Typing & Safety
nfc-keyboard-emulator is disarmed by default. Placing a card on the reader will not type anything until you deliberately arm the app. This page explains the toggle, the “start armed” option, and the macOS Accessibility requirement.
The typing toggle
Section titled “The typing toggle”The large button below the reader picker on the Scanner view is the typing toggle. It has two states:
| State | Label | Indicator |
|---|---|---|
| Disarmed | Typing off | Grey dot, white button background |
| Armed | Typing active | Dark dot, teal button background |
Click the button to switch between the two states. When armed, the hint text reads The scanned UID is typed into the focused field. When disarmed, it reads Click to arm.
The toggle state is applied immediately and does not require you to reselect a reader.
Start-armed persistence
Section titled “Start-armed persistence”By default the app starts disarmed (typing_enabled_on_start = false). Every time you toggle typing — whether arming or disarming — the app immediately writes that state to typing_enabled_on_start in configuration. On next launch the app restores whichever state you left it in. There is no separate “start with typing enabled” switch; the start-up state simply mirrors the last toggle.
What “Typing off” means in the log and status bar
Section titled “What “Typing off” means in the log and status bar”When you scan a card while the app is disarmed, the event is still recorded in the Scan log with Typed = — and status Typing off. No keystrokes are sent. The status bar at the bottom of the window also shows Typing: off with a grey dot.
macOS Accessibility requirement
Section titled “macOS Accessibility requirement”On macOS, sending keystrokes to another application requires the Accessibility permission. Without it the app cannot type, regardless of whether the toggle is armed. When a scan occurs without Accessibility access, the log shows status No accessibility and the status bar shows Typing: off.
To grant the permission, follow the steps in the Installation guide. After granting access in System Settings, click Open settings & re-check in the Accessibility panel (reachable from the left sidebar) or restart the app.
No Accessibility permission is required on Windows.
Trailing key
Section titled “Trailing key”After the UID is typed, the app can press an additional key automatically. This is configured in the Output format settings (see Output Format). The default trailing key is Enter, which submits most forms immediately after the UID is typed.