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Tailscale (Gateway dashboard)

Clawdia can auto-configure Tailscale Serve (tailnet) or Funnel (public) for the Gateway dashboard and WebSocket port. This keeps the Gateway bound to loopback while Tailscale provides HTTPS, routing, and (for Serve) identity headers.

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Modes

  • serve: Tailnet-only Serve via tailscale serve. The gateway stays on 127.0.0.1.
  • funnel: Public HTTPS via tailscale funnel. Clawdia requires a shared password.
  • off: Default (no Tailscale automation).

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Auth

Set gateway.auth.mode to control the handshake:
  • token (default when CLAWDIA_GATEWAY_TOKEN is set)
  • password (shared secret via CLAWDIA_GATEWAY_PASSWORD or config)
When tailscale.mode = "serve" and gateway.auth.allowTailscale is true, valid Serve proxy requests can authenticate via Tailscale identity headers (tailscale-user-login) without supplying a token/password. Clawdia only treats a request as Serve when it arrives from loopback with Tailscale’s x-forwarded-for, x-forwarded-proto, and x-forwarded-host headers. To require explicit credentials, set gateway.auth.allowTailscale: false or force gateway.auth.mode: "password".

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Config examples

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Tailnet-only (Serve)

{
  gateway: {
    bind: "loopback",
    tailscale: { mode: "serve" }
  }
}
Open: https://<magicdns>/ (or your configured gateway.controlUi.basePath)

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Tailnet-only (bind to Tailnet IP)

Use this when you want the Gateway to listen directly on the Tailnet IP (no Serve/Funnel). 
{
  gateway: {
    bind: "tailnet",
    auth: { mode: "token", token: "your-token" }
  }
}
Connect from another Tailnet device:
  • Control UI: http://<tailscale-ip>:18789/
  • WebSocket: ws://<tailscale-ip>:18789
Note: loopback (http://127.0.0.1:18789) will not work in this mode.

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Public internet (Funnel + shared password)

{
  gateway: {
    bind: "loopback",
    tailscale: { mode: "funnel" },
    auth: { mode: "password", password: "replace-me" }
  }
}
Prefer CLAWDIA_GATEWAY_PASSWORD over committing a password to disk.

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CLI examples

clawdia gateway --tailscale serve
clawdia gateway --tailscale funnel --auth password

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Notes

  • Tailscale Serve/Funnel requires the tailscale CLI to be installed and logged in.
  • tailscale.mode: "funnel" refuses to start unless auth mode is password to avoid public exposure.
  • Set gateway.tailscale.resetOnExit if you want Clawdia to undo tailscale serve or tailscale funnel configuration on shutdown.
  • gateway.bind: "tailnet" is a direct Tailnet bind (no HTTPS, no Serve/Funnel).
  • gateway.bind: "auto" prefers loopback; use tailnet if you want Tailnet-only.
  • Serve/Funnel only expose the Gateway control UI + WS. Nodes connect over the same Gateway WS endpoint, so Serve can work for node access.

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Browser control server (remote Gateway + local browser)

If you run the Gateway on one machine but want to drive a browser on another machine, use a separate browser control server and publish it through Tailscale Serve (tailnet-only): 
# on the machine that runs Chrome
clawdia browser serve --bind 127.0.0.1 --port 18791 --token <token>
tailscale serve https / http://127.0.0.1:18791
Then point the Gateway config at the HTTPS URL: 
{
  browser: {
    enabled: true,
    controlUrl: "https://<magicdns>/"
  }
}
And authenticate from the Gateway with the same token (prefer env): 
export CLAWDIA_BROWSER_CONTROL_TOKEN="<token>"
Avoid Funnel for browser control endpoints unless you explicitly want public exposure.

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Tailscale prerequisites + limits

  • Serve requires HTTPS enabled for your tailnet; the CLI prompts if it is missing.
  • Serve injects Tailscale identity headers; Funnel does not.
  • Funnel requires Tailscale v1.38.3+, MagicDNS, HTTPS enabled, and a funnel node attribute.
  • Funnel only supports ports 443, 8443, and 10000 over TLS.
  • Funnel on macOS requires the open-source Tailscale app variant.

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