diff --git a/river/Seat.zig b/river/Seat.zig
index 627e2f9..f1d8aa4 100644
--- a/river/Seat.zig
+++ b/river/Seat.zig
@@ -234,9 +234,28 @@ pub fn setFocusRaw(self: *Self, new_focus: FocusTarget) void {
     switch (self.focused) {
         .view => |view| {
             view.pending.focus -= 1;
-            if (view.pending.focus == 0) view.setActivated(false);
+
+            if (view.pending.focus == 0) {
+                if (build_options.xwayland) {
+                    if (new_focus != .xwayland_override_redirect or
+                        new_focus.xwayland_override_redirect.parent_view != view)
+                    {
+                        view.setActivated(false);
+                    }
+                } else view.setActivated(false);
+            }
+        },
+        .xwayland_override_redirect => |override_redirect| {
+            if (override_redirect.parent_view) |pv| {
+                if (!(new_focus == .view and new_focus.view == pv) and
+                    !(new_focus == .xwayland_override_redirect and new_focus.xwayland_override_redirect.parent_view == pv) and
+                    pv.pending.focus == 0)
+                {
+                    pv.setActivated(false);
+                }
+            }
         },
-        .xwayland_override_redirect, .layer, .lock_surface, .none => {},
+        .layer, .lock_surface, .none => {},
     }
 
     // Set the new focus
@@ -244,7 +263,17 @@ pub fn setFocusRaw(self: *Self, new_focus: FocusTarget) void {
         .view => |target_view| {
             assert(server.lock_manager.state == .unlocked);
             assert(self.focused_output == target_view.output);
-            if (target_view.pending.focus == 0) target_view.setActivated(true);
+
+            if (target_view.pending.focus == 0) {
+                if (build_options.xwayland) {
+                    if (self.focused != .xwayland_override_redirect or
+                        self.focused.xwayland_override_redirect.parent_view != target_view)
+                    {
+                        target_view.setActivated(true);
+                    }
+                } else target_view.setActivated(true);
+            }
+
             target_view.pending.focus += 1;
             target_view.pending.urgent = false;
         },
diff --git a/river/XwaylandOverrideRedirect.zig b/river/XwaylandOverrideRedirect.zig
index 6b61100..424b50a 100644
--- a/river/XwaylandOverrideRedirect.zig
+++ b/river/XwaylandOverrideRedirect.zig
@@ -34,6 +34,9 @@ const log = std.log.scoped(.xwayland);
 /// The corresponding wlroots object
 xwayland_surface: *wlr.XwaylandSurface,
 
+// Keep track of the parent top-level Xwayland view previously focused
+parent_view: ?*View = null,
+
 // Listeners that are always active over the view's lifetime
 request_configure: wl.Listener(*wlr.XwaylandSurface.event.Configure) =
     wl.Listener(*wlr.XwaylandSurface.event.Configure).init(handleRequestConfigure),
@@ -100,7 +103,23 @@ pub fn handleMap(listener: *wl.Listener(*wlr.XwaylandSurface), xwayland_surface:
     if (self.xwayland_surface.overrideRedirectWantsFocus() and
         self.xwayland_surface.icccmInputModel() != .none)
     {
-        server.input_manager.defaultSeat().setFocusRaw(.{ .xwayland_override_redirect = self });
+        const seat = server.input_manager.defaultSeat();
+
+        // Get top-level Xwayland view so that the seat can keep it activated, in
+        // case this is a menu that has not been filtered out by the heuristic
+        // or ICCCM input model above.
+        if (seat.focused == .view and
+            seat.focused.view.impl == .xwayland_view and
+            seat.focused.view.impl.xwayland_view.xwayland_surface.pid == self.xwayland_surface.pid)
+        {
+            self.parent_view = seat.focused.view;
+        } else if (seat.focused == .xwayland_override_redirect and
+            seat.focused.xwayland_override_redirect.xwayland_surface.pid == self.xwayland_surface.pid)
+        {
+            self.parent_view = seat.focused.xwayland_override_redirect.parent_view;
+        }
+
+        seat.setFocusRaw(.{ .xwayland_override_redirect = self });
     }
 }