diff --git a/apps/server/src/preview/ServerBrowserPage.test.ts b/apps/server/src/preview/ServerBrowserPage.test.ts
index 021cb70fb0aeb..bdef9483f17df 100644
--- a/apps/server/src/preview/ServerBrowserPage.test.ts
+++ b/apps/server/src/preview/ServerBrowserPage.test.ts
@@ -214,6 +214,25 @@ describe("server browser element refs", () => {
     expect(await page.getByRole("textbox", { name: "parent" }).inputValue()).toBe("");
   });
 
+  it("types after a click by coordinates into a shadow-root field, and refuses a field inside an editable frame", async () => {
+    await page.setContent(
+      `<div id="host"></div><div contenteditable="true"><iframe srcdoc="<input id=inner>"></iframe></div><script>document.getElementById("host").attachShadow({mode:"open"}).innerHTML = "<input id=field>";</script>`,
+    );
+    const field = page.locator("#host #field");
+    const box = (await field.boundingBox())!;
+    await page.mouse.click(box.x + box.width / 2, box.y + box.height / 2);
+    await ServerBrowserPage.type(page, { text: "shadow" });
+    expect(await field.inputValue()).toBe("shadow");
+
+    // Refused for now: focus inside a frame cannot be checked from the top document.
+    const inner = page.frameLocator("iframe").locator("#inner");
+    await inner.click();
+    await expect(ServerBrowserPage.type(page, { text: "frame" })).rejects.toMatchObject({
+      tag: "PreviewAutomationTargetNotEditableError",
+    });
+    expect(await inner.inputValue()).toBe("");
+  });
+
   it("shows dotted fields as dots wherever their value appears, keeping text values and refs", async () => {
     await page.setContent(`
       <table><tr><td>password:</td><td><input id="pw" type="password" aria-label="Password"></td></tr></table>
@@ -717,6 +736,55 @@ describe("server browser evaluate", () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe("server browser type", () => {
+  // As on a desktop tab whose Playwright utility world never answers.
+  const stalledPage = (focusAnswer: () => Promise<unknown>, typed: string[]) =>
+    ({
+      locator: () => ({ last: () => ({ count: () => new Promise<number>(() => {}) }) }),
+      evaluate: focusAnswer,
+      keyboard: { insertText: async (text: string) => void typed.push(text) },
+    }) as unknown as Page;
+
+  it("types into the focused field when Playwright's utility world never answers", async () => {
+    vi.useFakeTimers();
+    try {
+      const typed: string[] = [];
+      let outcome: unknown = "pending";
+      const page = stalledPage(async () => true, typed);
+      void ServerBrowserPage.type(page, { text: "hello", timeoutMs: 300 }).then(
+        () => (outcome = "typed"),
+        (error: unknown) => (outcome = error),
+      );
+      await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(300);
+      expect(outcome).toBe("typed");
+      expect(typed).toEqual(["hello"]);
+    } finally {
+      vi.useRealTimers();
+    }
+  });
+
+  it("stops at its timeout without typing when the page never answers", async () => {
+    vi.useFakeTimers();
+    try {
+      const typed: string[] = [];
+      let outcome: unknown = "pending";
+      const page = stalledPage(() => new Promise(() => {}), typed);
+      void ServerBrowserPage.type(page, { text: "hello", timeoutMs: 300 }).then(
+        () => (outcome = "typed"),
+        (error: unknown) => (outcome = error),
+      );
+      await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(300);
+      expect(outcome).toMatchObject({
+        tag: "PreviewAutomationTimeoutError",
+        detail: { timeoutMs: 300 },
+      });
+      expect(typed).toEqual([]);
+    } finally {
+      vi.useRealTimers();
+    }
+  });
+});
+
 describe("server browser unresponsive script", () => {
   it("leaves a page that answers alone", async () => {
     const send = vi.fn(async (_method: string) => ({}));
diff --git a/apps/server/src/preview/ServerBrowserPage.ts b/apps/server/src/preview/ServerBrowserPage.ts
index d3f7bf1d7c3f6..ef91254c75218 100644
--- a/apps/server/src/preview/ServerBrowserPage.ts
+++ b/apps/server/src/preview/ServerBrowserPage.ts
@@ -800,6 +800,76 @@ const clickTarget = async (
   return point;
 };
 
+type FocusCandidate = {
+  readonly tagName: string;
+  readonly type?: string;
+  readonly disabled?: boolean;
+  readonly readOnly?: boolean;
+  readonly isContentEditable?: boolean;
+  readonly shadowRoot?: { readonly activeElement: FocusCandidate | null } | null;
+  readonly focus?: () => void;
+  getRootNode(): { readonly activeElement?: FocusCandidate | null };
+  contains(other: FocusCandidate): boolean;
+};
+
+// Serialized into the page's main world, so it must not reference module scope.
