--- title: Introducing Dashboard Touch, a build-your-own version of... description: An open source project called Dashboard Touch lets Mac users build their own Touch ID-style fingerprint sensor using a cheap off-the-shelf fingerprint sensor... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/introducing-dashboard-touch-a-build-your-own-version-of-touch-id-dmxdvndvs twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Introducing Dashboard Touch, a build-your-own version of Touch ID | daily.dev og:description: An open source project called Dashboard Touch lets Mac users build their own Touch ID-style fingerprint sensor using a cheap off-the-shelf fingerprint sensor... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/introducing-dashboard-touch-a-build-your-own-version-of-touch-id-dmxdvndvs og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/dMxdvNdVS.png og:image:alt: Introducing Dashboard Touch, a build-your-own version of Touch ID og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Introducing Dashboard Touch, a build-your-own version of Touch ID **[Anil Dash](https://daily.dev/sources/anildash)** · 5 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary An open source project called Dashboard Touch lets Mac users build their own Touch ID-style fingerprint sensor using a cheap off-the-shelf fingerprint sensor and microcontroller, wired together and connected via USB. The device emulates a keyboard, typing the user's stored password when a registered fingerprint is scanned, and includes a web interface for configuration such as ring light color and fingerprint enrollment. It is built as a refactoring of the tinyTouch project by Zimeng Xiong, stores passwords and fingerprints only locally, and is intended for casual physical security rather than high-security use cases. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### How does a DIY fingerprint sensor type your Mac password without Touch ID hardware? The device pairs a low-cost fingerprint sensor with a small microcontroller wired together and connected to the Mac over USB, where it identifies as a regular keyboard. When the sensor recognizes an enrolled fingerprint, it types the stored password directly into the password prompt, mimicking Touch ID behavior without requiring Apple's proprietary hardware. _Developers curious about DIY hardware security projects can find similar builds and writeups on daily.dev._ ### Is the Dashboard Touch fingerprint sensor project based on existing open source work? Yes, it is an extensive refactoring of the tinyTouch project created by Zimeng Xiong, who built the original fingerprint scanner approach for regular Mac users. The refactor adds a friendly local web interface for configuring the sensor, setting ring light colors, and capturing fingerprints, while keeping the same core hardware approach. _Track forks and refactors of niche open source hardware projects like this one on daily.dev._ ### Where does Dashboard Touch store fingerprints and passwords, and does it connect to the internet? Passwords are stored securely only on the Mac, and fingerprints are stored securely only on the sensor itself; both can be erased at any time. The system does not communicate over the internet except for an optional manual update checker that only runs when the user clicks a button to check for a new version. _Developers weighing local-only security tradeoffs in personal projects can follow similar builds on daily.dev._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Building A Wireless Fingerprint Authorization Device](https://daily.dev/posts/building-a-wireless-fingerprint-authorization-device-qpoprt55a) · Hackaday · 3 upvotes · 0 comments - [Why doesn't Apple make a standalone Touch ID?](https://daily.dev/posts/why-doesn-t-apple-make-a-standalone-touch-id--mjpvoumo3) · Jeff Geerling · 1 upvotes · 0 comments - [Turning a MacBook into a Touchscreen with $1 of Hardware](https://daily.dev/posts/turning-a-macbook-into-a-touchscreen-with-1-of-hardware-jumk9nuw2) · Hacker News · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Someone made an ESP32 passwordless fingerprint unlocker, and you can make one at home](https://daily.dev/posts/someone-made-an-esp32-passwordless-fingerprint-unlocker-and-you-can-make-one-at-home-orpgzzddt) · XDA Developers · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [GitHub - paniclock/paniclock: Instantly disable Touch ID and lock your Mac with one click or keyboard shortcut.](https://daily.dev/posts/github---paniclock-paniclock-instantly-disable-touch-id-and-lock-your-mac-with-one-click-or-keyboar-jdxvrchqo) · Hacker News · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#open-source](https://daily.dev/tags/open-source), [#authentication](https://daily.dev/tags/authentication), [#mac](https://daily.dev/tags/mac), [#raspberry-pi](https://daily.dev/tags/raspberry-pi) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/introducing-dashboard-touch-a-build-your-own-version-of-touch-id-dmxdvndvs) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"Introducing Dashboard Touch, a build-your-own version of Touch ID","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/introducing-dashboard-touch-a-build-your-own-version-of-touch-id-dmxdvndvs","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/introducing-dashboard-touch-a-build-your-own-version-of-touch-id-dmxdvndvs"},"datePublished":"2026-08-20T19:40:00.880Z","dateModified":"2026-09-13T19:33:04.484Z","description":"An open source project called Dashboard Touch lets Mac users build their own Touch ID-style fingerprint sensor using a cheap off-the-shelf fingerprint sensor...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/5f5e5e394fa0569560b0606c4388b38e?_a=AQAEuop","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/5f5e5e394fa0569560b0606c4388b38e?_a=AQAEuop","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"Anil Dash","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Anil Dash","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--WXp3YspL--/f_auto,q_auto/v1774960040/logos/anildash?_a=BAMAMiWQ0","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/anildash"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/introducing-dashboard-touch-a-build-your-own-version-of-touch-id-dmxdvndvs","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":0},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"open-source,authentication,mac,raspberry-pi","timeRequired":"PT5M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Anil Dash","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/anildash"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Introducing Dashboard Touch, a build-your-own version of Touch ID"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/introducing-dashboard-touch-a-build-your-own-version-of-touch-id-dmxdvndvs#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"How does a DIY fingerprint sensor type your Mac password without Touch ID hardware?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"The device pairs a low-cost fingerprint sensor with a small microcontroller wired together and connected to the Mac over USB, where it identifies as a regular keyboard. 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