Reference

`peekaboo set-value`

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peekaboo set-value

set-value writes an accessibility value directly to a settable element. It is the CLI equivalent of the MCP set_value tool and avoids keyboard synthesis, cursor movement, input-method timing, and autocomplete side effects when replacement semantics are intended.

#Options

OptionDescription
<value>String value to write.
--on <id-or-query>Element ID from peekaboo see, or a query used by the automation service. Required.
--snapshot <id>Snapshot ID from peekaboo see; uses the latest unmodified UI snapshot when omitted.
Target flags--app, --pid, --window-id, --window-title, and --window-index scope the mutation without activating the app.
--foregroundExplicitly focus the target before mutation and allow web-content discovery to focus the page when required.

#Notes

  • The target element must expose a settable accessibility value.
  • Every mutation requires a current snapshot. App/PID/window target flags capture one automatically; without target

    • flags, run peekaboo see first. A missing snapshot is refused instead of falling through to the frontmost app. Exact process/window receipts and the final resolved Accessibility element PID are revalidated before the value is written.

  • Remote value mutation requires Bridge protocol 1.37 and processGenerationBoundElementMutations; older or

    • receiptless hosts are refused before the request is sent.

  • A result with requires_fresh_observation: true, or no canonical outcome, makes that snapshot mutation-ineligible.

    • The old evidence stays readable, but another mutation must use a new peekaboo see snapshot and otherwise fails before dispatch.

  • If the Accessibility write is accepted but its readback cannot be verified, Peekaboo reports an indeterminate,

    • retry-unsafe result with the exact target receipt. Observe the target again before deciding whether to retry; never replay the write against the old snapshot.

  • Secure/password fields are rejected; use explicit typing flows for those contexts.
  • This is not a replacement for peekaboo type when the app needs observable keystrokes, IME handling, autocomplete, or undo grouping.
  • JSON and MCP output includes the canonical process-generation target_identity and target_receipt alongside

    • target, actionName, oldValue, newValue, and executionTime.

#Examples

peekaboo see --app TextEdit
peekaboo set-value "hello" --on "$ELEMENT_ID" --snapshot <snapshot-id>

peekaboo set-value "42" --on "Search"