Get help with MacTap setup and troubleshooting.
For bug reports, feature requests, or general questions:
Email: mactap@quyenngo.com
GitHub: Submit an issue
A Mac with Remote Login enabled, Tailscale installed on both your Mac and iPhone (free tier works), and an SSH key. An Apple Watch is optional but recommended for the best experience.
Install Tailscale from tailscale.com on your Mac and from the App Store on your iPhone. Sign in with the same account on both devices. Your Mac will get a Tailscale IP address (usually starting with 100.x.x.x) — that's what you enter in MacTap.
Go to System Settings → General → Sharing → Remote Login. Turn it on and make sure your user account has access.
Open Terminal on your Mac and run: ssh-keygen -t ed25519. This creates a key pair. Import the private key file into MacTap using the file picker in Settings.
Check that: (1) Tailscale is running on both your Mac and iPhone, (2) both devices are logged into the same Tailscale network, (3) the Tailscale IP in MacTap settings is correct, (4) Remote Login is enabled on your Mac, and (5) your SSH key is correctly imported.
No. The Watch sends commands to your iPhone via Bluetooth/WiFi (WatchConnectivity), and the iPhone relays them to your Mac via Tailscale SSH. Your Watch just needs to be paired with your iPhone.
Yes. All commands travel over SSH, encrypted end-to-end via Tailscale's WireGuard-based mesh network. No data passes through any third-party servers. There is no backend or cloud service.
Yes. The iPhone app provides full functionality on its own. The Apple Watch is an optional companion for quick wrist-tap control.
These commands require confirmation (a dialog will appear) because they are destructive. They also require sudo access — your SSH user may need to be configured to run shutdown without a password.