diff --git a/internal/driver/chrome/driver.go b/internal/driver/chrome/driver.go
index 861bbf7..95c8fae 100644
--- a/internal/driver/chrome/driver.go
+++ b/internal/driver/chrome/driver.go
@@ -642,6 +642,13 @@ func (d *Driver) Hierarchy(ctx context.Context) (string, error) {
     ', [onclick]'));
   const editableSet = new Set(deepQuery(
     'input, textarea, [contenteditable]').filter(isEditableElement));
+  // Descended once for the whole dump, for the reason selectAllScript above
+  // descends: document.activeElement names the shadow host, so a Compose for
+  // Web app reported focus on its mount element and never on the field.
+  let focusedElement = document.activeElement;
+  while (focusedElement && focusedElement.shadowRoot && focusedElement.shadowRoot.activeElement) {
+    focusedElement = focusedElement.shadowRoot.activeElement;
+  }
   function buildTree(el, isRoot) {
     const rect = el.getBoundingClientRect();
     // Every attribute the markup wrote, keyed as written, which is what attrs
@@ -704,7 +711,7 @@ func (d *Driver) Hierarchy(ctx context.Context) (string, error) {
       children: children,
       clickable: isClickable || null,
       enabled: isEnabled(el) || null,
-      focused: document.activeElement === el || null,
+      focused: focusedElement === el || null,
       // A component keeps what it likes in these two properties, so what is
       // emitted is the flag the field declares and not the property's value.
       checked: el.checked === true || null,
diff --git a/internal/driver/chrome/element_state_test.go b/internal/driver/chrome/element_state_test.go
index 6511115..dd4adae 100644
--- a/internal/driver/chrome/element_state_test.go
+++ b/internal/driver/chrome/element_state_test.go
@@ -191,6 +191,62 @@ func TestElementState_ReportsTheOtherDocumentedBooleans(t *testing.T) {
 	)
 }
 
+// Focus belongs to the node the user is typing into, not to the element the
+// shadow tree is mounted on.
+//
+// document.activeElement stops at a shadow boundary and names the host, so a
+// Compose for Web app reports focus on its mount element forever. confirmFocus
+// in internal/runner/runner.go re-reads the dump after a focus tap and refuses
+// to type when the field it tapped is not the one holding focus, so every
+// InputText step on such an app failed and the run aborted.
+func TestElementState_FocusDescendsIntoTheShadowRoot(t *testing.T) {
+	server := httptest.NewServer(http.FileServer(http.Dir("testdata")))
+	defer server.Close()
+
+	d := New()
+	defer d.Terminate(context.Background())
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 60*time.Second)
+	defer cancel()
+	if err := d.Launch(ctx, server.URL+"/shadow-focus.html", false, nil); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Launch: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	field := elementInHierarchyDump(ctx, t, d, "id:shadow-field")
+	x, y := field.Bounds.Center()
+	if err := d.Tap(ctx, x, y); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Tap the field: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	if tapped := elementInHierarchyDump(ctx, t, d, "id:shadow-field"); !tapped.Focused {
+		t.Error("the field inside the shadow root reports no focus after being tapped")
+	}
+	if host := elementInHierarchyDump(ctx, t, d, "id:app"); host.Focused {
+		t.Error("the shadow host reports focus, so the text would land there")
+	}
+}
+
+func elementInHierarchyDump(
+	ctx context.Context,
+	t *testing.T,
+	d *Driver,
+	selector string,
+) *hierarchy.Element {
+	t.Helper()
+	dump, err := d.Hierarchy(ctx)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Hierarchy: %v", err)
+	}
+	tree, err := hierarchy.Parse(dump)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("parse hierarchy: %v", err)
+	}
+	element := tree.Find(selector)
+	if element == nil {
+		t.Fatalf("the hierarchy dump holds no element matching %q", selector)
+	}
+	return element
+}
+
 func requireBoolean(
 	ctx context.Context,
 	t *testing.T,
diff --git a/internal/driver/chrome/testdata/shadow-focus.html b/internal/driver/chrome/testdata/shadow-focus.html
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7066972
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/driver/chrome/testdata/shadow-focus.html
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+<!doctype html>
+<html id="page">
+  <head id="page-head">
+    <meta id="page-charset" charset="utf-8" />
+    <title id="page-title">shadow focus</title>
+  </head>
+  <body id="page-body">
+    <!-- Shaped like Compose for Web: the app mounts its accessibility tree
+         inside a shadow root on this element, so document.activeElement answers
+         with the host for every field the user is typing into. -->
+    <div id="app"></div>
+    <script id="page-script">
+      const root = document.getElementById("app").attachShadow({ mode: "open" });
+      root.innerHTML = `<input id="shadow-field" type="text" />`;
+    </script>
+  </body>
+</html>