> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.ouim.me/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# tailscale_status

> List all devices in your Tailscale network with IPs, OS, online status, and last-seen time.

`tailscale_status` queries the Tailscale API and returns every device enrolled in your tailnet. It separates devices into online and offline, and returns key metadata for each one.

This tool is the natural starting point for any SSH workflow — use it to discover available hostnames before calling `ssh_exec`, or to debug why a device isn't reachable.

<Note>
  Requires `TAILSCALE_API_KEY` to be set in your environment. Generate a key at [tailscale.com/admin/settings/keys](https://tailscale.com/admin/settings/keys).
</Note>

## Parameters

This tool takes no parameters. It fetches your entire tailnet automatically.

## Return value

<ResponseField name="success" type="boolean">
  Always `true` on a successful API call.
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="summary" type="object">
  Aggregate counts for the tailnet.

  <Expandable title="properties">
    <ResponseField name="total" type="number">
      Total number of devices enrolled.
    </ResponseField>

    <ResponseField name="online" type="number">
      Number of devices currently online.
    </ResponseField>

    <ResponseField name="offline" type="number">
      Number of devices currently offline.
    </ResponseField>
  </Expandable>
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="devices" type="array">
  Array of device objects, one per enrolled device.

  <Expandable title="properties">
    <ResponseField name="name" type="string">
      Full device name as registered in Tailscale (includes tailnet domain suffix).
    </ResponseField>

    <ResponseField name="hostname" type="string">
      Short hostname of the device. Use this value as the `hostname` parameter in `ssh_exec`.
    </ResponseField>

    <ResponseField name="status" type="string">
      Either `"online"` or `"offline"`.
    </ResponseField>

    <ResponseField name="os" type="string">
      Operating system reported by Tailscale (e.g. `linux`, `windows`, `macOS`).
    </ResponseField>

    <ResponseField name="ips" type="array">
      Array of Tailscale IP addresses assigned to the device.
    </ResponseField>

    <ResponseField name="clientVersion" type="string">
      Tailscale client version running on the device.
    </ResponseField>

    <ResponseField name="lastSeen" type="string">
      ISO 8601 timestamp of when the device was last seen by the Tailscale coordination server.
    </ResponseField>
  </Expandable>
</ResponseField>

## Example output

```json theme={null}
{
  "success": true,
  "summary": {
    "total": 4,
    "online": 3,
    "offline": 1
  },
  "devices": [
    {
      "name": "homelab.tail1234.ts.net",
      "hostname": "homelab",
      "status": "online",
      "os": "linux",
      "ips": ["100.64.0.1"],
      "clientVersion": "1.58.2-t8b4a2e60f-g4b2e60f",
      "lastSeen": "2026-03-18T10:22:00Z"
    },
    {
      "name": "win-workstation.tail1234.ts.net",
      "hostname": "win-workstation",
      "status": "online",
      "os": "windows",
      "ips": ["100.64.0.2"],
      "clientVersion": "1.58.2",
      "lastSeen": "2026-03-18T10:21:45Z"
    },
    {
      "name": "old-vps.tail1234.ts.net",
      "hostname": "old-vps",
      "status": "offline",
      "os": "linux",
      "ips": ["100.64.0.3"],
      "clientVersion": "1.52.0",
      "lastSeen": "2026-02-10T08:00:00Z"
    }
  ]
}
```

## Common use cases

**Discover hostnames before SSH**

Call `tailscale_status` at the start of a session to build a map of available devices. The `hostname` field is what you pass directly to `ssh_exec`.

**Check online status before running commands**

If `ssh_exec` fails to connect, `tailscale_status` will show whether the device is offline vs. a real SSH configuration problem.

**Audit your network**

Spot devices running old client versions (`clientVersion`), identify machines that haven't been seen recently (`lastSeen`), or verify a new device enrolled successfully.

**Save a device map to the knowledge base**

After discovering your devices, use `gist_kb` to save the hostname-to-purpose mapping so future sessions don't need to re-run discovery.

```json theme={null}
// Follow-up gist_kb call to save the device map
{
  "action": "create",
  "title": "device-map",
  "content": "homelab: home NAS and media server\nprod-server: production VPS\nwin-workstation: Windows dev machine",
  "description": "Tailscale device map"
}
```