According to Phoronix, libinput 1.30-rc1 has been released with a major new feature: Lua plugin support that sits between libinput and the kernel. These plugins can modify the evdev event stream from devices, change device capabilities, enable or disable event codes, and even override certain internal libinput features. The system is designed specifically for cases where hardware doesn’t match what libinput expects, such as mice with unique button debouncing behaviors. Example plugins are already available in the plugins directory of the libinput source tree. For plugins to work, callers need to use the new libinput_plugin_system_load_plugins() function, though currently there’s a -Dautoload-plugins meson option that may be removed later.
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What This Actually Changes
Here’s the thing about input systems – they’re usually pretty rigid. You get what the hardware provides, and the software has to work with it. But now? Now we’re looking at a world where developers can essentially create custom drivers without touching kernel code. That’s huge for weird hardware that never quite worked right.
Think about all those gaming mice with bizarre button configurations, or touchpads that have weird sensitivity issues. Previously, you’d either live with it or hope someone would patch libinput itself. But patching a core input system for every edge case? That’s not sustainable. So this plugin system basically outsources the weird stuff to Lua scripts that can handle specific hardware quirks.
Where This Could Actually Matter
I’m looking at this and thinking about the Linux gaming experience. How many times have you seen someone complain that their fancy gaming mouse doesn’t work properly on Linux? Now, instead of waiting for kernel updates or libinput changes, someone could just write a plugin. The community could maintain repositories of these things.
But there’s a catch, right? Security. These plugins sit between the kernel and libinput, which means they have access to raw input events. That’s powerful – maybe too powerful. The announcement mentions plugins need to be explicitly loaded, but there’s that autoload option that might disappear later. Seems like they’re being cautious about this, which is smart.
Where This Could Go Next
Basically, this turns libinput from a fixed system into a platform. We could see plugins for accessibility features, custom gesture controls, or even experimental input methods. The fact that they’re using Lua – a language that’s relatively easy to work with – means this isn’t just for hardcore kernel developers.
Will this become a maintenance nightmare? Maybe. But the alternative is having libinput either ignore edge cases or become bloated trying to handle everything. This feels like a pragmatic solution. The real test will be whether the community actually builds useful plugins, or if this becomes another obscure feature that nobody uses.
