Public bug reported:
## Environment
- **Package**: gnome-remote-desktop 50.0-0ubuntu2
- **OS**: Ubuntu 26.04 LTS (Resolute Raccoon)
- **GNOME Shell**: 50.1
- **Kernel**: 7.0.0-15-generic
- **PipeWire**: 1.6.2
- **Session**: Wayland
- **RDP Client**: FreeRDP 3.x (wlfreerdp / sdl-freerdp)
## Steps to Reproduce
1. Enable RDP in GNOME Settings → System → Remote Desktop (Wayland session)
2. Connect from another machine using FreeRDP:
wlfreerdp /v:<remote-ip> /u:<username> /f /gfx
3. Connection succeeds but mouse cursor is not visible on the client
side.
## Expected Result
Mouse cursor should be visible and move with mouse movements.
## Actual Result
Remote desktop displays correctly but mouse cursor is completely invisible.
## Root Cause Analysis
gnome-remote-desktop 50.0 uses PipeWire screencast to capture the screen.
When creating the PipeWire stream, it appears that the `cursor-mode` property
is not being set correctly (or at all). This causes Mutter to not include
cursor metadata (`spa_meta_cursor`) in the PipeWire stream.
Without cursor metadata, `GrdRdpCursorRenderer` cannot obtain cursor position
or bitmap information, and thus no cursor updates are sent to the RDP client.
Evidence from binary analysis:
- gnome-remote-desktop-daemon references `cursor-mode`, `spa_meta_cursor`,
`GrdRdpCursorRenderer`, and `spa_meta_cursor_is_valid`
- But no cursor-related configuration options exist in the dconf schema
- The PipeWire screencast portal supports `AvailableCursorModes = 7` (bitmask
for NONE=1, EMBEDDED=2, METADATA=4), suggesting cursor-mode should be set
to 4 (metadata) or 6 (embedded+metadata)
## Workarounds Tried
- Both `wlfreerdp` and `sdl-freerdp` clients exhibit the same behavior
- VNC mode works as alternative (doesn't rely on PipeWire cursor metadata)
- xrdp works as alternative (uses Xorg, not Wayland/PipeWire)
## Relevant Journal Entries
gnome-remote-desktop-daemon: [RDP] Cursor renderer: Cache has %u slots
gnome-remote-desktop-daemon: cursor_update->bitmap
gnome-remote-desktop-daemon: spa_meta_cursor_is_valid (spa_meta_cursor)
gnome-remote-desktop-daemon: GrdRdpCursorRenderer
## Potential Fix
In the PipeWire stream creation code, ensure `cursor-mode` property is set
to include `SPA_META_CURSOR_FLAG_ENABLED` (value 4 for metadata mode):
pw_properties_set(props, "cursor-mode", "4"); // or "6" for embedded+metadata
This should be added when creating the screencast session for RDP.
ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 26.04
Package: gnome-remote-desktop 50.0-0ubuntu2
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 7.0.0-14.14-generic 7.0.0
Uname: Linux 7.0.0-14-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.34.0-0ubuntu2
Architecture: amd64
CasperMD5CheckResult: pass
CurrentDesktop: ubuntu:GNOME
Date: Tue May 19 23:01:55 2026
InstallationDate: Installed on 2025-08-17 (275 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 24.04 LTS "Noble Numbat" - Release amd64 (20240424)
ProcEnviron:
LANG=zh_CN.UTF-8
PATH=(custom, no user)
SHELL=/bin/bash
TERM=xterm-256color
XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=<set>
SourcePackage: gnome-remote-desktop
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to resolute on 2026-04-24 (25 days ago)
** Affects: gnome-remote-desktop (Ubuntu)
Importance: Undecided
Status: New
** Tags: amd64 apport-bug resolute
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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/2153169
Title:
gnome-remote-desktop RDP cursor not visible on Wayland (GNOME 50.1 /
PipeWire 1.6.2)
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