'display --focus' not working when windows stacked

[workcomplete]

Hey really appreciate the updates - I have been having an nagging issue I was hoping would be resolved with this release but doesn't seem to be. I use the following config to move my focus between windows and monitors (displays):

shift + ctrl + alt + cmd - a : yabai -m window --focus west || yabai -m display --focus west
alt + shift - s : yabai -m window --focus south
shift + ctrl + alt + cmd - d : yabai -m window --focus east || yabai -m display --focus east
alt + shift - w : yabai -m window --focus north

This works fine when windows are not stacked. When windows are stacked, I am still able to move focus between windows, but when I try to switch focus between monitors I lose focus (ie. no window is in focus and the focus stays on the current monitor/display).

Hopefully this is a fixable issue with my config but I thought I would open here in case anyone is having the same issue.

Thanks!

[pierclgr]

I have a similar problem. I have an external display connected which is set to be the main display, so it is N.1 display in yabai. It happens that the command yabai -m display --focus only works when I'm focusing display 2, so the display of my MacBook, when I'm focusing display 1 (the external display) it doesn't work.
The same happens when I focus a space on the external display from a space in MacBook's display: it doesn't actually get focused because the menu bar is still darken and no window in the target space is focused.
Yesterday I reinstalled yabai and the problem went away, but now I have it again, don't know why.

[danymat]

Hello, i have the same problem.
I use this skhd macro to toggle between stack and bsp mode:

hyper - z : yabai -m space --layout $(yabai -m query --spaces --space | jq -r 'if .type == "bsp" then "stack" else "bsp" end')

[diocletiann]

I also have this issue, if the destination display of yabai -m display --focus has a stack, all focus goes away and you have to click on a window.

Edit: I've tried every combination I can think of and focusing across displays breaks focus every time.

[koekeishiya]

Hm I am unable to reproduce this using yabai v4.0.0 on macOS 12.3.1 (Apple Silicon).

I have tested using bsp layout with stacked nodes on the destination display, and the window is focused correctly.
I also tested using the stack layout on the destination display, and the window is focused correctly.

The above tests worked using both yabai -m display --focus next and yabai -m display --focus 2.

Is this happening with specific applications? Are you running Hammerspoon or other accessibility software that could interfere in some way?

[diocletiann]

I just quit Hammerspoon, which I was using only for Stackline, and focus now works correctly. My focus command is yabai -m window --focus west || yabai -m display --focus west.

[koekeishiya]

I think this is a problem with Stackline, the Hammerspoon window "steals" focus for whatever reason. What yabai is doing is simply sending focus to the window that macOS says is the "front-most" window on the destination display.

I'd like to make something like Stackline built-in to yabai itself in the future. There are tons of things that can be improved regarding the stack-system.

[diocletiann]

It's a shame because the workflow with these commands was getting really good:

ctrl - left : yabai -m window --focus west || \
              yabai -m display --focus west

ctrl - right: yabai -m window --focus east || \
              yabai -m display --focus east

ctrl - down : yabai -m window --focus south || \
              yabai -m window --focus stack.next || \
              yabai -m window --focus stack.first

ctrl - up : yabai -m window --focus north || \
            yabai -m window --focus stack.prev || \
            yabai -m window --focus stack.last

[koekeishiya]

I believe this is the relevant issue: AdamWagner/stackline#67

A possible workaround that would let you keep Stackline running could be the following:

Instead of yabai -m focus --display west, you could run yabai -m query --spaces --display west and select the one with is-visible true (using jq), then run a yabai -m window --focus <id> command on the first window listed in the windows array.

Docs for query output: https://github.com/koekeishiya/yabai/blob/master/doc/yabai.asciidoc#query

[diocletiann]

I got it working, thank you!!

ctrl - left : yabai -m window --focus west || \
              yabai -m window --focus $(yabai -m query --spaces --display west | jq '.[] | select(."is-visible" == true) | ."last-window"')

ctrl - right: yabai -m window --focus east || \
              yabai -m window --focus $(yabai -m query --spaces --display east | jq '.[] | select(."is-visible" == true) | ."first-window"')

[diocletiann]

I can also stack across displays now:

meh - left  : yabai -m window west --stack $(yabai -m query --windows --window | jq -r '.id') || \
              yabai -m window $(yabai -m query --spaces --display west | jq '.[] | select(."is-visible" == true) | ."last-window"') --stack $(yabai -m query --windows --window | jq -r '.id')
meh - right : yabai -m window east --stack $(yabai -m query --windows --window | jq -r '.id') || \
              yabai -m window $(yabai -m query --spaces --display east | jq '.[] | select(."is-visible" == true) | ."first-window"') --stack $(yabai -m query --windows --window | jq -r '.id')
meh - up    : yabai -m window north --stack $(yabai -m query --windows --window | jq -r '.id')
meh - down  : yabai -m window south --stack $(yabai -m query --windows --window | jq -r '.id')

[koekeishiya]

Closing this as there isn't really anything yabai can do about this, use the workaround mentioned above if Stackline is unable to fix the issue on their end.

[pierclgr]

I don't have stackline and hammerspoon, I had them in the past but now I removed them, however I still have the same issue. I noticed that if I reinstall yabai or force the update, it works for the first like 5 minutes, then it starts giving the same problem again.

[dmitrym0]

Having the same problem where switching to a desktop doesn't focus any windows. With or without Hammerspoon. I have never used stack line.

Any advice?