Maestro inputText types whole string at once; debounced inputs only fire once (real Maestro types per-keystroke)

[Rohit3523]

Summary

Maestro inputText in agent-device injects the whole string at once instead of typing it per-keystroke, so a debounced onChange only fires once instead of once per character. Real Maestro types each key individually with pacing, which is what makes debounced-input testing work.

The difference

	Real Maestro	agent-device --maestro
inputText	injects each character/keyevent individually	sends the whole string in one shot
Debounced field	onChange fires per character	onChange fires once at the end
Debounce testing	works	not representative

Why this happens in agent-device

The Maestro runtime maps inputText to the type command with no delay-ms:

1. packages/maestro/.../runtime-port-commands.ts — executeTextCommand calls operations.inputText({ text }).
2. The daemon adapter projects it to { command: 'type', positionals: [text] } — no delay flag.
3. src/daemon/type-text-runtime.ts:78 — delayMs = context.delayMs ?? 0 → 0.
4. packages/platform-android/.../text-input.ts typeAndroid with delayMs === 0:
   • via the bundled test IME: sends the entire line as one batch broadcast (chunks = [whole text]);
   • via the adb shell fallback: chunks at 8 chars with no delay between chunks.

So the whole string lands effectively instantly. The per-char pacing machinery already exists — when delayMs > 0, typeAndroid switches to chunkSize: 1 with a sleep between characters (text-input.ts:57-60) — but no delay ever flows in from the Maestro runtime.

Also worth noting: Maestro's inputText grammar only accepts text + label (there is no per-command delay knob), so the Maestro runtime currently has no way to request paced typing at all.

Proposed direction (for discussion)

Make --maestro inputText debounce-testable like real Maestro. Options:

1. Default the Maestro inputText path to per-char pacing (chunk size 1 + small inter-keystroke delay) to match real Maestro semantics, instead of delay 0.
2. Expose a pacing knob in the Maestro grammar (inputText: { text, delayMs } or similar) so users can choose instant vs. per-keystroke.

Prefer whichever the maintainers feel best preserves Maestro fidelity as the default while keeping an escape hatch for fast fills.

Environment

• agent-device Maestro compatibility backend (replay *.yaml --maestro)
• Android (test IME batch broadcast path and adb-shell fallback behave the same)

[Rohit3523]

@thymikee What do you think about this?

[thymikee]

Validated as a real Maestro-compatibility bug: the current route reaches with zero delay, so Android’s test-IME/shell path can commit the full value as one change instead of upstream Maestro’s character cadence. This needs a human policy decision before implementation: prefer Maestro-owned internal pacing scoped per platform after verifying current upstream cadence; do not add a new flow grammar knob by default because upstream Maestro does not expose one. Marking + .

[thymikee]

Correction with exact wording: Validated as a real Maestro compatibility bug. The current inputText route reaches type with zero delay, so Android test IME or shell input can commit the full value as one change instead of upstream Maestro character cadence. This needs a human policy decision before implementation: prefer Maestro-owned internal pacing scoped per platform after verifying current upstream cadence. Do not add a new flow grammar knob by default because upstream Maestro does not expose one. Labels applied: bug and needs-triage.