alt-tab between apps often result in spurious "Window is ready notifications"

[DanielJoyce]

(1) Issue/Bug Description:

When I use alt-tab to change windows, I often get "Window is ready", but fails to switch to the window. I have to use alt-tab again

(2) Steps to reproduce (if you know):

Use alt-tab to switch windows, notice sometimes it fails to switch, but you get a notification "Window is ready". You must alt-tab again to switch.

(3) Expected behavior:

Window focus is switched 100% of the time

(4) Distribution (run cat /etc/os-release):

NAME="Pop!_OS"
VERSION="22.04 LTS"
ID=pop
ID_LIKE="ubuntu debian"
PRETTY_NAME="Pop!_OS 22.04 LTS"
VERSION_ID="22.04"
HOME_URL="https://pop.system76.com"
SUPPORT_URL="https://support.system76.com"
BUG_REPORT_URL="https://github.com/pop-os/pop/issues"
PRIVACY_POLICY_URL="https://system76.com/privacy"
VERSION_CODENAME=jammy
UBUNTU_CODENAME=jammy
LOGO=distributor-logo-pop-os

(5) Gnome Shell version:

(6) Pop Shell version (run apt policy pop-shell or provide the latest commit if building locally):

pop-shell:
  Installed: 1.1.0~1677211888~22.04~dcf17f3
  Candidate: 1.1.0~1677211888~22.04~dcf17f3
  Version table:
 *** 1.1.0~1677211888~22.04~dcf17f3 1001
       1001 http://apt.pop-os.org/release jammy/main amd64 Packages
       1001 http://apt.pop-os.org/release jammy/main i386 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

(7) Where was Pop Shell installed from:

As part of pop-os distro

(8) Monitor Setup (2 x 1080p, 4K, Primary(Horizontal), Secondary(Vertical), etc):

I see this with or without secondary monitor attached

(9) Other Installed/Enabled Extensions:

Only using extensions that come with POP-Os

(10) Other Notes:

Disabling pop-shell appears to resolve the issue. It appears pop-shell may not be passing the proper events on, triggering the lower level gnome focus stealing logic

https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/mutter/-/issues/673

[accron-1]

I also have this issue. I was going to report it but came across this report as I was searching for a fix.

It happens about 1/3 of the times I switch windows, and it's absolutely infuriating. I really like pop-os, but this bug is so frequent and frustrating that it has made me consider switch to another distro altogether. It completely breaks the workflow to not get the window you are expecting.

As the OP reported, it's a vanilla installation of Pop, and it happens with and without external monitors on my Thinkpad 480s.

System info:

NAME="Pop!_OS"
VERSION="22.04 LTS"
ID=pop
ID_LIKE="ubuntu debian"
PRETTY_NAME="Pop!_OS 22.04 LTS"
VERSION_ID="22.04"
HOME_URL="https://pop.system76.com"
SUPPORT_URL="https://support.system76.com"
BUG_REPORT_URL="https://github.com/pop-os/pop/issues"
PRIVACY_POLICY_URL="https://system76.com/privacy"
VERSION_CODENAME=jammy
UBUNTU_CODENAME=jammy
LOGO=distributor-logo-pop-os

I have used Windows, Mac and all the major Linux DEs: KDE, Xfce, Cinnamon, Mate, Budgie, Deepin. NONE of those have EVER had this problem, regardless of how far back you go.

Please give priority to this bug as it's unacceptable for a modern DE to handle window switching this poorly.