Set up a Tailscale connector

C1 provides identity governance and just-in-time provisioning for Tailscale. Integrate your Tailscale instance with C1 to run user access reviews (UARs), enable just-in-time access requests, and automatically provision and deprovision access.

This is an updated and improved version of the Tailscale connector! If you’re setting up Tailscale with C1 for the first time, you’re in the right place.

Capabilities

Resource	Sync	Provision
Accounts
Roles
Devices
Invites
Groups
ACL rules
SSH rules

Gather Tailscale credentials

Configuring the connector requires you to pass in credentials generated in Tailscale. Gather these credentials before you move on.

A user with the Admin role in Tailscale must perform this task.

Choose one of the following authentication methods:

OAuth client credentials

OAuth client credentials provide more granular control over permissions and are the recommended authentication method.

1. Log into Tailscale as an Admin user and click Settings.

2. Click Trust Credentials.

3. Click + Credentials. A modal opens to create new OAuth credentials.

4. Enter a Description for these credentials (for example, “C1 connector”).

5. Configure the scopes:

   • Click the dropdown next to Scopes and select All - Read.

   • If you want to enable provisioning with this connector, also enable Write for the following scopes:

     • Policy File
     • Users
     • Posture Attributes
6. Click Save. The Client ID and Client Secret are displayed.

7. Copy and save both the Client ID and Client Secret. Store them securely—you’ll need both to set up the connector.

API key

1. Log into Tailscale as an Admin user and click Settings.

2. Click Keys.

3. Click Generate API key. A Generated new key window opens showing the full value of the newly created key.

4. Copy and save the API key.

Done. Next, move on to the connector configuration instructions.

Configure the Tailscale connector

To complete this task, you’ll need:

• The Connector Administrator or Super Administrator role in C1
• Access to the set of Tailscale credentials generated by following the instructions above

Cloud-hosted

Follow these instructions to use a built-in, no-code connector hosted by C1.

1. In C1, navigate to Apps > Connectors and click Add connector.

2. Search for Tailscale v2 and click Add.

3. Choose where to add the connector: Create a new app, or Add to an existing app (then select the app).

   If you’re creating a new app, choose whether to link it to an application discovered from your identity provider: select Yes and pick the IdP application, or No to continue with just the connector.

4. Set the connector’s Name and, optionally, a Description.

5. Click the pencil icon next to Owners to choose who can configure and manage this connector.

6. Click Add. The connector is created and its configuration page opens.

7. Find the Settings area of the page and click Edit.

8. Select your authentication method:

   • OAuth Client Credentials: Enter the Client ID and Client Secret you generated in Tailscale.

   • API Key: Enter the Tailscale API key you generated.

9. In the Tailnet field, enter the name of your Tailscale network.

   Find the name of your Tailnet in the top left corner of the Tailscale Admin Panel, next to the Tailscale logo.

10. Click Save.

11. The connector’s label changes to Syncing, followed by Connected. You can view the logs to ensure that information is syncing.

Done. Your Tailscale connector is now pulling access data into C1.

Self-hosted

Follow these instructions to use the Tailscale connector, hosted and run in your own environment.

When running in service mode on Kubernetes, a self-hosted connector maintains an ongoing connection with C1, automatically syncing and uploading data at regular intervals. This data is immediately available in the C1 UI for access reviews and access requests.

Resources

• Official download center: For stable binaries (Windows/Linux/macOS) and container images.

Step 1: Set up a new Tailscale connector

1. In C1, navigate to Apps > Connectors and click Add connector.

2. Search for Baton and click Add.

3. Choose where to add the connector: Create a new app, or Add to an existing app (then select the app).

   If you’re creating a new app, choose whether to link it to an application discovered from your identity provider: select Yes and pick the IdP application, or No to continue with just the connector.

4. Set the connector’s Name and, optionally, a Description.

5. Click the pencil icon next to Owners to choose who can configure and manage this connector.

6. Click Add. The connector is created and its configuration page opens.

7. In the Settings area of the page, click Edit.

8. Click Rotate to generate a new Client ID and Secret.

   Carefully copy and save these credentials. We’ll use them in Step 2.

Step 2: Create Kubernetes configuration files

Create two Kubernetes manifest files for your Tailscale connector deployment:

Secrets configuration

Choose either OAuth client credentials or an API key for Tailscale authentication.

Option 1: OAuth client credentials

# baton-tailscale-secrets.yaml
apiVersion: v1
kind: Secret
metadata:
  name: baton-tailscale-secrets
type: Opaque
stringData:
  # C1 credentials
  BATON_CLIENT_ID: <C1 client ID>
  BATON_CLIENT_SECRET: <C1 client secret>

  # Tailscale OAuth credentials
  BATON_AUTH_METHOD: oauth-client-credentials-flow-group
  BATON_TAILSCALE_CLIENT_ID: <Tailscale OAuth client ID>
  BATON_TAILSCALE_CLIENT_SECRET: <Tailscale OAuth client secret>
  BATON_TAILNET: <Tailscale Tailnet (found in the top left corner of the Tailscale Admin Panel)>

  # Optional: include if you want C1 to provision access using this connector
  BATON_PROVISIONING: true

Option 2: API key

# baton-tailscale-secrets.yaml
apiVersion: v1
kind: Secret
metadata:
  name: baton-tailscale-secrets
type: Opaque
stringData:
  # C1 credentials
  BATON_CLIENT_ID: <C1 client ID>
  BATON_CLIENT_SECRET: <C1 client secret>

  # Tailscale credentials
  BATON_API_KEY: <Tailscale API key>
  BATON_TAILNET: <Tailscale Tailnet (found in the top left corner of the Tailscale Admin Panel)>

See the connector’s README or run --help to see all available configuration flags and environment variables.

Deployment configuration

# baton-tailscale.yaml
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: baton-tailscale
  labels:
    app: baton-tailscale
spec:
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: baton-tailscale
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: baton-tailscale
        baton: true
        baton-app: tailscale
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: baton-tailscale
        image: public.ecr.aws/conductorone/baton-tailscale:latest
        imagePullPolicy: IfNotPresent
        env:
        - name: BATON_HOST_ID
          value: baton-tailscale
        envFrom:
        - secretRef:
            name: baton-tailscale-secrets

Step 3: Deploy the connector

1. Create a namespace in which to run C1 connectors (if desired), then apply the secret config and deployment config files.

2. Check that the connector data uploaded correctly. In C1, click Apps. On the Managed apps tab, locate and click the name of the application you added the Tailscale connector to. Tailscale data should be found on the Entitlements and Accounts tabs.

Done. Your Tailscale connector is now pulling access data into C1.