diff --git a/libraries/emulatorview/src/jackpal/androidterm/emulatorview/EmulatorView.java b/libraries/emulatorview/src/jackpal/androidterm/emulatorview/EmulatorView.java
index 5a67780..0640f7c 100644
--- a/libraries/emulatorview/src/jackpal/androidterm/emulatorview/EmulatorView.java
+++ b/libraries/emulatorview/src/jackpal/androidterm/emulatorview/EmulatorView.java
@@ -969,8 +969,8 @@ public class EmulatorView extends View implements GestureDetector.OnGestureListe
         }
         boolean isHandled = mTermKeyListener.keyDown(event);
         if (isHandled) {
-            if (mTermKeyListener.getCharSequence() != null) {
-                byte[] seq = mTermKeyListener.getCharSequence();
+            byte[] seq = mTermKeyListener.extractCharSequence();
+            if (seq != null) {
                 mTermSession.write(seq, 0, seq.length);
             }
         } else if (isSystemKey(keyCode, event)) {
diff --git a/libraries/emulatorview/src/jackpal/androidterm/emulatorview/TermKeyListener.java b/libraries/emulatorview/src/jackpal/androidterm/emulatorview/TermKeyListener.java
index c4848aa..2cfdbf7 100644
--- a/libraries/emulatorview/src/jackpal/androidterm/emulatorview/TermKeyListener.java
+++ b/libraries/emulatorview/src/jackpal/androidterm/emulatorview/TermKeyListener.java
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ class TermKeyListener {
     private final int mBackBehavior;
     private final boolean mAllowToggle;
     private final boolean mAppMode;
-    private byte[] mCharcodes;
+    private byte[] mCharSequence;
     private boolean mAltSendsEscape;
     private Integer mDeadChar;
 
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ class TermKeyListener {
         mFnKey.reset();
         mCapsKey.reset();
         mAltKey.reset();
-        mCharcodes = null;
+        mCharSequence = null;
     }
 
     /**
@@ -247,12 +247,12 @@ class TermKeyListener {
         int unicodeMask = KeyEvent.META_CTRL_MASK | (prefixEscFlag ? KeyEvent.META_ALT_MASK : 0);
         byte[] directMapping = lookupDirectMap(packKeyCode(e.getKeyCode()), mAppMode, prefixEscFlag);
         if (directMapping != null) { // don't handle the key event any further when there is a direct map entry.
-            mCharcodes = directMapping;
+            mCharSequence = directMapping;
         } else if (e.getKeyCode() == KeyEvent.KEYCODE_BACK) {
-            mCharcodes = new byte[] { (byte) mBackBehavior };
+            mCharSequence = new byte[] { (byte) mBackBehavior };
         } else {
             int charCode = handleDeadKey(e, metaState, unicodeMask);
-            mCharcodes = lookupDirectMap(charCode, mAppMode, prefixEscFlag);
+            mCharSequence = lookupDirectMap(charCode, mAppMode, prefixEscFlag);
         }
         return true;
     }
@@ -291,8 +291,15 @@ class TermKeyListener {
         return data;
     }
 
-    public byte[] getCharSequence() {
-        return mCharcodes;
+    /**
+     * extracts the current character sequence from the key listener.
+     * Automatically resets the character sequence to null.
+     * @return the current character sequence
+     */
+    public byte[] extractCharSequence() {
+        byte[] result = mCharSequence;
+        mCharSequence = null;
+        return result;
     }
 
