# Newbie guide to using tailscale

**URL:** <https://universal-blue.discourse.group/t/newbie-guide-to-using-tailscale/6398>\
**Category:** General\
**Created:** [January 21, 2025, 4:16am UTC](https://universal-blue.discourse.group/t/newbie-guide-to-using-tailscale/6398 "2025-01-21T04:16:17Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Matt\_Wilkie](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/universal-blue.discourse.group/matt_wilkie/32/4190_2.png) [@Matt\_Wilkie](https://universal-blue.discourse.group/u/Matt_Wilkie)\
**Post date:** [January 21, 2025, 4:16am UTC](https://universal-blue.discourse.group/t/newbie-guide-to-using-tailscale/6398/1 "2025-01-21T04:16:17Z")

</div>

How do I use Tailscale on Bluefin?

I’m familiar using it on Windows but not Linux. I see at [https://universal-blue.discourse.group/t/tailscale-vpn-on-bluefin/](https://universal-blue.discourse.group/t/tailscale-vpn-on-bluefin/) that it’s included out of the box, and I can see it in the Tray items at top right. However clicking on it doesn’t seem to do anything. The status goes blue for a few moments and then back to grey.

As that topic advises, I’ve run `sudo tailscale set --operator=$USER` but that doesn’t seem to change anything.

The end of the topic said there is a bug at Bluefin 40, which is my version I think, but the bug was closed 8 months ago.

The administrators guide [Administrator's Guide | Bluefin](https://docs.projectbluefin.io/administration/#virtual-private-networks-vpn) using Mullvad or Docker looks to be a pretty deep dive. Is that really necessary?

```auto
❯ rpm-ostree status
State: idle
AutomaticUpdates: stage; rpm-ostreed-automatic.timer: last run 3 days ago
Deployments:
  ostree-image-signed:docker://ghcr.io/ublue-os/bluefin-dx:gts
                   Digest: sha256:c9c13cedbc68d8e490d9efdd406036231db5a2bda13cf8deec47abd21925d34c
                  Version: gts-40.20250115 (2025-01-15T01:08:05Z)
                     Diff: 400 upgraded, 39 removed, 53 added

● ostree-image-signed:docker://ghcr.io/ublue-os/bluefin-dx:gts
                   Digest: sha256:470b3d5df16f2f11976723eb3771637b0da35e45abd13b4e1d1c42abf97b2991
                  Version: gts-40.20241124 (2024-11-24T06:03:12Z)

```

Thanks

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Matt\_Wilkie](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/universal-blue.discourse.group/matt_wilkie/32/4190_2.png) [@Matt\_Wilkie](https://universal-blue.discourse.group/u/Matt_Wilkie)\
**Post date:** [January 21, 2025, 4:35am UTC](https://universal-blue.discourse.group/t/newbie-guide-to-using-tailscale/6398/2 "2025-01-21T04:35:32Z")

</div>

Opening a terminal and running

```auto
tailscale up

```

…resulted in a tailscale login URL. After doing that the Tailscale tray control works as expected, turning the VPN on and off, and showing participating devices when on.

This is a really simple fix and should be in the docs somewhere (along with the _–operator_ setting). I’d open a PR with it but am still getting familiar with how this project is organized. (I haven’t seen a place yet for individual app advice).