!

[audishos]

Adding my config in-case it helps

# Reference: https://github.com/i3/i3/blob/next/etc/config

# You can use it to add commands that run after login to macOS user session.
# 'start-at-login' needs to be 'true' for 'after-login-command' to work
# Available commands: https://nikitabobko.github.io/AeroSpace/commands
after-login-command = []

# You can use it to add commands that run after AeroSpace startup.
# 'after-startup-command' is run after 'after-login-command'
# Available commands : https://nikitabobko.github.io/AeroSpace/commands
after-startup-command = [
    # JankyBorders has a built-in detection of already running process,
    # so it won't be run twice on AeroSpace restart
    'exec-and-forget borders active_color=0xffa6da95 inactive_color=0x00000000 width=8.0'
]

# Start AeroSpace at login
start-at-login = true

# i3 doesn't have "normalizations" feature that why we disable them here.
# But the feature is very helpful.
# Normalizations eliminate all sorts of weird tree configurations that don't make sense.
# Give normalizations a chance and enable them back.
enable-normalization-flatten-containers = true
enable-normalization-opposite-orientation-for-nested-containers = true

# Mouse follows focus when focused monitor changes
on-focused-monitor-changed = ['move-mouse monitor-lazy-center']

# Gaps between windows (inner-*) and between monitor edges (outer-*).
# Possible values:
# - Constant:     gaps.outer.top = 8
# - Per monitor:  gaps.outer.top = [{ monitor.main = 16 }, { monitor."some-pattern" = 32 }, 24]
#                 In this example, 24 is a default value when there is no match.
#                 Monitor pattern is the same as for 'workspace-to-monitor-force-assignment'.
#                 See: https://nikitabobko.github.io/AeroSpace/guide#assign-workspaces-to-monitors
[gaps]
inner.horizontal = 4
inner.vertical =   4
outer.left =       4
outer.bottom =     4
outer.top =        4
outer.right =      4

[mode.main.binding]
# Opens terminal with alt + enter - similar to sway
alt-enter = 'exec-and-forget open -n /Applications/kitty.app'

# i3 wraps focus by default
alt-h =         'focus --boundaries-action wrap-around-the-workspace left'
alt-j =         'focus --boundaries-action wrap-around-the-workspace down'
alt-k =         'focus --boundaries-action wrap-around-the-workspace up'
alt-l =         'focus --boundaries-action wrap-around-the-workspace right'

alt-shift-h = 'move left'
alt-shift-j = 'move down'
alt-shift-k = 'move up'
alt-shift-l = 'move right'

# Consider using 'join-with' command as a 'split' replacement if you want to enable normalizations
alt-i = 'join-with up'
alt-u = 'join-with left'

alt-f = 'fullscreen'

alt-s = 'layout v_accordion' # 'layout stacking' in i3
alt-w = 'layout h_accordion' # 'layout tabbed' in i3
alt-e = 'layout tiles horizontal vertical' # 'layout toggle split' in i3

alt-shift-space = 'layout floating tiling' # 'floating toggle' in i3

# Not supported, because this command is redundant in AeroSpace mental model.
# See: https://nikitabobko.github.io/AeroSpace/guide#floating-windows
#alt-space = 'focus toggle_tiling_floating'

# `focus parent`/`focus child` are not yet supported, and it's not clear whether they
# should be supported at all https://github.com/nikitabobko/AeroSpace/issues/5
# alt-a = 'focus parent'

alt-1 = 'workspace home'
alt-2 = 'workspace work'
alt-3 = 'workspace term'
alt-4 = 'workspace test'
alt-5 = 'workspace dsgn'
alt-6 = 'workspace 6'
alt-7 = 'workspace 7'
alt-8 = 'workspace 8'
alt-9 = 'workspace 9'
alt-0 = 'workspace 10'

alt-shift-1 = 'move-node-to-workspace home'
alt-shift-2 = 'move-node-to-workspace work'
alt-shift-3 = 'move-node-to-workspace term'
alt-shift-4 = 'move-node-to-workspace test'
alt-shift-5 = 'move-node-to-workspace dsgn'
alt-shift-6 = 'move-node-to-workspace 6'
alt-shift-7 = 'move-node-to-workspace 7'
alt-shift-8 = 'move-node-to-workspace 8'
alt-shift-9 = 'move-node-to-workspace 9'
alt-shift-0 = 'move-node-to-workspace 10'

alt-shift-c = 'reload-config'

alt-r = 'mode resize'

[mode.resize.binding]
h = 'resize width -50'
j = 'resize height +50'
k = 'resize height -50'
l = 'resize width +50'
enter = 'mode main'
esc = 'mode main'

