Bug 512843 - Ability to disable specific touchpad/other input device in a Wayland session
Summary: Ability to disable specific touchpad/other input device in a Wayland session
Status: RESOLVED NOT A BUG
Alias: None
Product: kwin
Classification: Plasma
Component: wayland-generic (other bugs)
Version First Reported In: unspecified
Platform: Other Linux
: NOR wishlist
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: KWin default assignee
URL:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2025-12-01 18:40 UTC by forestbeasts
Modified: 2025-12-02 18:50 UTC (History)
3 users (show)

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Description forestbeasts 2025-12-01 18:40:53 UTC
SUMMARY
We have a PS4 controller, which has a built-in trackpad. Unlike Windows, it actually works as a trackpad. This is pretty great, most of the time! You can operate your desktop with it, click start buttons, that sort of thing.

But if you map it in Steam Input, it still works as a trackpad, and sends BOTH mouse clicks and steam input stuff. This makes total and complete sense, of course, but you can work around it by doing this:

xinput --disable 'Sony Interactive Entertainment Wireless Controller Touchpad'

(the name is slightly different if you're using it over bluetooth. --enable turns it back on again.)

This presumably doesn't work at all on Wayland. Can we get a way to disable and reenable specific input devices, xinput style or through the systray or something?

One important thing here is that it's not a setting that you have to go dig into a settings page to turn on and off; that would be extremely annoying when you want to go from using your desktop to playing a game. A settings option could also be useful for people who don't want to use the trackpad as a trackpad ever, though.

STEPS TO REPRODUCE
1. Attach PS4/5 controller.
2. Play game.
3. Try to use trackpad. It works both as a mouse and as whatever you assigned.
4. Try to disable it.

OBSERVED RESULT
There is no way to disable the trackpad, at least that I'm aware of.

EXPECTED RESULT
There should be some way to disable the trackpad, without also disabling any attached mice, or even other trackpads (if you're on a laptop). Even if it requires a terminal command, that'd give parity with X11 here.

SOFTWARE/OS VERSIONS
Operating System: Debian GNU/Linux 13
KDE Plasma Version: 6.5.3
KDE Frameworks Version: 6.20.0
Qt Version: 6.9.2

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
I haven't actually tried finding a way to do this on Wayland, we're on X11 for other reasons too (bug #456697 primarily). If it's already possible and not too onerous, great!

-- Frost
Comment 1 David Redondo 2025-12-02 10:32:30 UTC
You can disable devices in systemsettings.
Comment 2 Nicolas Fella 2025-12-02 11:48:35 UTC
You can do

qdbus org.kde.KWin /org/kde/KWin/InputDevice/eventXXX org.freedesktop.DBus.Properties.Set org.kde.KWin.InputDevice enabled true 

where eventXXX is the device shown in "sudo libinput list-devices"
Comment 3 Nicolas Fella 2025-12-02 11:49:40 UTC
(In reply to Nicolas Fella from comment #2)
> qdbus org.kde.KWin /org/kde/KWin/InputDevice/eventXXX
> org.freedesktop.DBus.Properties.Set org.kde.KWin.InputDevice enabled true

replace true with false as needed. This works for any property of the device.
Comment 4 forestbeasts 2025-12-02 18:50:24 UTC
Oh nice on qdbus! That looks perfect.

(systemsettings wouldn't work well since it's super clunky to go digging there every time, but it's good to have the option there too.)

Thanks!

eventXXX... is it possible to do that by name, in a way that's stable across reboots? Also this is only temporary, right, it doesn't affect the actual saved settings?