paperclip/docs/deploy/tailscale-private-access.md

title, summary

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Tailscale Private Access	Run Paperclip with Tailscale-friendly host binding and connect from other devices

Use this when you want to access Paperclip over Tailscale (or a private LAN/VPN) instead of only localhost.

1. Start Paperclip in private authenticated mode

pnpm dev --tailscale-auth

This configures:

• PAPERCLIP_DEPLOYMENT_MODE=authenticated
• PAPERCLIP_DEPLOYMENT_EXPOSURE=private
• PAPERCLIP_AUTH_BASE_URL_MODE=auto
• HOST=0.0.0.0 (bind on all interfaces)

Equivalent flag:

pnpm dev --authenticated-private

2. Find your reachable Tailscale address

From the machine running Paperclip:

tailscale ip -4

You can also use your Tailscale MagicDNS hostname (for example my-macbook.tailnet.ts.net).

3. Open Paperclip from another device

Use the Tailscale IP or MagicDNS host with the Paperclip port:

http://<tailscale-host-or-ip>:3100

Example:

http://my-macbook.tailnet.ts.net:3100

4. Allow custom private hostnames when needed

If you access Paperclip with a custom private hostname, add it to the allowlist:

pnpm paperclipai allowed-hostname my-macbook.tailnet.ts.net

5. Verify the server is reachable

From a remote Tailscale-connected device:

curl http://<tailscale-host-or-ip>:3100/api/health

Expected result:

{"status":"ok"}

Troubleshooting

• Login or redirect errors on a private hostname: add it with paperclipai allowed-hostname.
• App only works on localhost: make sure you started with --tailscale-auth (or set HOST=0.0.0.0 in private mode).
• Can connect locally but not remotely: verify both devices are on the same Tailscale network and port 3100 is reachable.