hyprland/workspaces: old-style workspace dispatch fails on Hyprland Lua dispatcher builds

[dwilliam62]

Summary

I am currently updating my project KoolDots to support the upcoming change in Hyprland to LUA based config files.

I had to change quite a few workspace movement functions to support LUA. In testing waybar I ran into this issue.
I did look to see if anyone else had filed it, but when i didn't see one I filed this.

Clicking numbered workspace buttons in hyprland/workspaces no longer switches to the clicked workspace on a Hyprland build where hyprctl dispatch is interpreted through the Lua dispatcher.

The workspace indicator reacts visually to the click, but Hyprland does not actually focus the clicked workspace.

Environment

• Waybar: v0.15.0
• Hyprland: 0.54.0
• Hyprland commit: 9e357f2481fedfa75899d9721fe1cfc581b3bfc0
• Waybar source checked at: cca8dc38
• Module: hyprland/workspaces

Relevant config

"hyprland/workspaces#rw": {
  "disable-scroll": true,
  "all-outputs": true,
  "warp-on-scroll": false,
  "sort-by-number": true,
  "show-special": false,
  "on-scroll-up": "hyprctl dispatch 'hl.dsp.exec_raw(\"workspace e+1\")'",
  "on-scroll-down": "hyprctl dispatch 'hl.dsp.exec_raw(\"workspace e-1\")'",
  "persistent-workspaces": {
    "*": 5
  },
  "format": "{icon} {windows}",
  "format-window-separator": " ",
  "window-rewrite": {
    "...": "..."
  }
}

The active bar includes hyprland/workspaces#rw in modules-center.

Expected behavior

Clicking workspace 2, 3, etc. should focus that workspace.

Actual behavior

Clicking the workspace indicator changes its visual state, but the active Hyprland workspace does not change.

Manual dispatch testing

The old-style dispatcher form used by Waybar's Hyprland workspace click handler fails with this Hyprland build:

hyprctl dispatch workspace 2

Output:

[string "hl.dispatch(workspace 2)"]:1: ')' expected near '2'

 → Note: dispatch in lua is a shorthand for hl.dispatch(...), your syntax might need to be updated.

This command returns ok but does not move the active workspace:

hyprctl dispatch 'hl.dsp.exec_raw("workspace 2")'

This command successfully focuses workspace 2:

hyprctl dispatch 'hl.dsp.focus({ workspace = 2 })'

Observed active workspace changed from 1 1 to 2 2.

Source area that appears relevant

In src/modules/hyprland/workspace.cpp, Workspace::handleClicked(...) currently sends old-style dispatcher strings:

m_ipc.getSocket1Reply("dispatch workspace " + std::to_string(id()));

and with move-to-monitor:

m_ipc.getSocket1Reply("dispatch focusworkspaceoncurrentmonitor " + std::to_string(id()));

For named workspaces it sends:

m_ipc.getSocket1Reply("dispatch workspace name:" + name());

src/modules/hyprland/workspaces.cpp also appears to use old-style workspace dispatch strings in Workspaces::handleScroll(...):

m_ipc.getSocket1Reply("dispatch workspace e+1");
m_ipc.getSocket1Reply("dispatch workspace e-1");
m_ipc.getSocket1Reply("dispatch workspace m+1");
m_ipc.getSocket1Reply("dispatch workspace m-1");

Additional note

I initially had this in the module config:

"on-click": "activate",

Removing that line changed the visual click behavior: before removal, clicking a workspace number made the number disappear and left only an outline; after removal, the clicked workspace indicator lights up as selected. However, workspace focus still does not change, so the root cause appears to be the dispatcher syntax rather than only generic on-click handling.

Possible fix direction

For numeric workspace focus on this Hyprland Lua dispatcher build, the working form is:

dispatch hl.dsp.focus({ workspace = <id> })

Waybar may need to detect/support Hyprland Lua dispatcher syntax or avoid old-style dispatch workspace <id> calls when Hyprland expects Lua dispatch expressions.

[Mrpaoo]

Hyprland 0.54.3 built from branch v0.54.3 at commit 521ece463c4a9d3d128670688a34756805a4328f clean (version: bump to 0.54.3).
Date: Fri Mar 27 18:17:50 2026

Waybar v0.15.0

Didn't happen to me ,I think update your hyprland cant fix the first question, maybe they just fix that question soon, i guess update cant fix that and there's no need to change the source code of waybar maybe.

