SUMMARY KRunner search looks wierd. It's like a real search window but has a different history and search logic. And it opens by the same hot keys. I don't know what the program starts, but it's definitely NOT `/usr/bin/krunner`. Moreover, it happens by itself. On one call I get real krunner, in the second time it another and don't change until I reboot. STEPS TO REPRODUCE Hit Alt+Space OBSERVED RESULT See what you got. There two different krunner search windows. EXPECTED RESULT I want to get a real krunner search window. SOFTWARE/OS VERSIONS Linux/KDE Plasma: KUbuntu 24.04 KDE Plasma Version: 5.27.11 KDE Frameworks Version: 5.115.0 Qt Version: 5.15.13 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION I check the hotkey in [~/.config/kglobalshortcutsrc]. There is only one binding: ``` [org.kde.krunner.desktop] RunClipboard=Alt+Shift+F2,Alt+Shift+F2,Run command on clipboard contents _k_friendly_name=KRunner _launch=Alt+Space,Alt+Space\tAlt+F2\tSearch,KRunner ``` Also there is only one block with 'KRunner'. I tried to find the process when the surrogate window is opened - no luck. But I'm sure, this is not `/usr/bin/krunner`, because I see this process when it is running. --- P.S.: what a poor bug form! Jesus! Only one attachment?! Submit by Enter? WTF?!
Created attachment 173195 [details] real krunner
Created attachment 173196 [details] surrogate search window
I tried to disable the Alt + Space combination in the system settings, the surrogate opens anyway. So it is somewhere and opens to the same hotkey and the system intercepts keystrokes specifically to launch it, and not the real krunner.
Thanks for the bug report! Unfortunately I'm having a hard time figuring out what bug is being reported here. Can you please read https://community.kde.org/Get_Involved/Issue_Reporting? "Hit Alt+Space" isn't very helpful to me I'm afraid; when I press this, I just see the normal KRunner. You've attached two screenshots of KRunner, one with a light color scheme and one with a dark color scheme. Are you saying that sometimes it appears with a different color scheme or something?
Well.. The dark theme - is the real krunner, with the color in according my desktop scheme. The light theme is an app that opens instead real krunner search. I don't know how to find the app that intercepts the hotkey "Alt+space". I removed all hotkeys for krunner in System Settings > Shortcuts, but this "surrogate" opens anyway. I double checked in [~/.config/kglobalshortcutsrc] and [~/.config/khotkeysrc] - nothing suspicious.
Here is more details. I found out, how to start the real krunner - mouse right click on desktop > show KRunner. Then I found out how to identify the process owner the window (based on this arcticle - https://kb.froglogic.com/misc/find-process-for-window/), and I checked: ``` // Opened real Krunner, execute this command and click to the window $ xprop _NET_WM_PID | sed 's/_NET_WM_PID(CARDINAL) = //' 2394781 // Same actions for surrogate $ xprop _NET_WM_PID | sed 's/_NET_WM_PID(CARDINAL) = //' 705568 ``` Ok, we see two different processes. Now lets check the parent process. Same actions this mouse, but a bit different command: ``` // Real krunner $ ps ww -o ppid=,pid=,cmd= -q `xprop _NET_WM_PID | sed 's/_NET_WM_PID(CARDINAL) = //'` 1948 2394781 /usr/bin/krunner // Surrogate $ ps ww -o ppid=,pid=,cmd= -q `xprop _NET_WM_PID | sed 's/_NET_WM_PID(CARDINAL) = //'` 1948 705568 /usr/bin/krunner ``` Same parent! How? What is it? The last check: ``` $ ps aux | grep -E -i '2394781|705568' root 705568 0.0 0.3 1175068 129932 ? Sl сен03 1:13 /usr/bin/krunner vijit 2394781 0.4 0.5 2145516 190784 ? Ssl сен07 0:03 /usr/bin/krunner ``` Surrogate was started by root. It seems, I shot in the leg somehow. I mean, both windows is the same application, but started by different users. I'll keep digging.
Even if killed the root-owned process, then pressed Alt+Space under my acconut - starts `krunner` by the root. I don't get, how it possible? Now request for the root privileges, just started the app under root.
*No request for... (I made a typo above).
As for now, I'm solving the problem in this way: - find and kill all `/usr/bin/kglobalaccel5`. This process manages the hotkeys pressing. I had two of it, started by root and my user. - restart `/usr/bin/kglobalaccel5` in background by my user. Now by Alt+Space opens `krunner` owned by my user. A new question: why `/usr/bin/kglobalaccel5` was run by root? I didn't made it explicitly, I even didn't know about this process until this moment.
Ok, so definitely the problem is kglobalaccel5 being run as root. That's unexpected, and not intended. Good investigation so far. Can you try again in a new clean user account and see if the same issues occur? if not, then the issue is localized to your current user account, where for some reason kglobalaccel5 is being launched as root.
I met with this a few times. After reboot this behavior disappeared and appears again by some reason. I'll track it and try to find out more. At least now I know where is the sign of the problem.
Can you try in a new clean user account?
Yes, I can, but what the point? I can just reboot and problem disappeared on my account for a while. What exactly I should see with the new account? There is no problem, so? I need to use this account for uncertain time to make a conclusion. That's unacceptable. At the same time I can stay on my account and check periodically, after some normal actions in OS, when the problem appears. I think this is the right direction in finding the causes.
Well, clearly there's still an issue on your system even if you found a workaround for it :) KGlobalAccel isn't supposed to be launched as root, and this happening anyway is the cause of the problem you're seeing. It's nice that you've found a workaround, but we need to figure out if it's a general code issue that we need to fix. For debugging purposes, can you create a new clean user account and see if the issue still happens? The reason why I ask, is because if the problem does not happen there, it means the issue is localized to your normal user account, which makes it much more likely that it's caused by a configuration issue on your side rather than a code issue on our side. Thanks!
There is no problem with a new user.
OK great, that means it's likely a configuration issue in your normal user account. Have you made any changes or customizations that could account for this? Examples: - Manual shortcuts/autostart entries for kglobalaccel - Running System Settings as root/sudo
> Have you made any changes or customizations that could account for this? Explicitly - no. I still tracking krunner's behavior after reboot. And it works properly for now.
So after rebooting you're unable to reproduce the issue anymore? Is that right?
As I already said before: > I met with this a few times. After reboot this behavior disappeared and appears again by some reason.
So you reboot, the problem goes away, and then at some point in time, it comes back?
Exactly.
I still think this is highly likely to be caused by a configuration issue in your home folder, but I'm out of ideas as to what specifically it might be.