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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.
Requires TAILSCALE_API_KEY to be set in your environment. Generate a key at tailscale.com/admin/settings/keys.

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Parameters

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

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Return value

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success
boolean
Always true on a successful API call.
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summary
object
Aggregate counts for the tailnet.
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devices
array
Array of device objects, one per enrolled device.

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Example output

{
  "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"
    }
  ]
}

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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. 
// 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"
}