Tailscale MCP Server

by usefulapi Your server? Claim it

answering

Tailscale is answering right now. Last checked 15 min ago. It exposes 22 tools. Last commit 1 Sep 2026.

Read devices, users, keys, ACLs and DNS for a tailnet; manage devices, routes and auth keys.

Uptime history 47 days of history · worst day 2%

47 days agonow

100.0%

Uptime 24h

91 of 91 checks

Tools

read from the server

171 ms

Response time

average over 24h

Stars

last commit 1 Sep 2026

Nothing serious here today

Today is the operative word: we check Tailscale every 15 minutes and re-read its code on every release. Watch it and you find out the day that stops being true.

Connect this server

Endpoint below is the one we actually reach during checks — not the one copied from a README. Last verified 15 min ago.

Claude Code Claude Desktop Codex Cursor VS Code

run in your terminal

claude mcp add tailscale --transport http https://tailscale.usefulapi.io/mcp

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tailscale": {
      "url": "https://tailscale.usefulapi.io/mcp"
    }
  }
}

~/.codex/config.toml

[mcp_servers.tailscale]
url = "https://tailscale.usefulapi.io/mcp"

.cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tailscale": {
      "url": "https://tailscale.usefulapi.io/mcp"
    }
  }
}

.vscode/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tailscale": {
      "url": "https://tailscale.usefulapi.io/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Available tools 22

Read directly from the server with tools/list, grouped by what they act on. If a tool disappears, we record the date.

tailscale

tailscale_authorize_device

Authorize or de-authorize a device (only relevant when device approval is enabled for the tailnet). Tailscale REST: POST /device/{deviceId}/authorized.

tailscale_create_auth_key

Create a new auth key for the tailnet (used to register new devices). Tailscale REST: POST /tailnet/{tailnet}/keys.

tailscale_delete_device

Delete a device, removing it from the tailnet. Tailscale REST: DELETE /device/{deviceId}.

tailscale_delete_key

Delete (revoke) an auth key or API access token by id — a security response. Tailscale REST: DELETE /tailnet/{tailnet}/keys/{keyId}.

tailscale_expire_device_key

Expire a device's node key, forcing it to re-authenticate — a security response to a compromised or lost device. Tailscale REST: POST /device/{deviceId}/expire.

tailscale_get_device

Get a single device by id. Tailscale REST: GET /device/{deviceId}.

tailscale_get_dns_preferences

Get the tailnet's DNS preferences (e.g. whether MagicDNS is enabled). Tailscale REST: GET /tailnet/{tailnet}/dns/preferences.

tailscale_get_key

Get details of a single auth key / API access token by id (capabilities, expiry, usage). Tailscale REST: GET /tailnet/{tailnet}/keys/{keyId}.

tailscale_get_policy_file

Get the tailnet's ACL / policy file (returned as JSON via the Accept header, not HuJSON). Tailscale REST: GET /tailnet/{tailnet}/acl.

tailscale_get_split_dns

Get the tailnet's split-DNS configuration — a map of domain → nameservers. Tailscale REST: GET /tailnet/{tailnet}/dns/split-dns.

tailscale_get_tailnet_settings

Get the tailnet's settings (device approval, key expiry, posture, etc.). Tailscale REST: GET /tailnet/{tailnet}/settings.

tailscale_get_user

Get a single user by id. Tailscale REST: GET /users/{userId}.

tailscale_list_device_routes

List the subnet routes a device advertises and which are enabled. Tailscale REST: GET /device/{deviceId}/routes.

tailscale_list_devices

List all devices in the tailnet (name, addresses, OS, last seen, tags, etc.). Tailscale REST: GET /tailnet/{tailnet}/devices.

tailscale_list_dns_nameservers

List the global DNS nameservers configured for the tailnet. Tailscale REST: GET /tailnet/{tailnet}/dns/nameservers.

tailscale_list_dns_searchpaths

List the DNS search paths (search domains) configured for the tailnet. Tailscale REST: GET /tailnet/{tailnet}/dns/searchpaths.

tailscale_list_keys

List auth keys and API access tokens for the tailnet. Tailscale REST: GET /tailnet/{tailnet}/keys.

tailscale_list_users

List users of the tailnet, optionally filtered by type, role or status. Tailscale REST: GET /tailnet/{tailnet}/users.

tailscale_list_webhooks

List the webhook endpoints configured for the tailnet. Tailscale REST: GET /tailnet/{tailnet}/webhooks.

tailscale_set_device_name

Set (rename) a device's name. Tailscale REST: POST /device/{deviceId}/name.

tailscale_set_device_routes

Set the subnet routes ENABLED for a device (from the routes it advertises). REPLACES the enabled set. Tailscale REST: POST /device/{deviceId}/routes.

tailscale_set_device_tags

Set a device's ACL tags. REPLACES the device's existing tags. Tailscale REST: POST /device/{deviceId}/tags.

Endpoints

URL	Transport	State	Latency	Checked
https://tailscale.usefulapi.io/mcp	streamable-http	answering	275 ms	15 min ago

Alternatives to Tailscale

same job, measured the same way

Tailscale RMCP

by dinglebear

Rust MCP server and CLI for Tailscale devices, users, keys, policies, and auth.

local only

Onelogin MCP

by onelogin

MCP server for OneLogin API - manage users, apps, roles, and authentication

244 installs/wk local only

Go Unifi MCP

by claytono

Manage UniFi sites, devices, clients, networks, port forwarding, DNS, and firewall

local only

Smartroutes

by smartroutes

Route optimisation, orders, booking and fleet management for a SmartRoutes depot.

answering

Autumn

by usefulapi

MCP server for Autumn — read customers, plans, balances & invoices; track usage and attach plans.

18 tools answering

Jettyd

by jettyd

Connect AI agents to IoT devices — read sensors, send commands, manage ESP32 fleets.

42 installs/wk local only

ntfy

by ni-c

Publish ntfy notifications, read the message cache, and manage users and topic access

46 installs/wk local only

Zerosmtp

by msgwing

A free SMTP relay that still takes a username and password, for devices that cannot do OAuth 2.0.

55 installs/wk local only

Tailscale — questions

Answers built from our own checks of this server.

What can Tailscale do?

It exposes 22 tools, read directly from the server on our last check. Among them: tailscale_authorize_device, tailscale_create_auth_key, tailscale_delete_device, tailscale_delete_key, tailscale_expire_device_key, tailscale_get_device and 16 more. The full list with descriptions is on this page — we take it from the server itself via tools/list, not from a README. How MCP servers expose tools in the first place →

Is Tailscale working right now?

We send a real MCP handshake every 15 minutes. Over the last 24 hours 91 of 91 checks got a reply (100.0%), average response time 171 ms. The bar chart above shows every period we have measured.

How do I connect Tailscale?

Copy the ready config from this page — we generate it for Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Codex, Cursor and VS Code, each with the file path that client actually reads. It is a remote server, so there is nothing to install — the client connects to the address.

Does Tailscale need an API key?

No. Tailscale completed a full MCP handshake with us as an anonymous client and listed its tools without asking for anything. All 22 of them are readable on this page. This is what we observed, not what the docs claim.

How fast is Tailscale?

It answers our handshake in 171 ms on average, which is faster than 72% of all working MCP servers we measure. The comparison comes from our own checks across the whole registry, every 15 minutes.

Is Tailscale open source?

Yes — it is published under the MIT licence, written in JavaScript and 0 stars on GitHub. The source link is on this page, so you can read exactly what it does with your data before you connect it.