Ctrl+H (delete previous character) is misinterpreted as Ctrl+Backspace (delete word) under WSL2 due to WT_SESSION leaking from Windows Terminal
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Descripción
Description
/help documents ctrl+h as "delete previous character", but under WSL2 it instead deletes the whole previous word (i.e. behaves like ctrl+w/Ctrl+Backspace).
Environment
- Copilot CLI version: 1.0.78-2
- Platform: WSL2 (
Linux ... 6.18.33.2-microsoft-standard-WSL2), Windows Terminal as host, plainxterm-256colorinside (issue reproduces both inside and outside tmux) WSLENV=WT_SESSION:WT_PROFILE_ID:(default WSL/Windows Terminal integration), soWT_SESSIONis present in the WSL shell environment even though the CLI is not running as a native Windows process
Root cause
In the bundled app.js, the raw-byte key decoder special-cases byte 0x08 (\b) — which is exactly what Ctrl+H sends — as Ctrl+Backspace when a ctrlHIsCtrlBackspace flag is set:
function ZDe(t, e=!1) {
return t.length!==1 ? null
: t==="\r" ? {code:"return"}
: ...
: t==="\b" && e ? {code:"backspace", ctrl:!0} // <-- Ctrl+H reinterpreted as Ctrl+Backspace
: t==="\b" || t==="\x7F" ? {code:"backspace"}
: ...
}
The flag is computed once at startup:
reader = new ope({ ctrlHIsCtrlBackspace: fSt() })
function Nk() { return !RA() && !process.env.TMUX && !process.env.STY }
function fSt() { return process.platform==="win32" && Nk() || !!process.env.WT_SESSION }
The intent is reasonable on native Windows (Windows Console/Windows Terminal apps can't distinguish a literal Ctrl+H keypress from Ctrl+Backspace, since both produce byte 0x08), so trading away the Ctrl+H binding there makes sense. However, the || !!process.env.WT_SESSION clause has no accompanying process.platform==="win32" check, so it also fires under WSL2, where WT_SESSION is forwarded into the Linux environment by WSLENV for terminal-integration purposes, but the CLI is actually running in a normal Linux pty where Ctrl+H and Ctrl+Backspace are distinguishable. This causes a false positive: the workaround for a Windows-only ambiguity ends up breaking a real, distinguishable keybinding on WSL.
This also affects users in the reverse scenario, if WT_SESSION is otherwise present in the environment (e.g. propagated through SSH or subshells) on non-Windows platforms.
Steps to reproduce
- Launch Copilot CLI inside WSL2 under Windows Terminal (default
WSLENVintegration). - Type some text, then press Ctrl+H.
- Expected: deletes one character before the cursor (per
/help). - Actual: deletes the entire previous word.
Suggested fix
Gate the WT_SESSION check on process.platform === "win32" as well, e.g.:
function fSt() {
return process.platform === "win32" && (Nk() || !!process.env.WT_SESSION);
}
or otherwise detect WSL (e.g. via /proc/version containing "microsoft" or process.platform !== "win32") and skip the ctrlHIsCtrlBackspace heuristic in that case.
Workaround
unset WT_SESSION before launching copilot restores the documented Ctrl+H behavior.
Guía de contribución
Primeros pasos
- Lee el issue completo y luego la guía de contribución del proyecto.
- Comenta en el issue que vas a ocuparte — evita que dos personas hagan lo mismo.
- Haz un fork del repositorio y trabaja en una rama.
- Abre un pull request que haga referencia al número del issue.
Línea de trabajo
Comienza en la app.js incluida, en fSt() y su inicialización del lector; después verifica cómo WT_SESSION y process.platform afectan a ctrlHIsCtrlBackspace antes de comprobar ZDe(). Reprodúcelo en WSL2 con WT_SESSION establecido y sin establecer; estará terminado cuando Ctrl+H elimine un carácter mientras el comportamiento nativo de Windows no cambie.
Escrito por el modelo de indexación a partir del texto del issue.
Evaluación
- Stack tecnológico
- javascript, linux, node.js
- Área
- cli, operating-systems
- Tipo de issue
- Error
- Dificultad
- 2/5
- Tiempo estimado
- 1-3 horas
- Estado de actividad
- Activo
- Claridad
- Bien especificado
- Aptitud para principiantes
- 78/100