macOSnetworkingTested on real hardware

Install Tailscale on macOS

Install Tailscale on macOS via Homebrew or the Mac App Store. Includes subnet routing and exit node setup for homelab access.

Shellbash
Updated
Script
bash
# Install via Homebrew (recommended for CLI control)
brew install --cask tailscale

# Start the Tailscale menu bar app
open /Applications/Tailscale.app

# OR: use the CLI directly after install
/Applications/Tailscale.app/Contents/MacOS/Tailscale up

What this does

Installs Tailscale on macOS using Homebrew Cask, which installs the full menu bar application. The CLI (tailscale) is bundled inside the .app bundle.

Why this approach

Tailscale gives you encrypted, authenticated access to your homelab from anywhere your Mac goes — coffee shop, hotel, mobile hotspot — without opening a single port in your router. Once a Proxmox node has Tailscale installed as a subnet router, your Mac can reach every device on the lab’s 10.x.x.x subnet through the 100.x.x.x Tailscale mesh, as if you were plugged in locally.

The Homebrew Cask install is the right approach for a developer or homelab operator’s Mac because it integrates with the standard macOS tooling you’re already using, and brew upgrade keeps it current alongside everything else. The Mac App Store alternative works too and provides auto-updates through the App Store mechanism, but the Homebrew path is more scriptable for machines that are set up from a Brewfile or an automated setup script.

The macOS client runs as a menu bar application with the full-featured system extension (Network Extension framework), which means it handles seamlessly switching between Wi-Fi and Ethernet, reconnects after sleep/wake, and passes traffic at near-native speed. There’s no daemon to babysit or service to restart after a network change.

Prerequisites

  • Homebrew installed
  • macOS 12 Monterey or later (Tailscale requires Network Extension entitlement)
  • A Tailscale account

Alternative: Mac App Store

If you prefer not to use Homebrew, install directly from the Mac App Store. The App Store version is identical functionally.

Add the CLI to your PATH

The Tailscale CLI lives inside the app bundle. Add a convenient alias:

# Add to ~/.zshrc or ~/.bash_profile
alias tailscale="/Applications/Tailscale.app/Contents/MacOS/Tailscale"

Then reload: source ~/.zshrc

Useful CLI commands

tailscale status           # show all connected nodes
tailscale ping hostname    # test connectivity to a Tailscale node
tailscale ip -4            # show your Tailscale IPv4 address
tailscale up --accept-routes  # accept subnet routes advertised by other nodes

Access your homelab subnets

If a node on your network advertises subnet routes (e.g. 192.168.1.0/24), enable route acceptance:

/Applications/Tailscale.app/Contents/MacOS/Tailscale up --accept-routes

Then approve the route in the Tailscale admin console.

Notes

  • Tailscale on macOS uses the Network Extension framework — macOS will prompt for permission on first run
  • The menu bar icon shows connection status and lets you switch exit nodes
  • System sleep/wake is handled automatically; Tailscale reconnects on wake
All playbooks