[Bug]: visit()->on()->desktop() only works when fully chained; fails when stored and used later

What Happened

In Pest Browser tests, using on()->desktop() and storing the page in a variable (then calling interaction methods later like ->type() or ->fill() doesn’t behave like a single chained call, the page is reinitialized and a new tab/window gets opened on each interaction.

How to Reproduce

Use the attached minimal repo (Laravel + Pest + pest-plugin-browser).
Run only the browser login tests:

php artisan test --filter="LoginTest"

Observe:
These pass:

it('logs a user in via the login screen', function () {
    $user = User::factory()->create();

    $page = visit(route('login'));

    $page->fill('email', $user->email);
    $page->fill('password', 'password');
    $page->press('Log in');

    $this->assertAuthenticated();
    $page->assertUrlIs(route('dashboard'));
});

it('logs a user in when on()->desktop() is applied in a single method chain', function () {
    $user = User::factory()->create();

    $page = visit(route('login'))
        ->on()->desktop()
        ->fill('email', $user->email)
        ->fill('password', 'password')
        ->press('Log in');

    $this->assertAuthenticated();
    $page->assertUrlIs(route('dashboard'));
});

This fails:

it('logs a user in when on()->desktop() is applied then reused later (non-chained)', function () {
    $user = User::factory()->create();

    $page = visit(route('login'))->on()->desktop();

    $page->fill('email', $user->email);
    $page->fill('password', 'password');
    $page->press('Log in');

    $this->assertAuthenticated();
    $page->assertUrlIs(route('dashboard'));
});

Sample Repository

https://github.com/falfox/pest-browser-repro

Pest Version

4.0.4

PHP Version

8.4.11

Operation System

Linux (WSL2)

Notes

No response

Start by running php artisan test --filter="LoginTest" in the attached Laravel and Pest reproduction, comparing the chained and stored uses of visit()->on()->desktop(). Trace the visit(), on(), and desktop() entry points; done means later fill() and press() calls reuse the same page without opening new tabs, and the login assertions pass.