diff --git a/src/PanelWindow.vala b/src/PanelWindow.vala
index 88c23192..5c691e28 100644
--- a/src/PanelWindow.vala
+++ b/src/PanelWindow.vala
@@ -56,19 +56,57 @@ public class Wingpanel.PanelWindow : Gtk.Window {
                 return;
             } else {
                 Services.BackgroundManager.get_default ().remember_window ();
+
+                // Panels are never granted keyboard focus automatically by the
+                // compositor; it must be requested explicitly. Without it a
+                // popover opened from a keybinding has no keyboard focus and
+                // typing (e.g. in the Applications Menu search field) does not
+                // reach it.
+                if (desktop_panel != null) {
+                    desktop_panel.focus ();
+                    // focus () is an asynchronous request. The popover is
+                    // popped up immediately after this returns, so without
+                    // waiting for the compositor to actually grant focus the
+                    // popover comes up unfocused and never gets mapped.
+                    unowned var display = Gdk.Display.get_default ();
+                    if (display is Gdk.Wayland.Display) {
+                        ((Gdk.Wayland.Display) display).get_wl_display ().roundtrip ();
+                    }
+                }
             }
         });
 
         Services.BackgroundManager.get_default ().background_state_changed.connect (update_background);
     }
 
+    private bool realize_handled = false;
     private void on_realize () {
+        // A widget can be realized more than once. Connecting the surface
+        // signals again would run them multiple times per frame, and init_wl ()
+        // would re-request our panel object and get us killed by the
+        // compositor, so only ever do this once.
+        if (realize_handled) {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        realize_handled = true;
+
         unowned var surface = (Gdk.Toplevel) get_surface ();
         surface.compute_size.connect (on_compute_size);
         surface.layout.connect (on_layout);
 
         surface.enter_monitor.connect (on_enter_monitor);
 
+        // The popover takes no Wayland grab (see PopoverManager) so it will not
+        // dismiss itself. Watch the toplevel's focus state instead and close it
+        // when the panel loses keyboard focus.
+        surface.notify["state"].connect (() => {
+            var focused = (surface.state & Gdk.ToplevelState.FOCUSED) != 0;
+            if (!focused && popover_manager.indicator_open) {
+                popover_manager.close ();
+            }
+        });
+
         init_wl ();
     }
 
@@ -103,6 +141,15 @@ public class Wingpanel.PanelWindow : Gtk.Window {
 
     public void registry_handle_global (Wl.Registry wl_registry, uint32 name, string @interface, uint32 version) {
         if (@interface == "io_elementary_pantheon_shell_v1") {
+            // get_panel () may only be requested once per wl_surface: asking
+            // twice makes the compositor kill us with a protocol error
+            // ("get_panel already requested"), which takes the whole panel
+            // down. realize can fire more than once, so bail out if we already
+            // have our panel object.
+            if (desktop_panel != null) {
+                return;
+            }
+
             desktop_shell = wl_registry.bind<Pantheon.Desktop.Shell> (name, ref Pantheon.Desktop.Shell.iface, uint32.min (version, 1));
             unowned var window = get_surface ();
             if (window is Gdk.Wayland.Surface) {
diff --git a/src/Services/PopoverManager.vala b/src/Services/PopoverManager.vala
index ea74b347..859af810 100644
--- a/src/Services/PopoverManager.vala
+++ b/src/Services/PopoverManager.vala
@@ -48,12 +48,24 @@ public class Wingpanel.Services.PopoverManager : Object {
                 _current_indicator.display_widget.has_tooltip = true;
                 _current_indicator.base_indicator.closed ();
                 _current_indicator = value;
-                popover.unparent ();
             }
 
             if (_current_indicator != null) {
                 popover.child = _current_indicator.indicator_widget;
-                popover.set_parent (_current_indicator);
+                // Only reparent when the popover actually needs to move to a
+                // different indicator. Unparenting destroys the popover's
+                // surface and set_parent () builds a new one; doing that on
+                // every open/close cycle eventually leaves the popover
+                // unmapped (visible but never drawn) and ends in a Wayland
+                // protocol error.
+                if (popover.parent != _current_indicator) {
+                    if (popover.parent != null) {
+                        popover.unparent ();
+                    }
+
+                    popover.set_parent (_current_indicator);
+                }
+
                 popover.popup ();
 
                 _current_indicator.set_state_flags (CHECKED, true);
@@ -63,16 +75,33 @@ public class Wingpanel.Services.PopoverManager : Object {
         }
     }
 
+    public void close () {
+        current_indicator = null;
+    }
+
     construct {
         popover = new Gtk.Popover () {
             has_arrow = false,
-            position = BOTTOM
+            position = BOTTOM,
+            // autohide makes GTK request an xdg_popup grab. Wayland only grants
+            // that grab against a recent input event serial, and a popover
+            // opened from a keybinding has received no input at all, so the
+            // compositor refuses the popup and it is never mapped. Dismissal
+            // is handled by PanelWindow watching the toplevel focus state.
+            autohide = false
         };
         popover.add_css_class ("indicator");
 
         popover.closed.connect (() => {
-            current_indicator = null;
-            popover.unparent ();
+            // Fires for closes the setter already handled (it nulls
+            // _current_indicator before the asynchronous popdown), so guard
+            // against dereferencing null. Deliberately does NOT unparent: the
+            // popover stays parented to its indicator and is only moved when a
+            // different indicator is opened.
+            if (_current_indicator != null) {
+                _current_indicator.set_state_flags (NORMAL, true);
+                current_indicator = null;
+            }
         });
     }
 }