Browser is stuck maximized about awesome HOT 5 CLOSED

There's a third option, which covers the vast majority of these cases: User error. You opened that same browser in a floating-based desktop environment before, maximized it there and now the size hints work as designed.
Browsers are one of the few applications that save their windows' geometry at close and try to request the same setup when started. Awesome is, by default, configured to honor those so-called size hints.

Focus the window, hit your "toggle maximized" hotkey once (or create one). As long as you don't switch window managers again, it'll remember to not request being maximized.

from awesome.

I have not installed a different desktop environment before on this install, which is automated via a script.
The unmaximize did not work via the following binding

    awful.key({ "Mod4",           }, "m", function (c)
          naughty.notify({text="ok go(1)"})
          c.maximized_horizontal = not c.maximized_horizontal
          naughty.notify({text="ok go(2)"})
          c.maximized_vertical   = not c.maximized_vertical
          naughty.notify({text="ok go(3)"})
    end),

naughty.notify for debug purposes just in case, as per this stackoverflow post
Some ancient stack exchange posts recommends a timed trigger, but that sounds wrong (source)

Is there any further debugging I should do, perhaps a log file I'm not aware off?

from awesome.

Awesome is, by default, configured to honor those so-called size hints

Alternatively, just changing this default would be sufficient in my case

from awesome.

Awesome is, by default, configured to honor those so-called size hints

Alternatively, just changing this default would be sufficient in my case

Maybe you want to try some variant of the snippet from #3345 (comment)

from awesome.

So the issue fixed itself and I have no idea how.
I did not follow the steps outlined by @Aire-One.
If anyone stumbles upon this in the future, good luck

from awesome.