diff --git a/inputremapper/focus/backends/sway.py b/inputremapper/focus/backends/sway.py
index 8e53d71..fbff23a 100644
--- a/inputremapper/focus/backends/sway.py
+++ b/inputremapper/focus/backends/sway.py
@@ -171,10 +171,14 @@ class SwayFocusBackend(FocusBackend):
             return
 
         change = data.get("change")
-        if change not in ("focus", "title", "new"):
+        if change not in ("focus", "title"):
             return
 
-        event = _container_to_event(data.get("container") or {})
+        if change == "title" and not (data.get("container") or {}).get("focused"):
+            event = self.get_current()
+        else:
+            event = _container_to_event(data.get("container") or {})
+
         if event is not None and self._on_focus is not None:
             self._on_focus(event)
 
diff --git a/inputremapper/focus/backends/wlr_foreign_toplevel.py b/inputremapper/focus/backends/wlr_foreign_toplevel.py
index 391f0ec..f95fc32 100644
--- a/inputremapper/focus/backends/wlr_foreign_toplevel.py
+++ b/inputremapper/focus/backends/wlr_foreign_toplevel.py
@@ -69,6 +69,7 @@ class WlrForeignToplevelBackend(FocusBackend):
         # handle -> {"app_id": str, "title": str, "activated": bool}
         self._toplevels: Dict[Any, Dict[str, Any]] = {}
         self._current: Optional[FocusEvent] = None
+        self._current_handle: Optional[Any] = None
 
     @staticmethod
     def is_available() -> bool:
@@ -171,12 +172,20 @@ class WlrForeignToplevelBackend(FocusBackend):
         event = FocusEvent(
             app_id=info["app_id"], title=info["title"], backend=self.name
         )
+        self._current_handle = handle
         self._current = event
         if self._on_focus is not None:
             self._on_focus(event)
 
     def _on_closed(self, handle) -> None:
         self._toplevels.pop(handle, None)
+        if handle != self._current_handle:
+            return
+
+        self._current_handle = None
+        self._current = FocusEvent(app_id="", title="", backend=self.name)
+        if self._on_focus is not None:
+            self._on_focus(self._current)
 
     def _on_readable(self, _fd: int, condition: int) -> bool:
         if condition & (GLib.IO_HUP | GLib.IO_ERR):
@@ -207,4 +216,5 @@ class WlrForeignToplevelBackend(FocusBackend):
         self._manager = None
         self._registry = None
         self._toplevels.clear()
+        self._current_handle = None
         self._current = None
diff --git a/inputremapper/focus/focus_service.py b/inputremapper/focus/focus_service.py
index 1f205ad..ac14891 100644
--- a/inputremapper/focus/focus_service.py
+++ b/inputremapper/focus/focus_service.py
@@ -164,12 +164,6 @@ class FocusService:
 
     def _on_focus(self, event: FocusEvent) -> None:
         """Called by the backend on every focus change (debounced here)."""
-        if not event.app_id:
-            # Transient focus (menus, popups, no focused window). Ignore it so
-            # we don't tear down injections during alt-tab.
-            logger.debug("Ignoring transient focus event: %s", event)
-            return
-
         self._pending_event = event
         if self._debounce_id is not None:
             GLib.source_remove(self._debounce_id)
diff --git a/tests/unit/test_focus_service.py b/tests/unit/test_focus_service.py
index aca9a63..16bb9cb 100644
--- a/tests/unit/test_focus_service.py
+++ b/tests/unit/test_focus_service.py
@@ -233,11 +233,33 @@ class TestFocusService(unittest.TestCase):
 
     # -- debounce / transient focus ---------------------------------------
 
-    def test_transient_empty_focus_is_ignored(self):
+    def test_empty_focus_stops_app_controlled(self):
         service = self._make_service([self._binding("firefox", [("devX", "p1")])])
+        service._reconcile(_event("firefox"))
+        self.daemon.calls["start_injecting"].clear()
+
         service._on_focus(_event(app_id=""))
-        self.assertIsNone(service._pending_event)
-        self.assertIsNone(service._debounce_id)
+        service._flush()
+        self.assertEqual(self.daemon.calls["stop_injecting"], ["devX"])
+        self.assertEqual(service._app_controlled, {})
+        self.assertEqual(self.daemon.calls["start_injecting"], [])
+
+    def test_focus_event_for_bound_app_starts_injecting(self):
+        service = self._make_service([self._binding("firefox", [("devX", "p1")])])
+        service._on_focus(_event("firefox"))
+        service._flush()
+        self.assertEqual(self.daemon.calls["start_injecting"], [("devX", "p1")])
+        self.assertEqual(service._app_controlled, {"devX": "p1"})
+
+    def test_focus_event_for_unbound_app_stops_app_controlled(self):
+        service = self._make_service([self._binding("firefox", [("devX", "p1")])])
+        service._reconcile(_event("firefox"))
+        self.daemon.calls["start_injecting"].clear()
+
+        service._on_focus(_event("code"))
+        service._flush()
+        self.assertEqual(self.daemon.calls["stop_injecting"], ["devX"])
+        self.assertEqual(service._app_controlled, {})
         self.assertEqual(self.daemon.calls["start_injecting"], [])
 
