Using Tailscale to Manage Your Homelab

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.

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.

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.

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 on your Mac mini.

2. Follow Tailscale’s official onboarding flow to initialize your account.

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

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.