diff --git a/.buildkite/cache-builder.yml b/.buildkite/cache-builder.yml
index 3e11fb963796..405b5c32eae3 100644
--- a/.buildkite/cache-builder.yml
+++ b/.buildkite/cache-builder.yml
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 common_params:
   # Common plugin settings to use with the `plugins` key.
   - &common_plugins
-    - automattic/a8c-ci-toolkit#2.17.0
+    - automattic/a8c-ci-toolkit#2.18.1
     - automattic/git-s3-cache#1.1.4:
         bucket: "a8c-repo-mirrors"
         repo: "automattic/wordpress-ios/"
diff --git a/.buildkite/pipeline.yml b/.buildkite/pipeline.yml
index 2db9e6d19145..ac9e016e4030 100644
--- a/.buildkite/pipeline.yml
+++ b/.buildkite/pipeline.yml
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 common_params:
   # Common plugin settings to use with the `plugins` key.
   - &common_plugins
-    - automattic/a8c-ci-toolkit#2.17.0
+    - automattic/a8c-ci-toolkit#2.18.1
     - automattic/git-s3-cache#1.1.4:
         bucket: "a8c-repo-mirrors"
         repo: "automattic/wordpress-ios/"
diff --git a/.buildkite/release-builds.yml b/.buildkite/release-builds.yml
index 1003df4508be..53447e466cdc 100644
--- a/.buildkite/release-builds.yml
+++ b/.buildkite/release-builds.yml
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 common_params:
   # Common plugin settings to use with the `plugins` key.
   - &common_plugins
-    - automattic/a8c-ci-toolkit#2.17.0
+    - automattic/a8c-ci-toolkit#2.18.1
     - automattic/git-s3-cache#1.1.4:
         bucket: "a8c-repo-mirrors"
         repo: "automattic/wordpress-ios/"
diff --git a/WordPress/UITestsFoundation/Screens/Editor/BlockEditorScreen.swift b/WordPress/UITestsFoundation/Screens/Editor/BlockEditorScreen.swift
index b0272f6fe174..bfe10257977b 100644
--- a/WordPress/UITestsFoundation/Screens/Editor/BlockEditorScreen.swift
+++ b/WordPress/UITestsFoundation/Screens/Editor/BlockEditorScreen.swift
@@ -57,9 +57,7 @@ public class BlockEditorScreen: ScreenObject {
     public func enterTextInTitle(text: String) -> BlockEditorScreen {
         let titleView = app.otherElements["Post title. Empty"].firstMatch // Uses a localized string
         XCTAssert(titleView.waitForExistence(timeout: 3), "Title View does not exist!")
-
-        titleView.tap()
-        titleView.typeText(text)
+        type(text: text, in: titleView)
 
         return self
     }
@@ -72,7 +70,7 @@ public class BlockEditorScreen: ScreenObject {
         addBlock("Paragraph block")
 
         let paragraphView = app.otherElements["Paragraph Block. Row 1. Empty"].textViews.element(boundBy: 0)
-        paragraphView.typeText(text)
+        type(text: text, in: paragraphView)
 
         return self
     }
@@ -368,4 +366,44 @@ public class BlockEditorScreen: ScreenObject {
         editorCloseButton.coordinate(withNormalizedOffset: CGVector(dx: 0, dy: 0)).tap()
         return try BlockEditorScreen()
     }
+
+    // This could be moved as an XCUIApplication method via an extension if needed elsewhere.
+    private func type(text: String, in element: XCUIElement) {
+        // A simple implementation here would be:
+        //
+        // element.tap()
+        // element.typeText(text)
+        //
+        // But as of a recent (but not pinpointed at the time of writing) Gutenberg update, that is not enough.
+        // The test would fail with: Neither element nor any descendant has keyboard focus.
+        // (E.g.: https://buildkite.com/automattic/wordpress-ios/builds/15598)
+        //
+        // The following is a convoluted but seemingly robust approach that bypasses the keyboard by using the pasteboard instead.
+        UIPasteboard.general.string = text
+
+        // Safety check
+        XCTAssertTrue(element.waitForExistence(timeout: 1))
+
+        element.doubleTap()
+
+        let pasteButton = app.menuItems["Paste"]
+
+        if pasteButton.waitForExistence(timeout: 1) == false {
+            // Drill in hierarchy looking for it
+            var found = false
+            element.descendants(matching: .any).enumerated().forEach { e in
+                guard found == false else { return }
+
+                e.element.firstMatch.doubleTap()
+
+                if pasteButton.waitForExistence(timeout: 1) {
+                    found = true
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        XCTAssertTrue(pasteButton.exists, "Could not find menu item paste button.")
+
+        pasteButton.tap()
+    }
 }