# Touch ID authentication

Canonical page: /glossary/touch-id

API keys & secrets glossary, macOS Keychain & security. Touch ID for Apps: How It Protects a Stored Secret

**Short answer:** Touch ID authentication, when used by an app rather than just for unlocking your Mac, requires your fingerprint before that app can reveal a specific piece of protected data, such as a saved password or key. The match itself happens inside the Secure Enclave, not in the app's own code.

## Why it matters

This means an app requesting Touch ID cannot fake a successful match or bypass it, since it never receives your fingerprint data at all, only a yes-or-no result from the Secure Enclave.

## In Claude Keychain

Some Keychain items can be configured to require Touch ID before their value is revealed. Claude Keychain's own reveal action currently relies on macOS's standard Keychain access prompts rather than a dedicated Touch ID gate.

## Common questions

**Is Touch ID stored anywhere as data?**

No, your fingerprint data never leaves the Secure Enclave and is not accessible to apps or to Apple.

**Can Touch ID be required for every Keychain item?**

It depends on how the item was created; some apps opt into requiring it, others rely on the standard Keychain password prompt.

## Related

[Secure Enclave](/glossary/secure-enclave), [macOS Keychain](/glossary/macos-keychain), [App Sandbox](/glossary/app-sandbox)