TOTP when pcscd is not running

[smvoss]

• Yubico Authenticator version: v5.1.0
• Operating system and version: Arch linux
• YubiKey model and version: 5 NFC
• Bug description summary: TOTP do not show when password protected, if pcscd is not running (expected), although no information is given to the user that is the root of the issue.

Steps to reproduce

Do not have pcscd.service running, and do not have the socket available. This is the standard situation after a fresh install.

Expected result

TOTP codes available OR a message / action button available to enable required service.

Actual results

Application reports that there are no keys available, with no debug information available. Looks like a fresh key.

Other info

I stumbled upon this thread due to my TOTP not working on Arch Linux, however the answer was available in here:

Do you have the pcscd daemon running?

Is it possible to have a popup warning the user that it's not running / have the installer activate the service? Seems silly that I had to google to figure this out (note: it does spit out a warning if it's not running, so the application seems to do this error detection but unfortunately not prompt the user in a meaningful way). An interesting thing I noticed is that the pcscd service will leave a socket around which the desktop app does seem to poke and wake up if it's available - so it only needs to be started once (per boot?).

I'm not entirely sure what the correct solution is for something like this, although I don't think the user should be manually enabling the service. Maybe a button in the app to allow you to enable / start the service if not running?

Thanks!