Many keyboard shortcuts stopped working after upgrading to 3.25.0

[jason-wihardja]

I have multiple keyboard shortcuts set for multiple apps. None of them are working after updating to 3.25.0.

A few things about my setup that might be useful for tracing issues:

• MacOS Sequoia
• Karabiner Elements installed
• Mac Mouse Fix installed

Previously this setup worked fine. I can confirm this, because downgrading to 3.24.2 makes everything work again.

[zenangst]

Hey @jason-wihardja

Mind sharing which key combinations stopped working?

[jason-wihardja]

Would it be useful if I upload my entire config file?
config.json

Using this config, even the close tab action within default group stopped working

[zenangst]

Thanks @jason-wihardja,

I'm working on some of the reported issues now.
You supplying a config.json will make this debugging a lot easier, thanks!

[jason-wihardja]

I am using a macropad to support my productivity, so you may find some weird or unusual key combinations, but those are the keys I assigned to my macropad. Normally, my keystroke pipeline looks something like this:

1. My macropad's original signal (for example the letter A/B)
2. Driver maps the signal to some keystrokes (let's assume F15 and F17)
3. Keyboard cowboy captures F15 and F17
4. Do the action

Is there any change to the way you capture keystrokes? For example, instead of capturing the F15/F17 that the driver sends, the software unintentionally captures A/B.

[zenangst]

@jason-wihardja Interesting, so it is all the F-key related shortcuts that have stopped working for you, correct? The other keys still work as intended?

I did some problems with the migration code (moving the config), that was my first guess that something went wrong there. Did manage to fix another bug, so that is good.

Just need to figure out how I can emulate these keystrokes as I don't have a keyboard with those function keys. Doing some additional research around it now.

[jason-wihardja]

Upon further inspection, it's actually inconclusive. For example, in Microsoft Edge group here, previous tab works while next tab doesn't work. History, which is a F-key, also doesn't work

[zenangst]

@jason-wihardja we just released version 3.25.1, mind taking that for a spin to see if things work like it should now.

https://github.com/zenangst/KeyboardCowboy/releases/tag/3.25.1

[jason-wihardja]

Sadly it still doesn't work. For example, in Spotify (using the previously provided config), hitting Home/End would result in increase/decrease volume. On my machine, it behaves like how the Home/End button normally work (go to the top/bottom of the view)

[zenangst]

@jason-wihardja would you mind compiling a list of shortcuts that don't work so that I can write some tests for those specific combinations.

Also, one thing worth trying is to try and re-record the shortcuts, just to verify that there isn't a mismatch between old and new configuration and key mapping and lookup.

[jason-wihardja]

Key	Works
F13
F16
F18
F19
F20
Home
End
Cmd + Ctrl + Shift + Opt + Left Arrow
Cmd + Ctrl + Shift + Opt + Right Arrow

I have also tried re-recording the shortcuts, and it didn't work. There is no difference between the old shortcut and the newly recorded one. The config looks the same.

[jason-wihardja]

While testing for the above keys, I also have Karabiner Event Viewer on all the time. I can verify that there's no difference in the signals being sent from my device and for buttons available in my keyboard (not my macropad), like Home, End, Cmd + Ctrl + Shift + Opt + Left Arrow, Keyboard Cowboy also fails to detect them.

Is there anything significant you change the way this app capture keys? Because version 3.24.2 works flawlessly while version 3.25.0 and 3.25.1 don't. As I apparently rely a lot more on the buttons that don't work than the buttons that work for my daily workflow, I have no other option than to downgrade to 3.24.2 for now.

[zenangst]

@jason-wihardja 3.25.0 did include a complete rewrite of the key lookup tables. Shame that this led to you having to downgrade. As soon as I'm done with the CPU & memory improvements, this will be first in line to get fixed.

[zenangst]

@jason-wihardja just a minor follow-up, so that I'm not chasing a red herring. Would you mind enabling notifications for running workflows in the application preferences, just to verify if this is related to the keyboard shortcut trigger or the command that should forward keys to the system?

[zenangst]

@jason-wihardja Hey Jason, I've got some good news! I finally figured out why Home & End didn't map properly. I have a fix for that. But I still can't seem to reproduce the issue where you use Cmd + Ctrl + Shift + Opt + Left Arrow.

