Release v1.7.3: Dock mode fix, audio diagnostics, typing for remote desktops

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ All notable changes to OpenWritr will be documented in this file.
 Each release's notes on GitHub are generated from its section here, and the
 broker publication handoff fails when the section for a tag is missing or empty.
 
-## [1.7.3] — 2026-10-10
+## [1.7.3] — 2026-10-13
 
 ### Fixed
 - Switching between Dock Only and Dock and Menu Bar no longer fails. macOS refuses to set an activation policy that is already in effect, and both Dock modes use the same one, so the change was rejected
@@ -14,6 +14,9 @@ broker publication handoff fails when the section for a tag is missing or empty.
 ### Changed
 - Microphone error logs now include a privacy-safe device summary (how the microphone was chosen, transport such as Bluetooth or USB, channels, sample rate, whether another app is using it, and microphone permission) so Core Audio failures can be diagnosed without asking for details. Device names and identifiers are never logged
 
+### Added
+- Experimental setting **Type Text in Remote Desktop Apps**. Windows App copies the Mac clipboard to the remote PC only after you leave its window, so an automatic paste could insert old text. With the setting on, and Windows App frontmost, OpenWritr types the text key by key using your current Mac keyboard layout instead and leaves the clipboard untouched. The remote PC needs the same layout; characters without a plain key (emoji, Option-layer symbols) are skipped. Off by default
+
 ## [1.7.2] — 2026-10-09
 
 ### Fixed

Info.plist

@@ -7,9 +7,9 @@
     <key>CFBundleIdentifier</key>
     <string>com.openwritr.app</string>
     <key>CFBundleVersion</key>
-    <string>1.7.2</string>
+    <string>1.7.3</string>
     <key>CFBundleShortVersionString</key>
-    <string>1.7.2</string>
+    <string>1.7.3</string>
     <key>NSHumanReadableCopyright</key>
     <string>Copyright © 2026 Torsten Mahr. Released under the MIT License.</string>
     <key>OpenWritrDescription</key>

README.md

@@ -80,6 +80,14 @@ Clipboard-only works even with Auto-Paste off. Successful copying intentionally
 
 Normal Auto-Paste restores the original clipboard, including an empty clipboard, unless another application or the user has changed it. Output errors are shown explicitly; delayed restoration errors appear as a dismissible menu warning. With Auto-Paste off, standard recordings remain inside OpenWritr and are not copied automatically.
 
+### Remote desktop apps (experimental)
+
+Windows App copies the Mac clipboard to the remote PC only after you leave its window, even with clipboard redirection set to Bidirectional. A paste into the remote session can therefore insert old text. Turn on **Type Text in Remote Desktop Apps (Experimental)** in Settings: while Windows App is frontmost, Auto-Paste then types the text key by key instead of pasting, and your clipboard is not touched. It applies only to Windows App (`com.microsoft.rdc.macos`), only with Auto-Paste on, and not to clipboard-only recordings (Option), which still copy.
+
+Windows App sends physical key codes and ignores the Unicode text of a key event, so OpenWritr presses the keys that produce each character on your **current Mac keyboard layout**. The remote PC must use the same keyboard layout, otherwise accents and symbols come out wrong. Only characters on the two base layers (no modifier, Shift) are typed: typographic quotes, dashes, and ellipses are replaced by their plain equivalents, and characters that need Option (such as `@`, `€`, or brackets on a German layout), dead keys, or emoji have no equivalent on the remote PC's layout and are skipped. The number of skipped characters is logged; the full text stays available in OpenWritr. Typing runs in the background and stops as soon as another app becomes frontmost, so the rest of the text is never typed into a different app.
+
+The option is off by default. It was verified by the maintainer against a real Windows 365 Cloud PC session through Windows App 11.4.0 with matching German keyboard layouts; other remote layouts, clients, and character sets have not been tested. Test it in a harmless text field first. Typing needs the same Accessibility permission as pasting.
+
 ## Install
 
 Download the latest signed app from [Releases](https://github.com/trsdn/OpenWritr/releases), unzip it, and move `OpenWritr.app` to `/Applications`.

