#1604·rio

When switching workspace in i3 wm, rio does not redraw the window until manual key input

Author: aronyomitraCreated May 21, 2026Updated Sep 16, 2026

Platform Details

OS: Linux Mint DE/WM: i3 Display server: X11 Shell: bash GPU: intel integrated Compositor: picom Rio version: 0.4.4

Description

Lets say I have a workspace with Rio open - I switch to a different workspace (say a browser). When switching back to Rio's workspace, the window keeps the ghost pixels from the previous workspace. Only when I press a key the terminal window is shown again along with its contents.

I have tried it with picom compositor on and off - both same result so picom is probably not the issue. On the same set up, alacritty works fine out of the box without any issues.

Most likely when switching the workspace i3 emits an event or a hook which Rio is not catching.

Expected Behaviour

Rio should repaint its terminal contents immediately when the i3 workspace becomes visible again.

Actual Behaviour

Rio sometimes shows stale pixels from the previously visible workspace until keyboard input forces a redraw.

Temporary Workaround

Setting renderer.strategy to "Game" has fixed it. But consider a cleaner fix so that it is compatible with the "events" strategy as well. I have toggled both these options: renderer.disable-unfocused-render and renderer.disable-occluded-render but it did not help.