@@ -6,8 +6,9 @@
  * important windows on i3wm or whatever. */
 
 #include <X11/Xlib.h>
 #include <X11/Xutil.h>
+#include <X11/Xatom.h>
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <string.h>
 #include <errno.h>
@@ -22,10 +23,36 @@
 				return str;
 			else { ++str; goto start; }
 		}
 }
+
+Display *display;
+
+void killwin(Window w) {
+	XEvent ev;
+	long mask = SubstructureRedirectMask | SubstructureNotifyMask;
+	ev.xclient.type       = ClientMessage;
+	ev.xclient.serial     = 0;
+	ev.xclient.send_event = True;
+	ev.xclient.message_type = XInternAtom(display, "_NET_CLOSE_WINDOW", False);
+	ev.xclient.window     = w;
+	ev.xclient.format     = 32;
+	
+	if(!XSendEvent(display, DefaultRootWindow(display), False, mask, &ev)) {
+		char* fallback = getenv("k_safekill_fallback");
+		bool nofb = (*fallback == '0' && fallback[1] == 0);
+
+		fprintf(stderr,"\x1b[1mwarning:\x1b[m cannot send _NET_CLOSE_WINDOW event to root window; is your window manager okay?");
+
+		if (nofb) {
+			fprintf(stderr,"\n");
+		} else {
+			fprintf(stderr," falling back to XDestroyWindow, but this may wreck your shit - lots of multi-win apps do *not* like it.\n");
+			XDestroyWindow(display,w);
+		}
+	}
+}
 int main(const int argc, const char** argv) {
-	Display *display;
 	Window focus;
 	int revert;
 
 	bool active;
@@ -67,9 +94,9 @@
 		focus = (Window)temp;
 	}
 
 	if(op == hardkill) {
-		XDestroyWindow(display,focus);
+		killwin(focus);
 		XSync(display,false);
 		return 0;
 	}
 
@@ -83,9 +110,9 @@
 				strcpy(v, v+3);
 				XSetClassHint(display,focus,&xclh);
 				XSync(display,false);
 			} else if (op == softkill) {
-				printf("softkill forbidden\n");
+				fprintf(stderr, "softkill forbidden\n");
 				return 1; // ACCESS DENIED
 			}
 		} else {
 			if (op == vitalize) {
@@ -99,15 +126,15 @@
 				XSync(display,false);
 			} else if (op == devitalize) return 0;
 			else if (op == softkill) {
 				// ice that motherfucker
-				XDestroyWindow(display,focus);
+				killwin(focus);
 				XSync(display,false);
 				return 3;
 			}
 		}
 	} else {
-		printf("\x1b[1merror:\x1b[m bad window\n");
+		fprintf(stderr,"\x1b[1merror:\x1b[m bad window\n");
 		goto usage;
 	}
 
 	return 0;
@@ -117,11 +144,11 @@
 	#define param "\x1b[32m"
 	#define eol   "\x1b[m\n"
 	#define bold  "\x1b[1m"
 	#define nl    "       "
-	printf(bold "usage:\x1b[0m %s    "       "     " info "kill active window if non-vital" eol
+	fprintf(stderr, bold "usage:\x1b[0m %s    "       "     " info "kill active window if non-vital" eol
 						 nl "%1$s -v " param "[id] " info "make [id] or active window vital" eol
 						 nl "%1$s -c " param "[id] " info "clear vital flag on [id] or active window" eol
 						 nl "%1$s -q " param "[id] " info "'emergency' kill w/o reference to vital flag" eol,
 				argv[0]);
 	return 1;
 }