diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 8a305f24..9b319f28 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -459,37 +459,26 @@ case "${host}" in
 			have_notify="yes"
 		;;
 	*)
-			AC_PATH_PROG([GDBUS], [gdbus], [not found])
-			if test "${GDBUS}" = "not found"; then
-				have_notify="no"
-				have_gdbus="no"
-			else
-				have_notify="yes"
-				have_gdbus="yes"
-			fi
-
-			if test "${have_notify}" = "no"; then
-				PKG_CHECK_MODULES( [GIO2], [gio-2.0],
-								  [ have_notify="yes"
-									have_gio2="yes" ],
-								  [ have_notify="no"
-									have_gio2="no" ])
-				saved_CFLAGS="${CFLAGS}"
-				CFLAGS="${CFLAGS} ${GIO2_CFLAGS}"
-				AC_CHECK_HEADERS(gio/gio.h, [],
-								 [ AC_MSG_WARN([glib2 headers not found])
-								   have_notify="no"
-								   have_gio2="no" ])
-				CFLAGS="${saved_CFLAGS}"
-				saved_LIBS="$LIBS"
-				LIBS="$LIBS  ${GIO2_LIBS}"
-				AC_MSG_CHECKING([for g_application_send_notification])
-				AC_TRY_LINK_FUNC(g_application_send_notification, [ AC_MSG_RESULT([yes]) ],
-								 [ AC_MSG_WARN([Cannot link against glib2])
-								   have_notify="no"
-								   have_gio2="no"  ])
-				LIBS="$saved_LIBS"
-			fi
+			PKG_CHECK_MODULES( [GIO2], [gio-2.0],
+							  [ have_notify="yes"
+								have_gio2="yes" ],
+							  [ have_notify="no"
+								have_gio2="no" ])
+			saved_CFLAGS="${CFLAGS}"
+			CFLAGS="${CFLAGS} ${GIO2_CFLAGS}"
+			AC_CHECK_HEADERS(gio/gio.h, [],
+							 [ AC_MSG_WARN([glib2 headers not found])
+							   have_notify="no"
+							   have_gio2="no" ])
+			CFLAGS="${saved_CFLAGS}"
+			saved_LIBS="$LIBS"
+			LIBS="$LIBS  ${GIO2_LIBS}"
+			AC_MSG_CHECKING([for g_application_send_notification])
+			AC_TRY_LINK_FUNC(g_application_send_notification, [ AC_MSG_RESULT([yes]) ],
+							 [ AC_MSG_WARN([Cannot link against glib2])
+							   have_notify="no"
+							   have_gio2="no"  ])
+			LIBS="$saved_LIBS"
 		;;
 esac
 
@@ -509,9 +498,6 @@ esac
 if test "${enable_notify}" = "yes"; then
 	if test "${have_notify}" = "yes"; then
 		AC_DEFINE([ENABLE_NOTIFY], [1], [Use notification libraries and header files])
-		if test "${have_gdbus}" = "yes"; then
-			AC_DEFINE_UNQUOTED([GDBUS], ["${GDBUS}"], [Path to gdbus])
-		fi
 		if test "${have_gio2}" = "yes"; then
 			AC_DEFINE([ENABLE_GIO2], [1], [Use glib2 libraries and header files])
 			OPTIONAL_NOTIFY_CFLAGS="${GIO2_CFLAGS}"
@@ -1117,7 +1103,6 @@ OPENCT_CFLAGS:           ${OPENCT_CFLAGS}
 OPENCT_LIBS:             ${OPENCT_LIBS}
 PCSC_CFLAGS:             ${PCSC_CFLAGS}
 CRYPTOTOKENKIT_CFLAGS:   ${CRYPTOTOKENKIT_CFLAGS}
-GDBUS:                   ${GDBUS}
 GIO2_CFLAGS:             ${GIO2_CFLAGS}
 GIO2_LIBS:               ${GIO2_LIBS}
 
diff --git a/src/tools/Makefile.am b/src/tools/Makefile.am
index e8a0aea7..789b8495 100644
--- a/src/tools/Makefile.am
+++ b/src/tools/Makefile.am
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ VDFORMAT=GZIP
 endif
 