     public boolean keyDown(KeyEvent e) {
diff --git a/tests/emulatorview-test/src/jackpal/androidterm/emulatorview/TermKeyListenerTest.java b/tests/emulatorview-test/src/jackpal/androidterm/emulatorview/TermKeyListenerTest.java
index 57b0e80..877c4d1 100644
--- a/tests/emulatorview-test/src/jackpal/androidterm/emulatorview/TermKeyListenerTest.java
+++ b/tests/emulatorview-test/src/jackpal/androidterm/emulatorview/TermKeyListenerTest.java
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ public class TermKeyListenerTest extends  AndroidTestCase {
 	public void testKey_a() {
 		KeyEvent event = new KeyEvent(KeyEvent.ACTION_DOWN, KeyEvent.KEYCODE_A);
 		tkl_AltIsEsc.keyDown(event);
-		byte[] res = tkl_AltIsEsc.getCharSequence();
+		byte[] res = tkl_AltIsEsc.extractCharSequence();
 		assertNotNull(res);
 		assertEquals(0x61, res[0]);
 	}
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ public class TermKeyListenerTest extends  AndroidTestCase {
 	public void testKey_X() {
 			KeyEvent event = new KeyEvent(1,2,KeyEvent.ACTION_DOWN, KeyEvent.KEYCODE_X, 0, KeyEvent.META_SHIFT_ON);
 			tkl_AltIsEsc.keyDown(event);
-			byte[] res = tkl_AltIsEsc.getCharSequence();
+			byte[] res = tkl_AltIsEsc.extractCharSequence();
 			assertNotNull(res);
 			assertEquals(0x58, res[0]);
 	}
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ public class TermKeyListenerTest extends  AndroidTestCase {
 	public void testKey_CTRL_c() {
 			KeyEvent event = new KeyEvent(1,2, KeyEvent.ACTION_DOWN, KeyEvent.KEYCODE_C, 0,  KeyEvent.META_CTRL_ON);
 			tkl_AltIsEsc.keyDown(event);
-			byte[] res = tkl_AltIsEsc.getCharSequence();
+			byte[] res = tkl_AltIsEsc.extractCharSequence();
 			assertNotNull(res);
 			assertEquals(0x03, res[0]);
 	}
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ public class TermKeyListenerTest extends  AndroidTestCase {
 	public void testKey_CTRL_c_no_esc() {
 		KeyEvent event = new KeyEvent(1,2, KeyEvent.ACTION_DOWN, KeyEvent.KEYCODE_C, 0,  KeyEvent.META_CTRL_ON);
 		tkl_AltNotEsc.keyDown(event);
-		byte[] res = tkl_AltNotEsc.getCharSequence();
+		byte[] res = tkl_AltNotEsc.extractCharSequence();
 		assertNotNull(res);
 		assertEquals(0x03, res[0]);
     }
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ public class TermKeyListenerTest extends  AndroidTestCase {
 	public void testKey_Alt_x() {
 			KeyEvent event = new KeyEvent(1,2, KeyEvent.ACTION_DOWN, KeyEvent.KEYCODE_X, 0,  KeyEvent.META_ALT_ON);
 			tkl_AltIsEsc.keyDown(event);
-			byte[] res = tkl_AltIsEsc.getCharSequence();
+			byte[] res = tkl_AltIsEsc.extractCharSequence();
 			assertNotNull(res);
 			assertEquals(0x1b, res[0]);
 			assertEquals(0x78, res[1]);
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ public class TermKeyListenerTest extends  AndroidTestCase {
 	public void testKey_Alt_x_no_esc() {
 		KeyEvent event = new KeyEvent(1,2, KeyEvent.ACTION_DOWN, KeyEvent.KEYCODE_X, 0,  KeyEvent.META_ALT_ON);
 		tkl_AltNotEsc.keyDown(event);
-		byte[] res = tkl_AltNotEsc.getCharSequence();
+		byte[] res = tkl_AltNotEsc.extractCharSequence();
 		assertNull(res);
 	}
 
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ public class TermKeyListenerTest extends  AndroidTestCase {
 	public void testKey_Alt_e() {
 			KeyEvent event = new KeyEvent(1,2, KeyEvent.ACTION_DOWN, KeyEvent.KEYCODE_E, 0,  KeyEvent.META_ALT_ON);
 			tkl_AltIsEsc.keyDown(event);
-			byte res[] = tkl_AltIsEsc.getCharSequence();
+			byte res[] = tkl_AltIsEsc.extractCharSequence();
 			assertNotNull(res);
 			assertEquals(0x1b, res[0]);
 			assertEquals(0x65, res[1]);
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ public class TermKeyListenerTest extends  AndroidTestCase {
 	public void testKey_enter() {
 			KeyEvent event = new KeyEvent(1,2, KeyEvent.ACTION_DOWN, KeyEvent.KEYCODE_ENTER, 0,  0);
 			tkl_AltIsEsc.keyDown(event);
-			byte[] res = tkl_AltIsEsc.getCharSequence();
+			byte[] res = tkl_AltIsEsc.extractCharSequence();
 			assertNotNull(res);
 			assertEquals(0x0d, res[0]);
 	}
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ public class TermKeyListenerTest extends  AndroidTestCase {
 	public void testKey_del() throws UnsupportedEncodingException {
 		KeyEvent event = new KeyEvent(1,2, KeyEvent.ACTION_DOWN, KeyEvent.KEYCODE_DEL,0 ,0);
 		tkl_AltIsEsc.keyDown(event);
-		byte[] res = tkl_AltIsEsc.getCharSequence();
+		byte[] res = tkl_AltIsEsc.extractCharSequence();
 		byte[] exp = "\177".getBytes("UTF-8");
 		assertNotNull(res);
 		assertEquals(exp.length, res.length);
diff --git a/tools/runTests b/tools/runTests
index ecfb6fd..e84b32a 100755
--- a/tools/runTests
+++ b/tools/runTests
@@ -4,4 +4,5 @@ set -e
 
 cd tests/emulatorview-test
 ant debug
+adb install -r bin/emulatorview-test-debug.apk
 adb shell am instrument jackpal.androidterm.test/android.test.InstrumentationTestRunner