TailSocks is a high-performance, lightweight Android client for Tailscale that operates exclusively in userspace-networking mode. It provides a complete Tailscale environment—including Taildrop and Exit Nodes—without utilizing Android's VpnService, enabling seamless coexistence with other VPN and firewall applications.
- Native LocalAPI v2: 100% CLI-less management via a high-performance Go-HTTP bridge. Near-instant status updates and configuration changes.
- Multi-Account System: Create and switch between multiple independent Tailscale profiles, each with its own isolated state and machine keys.
- Tailscale Serve & Funnel: Expose local services to your Tailnet or the public internet with a native UI for managing HTTPS proxies, TCP forwarding, and virtual services (
svc:). - Taildrop Hub: Comprehensive file sharing support. Receive, preview, and save files to any folder using Android's Storage Access Framework.
- Exit Node Support: Full integration with Tailnet Exit Nodes, featuring automated self-healing during account or network transitions.
- Deep Diagnostics: Real-time visibility into the userspace engine, including WireGuard handshake telemetry and NAT traversal status (
InMagicSock). - MagicDNS & Split DNS: Low-latency DNS resolution with in-memory caching and corporate domain routing.
TailSocks operates as a hybrid application:
- Tailscale Core: A pure Go environment (based on
tsnet) compiled for Android and patched for mobile environments. - Go-Kotlin Bridge (
appctr): A high-speed bridge usinggomobilethat exposes the Tailscale LocalAPI and status bus to the Android frontend. - Modern UI: A 100% Jetpack Compose frontend optimized for efficiency, density, and ease of use.
The app uses userspace-networking exclusively. This allows TailSocks to run without requiring Android's VpnService permission, enabling it to work alongside other VPNs (like AdGuard or WireGuard).
- Architecture Deep Dive — Technical details on DNS wrapping and account isolation.
- Build Instructions — Setting up the NDK environment and compiling the Go core.
- Project Evolution — History of the project from PoC to the current stable architecture.
- AdGuard Setup — Instructions for using TailSocks alongside system-wide ad-blockers.
- Serve & Funnel Guide — How to expose local ports and virtual services.
- Roadmap — Planned features and short-term goals.
Distributed under the BSD-3-Clause License. See LICENSE for details.
Note: This project is not affiliated with Tailscale Inc.