Niri Overview Launcher

A Noctalia plugin that automatically opens the launcher when you start typing in niri's overview mode.

Features

• Detects when niri's overview mode is active
• Captures keyboard input when in overview mode
• Opens the Noctalia launcher when you type any text
• Ignores special keys, modifiers, and navigation keys so they still work in overview mode

Requirements

• Noctalia 4.1.2 or higher
• Niri window manager
• The niri socket must be available via $NIRI_SOCKET environment variable

How it works

The plugin:

1. Connects to niri's event stream via the niri socket
2. Monitors for OverviewOpenedOrClosed events
3. When overview mode is active, creates transparent overlay windows on all screens
4. These windows capture keyboard focus but are click-through
5. When you type a regular character (not a special key), it executes the launcher toggle command

Credits

Inspired by the implementation in DankMaterialShell