Sources/OpenWritr/OpenWritrApp.swift

@@ -128,6 +128,8 @@ final class AppViewModel {
     var debugModeEnabled: Bool = false
     var soundEnabled: Bool = true
     var autoPasteEnabled: Bool = true
+    /// Experimental: type instead of paste when a remote desktop app is frontmost.
+    var typeIntoRemoteDesktopsEnabled: Bool = false
     var launchAtLogin: Bool = false
     var appPresence: AppPresence
     var hotkeyChoice: HotkeyChoice = .fn
@@ -484,6 +486,9 @@ final class AppViewModel {
         if defaults.object(forKey: "autoPasteEnabled") != nil {
             autoPasteEnabled = defaults.bool(forKey: "autoPasteEnabled")
         }
+        if defaults.object(forKey: "typeIntoRemoteDesktopsEnabled") != nil {
+            typeIntoRemoteDesktopsEnabled = defaults.bool(forKey: "typeIntoRemoteDesktopsEnabled")
+        }
         if let raw = defaults.string(forKey: "hotkeyChoice"),
            let choice = HotkeyChoice(rawValue: raw) {
             hotkeyChoice = choice
@@ -1671,7 +1676,8 @@ final class AppViewModel {
         if pasteManager.outputText(
             text,
             destination: outputDestination,
-            autoPasteEnabled: autoPasteEnabled
+            autoPasteEnabled: autoPasteEnabled,
+            typeIntoRemoteDesktops: typeIntoRemoteDesktopsEnabled
         ) == .cancelled {
             if let (operationID, _) = captureOperation {
                 clearCaptureOperation(ifCurrent: operationID)
@@ -1723,6 +1729,19 @@ final class AppViewModel {
             )
             return
         }
+        if pasteManager.lastError == .typingFailed {
+            presentRuntimeError(
+                AppErrorPresentation(
+                    kind: .paste,
+                    title: "Typing Failed",
+                    message: pasteManager.lastError?.localizedDescription
+                        ?? "OpenWritr could not type the transcript.",
+                    recoverySuggestion: "The transcript is retained in OpenWritr. Check that your keyboard layout has keys for the text and that Accessibility access is granted, then try again."
+                ),
+                overlayMessage: "Typing failed"
+            )
+            return
+        }
         presentRuntimeError(
             AppErrorPresentation(
                 kind: .paste,

Sources/OpenWritr/PasteManager.swift

@@ -54,9 +54,16 @@ protocol TextPasting: AnyObject {
     func pasteText(_ text: String) -> PasteOutcome
     @discardableResult
     func copyText(_ text: String) -> PasteOutcome
+    /// Types `text` instead of pasting when the frontmost app is a remote desktop client, or
+    /// returns nil so the caller falls back to pasting.
+    func typeTextIfRemoteDesktop(_ text: String) -> PasteOutcome?
     func flushPendingRestore()
 }
 
+extension TextPasting {
+    func typeTextIfRemoteDesktop(_ text: String) -> PasteOutcome? { nil }
+}
+
 enum PasteOutcome: Sendable, Equatable {
     case pasted
     case copied
@@ -71,9 +78,12 @@ enum PasteManagerError: LocalizedError, Sendable, Equatable {
     case writeFailed
     case restoreFailed
     case rollbackFailed
+    case typingFailed
 
