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Input Method Write Mode in Browser extension

Feature Request / Bug Report

Hi Blabby Team,

First of all, great work on the app!

I noticed that in the Input Method settings (v2.1.1), there are currently options for Paste Mode and Write Mode. However, an option for the Browser Extension integration seems to be missing.

It would be super helpful to have a dedicated Input Method setting/option specifically tailored for interactions via the Browser Extension.

Thanks for considering this! Best regards,

Posted by Tekno Phaze ·
8 comments

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Comments8

  • BlabbyAI Dev

    Team•

    Aug 8

    Hi Tenko

    I did some research into this, and unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be a reliable way for a browser extension to simulate real keyboard presses. There are a few workarounds, but they aren’t consistent across different websites and input fields.

    Could you let me know which website is triggering the copy-paste warning? I’d like to test it myself and see if there’s a workaround we can implement specifically for cases like this.

    • Tekno Phaze

      •

      Aug 8

      Simulate Real Keystrokes: Could the "Write Mode" be enhanced to simulate actual, native hardware key presses step-by-step? Currently, the dictated text is often flagged as a copy-and-paste action by web applications, which triggers anti-paste warnings or blocks the input. Making it act like true mechanical typing would bypass these restrictions cleanly.

      2. Geoblocking Note: The internal website/platform I'm working with is strictly geo-restricted to Germany, so testing this from other regions isn't directly possible without local access

    • Tekno Phaze

      •

      Aug 9

      Hi,

      Thanks for looking into this! Unfortunately, I can't share the specific site since it's an internal work platform restricted to Germany, so testing it directly won't be possible.

      However, from a technical perspective, many extensions handle input field interactions and bypass copy-paste/input restrictions without relying on native OS keystrokes by using a few standard Web API approaches:

      • document.execCommand('insertText'): Fires a native insertion event at the current selection, which most rich-text editors and input fields process like natural typing without triggering paste warnings.

      • Synthetic Event Chains: Dispatching a full sequence of keydown, keypress, beforeinput, input, and keyup events (specifically ensuring isTrusted or Framework-level state updates like React/Draft.js are triggered).

      • Native Messaging API: For cases where browser-level APIs are fully blocked, using a lightweight local host module to send true OS-level keystrokes.

      Maybe one of these methods could be integrated as a fallback or experimental "Browser Extension Write Mode" setting?

      Thanks again for your effort and support!

      • BlabbyAI Dev

        Team•

        Aug 9

        Hi,

        Thanks for the suggestions! We actually already use these different insertion methods.

        The challenge is making text insertion work reliably across as many websites as possible. For regular input and textarea fields, we found insertText to be the most reliable. For contenteditable fields, most work better with copy/paste and often don't properly support insertText.

        I assume your platform is using a contenteditable, which is probably why Blabby is using the copy/paste method there.

        That's also why I asked for the specific website. When a user reports an issue like this, we usually test that particular implementation and customize the insertion behavior specifically for that website, for example using insertText there instead of the default copy/paste method.

        Since I can't access your platform, if you can test insertText there and confirm that it works, just send me the website URL and I can add that behavior specifically for it.

        Thanks!

  • Tekno Phaze

    •

    Aug 8

    I noticed a small usability issue regarding how transcribed text is output:

    1. Inconsistent Input Behavior: The dictated text is not always recognized/inserted as direct typing in target fields.

    2. Copy-Paste Warning Trigger: In some web applications or browser extensions, the dictated output is flagged as a copy-and-paste action (or triggers anti-paste / copy-paste warnings).

    It would be great if the extension/app could handle the text insertion more seamlessly so target inputs consistently register it as natural key presses or avoid triggering strict copy-paste filters.