New laptops that come pre-installed with Windows have begun to add a "Copilot" key, which can be used to launch Microsoft's Copilot AI assistant or other "chatbot" software. In the upcoming Linux 6.14 kernel, this key will be mapped correctly so that user space software can determine how to handle this key press on the Linux desktop.

Changes to the atkbd keyboard driver on Linux now map the F23 key to support the default Copilot shortcut. The patch, written by Lenovo engineer Mark Pearson, explains:

"Microsoft defines Meta+Shift+F23 as a Copilot shortcut rather than a dedicated key code, and keyboards from multiple vendors emit this sequence when the user presses the dedicated "Copilot" key. Unfortunately, the default keymap in atkbd does not map scan code 0x6e (F23), so the key combination does not work even if userspace is prepared to handle it.

Since this behavior is common across multiple vendors and scan codes are not currently used, 0x6e should be mapped to keyboard code 193 (KEY_F23) in order for the key sequence to be generated correctly. "

The Linux desktop environment will now decide what to do when the new Copilot key is pressed.

The patch is part of an input update and has now been merged into the Linux 6.14 kernel. The input update also brings more game controller support to the popular XPad driver. Newly added controllers in Linux 6.14 include QH Electronics controller, WootingTwoHe, NaconEvol-XXboxOne controller, NaconProCompact, and "Xbox360 Wireless Receiver (unofficial)", which imitates Microsoft's VendorID, but is actually a clone and not an official Microsoft product/controller. The latest pull request also removes the EVBUG driver.