diff --git a/CHANGELOG.rst b/CHANGELOG.rst
index 5425b4bbd..6f1d442d3 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.rst
+++ b/CHANGELOG.rst
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ This release fixes the following regressions identified in 4.1.0:
 - Fixed spurious error output when completing remote file paths for ``scp`` (:issue:`11860`).
 - Fixed an issue where focus events (currently only enabled in ``tmux``) would cause multiline prompts to be redrawn in the wrong line (:issue:`11870`).
 - Stopped printing output that would cause a glitch on old versions of Midnight Commander (:issue:`11869`).
-- Added a workaround for old versions of Zellij where :kbd:`escape` processing was delayed (:issue:`11868`).
+- Added a fix for some configurations of Zellij where :kbd:`escape` key processing was delayed (:issue:`11868`).
 - Fixed a case where the :doc:`web-based configuration tool <cmds/fish_config>` would generate invalid configuration (:issue:`11861`).
 - Fixed a case where upgrading fish would break old versions of fish that were still running.
 
diff --git a/src/input_common.rs b/src/input_common.rs
index 2dc25cdb2..55b282a04 100644
--- a/src/input_common.rs
+++ b/src/input_common.rs
@@ -12,8 +12,8 @@
 use crate::reader::reader_test_and_clear_interrupted;
 use crate::threads::iothread_port;
 use crate::tty_handoff::{
-    get_kitty_keyboard_capability, maybe_set_kitty_keyboard_capability,
-    maybe_set_scroll_content_up_capability, SCROLL_CONTENT_UP_TERMINFO_CODE, XTVERSION,
+    maybe_set_kitty_keyboard_capability, maybe_set_scroll_content_up_capability,
+    SCROLL_CONTENT_UP_TERMINFO_CODE, XTVERSION,
 };
 use crate::universal_notifier::default_notifier;
 use crate::wchar::{encode_byte_to_char, prelude::*};
@@ -983,16 +983,13 @@ fn try_readb(&mut self, buffer: &mut Vec<u8>) -> Option<u8> {
         let fd = self.get_in_fd();
         if !check_fd_readable(
             fd,
-            Duration::from_millis(
-                if self.paste_is_buffering()
-                    || self.is_blocked_querying()
-                    || get_kitty_keyboard_capability() == Some(&true)
-                {
-                    300
-                } else {
-                    1
-                },
-            ),
+            Duration::from_millis(if self.paste_is_buffering() || self.is_blocked_querying() {
+                300
+            } else if buffer == b"\x1b" {
+                1 // distinguish legacy escape
+            } else {
+                30
+            }),
         ) {
             FLOG!(
                 reader,
diff --git a/src/tty_handoff.rs b/src/tty_handoff.rs
index e262ec5e5..6fe68c8dd 100644
--- a/src/tty_handoff.rs
+++ b/src/tty_handoff.rs
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
 use crate::threads::assert_is_main_thread;
 use crate::wchar::prelude::*;
 use crate::wchar_ext::ToWString;
-use crate::wutil::{fish_wcstoul, perror, wcstoi};
+use crate::wutil::{perror, wcstoi};
 use libc::{EINVAL, ENOTTY, EPERM, STDIN_FILENO, WNOHANG};
 use once_cell::sync::OnceCell;
 use std::mem::MaybeUninit;
@@ -27,11 +27,6 @@
 /// Whether kitty keyboard protocol support is present in the TTY.
 static KITTY_KEYBOARD_SUPPORTED: OnceCell<bool> = OnceCell::new();
 
-/// Get whether the TTY supports the kitty keyboard protocol.
-pub fn get_kitty_keyboard_capability() -> Option<&'static bool> {
-    KITTY_KEYBOARD_SUPPORTED.get()
-}
-
 /// Set that the TTY supports the kitty keyboard protocol.
 pub fn maybe_set_kitty_keyboard_capability() {
     KITTY_KEYBOARD_SUPPORTED.get_or_init(|| true);
@@ -66,8 +61,6 @@ pub enum TtyQuirks {
     PreCsiMidnightCommander,
     // Running in iTerm2 before 3.5.12, which causes issues when using the kitty keyboard protocol.
     PreKittyIterm2,
-    // Running in Zellij before 0.42.0 which fails to activate the kitty keyboard protocol.
-    PreKittyZellij,
     // Whether we are running under tmux.
     Tmux,
     // Whether we are running under WezTerm.
@@ -84,8 +77,6 @@ fn detect(vars: &dyn Environment, xtversion: &wstr) -> Self {
             PreCsiMidnightCommander
         } else if get_iterm2_version(xtversion).is_some_and(|v| v < (3, 5, 12)) {
             PreKittyIterm2
-        } else if get_zellij_version(xtversion).is_some_and(|v| v < 4200) {
-            PreKittyZellij
         } else if xtversion.starts_with(L!("tmux ")) {
             Tmux
         } else if xtversion.starts_with(L!("WezTerm ")) {
@@ -160,11 +151,11 @@ impl TtyQuirks {
     // Determine which keyboard protocol.
     // This is used from a signal handler.
     fn safe_get_supported_protocol(&self) -> ProtocolKind {
-        use TtyQuirks::{PreCsiMidnightCommander, PreKittyIterm2, PreKittyZellij, Wezterm};
+        use TtyQuirks::{PreCsiMidnightCommander, PreKittyIterm2, Wezterm};
         if *self == PreCsiMidnightCommander {
             return ProtocolKind::None;
         }
-        if matches!(*self, PreKittyIterm2 | PreKittyZellij) {
+        if *self == PreKittyIterm2 {
             return ProtocolKind::Other;
         }
         match KITTY_KEYBOARD_SUPPORTED.get() {
@@ -635,8 +626,3 @@ fn get_iterm2_version(xtversion: &wstr) -> Option<(u32, u32, u32)> {
         wcstoi(parts.next()?).ok()?,
     ))
 }
-
-fn get_zellij_version(xtversion: &wstr) -> Option<u64> {
-    let number = xtversion.strip_prefix("Zellij(")?.strip_suffix(")")?;
-    fish_wcstoul(number).ok()
-}
diff --git a/src/wchar_ext.rs b/src/wchar_ext.rs
index 5484d1eb6..89c96254d 100644
--- a/src/wchar_ext.rs
+++ b/src/wchar_ext.rs
@@ -297,14 +297,6 @@ fn ends_with<Suffix: IntoCharIter>(&self, suffix: Suffix) -> bool {
         )
     }
 
-    fn strip_suffix<Suffix: IntoCharIter>(&self, suffix: Suffix) -> Option<&wstr> {
-        // Note the above trait requires a double ended iterator.
-        let iter = suffix.chars().rev();
-        let suffix_len = iter.clone().count();
-        iter_prefixes_iter(iter, self.as_char_slice().iter().rev().copied())
-            .then(|| self.slice_to(self.char_count() - suffix_len))
-    }
-
     fn trim_matches(&self, pat: char) -> &wstr {
         let slice = self.as_char_slice();
         let leading_count = slice.chars().take_while(|&c| c == pat).count();