Can you send me the flags that are sent when you press those keys? I'm not sure what Karabiner Event Viewer outputs, but I'm looking for the raw value for the CGEventFlags.

I use Key Codes (https://manytricks.com/keycodes/) to look them up.

Here's what I get when it's working for me.

[zenangst]

@jason-wihardja here's an early release for you to try out!

Keyboard Cowboy 3.25.2.dmg.zip

[jason-wihardja]

@jason-wihardja just a minor follow-up, so that I'm not chasing a red herring. Would you mind enabling notifications for running workflows in the application preferences, just to verify if this is related to the keyboard shortcut trigger or the command that should forward keys to the system?

I tried this option, but no notifications appeared, even for the working ones

[jason-wihardja]

@jason-wihardja Hey Jason, I've got some good news! I finally figured out why Home & End didn't map properly. I have a fix for that. But I still can't seem to reproduce the issue where you use Cmd + Ctrl + Shift + Opt + Left Arrow.

Can you send me the flags that are sent when you press those keys? I'm not sure what Karabiner Event Viewer outputs, but I'm looking for the raw value for the CGEventFlags.

I use Key Codes (manytricks.com/keycodes) to look them up.

Here's what I get when it's working for me.

Here are the keycodes for every key combination I listed on the table above

(the last one is F20, the Key Codes app fails to display the character/key)

Using v3.52.2, I can confirm that Home/End now works. But other non-working keys are still not working.

[zenangst]

Hey @jason-wihardja,

I'm still trying to figure this out. If you don't mind, I'd like to test your configuration in the test suite so I can use it for future regression testing. Is that okay with you?

I tried to match Control+Option+Command+ArrowRight against your configuration, but I can't find any reference to it. Also, it seems a bit odd that F20 doesn't have any modifiers attached to it. Maybe it's a bug in Key Codes, since I can't test it locally (I don't have a keyboard with more than 12 F-keys). In theory, it should share the same modifiers as the rest of the F-keys.

By the way, what are you using Karabiner Elements for? I just want to make sure these two applications aren't actually in conflict with each other.

Table Overview

Key	Works
F13
F16
F18
F19
F20
Home
End
Cmd + Ctrl + Shift + Opt + Left Arrow
Cmd + Ctrl + Shift + Opt + Right Arrow

[zenangst]

@jason-wihardja I just tried your configuration locally, and the Cmd + Ctrl + Shift + Opt + Left Arrow work as intended in Visual Studio Code & Spotify.

[jason-wihardja]

Sure, you may use the config. I'm currently away for a business trip, so I don't have my macropad with me right now. Will test again the key combination once I get back home.

And yes, seems like I included Control+Option+Command+ArrowRight by mistake. It's a key that Karabiner captured.

For context, my karabiner captured different key combinations than the one being mapped in Keyboard Cowboy, in particular the ones that work globally regardless of app. I mainly use Keyboard Cowboy for key combinations that have different actions depending on apps, which is something Karabiner can't really do easily. This has never triggered any conflict before.

[zenangst]

@jason-wihardja could you let me know when you have time to re-test the latest version?
While at work, I checked the standard Apple keyboards and their F-keys only reach F19.
So perhaps it is correct that the additional modifiers should be dropped for that key.

[jason-wihardja]

Ok, so I've gotten back from the trip. I noticed that you've released v3.25.3. Let me re-test them. And what do you mean by additional modifiers should be dropped? I didn't press cmd, shift, or any other modifier when hitting F20. Previously it maps just fine. But let me re-test everything first and report back to you

[jason-wihardja]

So, after I test some more, it seems that for me, the behavior is the same as before. It's still not working. Using Key Codes, I can see that for buttons that are mapped successfully, Key Codes now shows a different keystroke, which is the key I map the button into, but for buttons that are not working, the behavior is still the same. It is as if the Keyboard Cowboy app is not running

[jason-wihardja]

I don't know whether this has something to do with the issue or not, but apparently when I ticked the Log key up events and modifier changes option in Key Codes, apparently my macropad only fire key down and key up event for the entire Control+Option+Command+ArrowRight action (as seen in the first two entries in the screenshot). Meanwhile from the third entry until the end shows how a normal Control+Option+Command+ArrowRight is pressed on a keyboard

[zenangst]

And what do you mean by additional modifiers should be dropped? I didn't press cmd, shift, or any other modifier when hitting F20.