+const focusTextTarget = (target: FocusCandidate | null) => {
+  let element =
+    target ??
+    (globalThis as unknown as { document: { activeElement: FocusCandidate | null } }).document
+      .activeElement;
+  if (target === null) {
+    while (element?.shadowRoot?.activeElement) element = element.shadowRoot.activeElement;
+    // Focus inside a frame cannot be checked from here, and an editable frame would pass as contentEditable.
+    if (element && ["IFRAME", "FRAME", "FENCEDFRAME", "OBJECT", "EMBED"].includes(element.tagName))
+      return false;
+  }
+  if (element == null) return false;
+  // Require an enabled, focused text target to avoid losing input or sending it to the previous field.
+  const nonText = [
+    "button",
+    "checkbox",
+    "color",
+    "file",
+    "hidden",
+    "image",
+    "radio",
+    "range",
+    "reset",
+    "submit",
+  ];
+  const textControl =
+    element.tagName === "TEXTAREA" ||
+    (element.tagName === "INPUT" && !nonText.includes(element.type ?? "text"));
+  if (!(textControl || element.isContentEditable) || element.disabled || element.readOnly) {
+    return false;
+  }
+  element.focus?.();
+  const active = element.getRootNode().activeElement;
+  return active != null && (active === element || element.contains(active));
+};
+
+// A `*:focus` locator needs Playwright's utility world, which some desktop tabs never get.
+const focusedTextField = async (page: Page, timeout: number) => {
+  let timer: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | undefined;
+  const expired = new Promise<never>((_, reject) => {
+    timer = setTimeout(
+      () =>
+        reject(
+          new ServerBrowserOperationError({
+            tag: "PreviewAutomationTimeoutError",
+            message: `The page did not report its focused element within ${timeout}ms, so no text was typed.`,
+            detail: { timeoutMs: timeout },
+          }),
+        ),
+      timeout,
+    );
+  });
+  return await Promise.race([page.evaluate(focusTextTarget, null), expired]).finally(() =>
+    clearTimeout(timer),
+  );
+};
+
 export const type = async (page: Page, input: PreviewAutomationTypeInput) => {
   const timeout = input.timeoutMs ?? DEFAULT_TIMEOUT_MS;
   const locator = targetLocator(page, input);
@@ -807,46 +877,10 @@ export const type = async (page: Page, input: PreviewAutomationTypeInput) => {
     await locator.fill(input.text, { timeout });
     return;
   }
-  // A shadow host also matches :focus; use its innermost focused descendant.
-  const target = locator ?? page.locator("*:focus").last();
   const focused =
-    (locator !== null || (await target.count()) > 0) &&
-    (await target.evaluate(
-      (element) => {
-        // Require an enabled, focused text target to avoid losing input or sending it to the previous field.
-        const control = element as unknown as {
-          readonly type?: string;
-          readonly disabled?: boolean;
-          readonly readOnly?: boolean;
-          readonly isContentEditable?: boolean;
-          readonly focus?: () => void;
-        };
-        const nonText = [
-          "button",
-          "checkbox",
-          "color",
-          "file",
-          "hidden",
-          "image",
-          "radio",
-          "range",
-          "reset",
-          "submit",
-        ];
-        const textControl =
-          element.tagName === "TEXTAREA" ||
-          (element.tagName === "INPUT" && !nonText.includes(control.type ?? "text"));
-        if (!(textControl || control.isContentEditable) || control.disabled || control.readOnly) {
-          return false;
-        }
-        control.focus?.();
-        const root = element.getRootNode() as { readonly activeElement?: typeof element | null };
-        const active = root.activeElement;
-        return active != null && (active === element || element.contains(active));
-      },
-      undefined,
-      { timeout },
-    ));
+    locator === null
+      ? await focusedTextField(page, timeout)
+      : await locator.evaluate(focusTextTarget, undefined, { timeout });
   if (focused !== true) {
     throw new ServerBrowserOperationError({
       tag: "PreviewAutomationTargetNotEditableError",