diff --git a/src/wayland/meta-wayland-keyboard.c b/src/wayland/meta-wayland-keyboard.c
index 801cf12a0..057b9be63 100644
--- a/src/wayland/meta-wayland-keyboard.c
+++ b/src/wayland/meta-wayland-keyboard.c
@@ -68,6 +68,7 @@
 
 static void meta_wayland_keyboard_update_xkb_state (MetaWaylandKeyboard *keyboard);
 static void notify_modifiers (MetaWaylandKeyboard *keyboard);
+static guint evdev_code (const ClutterKeyEvent *event);
 
 static void
 unbind_resource (struct wl_resource *resource)
@@ -245,8 +246,10 @@ keyboard_handle_focus_surface_destroy (struct wl_listener *listener, void *data)
 }
 
 static gboolean
-notify_key (MetaWaylandKeyboard *keyboard,
-            uint32_t time, uint32_t key, uint32_t state)
+meta_wayland_keyboard_broadcast_key (MetaWaylandKeyboard *keyboard,
+                                     uint32_t             time,
+                                     uint32_t             key,
+                                     uint32_t             state)
 {
   struct wl_resource *resource;
   struct wl_list *l;
@@ -269,8 +272,15 @@ notify_key (MetaWaylandKeyboard *keyboard,
   return (keyboard->focus_surface != NULL);
 }
 
+static gboolean
+notify_key (MetaWaylandKeyboard *keyboard,
+            const ClutterEvent  *event)
+{
+  return keyboard->grab->interface->key (keyboard->grab, event);
+}
+
 static void
-notify_modifiers (MetaWaylandKeyboard *keyboard)
+meta_wayland_keyboard_broadcast_modifiers (MetaWaylandKeyboard *keyboard)
 {
   struct xkb_state *state;
   struct wl_resource *resource;
@@ -295,6 +305,16 @@ notify_modifiers (MetaWaylandKeyboard *keyboard)
     }
 }
 
+static void
+notify_modifiers (MetaWaylandKeyboard *keyboard)
+{
+  struct xkb_state *state;
+
+  state = keyboard->xkb_info.state;
+  keyboard->grab->interface->modifiers (keyboard->grab,
+                                        xkb_state_serialize_mods (state, XKB_STATE_MODS_EFFECTIVE));
+}
+
 static void
 meta_wayland_keyboard_update_xkb_state (MetaWaylandKeyboard *keyboard)
 {
@@ -374,6 +394,45 @@ settings_changed (GSettings           *settings,
   notify_key_repeat (keyboard);
 }
 
+static gboolean
+default_grab_key (MetaWaylandKeyboardGrab *grab,
+                  const ClutterEvent      *event)
+{
+  MetaWaylandKeyboard *keyboard = grab->keyboard;
+  gboolean is_press = event->type == CLUTTER_KEY_PRESS;
+  guint32 code;
+#ifdef HAVE_NATIVE_BACKEND
+  MetaBackend *backend = meta_get_backend ();
+#endif
+
+  /* Synthetic key events are for autorepeat. Ignore those, as
+   * autorepeat in Wayland is done on the client side. */
+  if (event->key.flags & CLUTTER_EVENT_FLAG_SYNTHETIC)
+    return FALSE;
+
+#ifdef HAVE_NATIVE_BACKEND
+  if (META_IS_BACKEND_NATIVE (backend))
+    code = clutter_evdev_event_get_event_code (event);
+  else
+#endif
+    code = evdev_code (&event->key);
+
+  return meta_wayland_keyboard_broadcast_key (keyboard, event->key.time,
+                                              code, is_press);
+}
+
+static void
+default_grab_modifiers (MetaWaylandKeyboardGrab *grab,
+                        ClutterModifierType      modifiers)
+{
+  meta_wayland_keyboard_broadcast_modifiers (grab->keyboard);
+}
+
+static const MetaWaylandKeyboardGrabInterface default_keyboard_grab_interface = {
+  default_grab_key,
+  default_grab_modifiers
+};
+
 void
 meta_wayland_keyboard_init (MetaWaylandKeyboard *keyboard,
                             struct wl_display   *display)
@@ -391,6 +450,10 @@ meta_wayland_keyboard_init (MetaWaylandKeyboard *keyboard,
 
   keyboard->xkb_info.keymap_fd = -1;
 
+  keyboard->default_grab.interface = &default_keyboard_grab_interface;
+  keyboard->default_grab.keyboard = keyboard;
+  keyboard->grab = &keyboard->default_grab;
+
   keyboard->settings = g_settings_new ("org.gnome.desktop.peripherals.keyboard");
   g_signal_connect (keyboard->settings, "changed",
                     G_CALLBACK (settings_changed), keyboard);
@@ -457,10 +520,6 @@ meta_wayland_keyboard_handle_event (MetaWaylandKeyboard *keyboard,
 {
   gboolean is_press = event->type == CLUTTER_KEY_PRESS;
   gboolean handled;
-  guint32 code;
-#ifdef HAVE_NATIVE_BACKEND
-  MetaBackend *backend = meta_get_backend ();
-#endif
 