# Floating window apps
[[on-window-detected]]
if.app-id = 'org.keepassxc.keepassxc'
run = 'layout floating'

[[on-window-detected]]
if.app-id = 'com.wulkano.kap'
run = 'layout floating'

# Assign apps to workspaces
[[on-window-detected]]
if.app-id = 'org.mozilla.firefox'
run = 'move-node-to-workspace home'

[[on-window-detected]]
if.app-id = 'com.spotify.client'
run = 'move-node-to-workspace home'

[[on-window-detected]]
if.app-id = 'com.google.Chrome'
run = 'move-node-to-workspace work'

[[on-window-detected]]
if.app-id = 'com.tinyspeck.slackmacgap'
run = 'move-node-to-workspace work'

[[on-window-detected]]
if.app-id = 'net.kovidgoyal.kitty'
run = 'move-node-to-workspace term'

[[on-window-detected]]
if.app-id = 'org.mozilla.firefoxdeveloperedition'
run = 'move-node-to-workspace test'

This config was working for some time without any changes before this issue started occurring.

[adamloso]

Having the same issue but i think it might not be aerospace related. Works fine after reboot but after coming back from sleep custom keybindings for option+{key} are back to default. Interestingly option+tab still works.
I even abandoned using aerospace and set up the same keybindings with raycast. To my surprise the exact same thing happened after coming back from sleep.

[audishos]

I've also suspected that it's not related to AeroSpace and might be a bug in MacOS or another app that I use. Unfortunately, if it's related to another app, I haven't been able to find which one. I'll also add that I've noticed it occurs most often after waking from sleep, but in my experience, it will also happen randomly while I'm actively using it. I'll swap to one workspace and then a few seconds later, be unable to swap to another.

[adamloso]

I've found that locking the screen and unlocking it makes the keymapping work again. I am also suspecting some other app might be at fault as i've come to find some posts online where that turned out to be the case.
For myself it might even be impossible to get rid of the misbehaving app as I am using a managed device.
I wonder if there's a way to trigger re-initialization of the key bindings "manually"....

[balazs4]

having the same issue with alt- prefix recently. Very annoying, but I suspect it is just a mac thing :/

that locking the screen and unlocking it makes the keymapping work again.

@adamloso thanks for this tip; it works as a workaround at least for me.

[gavink97]

I've just started having this issue after updating to macOS Sequoia 15.4. Restarting does seem to fix it.

[barbedo]

This also started happening to me in two different (but similarly configured) machines a few weeks ago, and it has been driving me crazy.

A reboot fixed the issue, but it always came back after a random amount of time.

I've waited until it happened and started closing all programs that have shortcuts one by one.

In my case, it was KeePassXC, even just running in the background, that was somehow breaking my opt shortcuts after a while. Restarting it makes AeroSpace work correctly again.

The cause is probably keepassxreboot/keepassxc#11906.
If I try to use one of my opt AerosSpace shortcuts when a password field is in focus, I get the exact same broken behavior. So this does seem related to secure input.

If KeePassXC is also the culprit in your case, you can try downgrading to 2.7.9.

[nikitabobko]

Wow, I don't use KeePassXC, and the fact that the "secure input" could be stuck in background honestly shocks me.

A PR that mentions a common pitfall of opt key + secure input + KeepassXC issue are welcome here:

• https://github.com/nikitabobko/AeroSpace/blob/main/docs/guide.adoc?plain=1#L710
• https://nikitabobko.github.io/AeroSpace/guide#common-pitfall-keyboard-keys-handling

[audishos]

Opened a PR 😄 - #1344

[adamloso]

There's definitely other apps causing "secure input" to get stuck as well. I am also not using KeePassXC but facing the issue.

[naudster]

I don't use KeepassXC. In my case it was Brave browser that caused the issue. Happened after days of uptime. Not sure what triggered it but I guess the browser, via some webpage or extension like Bitwarden, was grabbing "secure input". Restarting Brave fixed it.

[gianlucatruda]

I'm also having the issue with Ferdium 7.1.0 on macOS 14.8.
(Thanks for the tips to figure this out. I've been losing my patience this week)

[jviall]

I don't use KeePassXC but I believe I also experience this. Starting with 18.x, I was able to get into a state where after focusing Microsoft Outlook my Alt bindings to navigate stop working. Commands like pressing e.g. Alt-1 does not trigger a workspace switch. Manually focusing a different app allow my bindings to work again. Quitting and reopening Outlook removed the issue so I'm not sure how to reproduce quite yet.

[PaperbagWriter]

anyone find anything new? this is driving me insane! the only way ive found to fix this is to restart my mac. but after a while it happens again. will try to find what app may be causing this in the mean time