diff --git a/src/compositor.c b/src/compositor.c
index 43d8965c..df9a5bf4 100644
--- a/src/compositor.c
+++ b/src/compositor.c
@@ -2829,6 +2829,7 @@ weston_compositor_init(struct weston_compositor *ec,
 	weston_plane_init(&ec->primary_plane, 0, 0);
 	weston_compositor_stack_plane(ec, &ec->primary_plane, NULL);
 
+	ec->use_xkbcommon = 1;
 	s = weston_config_get_section(ec->config, "keyboard", NULL, NULL);
 	weston_config_section_get_string(s, "keymap_rules",
 					 (char **) &xkb_names.rules, NULL);
diff --git a/src/compositor.h b/src/compositor.h
index 41919502..bd6344d6 100644
--- a/src/compositor.h
+++ b/src/compositor.h
@@ -578,6 +578,9 @@ struct weston_compositor {
 	struct xkb_rule_names xkb_names;
 	struct xkb_context *xkb_context;
 	struct weston_xkb_info xkb_info;
+
+	/* Raw keyboard processing (no libxkbcommon initialization or handling) */
+	int use_xkbcommon;
 };
 
 struct weston_buffer {
diff --git a/src/input.c b/src/input.c
index 1737beb0..a86bb7e5 100644
--- a/src/input.c
+++ b/src/input.c
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@
 #include <sys/mman.h>
 #include <assert.h>
 #include <unistd.h>
+#include <fcntl.h>
 
 #include "../shared/os-compatibility.h"
 #include "compositor.h"
@@ -817,6 +818,10 @@ update_modifier_state(struct weston_seat *seat, uint32_t serial, uint32_t key,
 {
 	enum xkb_key_direction direction;
 
+	/* Keyboard modifiers don't exist in raw keyboard mode */
+	if (!seat->compositor->use_xkbcommon)
+		return;
+
 	if (state == WL_KEYBOARD_KEY_STATE_PRESSED)
 		direction = XKB_KEY_DOWN;
 	else
@@ -1206,9 +1211,17 @@ seat_get_keyboard(struct wl_client *client, struct wl_resource *resource,
 	wl_list_insert(&seat->keyboard->resource_list, wl_resource_get_link(cr));
 	wl_resource_set_destructor(cr, unbind_resource);
 
-	wl_keyboard_send_keymap(cr, WL_KEYBOARD_KEYMAP_FORMAT_XKB_V1,
-				seat->xkb_info.keymap_fd,
-				seat->xkb_info.keymap_size);
+	if (seat->compositor->use_xkbcommon) {
+		wl_keyboard_send_keymap(cr, WL_KEYBOARD_KEYMAP_FORMAT_XKB_V1,
+					seat->xkb_info.keymap_fd,
+					seat->xkb_info.keymap_size);
+	} else {
+		int null_fd = open("/dev/null", O_RDONLY);
+		wl_keyboard_send_keymap(cr, WL_KEYBOARD_KEYMAP_FORMAT_NO_KEYMAP,
+					null_fd,
+					0);
+		close(null_fd);
+	}
 
 	if (seat->keyboard->focus &&
 	    wl_resource_get_client(seat->keyboard->focus->resource) == client) {
@@ -1267,6 +1280,13 @@ int
 weston_compositor_xkb_init(struct weston_compositor *ec,
 			   struct xkb_rule_names *names)
 {
+	/*
+	 * If we're operating in raw keyboard mode, libxkbcommon isn't used and
+	 * shouldn't be initialized.
+	 */
+	if (!ec->use_xkbcommon)
+		return 0;
+
 	if (ec->xkb_context == NULL) {
 		ec->xkb_context = xkb_context_new(0);
 		if (ec->xkb_context == NULL) {
@@ -1301,6 +1321,13 @@ static void xkb_info_destroy(struct weston_xkb_info *xkb_info)
 void
 weston_compositor_xkb_destroy(struct weston_compositor *ec)
 {
+	/*
+	 * If we're operating in raw keyboard mode, we never initialized
+	 * libxkbcommon so there's no cleanup to do either.
+	 */
+	if (!ec->use_xkbcommon)
+		return;
+
 	free((char *) ec->xkb_names.rules);
 	free((char *) ec->xkb_names.model);
 	free((char *) ec->xkb_names.layout);
@@ -1405,25 +1432,28 @@ weston_seat_init_keyboard(struct weston_seat *seat, struct xkb_keymap *keymap)
 	if (seat->keyboard)
 		return 0;
 
-	if (keymap != NULL) {
-		seat->xkb_info.keymap = xkb_map_ref(keymap);
-		if (weston_xkb_info_new_keymap(&seat->xkb_info) < 0)
-			return -1;
-	} else {
-		if (weston_compositor_build_global_keymap(seat->compositor) < 0)
+
+	if (seat->compositor->use_xkbcommon) {
+		if (keymap != NULL) {
+			seat->xkb_info.keymap = xkb_map_ref(keymap);
+			if (weston_xkb_info_new_keymap(&seat->xkb_info) < 0)
+				return -1;
+		} else {
+			if (weston_compositor_build_global_keymap(seat->compositor) < 0)
+				return -1;
+			seat->xkb_info = seat->compositor->xkb_info;
+			seat->xkb_info.keymap = xkb_map_ref(seat->xkb_info.keymap);
+		}
+
+		seat->xkb_state.state = xkb_state_new(seat->xkb_info.keymap);
+		if (seat->xkb_state.state == NULL) {
+			weston_log("failed to initialise XKB state\n");
 			return -1;
-		seat->xkb_info = seat->compositor->xkb_info;
-		seat->xkb_info.keymap = xkb_map_ref(seat->xkb_info.keymap);
-	}
+		}
 
-	seat->xkb_state.state = xkb_state_new(seat->xkb_info.keymap);
-	if (seat->xkb_state.state == NULL) {
-		weston_log("failed to initialise XKB state\n");
-		return -1;
+		seat->xkb_state.leds = 0;
 	}
 
-	seat->xkb_state.leds = 0;
-
 	keyboard = weston_keyboard_create();
 	if (keyboard == NULL) {
 		weston_log("failed to allocate weston keyboard struct\n");
@@ -1507,9 +1537,11 @@ weston_seat_release(struct weston_seat *seat)
 	wl_list_remove(&seat->link);
 	/* The global object is destroyed at wl_display_destroy() time. */
 
-	if (seat->xkb_state.state != NULL)
-		xkb_state_unref(seat->xkb_state.state);
-	xkb_info_destroy(&seat->xkb_info);
+	if (seat->compositor->use_xkbcommon) {
+		if (seat->xkb_state.state != NULL)
+			xkb_state_unref(seat->xkb_state.state);
+		xkb_info_destroy(&seat->xkb_info);
+	}
 
 	if (seat->pointer)
 		weston_pointer_destroy(seat->pointer);