---
name: tailscale-serve-skill-4cde2e0a74a0
description: "Manage multiple paths with `tailscale serve` without conflicts."
---

# 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
```


---
Source attribution: kbarbel640-del
Original project: https://github.com/kbarbel640-del/skills/blob/e7e336ac628c3e3bd771aff1aaa469c93778f94a/skills/snopoke/tailscale-serve/SKILL.md
License: MIT
License information: https://opensource.org/license/mit
Original upstream instructions; downloaded from Dave AI.

## Upstream license notice

MIT License

Copyright (c) 2026 clawdbot

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
SOFTWARE.



# Dave AI resource metadata

Creator / publisher: kbarbel640-del
Original project: https://github.com/kbarbel640-del/skills/blob/e7e336ac628c3e3bd771aff1aaa469c93778f94a/skills/snopoke/tailscale-serve/SKILL.md
Attribution basis: Source repository record

Fields of work: Development & Engineering, Product Management
Roles: Backend Developer, DevOps / SRE, Technical Product Manager
Specialties: Backend
Tools: Tailscale
Country applicability: Country not specified
Classification basis: Source catalog labels
Instruction SHA-256: c4c07906b483b57914d90dd55acbf0b26722e29253378817807a533c9bbebf5a