# tsnet_flutter
Embed [Tailscale's tsnet](https://pkg.go.dev/tailscale.com/tsnet) in Flutter apps. Provides a userspace WireGuard tunnel with a localhost TCP proxy — **no VPN entitlement needed** on iOS.
## How it works
```
Flutter App (Dart)
└── tsnet_flutter plugin
├── iOS/macOS: Swift MethodChannel → C bridge → Go static library (.a)
└── Android/Linux: Dart FFI → Go shared library (.so)
↓
Go tsnet (WireGuard + userspace netstack)
↓
localhost TCP proxy (127.0.0.1:PORT)
↓
WireGuard tunnel → remote device (100.x.x.x)
```
Your app connects to `localhost:PORT`. Traffic is forwarded through a WireGuard tunnel to the target device's Tailscale IP. Your app doesn't know about Tailscale — it just sees a localhost port.
## Usage
```dart
import 'package:tsnet_flutter/tsnet_flutter.dart';
final tsnet = TsnetFlutter();
// Join the Tailnet
await tsnet.start(authKey: 'tskey-auth-...');
// Create a local proxy to the remote device
final localPort = await tsnet.startProxy('100.64.0.5', port: 5050);
// Connect your client to the proxy
yourClient.connect('127.0.0.1', port: localPort);
// Clean up
await tsnet.stopProxy();
await tsnet.stop();
```
## API
| Method | Description |
|--------|-------------|
| `start(authKey, hostname)` | Join a Tailnet with an auth key. Idempotent — safe to call multiple times. |
| `startProxy(ip, port)` | Create a localhost TCP proxy to a remote Tailscale IP. Returns the local port. |
| `stopProxy()` | Stop the localhost proxy. |
| `stop()` | Disconnect from the Tailnet. |
| `status()` | Get the current Tailscale connection status (state, peers, IPs). |
| `tailscaleIP()` | Get this device's Tailscale IPv4 address (100.x.x.x). |
## Platform support
| Platform | Tailscale tunnel | Binary type | Architectures |
|----------|-----------------|-------------|---------------|
| iOS | Supported | c-archive (.a in xcframework) | arm64 device + arm64 simulator |
| macOS | Supported | c-archive (.a in xcframework) | arm64 + x86_64 universal |
| Linux | Supported | c-shared (.so) | amd64 |
| Android | Local only (WIP) | c-shared (.so in jniLibs) | arm64-v8a + x86_64 |
**Android note:** Local TCP connections work. Tailscale tunnel is blocked by Go's `net.Interfaces()` requiring `CAP_NET_ADMIN` on Android. Full tunnel support will require `libtailscale` integration from [tailscale-android](https://github.com/tailscale/tailscale-android).
## Platform setup
### iOS
No special entitlements or permissions needed. No VPN entitlement required.
### macOS
macOS apps run sandboxed. Add these entitlements to both `DebugProfile.entitlements` and `Release.entitlements`:
```xml
com.apple.security.network.client
com.apple.security.network.server
```
`network.client` allows the app to connect to the localhost proxy and external networks.
`network.server` allows the Go layer to open a localhost listener for the proxy.
### Android
Add the `INTERNET` permission to your `AndroidManifest.xml`:
```xml
```
### Linux
No special setup needed. The shared library is bundled automatically.
## Requirements
- Tailscale auth key — generate at [login.tailscale.com/admin/settings/keys](https://login.tailscale.com/admin/settings/keys)
- Auth keys can be reusable and tag-scoped for ACL isolation
## Building from source
The pre-built binaries are included in the package. To rebuild from Go source:
```bash
# Prerequisites: Go 1.23+, Xcode (for Apple platforms), Android NDK (for Android)
./build_go.sh # build all platforms
./build_go.sh ios # iOS only
./build_go.sh macos # macOS only
./build_go.sh android # Android only (requires NDK)
./build_go.sh linux # Linux only (uses Docker on macOS)
./build_go.sh apple # iOS + macOS
```
## Binary sizes
| Platform | Size | Notes |
|----------|------|-------|
| iOS (device) | ~23 MB | After App Store compression: ~14 MB |
| iOS (simulator) | ~23 MB | Development only |
| macOS (universal) | ~49 MB | arm64 + x86_64 |
| Android (arm64) | ~20 MB | |
| Android (x86_64) | ~22 MB | Emulator only |
| Linux (amd64) | ~24 MB | |
Size is dominated by WireGuard + gVisor netstack + Go runtime. Feature tags strip ~35 unused Tailscale subsystems (SSH, Drive, Serve, etc.).
## License
BSD-3-Clause — compatible with Tailscale's license. See [LICENSE](LICENSE).