What I meant was, if you compare F13 or F16 with F20, you'll notice that the flags for F1-F19 are different.

Here's the flags for F1-F19:

NX_SECONDARYFNMASK / kCGEventFlagMaskSecondaryFn / NSFunctionKeyMask
	= 8388608 / 0x800000
NX_NONCOALSESCEDMASK / kCGEventFlagMaskNonCoalesced
	= 256 / 0x100

Now, let's look at your F20:

NX_NONCOALSESCEDMASK / kCGEventFlagMaskNonCoalesced
	= 256 / 0x100

I made an assumption that all F-keys should use the function key mask. However, I believe this assumption was incorrect. The keys from F1 to F19 should have the function key mask, while the remaining keys should use the non-coalesced flag.

[CosmicToast]

This is likely related (my bindings also broke with 3.25.0, I only got around to trying to report now).
My situation in particular is that I bind cmd-shift-[…], which works, but not if I use my caps lock (which is rebound by the system to cmd).

For example, I use cmd-shift-k to open iterm with kalker.
As per key codes, the modifiers are different:
capslock as cmd + shift + k: 0x28 keycode, 0x120112 modifiers:

• NX_SHIFTMASK / kCGEventFlagMaskShift / NSShiftKeyMask = 131072 / 0x20000
• NX_DEVICELSHIFTKEYMASK = 2 / 0x2
• NX_COMMANDMASK / kCGEventFlagMaskCommand / NSCommandKeyMask = 1048576 / 0x100000
• NX_DEVICERCMDKEYMASK = 16 / 0x10
• NX_NONCOALSESCEDMASK / kCGEventFlagMaskNonCoalesced = 256 / 0x100

real cmd + shift + k: 0x28 keycode, 0x12010a modifiers:

• NX_SHIFTMASK / kCGEventFlagMaskShift / NSShiftKeyMask = 131072 / 0x20000
• NX_DEVICELSHIFTKEYMASK = 2 / 0x2
• NX_COMMANDMASK / kCGEventFlagMaskCommand / NSCommandKeyMask = 1048576 / 0x100000
• NX_DEVICELCMDKEYMASK = 8 / 0x8
• NX_NONCOALSESCEDMASK / kCGEventFlagMaskNonCoalesced = 256 / 0x100

The difference is that the caps lock cmd variant is reported as RCMD (right side cmd) rather than LCMD (left side cmd).
I'm noticing that, indeed, if I use the right cmd it doesn't go through either.
In 3.25.2, I also noticed that if I define a shortcut with the right cmd (e.g. rcmd, shift, k) then neither the right nor the left cmd can trigger it.

Looks like you internally treat the two as equivalent (despite their different codes), as per ShortcutResolverTests.swift // Verify Command + Control + Shift + Option + Left Arrow.

One approach you could take is instead of checking directly for RCMD or LCMD, instead checking for >0 when applying a 0x18 mask. (i.e. cmd is in use if 0x18 & modifiers > 0), but this is just me guessing based on looking around in the code for a few minutes.
I'm fairly short on time lately, but if you need any help I could try and carve out an hour or two maybe next weekend to help out (at least with this particular instance of the problem, and try to see if there's any other patterns along these lines; though note I have no swift experience so far).

[zenangst]

Thanks a bunch for your response, @CosmicToast!

I'm curious, are you using third-party software to remap your caps lock key to command, or did you do that through System Settings? I'm wondering why it ends up as the right command key, maybe that's by design.

While trying to figure this out, I found a small issue with how keyboard shortcuts are registered in Keyboard Cowboy. It doesn't check if each key is in the correct left or right position. I think this might be part of the problem we're seeing here.

So, if you hold down left-shift + right command, it will be registered as right-shift & right command. Only one of the keys have to be on the right side for all of them to be registered as such.

[zenangst]

@CosmicToast @jason-wihardja found a minor issue in the previous version that I shared (so I deleted that comment). Here is a freshly brewed version.
Keyboard Cowboy 3.25.4.dmg.zip

[jason-wihardja]

Using the latest version you uploaded, this is the config that has everything working (with some buttons like F20 reassigned to Insert). I wasn't able to record all these through the recorder due to the missing fn modifier I mentioned before, so I edited the file directly.

config.json

Using this new config, the functionality is equivalent to what I was achieving with version 3.24.2 and the config I attached previously here.

