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Gateway service runbook
Tailscale (Gateway dashboard)

Tailscale (Gateway dashboard)

Scope

Use this page when:

  • Exposing the Gateway Control UI outside localhost
  • Automating tailnet or public dashboard access

Moltbot 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.

Modes

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

Auth

Set gateway.auth.mode to control the handshake:

  • token (default when MOLTBOT_GATEWAY_TOKEN is set)
  • password (shared secret via MOLTBOT_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. Moltbot verifies the identity by resolving the x-forwarded-for address via the local Tailscale daemon (tailscale whois) and matching it to the header before accepting it. Moltbot 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".

Config examples

Tailnet-only (Serve) 

{
  gateway: {
    bind: "loopback",
    tailscale: { mode: "serve" }
  }
}

Open: https://<magicdns>/ (or your configured gateway.controlUi.basePath)

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.

Public internet (Funnel + shared password) 

{
  gateway: {
    bind: "loopback",
    tailscale: { mode: "funnel" },
    auth: { mode: "password", password: "replace-me" }
  }
}

Prefer MOLTBOT_GATEWAY_PASSWORD over committing a password to disk.

CLI examples 

moltbot gateway --tailscale serve
moltbot gateway --tailscale funnel --auth password

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 Moltbot 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.

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
moltbot 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 MOLTBOT_BROWSER_CONTROL_TOKEN="<token>"

Avoid Funnel for browser control endpoints unless you explicitly want public exposure.

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.

Learn more

SandboxingTools Invoke (HTTP)