Hello Debian Maintainers,
Thank you for your response regarding the xkb-data 2.42-1 layout issue.
We have identified a working temporary fix that resolves the problem
until an upstream patch is released.
Temporary solution:
1. Comment out the “gb” layout block in /usr/share/X11/xkb/rules/evdev.xml:
sudo sed -i '/<name>gb<\/name>/s/^/<!-- /'
/usr/share/X11/xkb/rules/evdev.xml
sudo sed -i '/<\/name>/a \-->/' /usr/share/X11/xkb/rules/evdev.xml
2. Rebuild the xkb-data configuration:
sudo dpkg-reconfigure xkb-data
After applying these commands, the layout correctly stays as:
layout: us,ru
This confirms the root cause is within the evdev.xml rule parsing
introduced in version 2.42-1, which enforces the “gb” layout as the
first default regardless of the user configuration.
Thank you for filing a new Bug report with Debian.
You can follow progress on this Bug here: 1118965:
https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=1118965.
This is an automatically generated reply to let you know your message
has been received.
Your message is being forwarded to the package maintainers and other
interested parties for their attention; they will reply in due course.
Your message has been sent to the package maintainer(s):
debian-x@lists.debian.org
If you wish to submit further information on this problem, please
send it to 1118965@bugs.debian.org.
Please do not send mail to owner@bugs.debian.org unless you wish
to report a problem with the Bug-tracking system.
Package: xkb-data
Version: 2.42-1
Distribution: Debian 13 (Trixie)
Severity: normal
---
Description
After upgrading to Debian 13 (Trixie) with xkb-data 2.42-1, the X server
automatically adds the British layout (“gb”) as the first layout in the
XKB configuration even if it’s not specified in /etc/default/keyboard,
localectl, or XFCE settings.
Result:
layout: gb,us,ru
Expected:
layout: us,ru
---
Steps to Reproduce
1. Install Debian 13 (Trixie).
2. Ensure /etc/default/keyboard contains:
XKBLAYOUT="us,ru"
XKBOPTIONS="grp:alt_shift_toggle,grp_led:scroll"
3. Run localectl status → correct output (us,ru).
4. Start an X session (XFCE, LightDM, etc.).
5. Run setxkbmap -query → output shows gb,us,ru.
---
Environment
- Debian 13 (Trixie)
- xkb-data 2.42-1
- XFCE 4.18 / LightDM
- Keyboard model: pc105
- Hardware: AT Translated Set 2 keyboard
---
Additional Info
- localectl status shows correct layouts (us,ru)
- No XKB environment variables
- udev and XFCE configs clean
- Downgrading to xkb-data 2.38-1 restores correct behavior
- Reproducible on fresh installs and VMs
---
Workarounds
- Comment out the <layout><name>gb</name> block in
/etc/X11/xkb/rules/evdev.xml
- Downgrade xkb-data to 2.38-1 (Bookworm)
---
Suggested Fix
Review rule generation in 2.42: prevent forced fallback of “gb” layout
when other layouts are explicitly configured.