canonical/multipass

[GUI] Quit appears to fail when called from the tray and set to ask

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#4,210 opened on Jul 3, 2025

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bughelp wantedlowmedium

Description

Describe the bug On macOS, when Multipass is configured to ask about running instances on quit (the default), clicking "Quit" on the tray icon appears to have no effect. The question is asked in the Multipass window, but won't be visible unless the Window is unobstructed or minimized.

To Reproduce

  1. Open the GUI
  2. Go to settings
  3. Set "When closing Multipass" to "Ask about running instances"
  4. Launch or start an instance and wait for it to get to running state
  5. Bring a larger window into focus (on the same screen) such that the GUI is no longer visible
  6. Click the Multipass tray icon and select "Quit"
  7. Observe no apparent reaction

Interestingly, this does not occur if the GUI is minimized: it is restored and brought into focus then.

Expected behavior I expected the GUI to always come into focus when a question is asked.

Logs Please provide logs from the daemon, see accessing logs on where to find them on your platform.

Additional info

  • OS: macOS 15.3.2
  • CPU architecture or model: x86
  • multipass version 1.16.0-rc5.3814+ga3a71f27.mac

Contributor guide

Tech stack
cpp
Domain
frontenddesktop
Issue type
bug
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
4
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
1-2 days
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
fresh
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
clear
Prerequisites
C++ knowledgeQt frameworkmacOS window managementMultipass GUI codebase structure
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
30
Research direction
Investigate the tray icon quit handler in Multipass's GUI code, likely in the macOS specific files (e.g., src/gui/mac/). The issue is that the 'ask about running instances' dialog does not bring the Multipass window to focus when triggered from the tray, unless the window is minimized. Check the implementation of the ask on quit logic and window activation (e.g., using NSApplication or Qt's QWindow::requestActivate). Review any existing Windows or Linux handlers for comparison.