 do_subst = $(SED) \
+	   -e 's,[@]bindir[@],$(bindir),g' \
 	   -e 's,[@]CVCDIR[@],$(CVCDIR),g' \
 	   -e 's,[@]PACKAGE[@],$(PACKAGE),g' \
 	   -e 's,[@]PACKAGE_BUGREPORT[@],$(PACKAGE_BUGREPORT),g' \
@@ -24,7 +25,7 @@ OPENSC_NOTIFY_BUILT_SOURCES = opensc-notify-cmdline.h opensc-notify-cmdline.c
 OPENSC_ASN1_BUILT_SOURCES = opensc-asn1-cmdline.h opensc-asn1-cmdline.c
 
 MAINTAINERCLEANFILES = $(srcdir)/Makefile.in $(srcdir)/versioninfo-tools.rc $(srcdir)/versioninfo-opensc-notify.rc
-EXTRA_DIST = Makefile.mak versioninfo-tools.rc.in versioninfo-opensc-notify.rc.in npa-tool.ggo.in npa-tool.1 opensc-notify.ggo.in egk-tool.ggo.in egk-tool.1 opensc-asn1.ggo.in opensc-asn1.1
+EXTRA_DIST = Makefile.mak versioninfo-tools.rc.in versioninfo-opensc-notify.rc.in npa-tool.ggo.in npa-tool.1 opensc-notify.ggo.in egk-tool.ggo.in egk-tool.1 opensc-asn1.ggo.in opensc-asn1.1 org.opensc-project.opensc-notify.desktop.in
 
 noinst_HEADERS = util.h fread_to_eof.h
 noinst_PROGRAMS = sceac-example
@@ -209,5 +210,11 @@ gids_tool_SOURCES += versioninfo-tools.rc
 opensc_notify_SOURCES += versioninfo-opensc-notify.rc
 endif
 
+applicationsdir = $(datadir)/applications
+applications_DATA = org.opensc-project.opensc-notify.desktop
+
+org.opensc-project.opensc-notify.desktop: org.opensc-project.opensc-notify.desktop
+	$(do_subst) < $(abs_srcdir)/org.opensc-project.opensc-notify.desktop.in > $@
+
 clean-local:
 	rm -f $(abs_builddir)/npa-tool.ggo $(abs_builddir)/opensc-notify.ggo
diff --git a/src/tools/org.opensc-project.opensc-notify.desktop.in b/src/tools/org.opensc-project.opensc-notify.desktop.in
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..fbb22e38
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/tools/org.opensc-project.opensc-notify.desktop.in
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+[Desktop Entry]
+Name=OpenSC Notify
+Type=Application
+Comment=Monitor smart card events to send notifications.
+Exec=@bindir@/opensc-notify
+Icon=preferences-system-notifications
+Categories=Security;System;
diff --git a/src/ui/notify.c b/src/ui/notify.c
index 12def168..37118fb7 100644
--- a/src/ui/notify.c
+++ b/src/ui/notify.c
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@
 
 #include "notify.h"
 
-#if defined(ENABLE_NOTIFY) && (defined(__APPLE__) || (defined(GDBUS) && !defined(_WIN32)))
+#if defined(ENABLE_NOTIFY) && (defined(__APPLE__))
 
 #include "libopensc/internal.h"
 #include "libopensc/log.h"
@@ -371,116 +371,16 @@ void sc_notify_id(struct sc_context *ctx, struct sc_atr *atr,
 	notify_proxy(ctx, title, NULL, text, icon, NULL, group);
 }
 
