---
 texk/kpathsea/tex-file.c |   14 +++++++++++++-
 1 file changed, 13 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

--- texk/kpathsea/tex-file.c
+++ texk/kpathsea/tex-file.c	2024-03-22 10:05:55.034645098 +0000
@@ -21,7 +21,9 @@
 
 #include <kpathsea/c-fopen.h>
 #include <kpathsea/c-pathch.h>
+#include <errno.h>
 #include <stdarg.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
 #include <kpathsea/cnf.h>
 #include <kpathsea/absolute.h>
 #include <kpathsea/concatn.h>
@@ -1316,13 +1318,23 @@ kpathsea_name_ok (kpathsea kpse, const_s
            TEXMFSYSVAR.  */
         if (extended) {
           const_string texmfvar = kpathsea_var_value (kpse, "TEXMFVAR");
+          string cache = kpathsea_var_value (kpse, "VARTEXFONTS");
+          int fa = access(cache, W_OK);
+          if (fa != 0) {
+            string home = getenv ("HOME");
+            cache = concat3 (home, "/", ".cache/texmf/fonts");
+          }
           if (!abs_fname_ok (expanded_fname, texmfvar)) {
             const_string texmfsysvar
               = kpathsea_var_value (kpse, "TEXMFSYSVAR");
             if (!abs_fname_ok (expanded_fname, texmfsysvar)) {
-              goto not_ok; /* nothing left to check.  */
+              if (!abs_fname_ok (expanded_fname, cache)) {
+                goto not_ok; /* nothing left to check.  */
+              }
             }
           }
+          if (fa != 0)
+            free (cache);
         } else {
           goto not_ok; /* not extended */
         }