diff --git a/sesman/chansrv/input_ibus.c b/sesman/chansrv/input_ibus.c
index f986fc6f..5b736e91 100644
--- a/sesman/chansrv/input_ibus.c
+++ b/sesman/chansrv/input_ibus.c
@@ -196,29 +196,43 @@ xrdp_input_enable(void)
     desc = ibus_bus_get_global_engine(local_bus);
     name = desc != NULL ? ibus_engine_desc_get_name(desc) : NULL;
 
-    if (name != NULL && g_ascii_strcasecmp(name, "XrdpIme") == 0 &&
-        g_engine != NULL)
+    if (name != NULL && g_ascii_strcasecmp(name, "XrdpIme") == 0)
     {
-        g_object_unref(desc);
-        g_object_unref(local_bus);
-        return TRUE;
+        if (g_engine != NULL)
+        {
+            g_object_unref(desc);
+            g_object_unref(local_bus);
+            return TRUE;
+        }
+        /* XrdpIme is already the global engine, but ibus_bus_set_global_
+         * engine() only sets the *name* synchronously - the actual
+         * engine instance (g_engine) is created asynchronously after.
+         * This is that brief in-flight window, NOT a case of some
+         * other engine having taken over, so it must not hit the
+         * "leave a deliberately different engine alone" guard below
+         * (name == "XrdpIme" is *always* != last_input_name by
+         * construction, so that guard would otherwise reject every
+         * commit that lands in this window - which, since composing
+         * even one phrase sends several characters in quick
+         * succession, was most of them). Fall through and let the
+         * queue/prepare-check mechanism wait for g_engine as usual. */
     }
-
-    /* Only reclaim XrdpIme if the current engine is either unset, or is
-     * the original one we remembered before ever switching away from
-     * it (last_input_name) - that's ibus silently reverting on its
-     * own, which is exactly the scenario this reassertion exists to
-     * fix. If it's some OTHER named engine, that's a deliberate user
-     * action (e.g. manually switching to a native engine like
-     * libpinyin to compose directly in the remote session), possibly
-     * well before this call - forcibly reclaiming XrdpIme would yank
-     * that away mid-use for the sake of a single, possibly stale or
-     * deferred commit (e.g. macOS auto-flushing a composition that was
-     * left pending after the user moved on to something else). Drop
-     * this commit instead and leave the user's active choice alone. */
-    if (last_input_name != NULL && name != NULL &&
-        g_ascii_strcasecmp(name, last_input_name) != 0)
+    else if (last_input_name != NULL && name != NULL &&
+             g_ascii_strcasecmp(name, last_input_name) != 0)
     {
+        /* Only reclaim XrdpIme if the current engine is either unset,
+         * or is the original one we remembered before ever switching
+         * away from it (last_input_name) - that's ibus silently
+         * reverting on its own, which is exactly the scenario this
+         * reassertion exists to fix. Anything else named is a
+         * deliberate user action (e.g. manually switching to a native
+         * engine like libpinyin to compose directly in the remote
+         * session), possibly well before this call - forcibly
+         * reclaiming XrdpIme would yank that away mid-use for the sake
+         * of a single, possibly stale or deferred commit (e.g. macOS
+         * auto-flushing a composition left pending after the user
+         * moved on to something else). Drop this commit instead and
+         * leave the user's active choice alone. */
         LOG(LOG_LEVEL_WARNING,
             "xrdp_input_enable: global engine is \"%s\", not XrdpIme or "
             "the original \"%s\" - leaving it alone rather than "