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Show HN: Ts-SSH – SSH over Tailscale without running the daemon

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Show HN: Ts-SSH – SSH over Tailscale without running the daemon

#1

Post by i8code »

ts-ssh solves a specific problem: accessing machines on your Tailnet from environments where you can't install the full Tailscale daemon (like CI/CD runners or restricted systems).

  It uses Tailscale's tsnet library to establish userspace connectivity, then provides
  a standard SSH experience. Works with existing workflows since it supports normal SSH
   features like ProxyCommand, key auth, and terminal handling.

  Some features that proved useful:
  • Parallel command execution across multiple hosts
  • Built-in tmux session management for multi-host work
  • SCP-style file transfers
  • Works on Linux/macOS/Windows (AMD64 and ARM64)

  The codebase is interesting from a development perspective - it was written almost
  entirely using AI tools (mainly Claude Code, with some OpenAI and Jules). Not as an
  experiment, but because it actually worked well for this kind of systems programming.
   Happy to discuss the workflow if anyone's curious about that aspect.

  Source and binaries are on GitHub. Would appreciate feedback from anyone dealing with
   similar connectivity challenges.

Show HN: Ts-SSH – SSH over Tailscale without running the daemon
github.com

Re: Show HN: Ts-SSH – SSH over Tailscale without running the daemon

#2

Post by _9y71 »

This is why you don't let Claude handle versioning and the release process. From v0.1.0 to v1.0.0 to v2.0.0, and then suddenly 1.2.0? Semantic versioning isn't quantum mechanics. (Even then, I'll admit it's sometimes hard for me too to decide the right increment when tagging versions. :)

Re: Show HN: Ts-SSH – SSH over Tailscale without running the daemon

#3

Post by ape4 »

_9y71 wrote: post #2

This is why you don't let Claude handle versioning and the release process. From v0.1.0 to v1.0.0 to v2.0.0, and then suddenly 1.2.0? Semantic versioning isn't quantum mechanics. (Even then, I'll admit it's sometimes hard for me too to decide the right increment when tagging versions. :)

In general, maybe security code (which is what this is) might not be the best place for AI.

Re: Show HN: Ts-SSH – SSH over Tailscale without running the daemon

#4

Post by KomoD »

_9y71 wrote: post #2

This is why you don't let Claude handle versioning and the release process. From v0.1.0 to v1.0.0 to v2.0.0, and then suddenly 1.2.0? Semantic versioning isn't quantum mechanics. (Even then, I'll admit it's sometimes hard for me too to decide the right increment when tagging versions. :)

> This is why you don't let Claude handle versioning and the release process.

Or anything else without reviewing it.

lol @ the issue in the repo: "module declares its path as: github.com/yourusername/ts-ssh"

Re: Show HN: Ts-SSH – SSH over Tailscale without running the daemon

#5

Post by anotherpaulg »

Looks very interesting. I was hoping it would solve a problem I’ve had recently:

I want to ssh into a windows box that I only have a normal user account on. So I can’t (and don’t want to) change any admin settings or install anything as admin.

All the obvious approaches hit roadblocks.

Seems like this tool solves the opposite problem: sshing out from a minimally privledged environment.

Re: Show HN: Ts-SSH – SSH over Tailscale without running the daemon

#6

Post by [deleted] »

_9y71 wrote: post #2

This is why you don't let Claude handle versioning and the release process. From v0.1.0 to v1.0.0 to v2.0.0, and then suddenly 1.2.0? Semantic versioning isn't quantum mechanics. (Even then, I'll admit it's sometimes hard for me too to decide the right increment when tagging versions. :)

[deleted]

Re: Show HN: Ts-SSH – SSH over Tailscale without running the daemon

#8

Post by ramon156 »

_9y71 wrote: post #2

This is why you don't let Claude handle versioning and the release process. From v0.1.0 to v1.0.0 to v2.0.0, and then suddenly 1.2.0? Semantic versioning isn't quantum mechanics. (Even then, I'll admit it's sometimes hard for me too to decide the right increment when tagging versions. :)

- 0.0.1 -> improvements

- 0.1.0 -> breaking changes

- 1.0.0 -> overhaul/refactor needed

I know not every case is easy but this is my rule of thumb. I've honestly never needed a major version change

Re: Show HN: Ts-SSH – SSH over Tailscale without running the daemon

#10

Post by mystifyingpoi »

huslage wrote: post #7

I am scared that this is vibe coded and not audited in any way. tsnet is good software, but wrapping it in this way is a recipe for disaster. Please reconsider.

> I am scared that this is vibe coded

Totally serious question: would you feel better about this piece of software, if you didn't know that it was vibe coded?

Do we need "build without AI" stickers on every piece of software created these days?

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