Tailscale Serve

Manage multiple paths with tailscale serve, serving files, directories, or ports simultaneously without conflicts and control via background mode.

Tailscale Serve Skill

Manage multiple paths with tailscale serve without conflicts.

Key Commands

Check what's currently served

bash

tailscale serve status

Serve a directory or file at a specific path

bash

# Directory
tailscale serve --bg --set-path /slides /path/to/directory

# Single file
tailscale serve --bg --set-path /presentation /path/to/file.html

# Port (for running services)
tailscale serve --bg --set-path /api http://localhost:8080

Serve from a port at root (replaces everything)

bash

tailscale serve --bg 8888

Remove a specific path

bash

tailscale serve --https=443 /slides off

Reset all serving

bash

tailscale serve reset

Important Notes

• Path conflicts: Serving at / will override all other paths
• Background mode: Use --bg to keep it running
• Multiple paths: You can serve multiple things simultaneously with different paths
• Status first: Always check tailscale serve status before adding new paths

Common Patterns

Serve presentation alongside control UI

bash

# If control UI is at /, serve presentation at a subpath
tailscale serve --bg --set-path /slides ~/clawd/personal-agents-presentation.html

# Access at: https://[hostname].ts.net/slides

Serve multiple directories

bash

tailscale serve --bg --set-path /docs ~/documents
tailscale serve --bg --set-path /slides ~/presentations
tailscale serve --bg --set-path /files ~/files

Serve a local dev server

bash

tailscale serve --bg --set-path /app http://localhost:3000

Workflow

1. Check current status: tailscale serve status
2. Choose an unused path (e.g., /slides, /docs, /api)
3. Serve with --set-path /your-path /source
4. Verify with tailscale serve status again
5. Share the full URL: https://[hostname].ts.net/your-path

Troubleshooting

"Can't access my served content"

• Check tailscale serve status - is it at the path you expect?
• Did something else overwrite the root /?

"Want to replace everything with a port"

bash

tailscale serve reset
tailscale serve --bg 8888

"Want to add to existing setup"

bash

# Don't use reset! Just add with --set-path
tailscale serve --bg --set-path /newpath /source