     def test_debounce_collapses_rapid_focus(self):
diff --git a/tests/unit/test_focus_watcher.py b/tests/unit/test_focus_watcher.py
index a30df6e..7744a67 100644
--- a/tests/unit/test_focus_watcher.py
+++ b/tests/unit/test_focus_watcher.py
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ from inputremapper.focus.backends.wlr_foreign_toplevel import (
     WlrForeignToplevelBackend,
 )
 from inputremapper.focus.backends.xorg import XorgFocusBackend
+from inputremapper.focus.focus_backend import FocusEvent
 from inputremapper.focus.focus_watcher import focus_backend_classes, select_backend
 from tests.lib.test_setup import test_setup
 
@@ -173,6 +174,52 @@ class TestSwayParsing(unittest.TestCase):
         self.assertEqual(len(received), 1)
         self.assertEqual(received[0].app_id, "kitty")
 
+    def test_handle_event_ignores_new_window(self):
+        backend = SwayFocusBackend()
+        received = []
+        backend._on_focus = received.append
+        payload = json.dumps(
+            {"change": "new", "container": {"app_id": "firefox", "name": "Mozilla"}}
+        ).encode()
+        backend._handle_event(payload)
+        self.assertEqual(received, [])
+
+    def test_handle_event_title_nonfocused_requeries_current_focus(self):
+        backend = SwayFocusBackend()
+        received = []
+        backend._on_focus = received.append
+        current = FocusEvent(app_id="code", title="editor", backend="sway")
+
+        with patch.object(backend, "get_current", return_value=current) as get_current:
+            payload = json.dumps(
+                {
+                    "change": "title",
+                    "container": {
+                        "focused": False,
+                        "app_id": "firefox",
+                        "name": "Background Mozilla",
+                    },
+                }
+            ).encode()
+            backend._handle_event(payload)
+
+        get_current.assert_called_once_with()
+        self.assertEqual(received, [current])
+
+    def test_handle_event_title_focused_uses_payload(self):
+        backend = SwayFocusBackend()
+        received = []
+        backend._on_focus = received.append
+        payload = json.dumps(
+            {
+                "change": "title",
+                "container": {"focused": True, "app_id": "kitty", "name": "term"},
+            }
+        ).encode()
+        backend._handle_event(payload)
+        self.assertEqual(len(received), 1)
+        self.assertEqual(received[0].app_id, "kitty")
+
     def test_handle_event_ignores_unrelated_change(self):
         backend = SwayFocusBackend()
         received = []
@@ -294,6 +341,7 @@ class TestWlrBackend(unittest.TestCase):
         self.assertEqual(received[0].app_id, "firefox")
         self.assertEqual(received[0].title, "Mozilla")
         self.assertEqual(backend.get_current().app_id, "firefox")
+        self.assertIs(backend._current_handle, handle)
 
     def test_done_without_activation_is_ignored(self):
         backend = WlrForeignToplevelBackend()
@@ -315,6 +363,56 @@ class TestWlrBackend(unittest.TestCase):
         backend._on_closed(handle)
         self.assertNotIn(handle, backend._toplevels)
 
+    def test_closed_current_toplevel_emits_unfocus(self):
+        backend = WlrForeignToplevelBackend()
+        received = []
+        backend._on_focus = received.append
+        handle = object()
+        backend._toplevels[handle] = {
+            "app_id": "firefox",
+            "title": "Mozilla",
+            "activated": True,
+        }
+        backend._on_done(handle)
+        received.clear()
+
+        backend._on_closed(handle)
+
+        self.assertNotIn(handle, backend._toplevels)
+        self.assertIsNone(backend._current_handle)
+        self.assertEqual(
+            backend.get_current(),
+            FocusEvent(app_id="", title="", backend="wlr-foreign-toplevel"),
+        )
+        self.assertEqual(received, [backend.get_current()])
+
+    def test_closed_non_current_toplevel_does_not_emit(self):
+        backend = WlrForeignToplevelBackend()
+        received = []
+        backend._on_focus = received.append
+        current_handle = object()
+        closed_handle = object()
+        backend._toplevels[current_handle] = {
+            "app_id": "code",
+            "title": "Editor",
+            "activated": True,
+        }
+        backend._toplevels[closed_handle] = {
+            "app_id": "firefox",
+            "title": "Mozilla",
+            "activated": False,
+        }
+        backend._on_done(current_handle)
+        current = backend.get_current()
+        received.clear()
+
+        backend._on_closed(closed_handle)
+
+        self.assertNotIn(closed_handle, backend._toplevels)
+        self.assertIs(backend._current_handle, current_handle)
+        self.assertEqual(backend.get_current(), current)
+        self.assertEqual(received, [])
+
     def test_state_unknown_handle_ignored(self):
         backend = WlrForeignToplevelBackend()
         # must not raise for a handle we never registered