[zenangst]

@jason-wihardja here is a new version for test 🤞

Keyboard Cowboy 3.25.4.dmg.zip

[zenangst]

@jason-wihardja I just released 3.25.4, because it included additional other fixes that I wanted to get out there, let me know how it goes.

[jason-wihardja]

Ok, now all the function buttons are working from F13 to F20, now being recorded without the fn modifier.

Insert and Ctrl + Cmd + Alt + Shift + Left/Right Arrow are the only two things that are still broken. I noticed that in the previous version, Insert is recorded as fn + Insert whereas in this new version, it is recorded as Insert only. Directly editing the config to fn + Insert in the new version works though.

[CosmicToast]

Just here to confirm that my issues (post re-record) are resolved with 3.25.4.
Thanks!

[zenangst]

@CosmicToast Thanks for following up.

[ww7]

From my side, found Cmd+Opt+Shift+ not working with ,./

P.S.: Confirming that the new version is keyboard language agnostic.

[zenangst]

Hi @ww7, can you please share more details about the shortcuts that aren't working? I recently created a keyboard trigger with Cmd+Opt+Shift+, and it worked perfectly. I tried both the left and right sides of the keyboard.

Have you tried re-recording the shortcut?

If you're comfortable sharing, a screenshot (or a copy of your config) of the workflow in question would be super helpful in debugging.

Thanks so much for reaching out about the language-agnostic part! I'm glad you liked it. 😊

It's one of those happy accidents that I didn't even set out to fix that specifically. Haha! 🤓

[ww7]

I'm very sorry, missed Ctrl, not working Cmd+Opt+Ctrl+Shift + ,./
Additionally, to reported by @jason-wihardja where Insert and Left/Right Arrows

[zenangst]

Hey @ww7, that's an interesting find! Unfortunately, it seems like they're already captured by the system before they reach Keyboard Cowboy.

I did some digging and it looks like the , and . modifiers do the following:

The key combination Shift + Control + Option + Command + Comma (,) in macOS triggers a system-level diagnostic tool called Tailspin. When activated, the screen may flash briefly, indicating that the system is capturing diagnostic data.

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/254787050?sortBy=rank

The key combination Shift + Control + Option + Command + Period (.) in macOS triggers the sysdiagnose utility, a system-level diagnostic tool. When activated, the screen may flash briefly, indicating that the system is capturing extensive diagnostic data, including system logs, kernel logs, and other relevant information.

I tried closing Keyboard Cowboy & Karbiner-Elements to see if any other apps were interfering, but I still get the same result. It seems like the Key Codes are trying to capture the event, but it's not working.

[zenangst]

But I can't replicate the arrow keys, this shortcut works just fine when I test it.

[ww7]

Okay! With Karbiner-Elements diagnostic shortcuts . and , can be disabled, I'm using

{
    "description": "Disable command+control+option+shift+. which triggers sysdiagnose.",
    "manipulators": [
        {
            "from": {
                "key_code": "period",
                "modifiers": { "mandatory": ["command", "control", "option", "shift"] }
            },
            "type": "basic"
        }
    ]
}

and

{
    "description": "Disable command+control+option+shift+, which triggers WiFi logging.",
    "manipulators": [
        {
            "from": {
                "key_code": "comma",
                "modifiers": { "mandatory": ["command", "control", "option", "shift"] }
            },
            "type": "basic"
        }
    ]
}

and seems it can be used via KE, but does not arriving to the KC!

So it's not an issue of Keyboard Cowboy at all.

[zenangst]

Aw interesting. So you are just disabling them?
Will the app Key Codes show any events? To me it seems like KE is short-circuiting the shortcut rather than actually forwarding it to any other app that wants to receive it.

[jason-wihardja]

Weirdly, in version 3.24.2, those combinations work just fine, whereas in 3.25.x, it fails to detect the shortcut

[zenangst]

@jason-wihardja which shortcuts are you referring to?

[jason-wihardja]

@jason-wihardja which shortcuts are you referring to?

I'm referring to the shortcuts that includes all 4 modifiers: ctrl+alt+cmd+shift

[zenangst]

@jason-wihardja well the system bound periods and commas never worked.

still trying to figure out why I have zero issues with all for modifiers and the arrow keys.

