quartz/content/10-19 LIFE/13 TECH SETUP/13.13 OS SETUP/fprintd.md

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publish	permalink	title	created	modified	tags	cssclasses
true	/os/fprintd	fprintd	2026-02-05T09:31:46.737-07:00	2026-02-05T12:18:16.843-07:00	security fingerprint authentication

Fingerprint authentication daemon for Linux. Works with 10-19 LIFE/13 TECH SETUP/13.13 OS SETUP/hyprlock and system login.

Installation

sudo pacman -S fprintd

The service starts on-demand, no need to enable it.

Enroll Fingerprints

# Enroll a finger (follow prompts)
fprintd-enroll

# Enroll specific finger
fprintd-enroll -f right-index-finger

# List enrolled fingerprints
fprintd-list $USER

PAM Configuration

For hyprlock

Create /etc/pam.d/hyprlock:

# PAM configuration file for hyprlock
auth        include     login

This inherits from the login config which includes fprintd.

For system login

Edit /etc/pam.d/system-local-login — usually already configured if using default Arch PAM.

Manual PAM setup

To add fingerprint auth to any PAM service, add before password auth:

auth    sufficient    pam_fprintd.so

hyprlock Integration

Enable in ~/.config/hypr/hyprlock.conf:

auth {
    fingerprint {
        enabled = true
        ready_message = Scan fingerprint to unlock
        present_message = Scanning...
        retry_delay = 250
    }
}

Troubleshooting

Check service status

systemctl status fprintd

Verify device detection

fprintd-list $USER

Should show your fingerprint reader device.

Re-enroll if not working

fprintd-delete $USER     # Delete all prints
fprintd-enroll           # Re-enroll

Debug

# Run fprintd in foreground with debug
sudo /usr/libexec/fprintd -d

Supported Devices

Framework Laptop 13 uses the Goodix MOC Fingerprint Sensor which works out of the box with fprintd.

Check if your device is supported:

lsusb | grep -i fingerprint

Security Notes

• Fingerprint is "sufficient" not "required" — password always works as fallback
• Fingerprints are stored encrypted in /var/lib/fprint/
• Consider if fingerprint auth meets your security requirements

Resources

• Arch Wiki: https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Fprint