   /* Synthetic key events are for autorepeat. Ignore those, as
    * autorepeat in Wayland is done on the client side. */
@@ -471,14 +530,7 @@ meta_wayland_keyboard_handle_event (MetaWaylandKeyboard *keyboard,
 		is_press ? "press" : "release",
 		event->hardware_keycode);
 
-#ifdef HAVE_NATIVE_BACKEND
-  if (META_IS_BACKEND_NATIVE (backend))
-    code = clutter_evdev_event_get_event_code ((const ClutterEvent *) event);
-  else
-#endif
-    code = evdev_code (event);
-
-  handled = notify_key (keyboard, event->time, code, is_press);
+  handled = notify_key (keyboard, (const ClutterEvent *) event);
 
   if (handled)
     meta_verbose ("Sent event to wayland client\n");
@@ -696,3 +748,18 @@ meta_wayland_keyboard_can_popup (MetaWaylandKeyboard *keyboard,
 {
   return keyboard->key_serial == serial;
 }
+
+void
+meta_wayland_keyboard_start_grab (MetaWaylandKeyboard     *keyboard,
+                                  MetaWaylandKeyboardGrab *grab)
+{
+  meta_wayland_keyboard_set_focus (keyboard, NULL);
+  keyboard->grab = grab;
+  grab->keyboard = keyboard;
+}
+
+void
+meta_wayland_keyboard_end_grab (MetaWaylandKeyboard *keyboard)
+{
+  keyboard->grab = &keyboard->default_grab;
+}
diff --git a/src/wayland/meta-wayland-keyboard.h b/src/wayland/meta-wayland-keyboard.h
index 7127c0da9..be921ec50 100644
--- a/src/wayland/meta-wayland-keyboard.h
+++ b/src/wayland/meta-wayland-keyboard.h
@@ -49,6 +49,20 @@
 #include <wayland-server.h>
 #include <xkbcommon/xkbcommon.h>
 
+struct _MetaWaylandKeyboardGrabInterface
+{
+  gboolean (*key)       (MetaWaylandKeyboardGrab *grab,
+                         const ClutterEvent      *event);
+  void     (*modifiers) (MetaWaylandKeyboardGrab *grab,
+                         ClutterModifierType      modifiers);
+};
+
+struct _MetaWaylandKeyboardGrab
+{
+  const MetaWaylandKeyboardGrabInterface *interface;
+  MetaWaylandKeyboard *keyboard;
+};
+
 typedef struct
 {
   struct xkb_keymap *keymap;
@@ -73,6 +87,9 @@ struct _MetaWaylandKeyboard
   MetaWaylandXkbInfo xkb_info;
   enum xkb_state_component mods_changed;
 
+  MetaWaylandKeyboardGrab *grab;
+  MetaWaylandKeyboardGrab default_grab;
+
   GSettings *settings;
 };
 
@@ -104,4 +121,8 @@ void meta_wayland_keyboard_create_new_resource (MetaWaylandKeyboard *keyboard,
 gboolean meta_wayland_keyboard_can_popup (MetaWaylandKeyboard *keyboard,
                                           uint32_t             serial);
 
+void meta_wayland_keyboard_start_grab (MetaWaylandKeyboard     *keyboard,
+                                       MetaWaylandKeyboardGrab *grab);
+void meta_wayland_keyboard_end_grab   (MetaWaylandKeyboard     *keyboard);
+
 #endif /* META_WAYLAND_KEYBOARD_H */
diff --git a/src/wayland/meta-wayland-types.h b/src/wayland/meta-wayland-types.h
index ba5b66e5d..bea5e20aa 100644
--- a/src/wayland/meta-wayland-types.h
+++ b/src/wayland/meta-wayland-types.h
@@ -29,6 +29,8 @@ typedef struct _MetaWaylandPointerGrabInterface MetaWaylandPointerGrabInterface;
 typedef struct _MetaWaylandPopupGrab MetaWaylandPopupGrab;
 typedef struct _MetaWaylandPopup MetaWaylandPopup;
 typedef struct _MetaWaylandKeyboard MetaWaylandKeyboard;
+typedef struct _MetaWaylandKeyboardGrab MetaWaylandKeyboardGrab;
+typedef struct _MetaWaylandKeyboardGrabInterface MetaWaylandKeyboardGrabInterface;
 typedef struct _MetaWaylandTouch MetaWaylandTouch;
 typedef struct _MetaWaylandDragDestFuncs MetaWaylandDragDestFuncs;
 typedef struct _MetaWaylandDataOffer MetaWaylandDataOffer;