Add a small Kodi keymap override for video playback

The useful distinctions

• User keymaps belong in userdata/keymaps.
• Kodi applies XML keymap files in alphabetical order.
• User mappings can add to or override defaults.
• Window-specific maps fall back to global mappings for unbound keys.

Keep the change narrow

A custom input file should explain one intentional change at a time. Start with a key that you have deliberately chosen and check its existing role before replacing it. The example binds a playback action only in the fullscreen-video window so ordinary navigation can retain its established behavior. That scope is easier to reason about than a global remapping that affects every screen.

Preserve the default installation

Store the override in user configuration rather than editing files supplied with the application. This keeps the change visible and makes it easier to restore the baseline. Give the file a descriptive name and keep a copy of the previous user keymaps. When more than one override exists, review alphabetical merge order so a later file does not silently replace the action you are testing.

Test the boundary as well as the action

Press the chosen key during video playback, then leave playback and try the same key in ordinary navigation. Both observations matter: the first checks that the action works and the second checks that the scope is right. Finally remove or rename the test override and verify that the previous behavior returns. A reversible test is useful evidence before adapting the same approach to a remote control that may be exposed as a keyboard.

A focused way to proceed

1. Back up existing user keymaps.
2. Create a small XML file in the active profile userdata/keymaps folder.
3. Bind one chosen keyboard key inside FullscreenVideo.
4. Restart or reload keymaps using an installed-version-supported method.
5. Test during playback and outside playback, then remove the override to verify reversal.

Worked example · synthetic

<keymap>
  <FullscreenVideo>
    <keyboard>
      <f6>Pause</f6>
    </keyboard>
  </FullscreenVideo>
</keymap>

Read the comparison

An override that works only during fullscreen playback may be correctly scoped rather than intermittent.

When to stop or ask for help

If it is ignored, confirm the input device class, active profile, XML validity and later overriding files.