The commands that are inside the workflows, are those also keyboard commands, if so, have you tried re-recording them?

[jason-wihardja]

The commands that are inside the workflows, are those also keyboard commands, if so, have you tried re-recording them?

I haven't. But assuming that I have never re-record anything inside any workflows during the testing so far, only reassigning buttons that triggers the workflow and managed to get things working when the broken workflow gets reassigned to a different trigger, then the problem must be in the recorder part, isn't it?

[zenangst]

Well there could be some incompatible combinations because they both use the same functionality for recording. Recording, indexing and resolving has been refactored, so all of the parts have been under the loop and changed in some way.

[jason-wihardja]

still trying to figure out why I have zero issues with all for modifiers and the arrow keys

Ok, maybe here's something for you to try to reproduce the issue.

First, install Mac Mouse Fix (30 days trial available), then assign a button (for example, button 3/scroll wheel) to Ctrl + Cmd + Alt + Shift + Left/Right Arrow. For example, in my case I'm using button 6 like the following screenshot. A typical mouse may not include up to button 6, but a clickable scroll wheel probably exists in any mouse, so you can use them.

Then in Keyboard Cowboy, try recording a shortcut, but you press the mouse scroll wheel instead, which causes Keyboard Cowboy to detect the combination. This, in my setup, doesn't work. Also, Insert button still didn't work correctly.

[zenangst]

@jason-wihardja Thanks a bunch, Jason! I'll give the Mac Mouse Fix a try with those instructions. I'll let you know what it says.

I'll also check out the 'Insert' key and why that is causing issues.

I got some other bugs fixed today that were bugging me, but life got in the way and I couldn't look into this one more. I might be able to give it a shot later this week though.

Thanks again for being so patient! ❤️

[zenangst]

@jason-wihardja, I've got some great news! I managed to reproduce the Mac Mouse Fix issue and figured out how to fix it.

Can you try this version and see if it works for you?

Keyboard Cowboy 3.25.6.dmg.zip

The reason it failed was that Mac Mouse Fix added some extra flags to the event, while Keyboard Cowboy looks for an exact match. To fix this, I added a fallback that checks all the known flags, subtracts those from the original flags, and uses the remainder for lookup. That should be enough to make it a perfect match if any other app decides to also decorate their events.

I haven't had a chance to look into the Insert key issue yet.

[jason-wihardja]

Sorry for the very late reply, got a really busy week.

I can confirm that the shortcut now works. Seems like my macropad recorder also added some extra flags, similar to what Mac Mouse Fix produces. But the new version handles it well. So, I guess what's left is the Insert button.

[zenangst]

@jason-wihardja what is the key code and modifiers for Insert? Is it a part of your previous configuration that you shared?

[jason-wihardja]

It was previously included in the config I uploaded here. One example of the shortcut utilizing this button is Shuffle shortcut under Spotify app group. But I guess that was recorded before the tweaks that you did with the fn button. Let me know if you need me to re-record it using the latest version

[zenangst]

@jason-wihardja I think it's a good idea to record the keyboard shortcut again using the latest version of the code. That way, we don't accidentally patch a permutation that might have been recorded with an outdated implementation. Just to double-check!

[zenangst]

@jason-wihardja I see that your Shuffle command has been stored as ?⃝, which I think is wrong.

            "trigger" : {
              "keyboardShortcuts" : {
                "passthrough" : false,
                "shortcuts" : [
                  {
                    "id" : "F9D4162A-BADF-47D4-A63B-6A6F17855323",
                    "key" : "?⃝",
                    "modifiers" : [
                      "fn"
                    ]
                  }
                ]
              }
            }

Would you mind sharing the key code for Insert?

[jason-wihardja]

Here is the keycode

Weirdly, macos recognizes the key as Help, probably also the reason why you're seeing the "?" symbol in there. But unfortunately, my other keyboard is TKL layout, so I don't have another keyboard which has an Insert key on it to check whether this happens specifically with my main keyboard or other models as well

[zenangst]

@jason-wihardja, could you please expand on the modifiers? I'd love to get a better idea of which ones to attach. Thanks a bunch!

[jason-wihardja]

Here's how it looks like