     var errorDescription: String? {
         switch self {
+        case .typingFailed:
+            return "OpenWritr could not type the text into the remote desktop app."
         case .unreadableRepresentation(let type):
             return "OpenWritr could not preserve clipboard content of type \(type)."
         case .preparationFailed:
@@ -94,13 +104,18 @@ extension TextPasting {
     func outputText(
         _ text: String,
         destination: RecordingOutputDestination,
-        autoPasteEnabled: Bool
+        autoPasteEnabled: Bool,
+        typeIntoRemoteDesktops: Bool = false
     ) -> PasteOutcome {
         switch destination {
         case .clipboard:
             return copyText(text)
         case .standard:
-            return autoPasteEnabled ? pasteText(text) : .retained
+            guard autoPasteEnabled else { return .retained }
+            if typeIntoRemoteDesktops, let outcome = typeTextIfRemoteDesktop(text) {
+                return outcome
+            }
+            return pasteText(text)
         }
     }
 }
@@ -211,17 +226,23 @@ final class PasteManager: TextPasting {
     private let commandPoster: any PasteCommandPosting
     private let restoreScheduler: any PasteRestoreScheduling
     private let errorLogger: any ErrorLogging
+    private let textTyper: any TextTyping
+    private let remoteDesktopDetector: any RemoteDesktopDetecting
 
     init(
         pasteboard: any PasteboardManaging = SystemPasteboard(),
         commandPoster: any PasteCommandPosting = SystemPasteCommandPoster(),
         restoreScheduler: any PasteRestoreScheduling = SystemPasteRestoreScheduler(),
-        errorLogger: any ErrorLogging = UnifiedErrorLogger(category: "PasteManager")
+        errorLogger: any ErrorLogging = UnifiedErrorLogger(category: "PasteManager"),
+        textTyper: any TextTyping = SystemTextTyper(),
+        remoteDesktopDetector: any RemoteDesktopDetecting = SystemRemoteDesktopDetector()
     ) {
         self.pasteboard = pasteboard
         self.commandPoster = commandPoster
         self.restoreScheduler = restoreScheduler
         self.errorLogger = errorLogger
+        self.textTyper = textTyper
+        self.remoteDesktopDetector = remoteDesktopDetector
     }
 
     @discardableResult
@@ -234,6 +255,19 @@ final class PasteManager: TextPasting {
         writeText(text, destination: .clipboard)
     }
 
+    func typeTextIfRemoteDesktop(_ text: String) -> PasteOutcome? {
+        guard remoteDesktopDetector.isRemoteDesktopFrontmost() else { return nil }
+
+        lastError = nil
+        // The clipboard is not used, but a restore left over from an earlier paste is still due.
+        flushPendingRestore()
+        guard textTyper.typeText(text) else {
+            recordError(.typingFailed, message: "Failed to type text into the remote desktop app")
+            return .cancelled
+        }
+        return .pasted
+    }
+
     private func writeText(_ text: String, destination: RecordingOutputDestination) -> PasteOutcome {
         if hasUnreportedRestoreFailure {
             hasUnreportedRestoreFailure = false

Sources/OpenWritr/SettingsView.swift

@@ -114,6 +114,25 @@ struct SettingsView: View {
                     }
                 ))
 
+                Toggle("Type Text in Remote Desktop Apps (Experimental)", isOn: Binding(
+                    get: { viewModel.typeIntoRemoteDesktopsEnabled },
+                    set: {
+                        viewModel.typeIntoRemoteDesktopsEnabled = $0
+                        viewModel.savePreference("typeIntoRemoteDesktopsEnabled", value: $0)
+                    }
+                ))
+                .disabled(!viewModel.autoPasteEnabled)
+
+                Text(
+                    "Windows App copies your clipboard to the remote PC only after you leave its window, "
+                        + "so a paste can insert old text. When Windows App is frontmost, OpenWritr types "
+                        + "the text key by key instead and leaves your clipboard untouched. The remote PC "
+                        + "needs the same keyboard layout as this Mac. Emoji and symbols without a key are skipped."
+                )
+                .font(.caption)
+                .foregroundStyle(.secondary)
+                .fixedSize(horizontal: false, vertical: true)
+
                 Toggle("Sound Effects", isOn: Binding(
                     get: { viewModel.soundEnabled },
                     set: {