-#elif defined(ENABLE_NOTIFY) && defined(GDBUS) && !defined(_WIN32)
-
-#include <inttypes.h>
-/* save the notification's id for replacement with a new one */
-uint32_t message_id = 0;
-
-static void notify_gio(struct sc_context *ctx,
-		const char *title, const char *text, const char *icon,
-		const char *group)
-{
-	char message_id_str[22];
-	int pipefd[2];
-	int pass_to_pipe = 1;
-	snprintf(message_id_str, sizeof message_id_str, "%"PRIu32, message_id);
-
-	if (child > 0) {
-		int status;
-		if (0 == waitpid(child, &status, WNOHANG)) {
-			kill(child, SIGKILL);
-			usleep(100);
-			if (0 == waitpid(child, &status, WNOHANG)) {
-				sc_log(ctx, "Can't kill %ld, skipping current notification", (long) child);
-				return;
-			}
-		}
-	}
-
-	if (0 == pipe(pipefd)) {
-		pass_to_pipe = 1;
-	}
-
-	child = fork();
-	switch (child) {
-		case 0:
-			/* child process */
-			if (pass_to_pipe) {
-				/* close reading end of the pipe */
-				close(pipefd[0]);
-				/* send stdout to the pipe */
-				dup2(pipefd[1], 1);
-				/* this descriptor is no longer needed */
-				close(pipefd[1]);
-			}
-
-			if (0 > execl(GDBUS, GDBUS,
-						"call", "--session",
-						"--dest", "org.freedesktop.Notifications",
-						"--object-path", "/org/freedesktop/Notifications",
-						"--method", "org.freedesktop.Notifications.Notify",
-						"org.opensc-project",
-						message_id_str,
-						icon ? icon : "",
-						title ? title : "",
-						text ? text : "",
-						"[]", "{}", "5000",
-						(char *) NULL)) {
-				perror("exec failed");
-				exit(1);
-			}
-			break;
-		case -1:
-			sc_log(ctx, "failed to fork for notification");
-			break;
-		default:
-			/* parent process */
-
-			if (ctx) {
-				sc_log(ctx, "Created %ld for notification:", (long) child);
-				sc_log(ctx, "%s %s %s %s %s %s %s %s %s %s %s %s %s %s %s %s %s", GDBUS,
-						"call", "--session",
-						"--dest", "org.freedesktop.Notifications",
-						"--object-path", "/org/freedesktop/Notifications",
-						"--method", "org.freedesktop.Notifications.Notify",
-						"org.opensc-project",
-						message_id_str,
-						icon ? icon : "",
-						title ? title : "",
-						text ? text : "",
-						"[]", "{}", "5000");
-			}
-
-			if (pass_to_pipe) {
-				ssize_t r;
-				/* close the write end of the pipe */
-				close(pipefd[1]);
-				memset(message_id_str, '\0', sizeof message_id_str);
-				r = read(pipefd[0], message_id_str, sizeof(message_id_str));
-				if (0 < r) {
-					message_id_str[MIN((sizeof message_id_str) - 1, (size_t) r)] = '\0';
-					if (0 >= sscanf(message_id_str, "(uint32 %"SCNu32",)", &message_id)) {
-						message_id = 0;
-					}
-				}
-				/* close the read end of the pipe */
-				close(pipefd[0]);
-			}
-			break;
-	}
-}
-
 #elif defined(ENABLE_NOTIFY) && defined(ENABLE_GIO2)
 
-static GtkApplication *application = NULL;
-
 #include <gio/gio.h>
 
+static GApplication *application = NULL;
+
 void sc_notify_init(void)
 {
 	sc_notify_close();
-	application = g_application_new("org.opensc-project", G_APPLICATION_FLAGS_NONE);
+	application = g_application_new("org.opensc-project.opensc-notify", G_APPLICATION_FLAGS_NONE);
 	if (application) {
 		g_application_register(application, NULL, NULL);
 	}
@@ -504,7 +404,9 @@ static void notify_gio(struct sc_context *ctx,
 		return;
 	}
 
-	g_notification_set_body (notification, text);
+	if (text) {
+		g_notification_set_body (notification, text);
+	}
 	if (icon) {
 		gicon = g_themed_icon_new (icon);
 		if (gicon) {
@@ -530,7 +432,7 @@ void sc_notify_id(struct sc_context *ctx, struct sc_atr *atr,
 
 #endif
 
-#if defined(ENABLE_NOTIFY) && (defined(ENABLE_GIO2) || defined(GDBUS) && !defined(_WIN32))
+#if defined(ENABLE_NOTIFY) && defined(ENABLE_GIO2)
 void sc_notify(const char *title, const char *text)
 {
 	notify_gio(NULL, title, text, NULL, NULL);