Running Audiobookshelf on your home network and want to access it remotely via Tailscale? Here’s how to get SoundLeaf connected.

Quick Setup

The key is using the right URL format:

http://HOSTNAME

Where HOSTNAME is your Tailscale MagicDNS name (e.g., audiobookshelf, nas, server).

Examples that work:

• http://audiobookshelf
• http://my-nas
• http://192.168.1.100:13378 (local IP when on home network)

Common mistakes:

• Using https:// when your server doesn’t have SSL
• Including the Tailscale domain suffix (usually not needed)
• Forgetting the http:// prefix entirely

Why HTTP Instead of HTTPS?

Most home Audiobookshelf setups don’t have SSL certificates configured. Tailscale’s connection is already encrypted, so HTTP over Tailscale is secure.

If you don’t specify a protocol, SoundLeaf tries HTTPS first and then HTTP. That works, but the HTTPS attempt has to fail first, and a Tailscale host commonly drops the connection rather than refusing it, which is the slow kind of failure.

Always explicitly include http:// for non-SSL servers.

Tailscale Sidecar Setup

If you’re running Audiobookshelf in Docker with a Tailscale sidecar container (no port exposure), your URL is simply the container’s MagicDNS name:

http://audiobookshelf

No port number needed since the sidecar handles routing.

Split Tunnel Considerations

If you have Tailscale configured with split tunneling (only routing certain traffic through the VPN):

1. Make sure your Audiobookshelf server’s IP/hostname is included in the routed subnets
2. Or use the Tailscale IP directly (found in your Tailscale admin console)

Local vs Remote Access

Want different URLs for home vs away? SoundLeaf holds both and switches on its own: a local address for your home Wi-Fi and a list of addresses for everywhere else. See Home and Away Server Addresses.

Tailscale users can usually skip the local address entirely and put the Tailscale address in the external list, since Tailscale routes directly when both machines are on the same network.

Troubleshooting

”Connection failed” error

1. Verify Tailscale is connected on your iPhone (check the Tailscale app)
2. Try the Tailscale IP instead of hostname: http://100.x.x.x:13378
3. Confirm you can reach the server in Safari first

Works in browser but not SoundLeaf

Make sure you’re including http:// in the URL. Browsers auto-detect the protocol; SoundLeaf defaults to HTTPS if not specified.

Intermittent disconnections

• Check your Tailscale key hasn’t expired
• Ensure “Allow incoming connections” is enabled on the server’s Tailscale client
• Try disabling battery optimization for Tailscale on your server if applicable