Atlas Browser Update Breaks Pointer Cursor and Modifier Key Extensions: What’s Really Going On?

Wawang Setiawan

If you recently updated to the latest version of ChatGPT Atlas Browser and noticed that the pointer cursor no longer appears on links, or that extensions like Immersive Translate or Linkclump suddenly stopped working — you’re not alone. Multiple users have reported the exact same behavior, and early investigation shows that this issue is much deeper than a simple CSS or cursor glitch.

In this article, I’ll break down what’s happening, why it’s happening, how Atlas differs from Chromium in handling modifier-key events, what you can (and cannot) do right now, and what the community has confirmed so far.

🔍 Summary of the Issue

After the recent Atlas Browser update:

The pointer cursor (“hand icon”) no longer appears when hovering over links.
Extensions that rely on modifier keys + mouse actions stop functioning:Immersive Translate → hover + key modifier does not fireLinkclump Plus → drag + key modifier does not trigger bulk-open

Multiple users confirmed the issue on these versions:

1.2025.302.4
1.2025.309.3 (20251113004245000) — still broken

This is not isolated to one device or OS. It appears to be a browser-level regression introduced from one of the latest Atlas builds.

Don’t miss our take on: How to Keep ChatGPT Atlas Up to Date.

🧩 Why This Is More Than a Cursor Bug

While the missing pointer cursor seems harmless, the underlying problem is tied to how Atlas handles event propagation, particularly:

Keyboard events
Mouse events
Combined modifier-key events
Pointer/hover/drag events
Event bubbling inside the WebView environment

Users noticed:

“Key-modifier + hover events do not fire at all.”
— jimmysong

“Key-modifier + mouse drag over links fails to trigger bulk-open.”
— jimmysong

These behaviors suggest that Atlas has changed — intentionally or unintentionally — how input events are passed from the browser UI to the webpage DOM.

⚙️ Technical Breakdown: What’s Causing This?

Below is a deeper (but simplified) explanation of what appears to be happening.

1. Atlas likely intercepts or blocks modifier-key events

Chromium passes modifier keys like:

Shift
Ctrl
Alt
Meta/Command

directly to DOM-level event listeners unless an extension or UI layer explicitly intercepts them.

If Atlas introduces:

new security layers
DOM isolation
UI overlays
event interception wrappers
performance optimizations that alter event propagation

…then modifier keys may not reach the DOM at all.

When extensions rely on keydown + mousemove, they receive no keyboard context.
Result: nothing triggers.

2. WebView sandbox restrictions may suppress input events

Atlas is built with a secure sandbox architecture.

Depending on implementation, its WebView container may:

treat combined key/mouse events as unsafe
prevent cross-triggered input events
drop “untrusted” events for security
prevent global listeners from accessing native key states

This could break any extension using:

event.ctrlKeyevent.shiftKeyevent.altKey

If these values always report false, extensions fail.

3. Pointer-events and cursor styling may be affected globally

If Atlas injects global CSS (for UI uniformity), it could unintentionally override:

a:hover { cursor: pointer; }

This explains the missing cursor.

But again — the cursor problem is symptomatic, not causal.

Here’s another post you’ll like: Transparency Dashboard in ChatGPT Atlas: Why Users Want a “Blocked Activity” View.

4. Changes in Atlas’s Input Event Pipeline

Chromium input events follow this pipeline:

Hardware → OS → Browser UI → Renderer → DOM → JS listeners

If Atlas modifies any step (especially UI → Renderer), then:

modifier states may be stripped
drag events may not pass
hover events may not emit
pointer events may not recognize link boundaries

This matches exactly what users are experiencing.

📌 Comparison: How Chromium Normally Handles Modifier-Key Events

Understanding Chromium’s behavior makes the Atlas bug more obvious.

1. Chromium sends raw keyboard state with every mouse event

For example:

When dragging with Shift pressed,

mousemove → includes event.shiftKey = true
mousedown → includes event.shiftKey = true
dragstart → includes modifier state

Extensions like Linkclump depend on this.

2. Chromium does NOT filter combined input events unless user gestures require it

This ensures:

hover + cmd
hover + shift
drag + ctrl

all work consistently across websites and extensions.

3. Chromium doesn’t isolate UI-layer events from DOM-layer events

Meaning:

WebView receives full input state
DOM listeners receive unmodified states
Extensions get access to low-level input data

If Atlas inserts an overlay or event filter, this behavior breaks.

🧩 Known Issues (Confirmed by Multiple Users)

Below is the list of verified issues based on real user reports:

1. Pointer cursor does not show on links

Affects all pages
Makes UI feel “dead”

2. Modifier-key events not firing

Breaks extensions relying on:

Ctrl + drag
Shift + drag
Alt + hover
Meta + hover

3. Hover-based translation tools stop working

Immersive Translate cannot detect:

word highlight
hover triggers
hover + command shortcuts

4. Bulk-link openers fail

Linkclump cannot detect:

drag gesture
modifier key status

Curious about this topic? Read: How to Install ChatGPT Atlas on Mac (Simple Guide for Beginners).

5. Issue persists across multiple versions

Users confirmed the bug from:

1.2025.302.4
1.2025.309.3

🛠️ What Can Users Do Right Now?

Unfortunately, because this is a browser-level regression, users cannot fix it manually.

However, you can:

✔️ Test extensions on other Chromium browsers

To confirm the issue is Atlas-specific.

✔️ Roll back to an older build (if available on your device)

Some users prefer stable versions.

✔️ Report broken extensions directly to OpenAI Atlas Team

The more reports they receive, the faster the fix.

✔️ Follow community threads for updates

The issue is actively being discussed.

❓ FAQ

1. Is this a device-specific bug?

No. Multiple users across different systems confirmed the exact same issue.

2. Is the missing cursor related to extension failures?

Indirectly, yes.
Both symptoms point to the same underlying issue:
event propagation is broken.

3. Do I need to reinstall Atlas?

No. Reinstallation will not fix the core event handling bug.

4. Do other Chromium browsers have this problem?

No. Chrome, Edge, Brave, Opera, etc. all handle modifier events correctly.

5. When will this be fixed?

There is no official ETA yet, but the issue has been acknowledged by users across multiple versions.

📌 Final Thoughts

This issue on Atlas affects more than UI polish — it breaks fundamental interaction logic that many productivity extensions rely on. Understanding how event propagation differs between Atlas and Chromium helps clarify why the browser is behaving this way.

For now, users may need to rely on alternative browsers for tasks requiring modifier-key actions until an official fix rolls out.

⚠️ Disclaimer

This article is based on publicly available user reports from the OpenAI community forum, specifically posts discussing:

Pointer cursor regression
Broken key-modifier interactions
Extension failures on Atlas versions 1.2025.302.4 and 1.2025.309.3

All technical explanations are derived from general browser behavior knowledge and analysis of user-described symptoms — not from internal or proprietary information.

The goal of this article is to help readers understand the issue, not to claim definitive internal causes.
Readers should refer to official Atlas documentation and updates for verified fixes.