The new Microsoftslop copilot key always sends the following key-sequence when pressed down:
copilot key down: left-shift-down left-meta-down f23-down f23-up left-meta-up left-shift-up
copilot key up: <null>
This means there’s no real key-up event when you release the key --> it can’t be used (properly) as a modifier like ctrl or alt.
The workaround is to send a pretend key-up event after a time delay, but then you mustn’t be too slow / fast when pressing a shortcut.
- Linux workaround: https://github.com/m-bartlett/remap-copilot?tab=readme-ov-file
- Windows workaround https://github.com/randyrants/sharpkeys/issues/560
- https://xcancel.com/dcolascione/status/2019936377408811319
tldr: AI took a perfectly working modifier key from you.
— edit —
Some keyboards apparently do the “right” thing and don’t send the whole sequence at once, you can remap those properly with keyd, see: https://github.com/rvaiya/keyd/issues/1025#issuecomment-2971556563 / https://github.com/rvaiya/keyd/issues/825
copilot key down: left-shift-down left-meta-down f23-down
copilot key up: f23-up left-meta-up left-shift-up
this will still break "left-shift + remapped copilot" and "left-meta + remapped copilot", but "RCtrl + letter key" can work as expected
Is the true solution to just not use a keyboard with a copilot key?
I never use Right Ctrl but I will defend it against this abomination at any cost
A VM software I’ve used at work uses right Ctrl as the button to alert the host machine “Hey the user is addressing you now”.
Want to take a wild guess who set up a VM on an old intern’s laptop after they returned to school and didn’t notice there wasn’t a right Ctrl key anymore?
There’s a Right Ctrl?
I also want back the right super key that was replaced by the shitty
fnkey.
You want to add functions? Good! Add another row on top of theF13-F24row and leave myF1-F12for what I want them.
And yes, add aF13toF24column before wasting space on whatever multimedia keys you feel like adding.
My work laptop has this key and I remapped it with Raycast. Now, every time the key is being pressed, confetti flies across my screen. 🎉
wtf ? a physical key on laptops that calls AI slop directly ? tell me it’s a dream, a vicious dream
It’s a Microsoft keyboard standard, you’ll see it on detached keyboards soon.
Like this one:
Normal keyboards are easy enough to deal with. Buy a mechanical one that uses the QMK firmware. Then you can just remap the key in firmware and replace the key cap.
A 3D-printed fever dream, a gift from uncle Bill.
as a right ctrl user, fuck you microsoft. a while back i had to get a new laptop since the last one was falling apart and having to decide based on which models don’t have a slopilot key so that i can use my system normally is so annoying. and unlike other specs you can’t filter by this, only hope that it’s mentioned in the product description somewhere.
Couldn’t they have just remapped RightControl to open Copilot for the same effect without all the downsides?
Marketing said it has to be a dedicated key, engineers were stuck between a rock and a hard place.
They’re “marketing”, surely they could just tell them it’s a “dedicated key”.
Put a sticker over the button and a default mapping in the software and none of them would have known the difference.
More like dead
icatedkey, am I right?
So am i to understand that this sequence is built into the firmware of every keyboard with a copilot button? At that point you’d basically have to muck with the firmware. Is there any chance of altering the HID driver for the keyboard class to intercept that pattern?
Yes that’s how I understood it. You can’t fix a missing key-up signal on the OS/driver level.
This isn’t Microsoft’s first offense, btw: https://github.com/Rast1234/copilot_key_on_my_keyboard?tab=readme-ov-file#how-these-keys-workWhat about just intercepting F23 since nothing else really uses that? It looks like the key up is in there. Ignore the other modifiers.
afaik: the complete sequence is triggered when when the copilot key is pressed. You’d intercept the F23-up immediately --> no way to detect when the physical key is released.
Oh now I’m following you. So at most you could remap it to an instant trigger. There’s no option for holding the key down.
In the least it would be usable as a key alongside other modifiers. But since those keyboard with copilot key tend to use it instead of R-Control, that’s not much of an improvement.
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I miss the menu key so much… It was the way I accessed the spelling corrector. Using a mouse for that is so cursed. The menu key had other uses too as the context is useful.
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I like the Meta key.
I use dwm, so that key is my lifeline.
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Remap that ish to capslock and now we’re talkin
Capslock is remapped to ESC because I also use Neovim.
ESC on tap, timeout to Super on hold 😎
edit: keyd makes it as easy as
capslock = overloadt2(meta, esc, 300)Yuck, holding.
Nah fam, no altered behaviour for the same key based on time.
That’s just to not emit the keyup for ESC after pressing Super+key and letting go. The only thing affected by time is a reeeaally long ESC press not registering (the same as holding Super for a second).
And rolling Super+key faster than the timeout resolves as a hold (Super) instead of tap (ESC), so there’s zero jank unless you need to hold ESC, and there’s still the real key.
Alright, that may have its use.
I’m not old enough to remember those times; but why would you miss that? It’s certainly useful to have a meta/super key for desktop environment shortcuts, and I use the menu key as a compose key, though admittedly without the menu key I would probably put that on the right control key. :D
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Ive never used right control before but still what is this bullshit. Theyre gonna take my sweet baby alt gr next… ill commit murder before that happens. As a three and a half lingual person, all of which are european, i cant live without the us intl with altgr dead key layout.
I think it’s default host key in VirtualBox.
How many keyboards have that key nowadays? I have not bought a new keyboard or laptop very recently.
I managed to remap the key on my asus vivobook (M5406WA) running fedora 42 to be used as the compose key
This better be a temporary thing in PCs like when they used to have key locks or turbo buttons.
They can’t stop you from popping the key off, though.
They can’t stop me from not buying these sinful machines either.
I mean yeah you right, but if your job foists one off on you or something it’s a quick fix.
In Windows:
PowerToys -> Keyboard Manager -> New Shortcut -> press the Copilot key -> select “Ctrl (right)” from the drop-down. Job done.
Not sure why is it so hard on Linux that it generates such headlines.
Laughs in ahk
