# Using Tailscale to Manage Your Homelab

> A few days ago, I bought a Mac mini M4 and turned it into my personal homelab.
This article records how I set it up and how to seamlessly connect to my homelab remotely using Tailscale.

## Set Your Mac mini M4 as a Server

As a server, the Mac mini M4 should run **24/7** in a stable state. To achieve this, go to:

**System Settings → Energy**, and turn the following options **On**:

* **Prevent automatic sleeping when the display is off**
* **Wake for network access**
* **Start up automatically after a power failure**

These settings ensure that your homelab remains available even after power outages or long idle periods.

![Jietu20260125-205623](https://static.yancey.app/0ic3psx7-1769345794165.jpg)

Next, go to **System Settings → Users & Groups**, and set **Automatically log in as** your **admin user**.

This is important because if the server restarts unexpectedly, macOS will automatically log in and resume services under the admin user’s identity.

![Jietu20260125-210343](https://static.yancey.app/jrn3r78h-1769346289283.jpg)

Finally, go to **System Settings → General → Sharing**, and enable:

* **Remote Login**\
This allows you to access the machine via **SSH**, which is essential for server management.
* **Screen Sharing (Strongly Recommended)**\
Ideally, after the initial setup, you won’t need a physical **monitor, keyboard, or mouse** connected to the Mac mini.\
Screen Sharing enables remote control via **VNC**, which is extremely useful because macOS is still a desktop-oriented operating system—SSH alone can’t handle everything.

![Jietu20260125-211018](https://static.yancey.app/29ogiwmm-1769346654454.jpg)

Once this is done, your Mac mini is ready to run headless.

### Register the Tailscale Service

Tailscale works as a managed VPN solution that establishes **peer-to-peer (or relayed) connections** between devices using the **WireGuard** protocol.

In simple terms, Tailscale builds a secure tunnel between your homelab and your other devices—so even if you’re on the subway, you can still connect to your Mac mini at home.

### Install Tailscale on Your Homelab

1. Download the **[Tailscale app](https://pkgs.tailscale.com/stable/#macos)** on your Mac mini.
2. Follow [Tailscale’s official onboarding flow](https://tailscale.com/kb/1017/install) to initialize your account.

![Jietu20260125-214134](https://static.yancey.app/9g2ns0nu-1769348523480.jpg)

![Jietu20260125-215143](https://static.yancey.app/lqgpbw8a-1769349141571.jpg)

After registration, you’ll see your Mac mini already joined to your **Tailscale network**.

### Recommended Settings

* Enable **Launch Tailscale at login**
* Make sure the `tailscale` **CLI** is available in your terminal

![Jietu20260125-215407](https://static.yancey.app/wy9s40dt-1769349268164.jpg)

## Final Result

Install Tailscale on another device (laptop, phone, etc.), log in with the **same account**, and try connecting via SSH: `ssh homelab@100.xxx.xxx.xxx`

After completing these steps, you can safely **disconnect the monitor, keyboard, and mouse**, put the Mac mini in a corner, and treat it as a true homelab server—fully manageable from anywhere via Tailscale.


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Source: https://yanceyleo.com/post/db66ce79-1252-40f7-848f-82ece4266340
Published: 2026-01-25
Tags: Homelab