Use Audiobookshelf over Tailscale on iPhone

To use Audiobookshelf over Tailscale, install Tailscale on the server and on your iPhone. Turn it on, then sign in to SoundLeaf with an address like http://100.101.102.103:13378. That’s the server’s Tailscale address, plain http://, and the Audiobookshelf port.

Tailscale is a private network between your own devices. Your phone can reach the server from anywhere as if it were at home, with no ports opened on your router.

Which address works with Tailscale?

Address	Example	Works?
Tailscale IP with port	http://100.101.102.103:13378	Yes. Good for testing, since it skips name lookups.
MagicDNS name with port	http://my-nas:13378	Yes, with MagicDNS on in Tailscale.
Full MagicDNS name	http://my-nas.tailnet-name.ts.net:13378	Yes, with MagicDNS on.
Tailscale HTTPS name	https://my-nas.tailnet-name.ts.net	Only with Tailscale Serve, or a server set up to use the certificate on port 443.
No http://	100.101.102.103:13378	Works, but slower to sign in. See below.

You’ll find the server’s Tailscale address and name in the Tailscale app or the Tailscale admin console.

The port is the one your server shows Audiobookshelf on. In the usual Docker setup that’s the host side of the port mapping, like 13378 in 13378:80. See which port Audiobookshelf uses. What to type as your server address has more examples.

Why use http:// and not https://?

If your Audiobookshelf server uses plain HTTP, you can keep using it over Tailscale. Tailscale already encrypts everything between your devices, so http:// over Tailscale is safe.

If you leave the protocol off, SoundLeaf tries https:// first and then http://, so a server that only speaks http:// takes longer to connect. Type http:// yourself and SoundLeaf goes straight there.

Connect SoundLeaf through Tailscale

1. Install Tailscale on the Audiobookshelf server and sign in.
2. Install the Tailscale app on your iPhone, sign in to the same account, and turn it on.
3. In Safari on the phone, open http://<server's Tailscale IP>:13378. You should see the Audiobookshelf sign-in page.
4. In SoundLeaf, type the same address and sign in.

Tailscale sidecar in Docker

A sidecar is a separate Tailscale container that shares Audiobookshelf’s network, so the server gets its own Tailscale name. Audiobookshelf listens on port 80 inside its Docker container, so the address is just the name, with no port:

# Sidecar named "audiobookshelf": port 80, so no port needed
http://audiobookshelf

If you set the container’s PORT to something else, add that port.

Use your local address at home and Tailscale away

SoundLeaf can hold both and switch on its own: your local address on home Wi-Fi, the Tailscale address everywhere else. See home and away addresses.

You can also skip the local address and just use the Tailscale one, since Tailscale can usually connect directly when both devices are on the same network.

Does Tailscale work on Apple Watch?

Not on its own. watchOS has no Tailscale app, so when the watch is away from your iPhone (on its own Wi-Fi or cellular), it can’t reach a server that’s only on Tailscale.

Download books to the watch before you leave instead. Downloaded books play with no connection. See the Apple Watch guide.

Other ways to reach your server from outside

Tailscale is the easy choice when it’s just you. If family members won’t install a VPN, a reverse proxy with your own domain or a Cloudflare tunnel may suit better. Listen away from home compares them.

Troubleshooting

SoundLeaf says “Could not connect with HTTPS or HTTP”

1. Check Tailscale is on in the Tailscale app on your iPhone.
2. Use the Tailscale IP instead of the name: http://100.x.x.x:13378.
3. Open the same address in Safari on the phone. If Safari can’t open it, the problem is Tailscale or the server, not SoundLeaf.

It works in Safari but not in SoundLeaf

Copy the exact address from Safari, including http:// and the port. If you also use a local address, check that SoundLeaf has Local Network access in the iPhone Settings app under Privacy & Security > Local Network. More in connection troubleshooting.

It connects sometimes and drops other times

• Check the server’s Tailscale key hasn’t expired in the admin console.
• Check the server is awake. A NAS that sleeps drops off Tailscale until it wakes.
• If you use another VPN on the phone, turn it off. iOS runs only one VPN at a time.