Execute xkill in i3

Question

I'm trying to bind xkill to a key combination like this:

bindsym $mod+Pause exec xkill

but nothing happens after I press the keys.

xkill works ok if I execute it from launcher.

I tried redirecting stderr to a file, but the file is empty after executing xkill.

Any ideas how to use xkill with keyboard shortcuts in i3?

Answer 1

xkill is unable to run because the keyboard is still grabbed. bindsym --release $mod+Pause exec xkill should do the trick.

From the i3 User's Guide:

Some tools (such as import or xdotool) might be unable to run upon a KeyPress event, because the keyboard/pointer is still grabbed. For these situations, the --release flag can be used, which will execute the command after the keys have been released.