# Smartcard connect (Registry keys?) **URL:** \ **Category:** Care Identity Service (CIS)\ **Created:** [28 July 2026 15:33 UTC](https://developer.community.nhs.uk/t/smartcard-connect-registry-keys/13862 "2026-07-28T15:33:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tom\_Clegg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/85e7bf/32.png) [@Tom\_Clegg](https://developer.community.nhs.uk/u/Tom_Clegg)\ **Post date:** [28 July 2026 15:33 UTC](https://developer.community.nhs.uk/t/smartcard-connect-registry-keys/13862/1 "2026-07-28T15:33:25Z")
Hi All! bit of a longshot and apologies if this isn’t the appropriate forum for this but has anyone used the new NHS Smartcard Connect client and configured registry keys with this? I want to configure sessionlockpersistence\_enabled to true for smartcard authentication on our VDI environment and I know the identity agent had some registry keys you could configure and I cannot for the life of me get this working with the new client. [NHS Identity Agent configuration and registry settings - NHS England Digital](https://digital.nhs.uk/services/care-identity-service/setting-up-and-troubleshooting/nhs-identity-agent-configuration-and-registry-settings) ---
**Author:** ![john.lister3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a587f6/32.png) [@john.lister3](https://developer.community.nhs.uk/u/john.lister3)\ **Post date:** [29 July 2026 08:13 UTC](https://developer.community.nhs.uk/t/smartcard-connect-registry-keys/13862/2 "2026-07-29T08:13:58Z")
Smartcard connect doesn’t support session persistence, it doesn’t have the concept of smartcard pull or presence detection so not applicable. The card can be removed once authenticated ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Clegg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/85e7bf/32.png) [@Tom\_Clegg](https://developer.community.nhs.uk/u/Tom_Clegg)\ **Post date:** [29 July 2026 08:32 UTC](https://developer.community.nhs.uk/t/smartcard-connect-registry-keys/13862/3 "2026-07-29T08:32:43Z")
Thank you for your response! That’s interesting, When I try to authenticate to ESR as a test, it requests my pin upon loading the webpage, when I remove my card and try to re-access this fails as it prompts me for my card once more. I’m assuming it should “work out of the box” so to speak? Any help is massively appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![john.lister3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a587f6/32.png) [@john.lister3](https://developer.community.nhs.uk/u/john.lister3)\ **Post date:** [29 July 2026 09:16 UTC](https://developer.community.nhs.uk/t/smartcard-connect-registry-keys/13862/4 "2026-07-29T09:16:54Z")
SmartCard Connect requires you PIN on every authentication unlike the legacy implementation. See [https://digital.nhs.uk/services/care-identity-service/applications-and-services/technical-services/nhs-smartcard-connect](https://digital.nhs.uk/services/care-identity-service/applications-and-services/technical-services/nhs-smartcard-connect)