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Frank 49f67b2192 docs(niri): find a keysym without a tool that is not installed

`key-bindings-syntax.md` told you to run `wev` and read `sym: XXXX` — a placeholder nobody
fills in, for a tool that is not on the machine: `command -v wev` is empty, `pacman -Ss
--sync wev` is empty on CachyOS, and the AUR carries it as `wev-git`. The bind token is an
XKB keysym, and the complete list is already on every box that links libxkbcommon, so the
page now leads with the grep against `/usr/include/xkbcommon/xkbcommon-keysyms.h` (run here:
`a A Escape Left Return Tab`), and keeps `wev` as the "press the key and see" option with its
real package name and where to get it.

`screenshots.md` line 35 read `(FIXME upstream).`, which scans as unfinished work in a page
that is finished: the defect is upstream's, tracked in the two issue links six lines below.
Reworded to say that.

Refs #64

2026-10-21 02:14:39 -07:00

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type, title, description, tags, verified

type

title

description

Key Bindings Syntax

Key bindings go in the binds {} section of the config file (~/.config/niri/config.kdl):

binds {
    Mod+T { spawn "alacritty"; }
    Mod+Left { focus-column-left; }
}

Modifiers

Ctrl or Control
Shift
Alt
Super or Win
ISO_Level3_Shift or Mod5 (AltGr)
ISO_Level5_Shift (for lv5 options like lv5:caps_switch)
Mod — Special: equals Super on TTY, equals Alt in nested window

Bind Options

binds {
    Mod+T repeat=false { spawn "alacritty"; }     // Do not repeat on hold
    Mod+T cooldown-ms=500 { spawn "alacritty"; }  // Rate-limit
    Super+Alt+L allow-when-locked=true { spawn "swaylock"; }  // Works when locked
    Mod+Q hotkey-overlay-title="Close Window" { close-window; }  // Custom title in overlay
    Mod+Escape allow-inhibiting=false { ... }     // Always works (even with inhibitors)
}

Finding Key Names

Niri binds by XKB keysym name, and the authoritative list is already on the box — no tool needed:

grep -oE 'XKB_KEY_[A-Za-z0-9_]+' /usr/include/xkbcommon/xkbcommon-keysyms.h \
  | sed 's/^XKB_KEY_//' | grep -ixE 'a|return|left|tab|escape'

To read the keysym off a key you actually press, use wev, the Wayland equivalent of xev. It is NOT in the enabled repositories — checked 2026-10-21, pacman -Ss --sync wev returns nothing — and the AUR builds it as wev-git (yay -S wev-git; aur/wev-git 1.1.0.r1.gb09b664-1).

Shifted keys require Shift + the unshifted key (for example, Mod+Shift+Comma for < on US QWERTY).

Constraints

One action per keybind. Each { ... } block holds exactly one action; multiple actions like { move-window-up; consume-or-expel-window-up; } are rejected at parse time.
No duplicate keys. The same key combo (e.g. Mod+CTRL+Left) can only appear once in binds {}. Adding a new binding for an existing key causes a parse error.
Valid consume/expel actions: consume-or-expel-window-left, consume-or-expel-window-right, and expel-window-from-column. The consume-or-expel-window-up/-down variants do NOT exist.

Default Key Bindings — What niri ships with out of the box
Action Reference — All available actions

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