USB ID: 138a:00ab
Reported in: HP ZBook Studio x360 G5
Source: devices/138a:00ab/README.md

Validity/Synaptics VCSFW 0x969 (USB 138a:00ab)

Status: WIP (unmerged upstream MR) - hardware-validated by the MR author.

Device ID(s): 138a:00ab

A Synaptics/Validity VCSFW sensor: TLS-paired, match-on-chip, with enroll, matching and template storage all happening on the sensor. libfprint has no driver for these today, so they do not work under current fprintd at all.

Hardware

HP ZBook Studio x360 G5, and other models carrying the same sensor.

Upstream merge request

libfprint MR !626: https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/libfprint/libfprint/-/merge_requests/626
Author: Gary T. Giesen (@ggiesen)

This continues @lewohart's !579, which has been inactive since April 2026; !579's driver is preserved inside it as a single commit with authorship intact. !626 is the branch to build.

What it does

Implements the full FpDevice surface (open/close, enroll, verify, identify, list, delete, clear-storage) and handles the on-chip TLS session, host pairing, calibration and the flash template database in-driver. Each device loads a per-device data package at runtime; see the MR description for details.

The MR author reports daily-driver use, including PAM screen unlock.

138a:00ab ships with either 0x969 or 0xd51 silicon depending on the model. The driver keys its silicon-specific handling off the sensor type the device reports, not off the USB ID, so both variants are handled by the same entry.

How to use it

The code lives in the merge request, not in this repo:

git clone https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/libfprint/libfprint.git
cd libfprint
git fetch origin merge-requests/626/head:mr-626
git checkout mr-626

Then build and install per docs/BUILD.md.

138a:0097 - the wider VCSFW family entry, covering 138a:0090, 138a:0097, 138a:009d and 06cb:009a.
06cb:009a - python-validity, the established userspace route for part of this family.

Pairing caveat

These sensors store host pairing data on-chip, so pairing with Linux can invalidate a Windows Hello pairing. Dual-booters should expect to re-enroll on one side.

Tested on

Confirmed working on the hardware above by the MR author (Linux Mint).
More reports welcome, especially distro + libfprint version.

License

Part of libfprint (LGPL-2.1).