Web Virtual Keyboard

• A tool that turns a LILYGO ESP32 T-Dongle S3 (or any ESP32-S3 with native USB) into a Wi-Fi-controlled USB keyboard.
• The device appears to the target machine as a normal USB HID keyboard, and you drive it from any web browser on your network.
• Type free-form text, or save reusable presets (with optional special-key combos like <CTRL><ALT><DEL>) and send them with a single click.
• My use-case is to input long usernames and passwords without typing them manually, or to send CLI / BIOS / LUKS input where SSH is not possible (different networks, pre-boot environments, ...).
• Works with an ENG (US) keyboard layout on the target.

IMPORTANT - security

• All text is sent as PLAINTEXT. The web UI is protected only by HTTP Basic authentication (MASTER_USER / MASTER_PASS).
• Use this device only on trusted local networks.
• Preset values marked Hidden are never sent back to the browser - they are typed straight from the device - but they are still stored in plaintext in the device's flash.

Features

• Free-text typing - type anything into a textarea and send it. Enter sends, Shift+Enter inserts a newline; an optional trailing newline can be added.
• Presets - save reusable snippets (name -> value) and send them with one click.
  • Groups - organise presets into collapsible groups. A name must be unique within a group but may repeat across different groups.
  • Per-preset visibility:
    • Plaintext - value is shown in the UI.
    • Masked - value is shown as ••••.
    • Hidden - value never leaves the device; it is typed straight from flash and never sent to the browser.
  • Special keys / chords - preset values can embed <TOKEN> keys that plain text can't produce (see below). A visual special key builder in the editor inserts them for you.
• On-device status - the display (and UART log) show the device IP once Wi-Fi connects; the web UI footer shows the firmware and storage-layout versions (from /info).

Special keys (tokens)

Inside a preset value, wrap a key name in < > to send a raw key instead of literal text. Token names are case-insensitive.

Special keys use a chord model: each <TOKEN> is pressed and held as it is read, and the next typed character (if any) is pressed together with all held keys, then the whole chord is released at once. A token with no following character is pressed and released on its own.

Preset value	Result
<CTRL>c	Ctrl + C
<CTRL><ALT><DEL>	Ctrl + Alt + Del (pressed together)
<WIN>r	Win + R (Run dialog)
<F5>	F5 on its own
password<ENTER>	types password, then Enter

Supported tokens:

• Modifiers: CTRL / CONTROL, SHIFT, ALT, WIN / GUI / WINDOWS / META
• Editing / whitespace: ENTER / RETURN, ESC / ESCAPE, BKSP / BACKSPACE / BS, TAB, SPACE / SPC
• Locks / system: CAPS / CAPSLOCK, PRTSC / PRINTSCREEN / PRTSCR, SCRLK / SCROLLLOCK, PAUSE / BREAK, NUMLK / NUMLOCK, MENU / APP / APPLICATION
• Navigation: INS / INSERT, HOME, PGUP / PAGEUP, DEL / DELETE, END, PGDN / PAGEDOWN, LEFT, RIGHT, UP, DOWN
• Function keys: F1-F12

Tokens are only parsed for presets. The quick Type text box sends everything literally, so <CTRL> there types the characters <CTRL>.

Hardware requirements

• LILYGO ESP32 T-Dongle S3, or any other ESP32-S3 with native USB
• A web browser to access the GUI
• A target machine that will receive the keystrokes

Quick start

• Download and open the PlatformIO project in VS Code (PlatformIO IDE extension).
• Edit config.h:
  • Set WIFI_SSID, WIFI_PASS, MASTER_USER and MASTER_PASS.
  • If using a board other than the LILYGO ESP32 T-Dongle S3, adjust the other board-specific values in config.h / platformio.ini as needed.
• Compile & flash.
  • html.cpp and html.h are generated automatically during the build (from web/index.html).
• Plug the native USB port into the target machine (and UART into another machine if you want to see the IP or logs).
  • On a successful Wi-Fi connection, the device IP is shown on the display and printed over UART.
• Open http://DEVICE_IP in a browser (default port is 80), log in, and start typing / managing presets.

Notes

• Presets are stored in the ESP32's flash (NVS). The firmware tracks a storage-layout version (STORAGE_VERSION); if it opens flash written by a different layout, the preset store is wiped and reinitialised - so a firmware upgrade that bumps that version will clear existing presets.