---
name: "nfc-poll"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "libnfc"
version: "1.8.0-4"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/nfc-poll"
---

# nfc-poll(1)

poll first available NFC target

## NAME

nfc-poll - poll first available NFC target

## SYNOPSIS

**nfc-poll**

## DESCRIPTION

**nfc-poll** is a utility for polling any available target (tags but also NFCIP targets) using ISO14443-A, FeliCa, Jewel and ISO14443-B modulations.

This tool uses hardware polling feature if available (ie. PN532) or switch back to software polling, it will display available information retrieved from the tag.

## OPTIONS

- **-v**

  Tells *nfc-poll* to be verbose and display detailed information about the targets shown. This includes SAK decoding and fingerprinting is available.

## IMPORTANT

There are some well-know limits with this example:\
  \- Even with NDO\_AUTO\_14443\_4A enabled (default), **nfc-poll** can miss ATS. That due to the way the PN532 use to poll for ISO14443 type A, it will attempt to find ISO14443-4-only targets, then ISO14443-3. If your ISO14443-4 target is present when PN532 looks for ISO14443-4-only, ATS will be retrieved. But if your target enter the field during ISO14443-3, RATS will not be sent and ATS not retrieved.\
  \-  **nfc-poll** can show up only one card while two are in field. That's due, again, to the way the PN532 poll for targets. It will stop polling when one modulation got a result, so if you have, for example, one ISO14443-3 (eg. Mifare Ultralight) and one ISO14443-4 (eg. Mifare DESFire), it will probably return only the ISO14443-4.

## BUGS

Please report any bugs on the **libnfc** issue tracker at:\
 **https://github.com/nfc-tools/libnfc/issues**

## LICENCE

**libnfc** is licensed under the GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL), version 3.\
 **libnfc-utils** and **libnfc-examples** are covered by the the BSD 2-Clause license.

## AUTHORS

Romuald Conty \<romuald@libnfc.org\>

This manual page was written by Romuald Conty \<romuald@libnfc.org\>. It is licensed under the terms of the GNU GPL (version 2 or later).