diff --git a/crates/gpui_linux/src/linux/platform.rs b/crates/gpui_linux/src/linux/platform.rs
index 5da8b5a27f..7bf77a1bc3 100644
--- a/crates/gpui_linux/src/linux/platform.rs
+++ b/crates/gpui_linux/src/linux/platform.rs
@@ -899,9 +899,13 @@ pub(super) fn is_within_click_distance(a: Point<Pixels>, b: Point<Pixels>) -> bo
     diff.x.abs() <= DOUBLE_CLICK_DISTANCE && diff.y.abs() <= DOUBLE_CLICK_DISTANCE
 }
 
+/// Creates an XKB context for keymaps supplied by Wayland or X11.
+///
+/// Server keymaps are already resolved and need no local keyboard definitions.
+/// Loading default include paths can fail on systems without those files.
 #[cfg(any(feature = "wayland", feature = "x11"))]
 pub(super) fn new_xkb_context() -> anyhow::Result<xkb::Context> {
-    validate_xkb_context(xkb::Context::new(xkb::CONTEXT_NO_FLAGS))
+    validate_xkb_context(xkb::Context::new(xkb::CONTEXT_NO_DEFAULT_INCLUDES))
 }
 
 #[cfg(any(feature = "wayland", feature = "x11"))]
diff --git a/crates/gpui_linux/src/linux/x11/client.rs b/crates/gpui_linux/src/linux/x11/client.rs
index 28c4189ca6..3ab9a6e6e4 100644
--- a/crates/gpui_linux/src/linux/x11/client.rs
+++ b/crates/gpui_linux/src/linux/x11/client.rs
@@ -2847,7 +2847,9 @@ mod tests {
     }
 
     fn test_keymap_with_variant(layouts: &str, variant: &str) -> xkbc::Keymap {
-        let context = new_xkb_context().expect("test XKB context should initialize");
+        // These fixtures compile layout names from local files, unlike server keymaps.
+        let context = xkbc::Context::new(xkbc::CONTEXT_NO_FLAGS);
+        assert!(!context.get_raw_ptr().is_null());
         xkbc::Keymap::new_from_names(
             &context,
             "",