[dwilliam62]

Hyprland 0.54.3 built from branch v0.54.3 at commit 521ece463c4a9d3d128670688a34756805a4328f clean (version: bump to 0.54.3). Date: Fri Mar 27 18:17:50 2026

Waybar v0.15.0

Didn't happen to me ,I think update your hyprland cant fix the first question, maybe they just fix that question soon, i guess update cant fix that and there's no need to change the source code of waybar maybe.

That version of hyprland doesn't support the upcoming feature of LUA based configuration files. If you are using arch, you can install it with hyprland-git If you not the build date I provide was from a day or so ago.

https://hypr.land/news/26_lua/

The dispatchers in hyprland have changed with the move to LUA

[dwilliam62]

Apologies I thought I included the entire version info

Hyprland 0.54.0 built from branch main at commit 9e357f2481fedfa75899d9721fe1cfc581b3bfc0 clean (xdg-foreign-v2: Keep invalid imported objects alive ( 14166)).
Date: Mon Apr 27 08:24:38 2026
Tag: v0.54.0-254-g9e357f248, commits: 7189

Libraries:
Hyprgraphics: built against 0.5.1, system has 0.5.1
Hyprutils: built against 0.12.0, system has 0.12.0
Hyprcursor: built against 0.1.13, system has 0.1.13
Hyprlang: built against 0.6.8, system has 0.6.8
Aquamarine: built against 0.11.0, system has 0.11.0

Version ABI string: 9e357f2481fedfa75899d9721fe1cfc581b3bfc0_aq_0.11_hu_0.12_hg_0.5_hc_0.1_hlg_0.6
no flags were set

[dwilliam62]

I was able to capture a screenshot of the issue. Notice WS2 is current, I click on WS3 but it only highlights it, not switch to WS3 Note: This was after I removed the "onclick: activate" line. Otherwise WS3 would have just been a circle, with black center

[TheAhumMaitra]

I'm also having the same issue

[gulafaran]

i did some fast hack that i havent tried all the if else cases if valid but something like this atleast makes it clickable again.

diff --git a/src/modules/hyprland/workspace.cpp b/src/modules/hyprland/workspace.cpp
index 21e7ef9b..72f2faa4 100644
--- a/src/modules/hyprland/workspace.cpp
+++ b/src/modules/hyprland/workspace.cpp
@@ -71,20 +71,20 @@ bool Workspace::handleClicked(GdkEventButton* bt) const {
     try {
       if (id() > 0) {  // normal
         if (m_workspaceManager.moveToMonitor()) {
-          m_ipc.getSocket1Reply("dispatch focusworkspaceoncurrentmonitor " + std::to_string(id()));
+          m_ipc.getSocket1Reply("dispatch hl.dsp.focus({workspace = " + std::to_string(id()) + ", on_current_monitor = true})");
         } else {
-          m_ipc.getSocket1Reply("dispatch workspace " + std::to_string(id()));
+          m_ipc.getSocket1Reply("dispatch hl.dsp.focus({workspace = " + std::to_string(id()) + "})");
         }
       } else if (!isSpecial()) {  // named (this includes persistent)
         if (m_workspaceManager.moveToMonitor()) {
-          m_ipc.getSocket1Reply("dispatch focusworkspaceoncurrentmonitor name:" + name());
+          m_ipc.getSocket1Reply("dispatch hl.dsp.focus({workspace = " + name() + ", on_current_monitor = true})");
         } else {
-          m_ipc.getSocket1Reply("dispatch workspace name:" + name());
+          m_ipc.getSocket1Reply("dispatch hl.dsp.focus({workspace = " + name() + "})");
         }
       } else if (id() != -99) {  // named special
-        m_ipc.getSocket1Reply("dispatch togglespecialworkspace " + name());
+        m_ipc.getSocket1Reply("dispatch hl.dsp.workspace.toggle_special(" + name() + ")");
       } else {  // special
-        m_ipc.getSocket1Reply("dispatch togglespecialworkspace");
+        m_ipc.getSocket1Reply("dispatch hl.dsp.workspace.toggle_special(special)");
       }
       return true;
     } catch (const std::exception& e) {
~

[kRHYME7]

Hi was this different with this one?

#5013 ? for arch user waybar-git got the patch.

But I do not know if the legacy dispatch are supported.

[guille]

Any chance we can get a new release including #5013 now that Hyprland 0.55 @Alexays ?