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Hardware keys and desktop actions

The profile ships one keymap for hardware keys and desktop actions, on with the profile. The compositor’s built-in defaults stay window management only, because hardware binds spawn tools scoot does not ship.

Press Does Needs (beside the profile)
XF86MonBrightnessUp / Down panel +5% / -5% brightnessctl (installed)
XF86AudioRaiseVolume / LowerVolume default sink +5% / -5% PipeWire running
XF86AudioMute default sink mute toggle PipeWire running
XF86AudioMicMute default source mute toggle PipeWire running
XF86AudioPlay / Pause / Stop / Next / Prev play-pause / pause / stop / next / previous a player speaking MPRIS
Super+Escape lock (through logind) the locker
Super+d launcher (XDG apps) launcher.enable (scootlaunch panel)
Ctrl+Alt+Space run mode (PATH executables alone) launcher.enable (scootlaunch --run)
Super+v clipboard picker clipboard.enable
Super+n dismiss visible notifications notifications.enable
Super+Shift+n do-not-disturb toggle notifications.enable
Super+Ctrl+n show hidden notifications notifications.enable
Super+p cycle the power profile power.enable (opt-in, never with the profile)
Print screenshot every output into ~/Pictures capture.enable
Shift+Print screenshot a picked region into ~/Pictures capture.enable
Ctrl+Print screenshot a picked region into the clipboard capture.enable
Super+w WiFi picker apps.network.enable (NetworkManager running)
Super+b Bluetooth picker apps.bluetooth.enable (BlueZ running)

On an Apple keyboard these are the Fn row: F1/F2 brightness, F7/F8/F9 previous/play/next, F10 mute, F11/F12 volume down/up. Volume, brightness and mic-mute show the on-screen display; every other bind runs silent. No hardware keysym or Super combo above overlaps the compositor defaults, including Super+Shift+e (quit) and Super+Space (float focus).

Super+Space stays the float-focus default, so the launcher is on Super+d. Ctrl+Alt+Space is the run menu, the combo the old wofi example used.

Every value is an option, applied on rebuild/switch plus a session reload (scoot msg reload) or re-login:

Option Type Default Meaning
desktop.keys.enable bool true with the profile render the keymap into [binds]
desktop.keys.binds.<name>.enable bool true bind that key (brightnessUp, brightnessDown, volumeUp, volumeDown, volumeMute, micMute, mediaPlay, mediaPause, mediaStop, mediaNext, mediaPrev, lock, launcher, launcherRun, clipboard, notifDismiss, notifDnd, notifHistory, powerProfile, captureOutput, captureRegion, captureClipboard, network, bluetooth); false leaves its combo unbound

Each bind renders as a default that a value you set in settings.binds wins over. Override or remove one bind like this:

home.nix
programs.scoot.desktop.keys.binds.volumeUp.enable = false;
programs.scoot.settings.binds."XF86AudioRaiseVolume" = "spawn wpctl set-volume @DEFAULT_AUDIO_SINK@ 3%+";

Overriding with a plain string like that drops the bind’s repeat and lock-screen behavior (a string carries no flags). To keep them, override with the table form, action plus flags:

home.nix
programs.scoot.settings.binds."XF86AudioRaiseVolume" = {
  action = "spawn wpctl set-volume @DEFAULT_AUDIO_SINK@ 3%+";
  repeat = true;
  allow_when_locked = true;
};

A bind whose tool is missing fails quietly: scoot logs a warning and carries on, and input never wedges. A partial setup degrades to dead keys, never to a broken session.

Troubleshooting, by symptom:

  • A Fn key does nothing. Check the tool first, not the bind: brightnessctl get, wpctl get-volume @DEFAULT_AUDIO_SINK@, playerctl status. Then check the bind reached the file ([binds] in ~/.config/scoot/config.toml, after a reload). Then check scoot saw the key: scoot msg key XF86AudioRaiseVolume should do what the key does. If it does, the compositor never received the keystroke.
  • Volume or brightness keys die at the lock screen. Those binds fire while locked by default. If yours do not, the bind lost its flags: overriding one with a plain string drops allow_when_locked, and removing it through binds.<name>.enable = false leaves the combo unbound entirely. Check the rendered [binds] in ~/.config/scoot/config.toml: a working volume bind is a table with allow_when_locked = true.
  • Holding volume up steps once. It should keep stepping at 25 Hz after a 200 ms delay. A bind that fires once per press lost its repeat flag the same way: a plain-string override, which the rendered [binds] shows as a bare string instead of a table with repeat = true. (Overriding with a plain string drops both flags; to keep them, override with the table form, action plus flags. See the bind grammar.)
  • Super+d opens nothing. The launcher slot is off: that bind renders only with launcher.enable beside the keymap (both on with the profile), and either off leaves the combo unbound. Same for Ctrl+Alt+Space (the run bind) and for the three capture binds (Screenshots). Super+v runs the clipboard picker (Clipboard) whenever clipboard.enable is on beside the keymap, as does the Super+n family (the notification daemon’s own commands) whenever notifications.enable is, and Super+w / Super+b (the pickers) whenever apps.network.enable / apps.bluetooth.enable is.