Stop constant "Tailscale would like to add VPN configurations" popup on MacOS

[penance316]

Hi all,

Is there any way to prevent the constant pop-ups on macOS?

I've tried to edit the desktop-settings.json for t3 code to disable this but it keeps coming back. It makes leaving the T3 code application open Unbearable for me as the constant pop-ups keep getting in the way and stealing focus from the keyboard.

I've disabled everything that I can see related to external connections, and yet these pop-ups still occur every few minutes.

Of course, I click the don't allow, but it still pops up again and again. When I click allow, of course it adds the VPN configuration, but I do not want this VPN configuration.

Thank you for the great app. Hopefully someone can help me with this, as I really want to continue using it 🙏
I don't see any other issues or anyone else talking about it, so hopefully it's just something on my end that I can change.

[XNinety9]

That prompt comes from the Tailscale app, but it's most likely T3 Code that triggers it. When the desktop app builds its list of connection routes, it runs tailscale status (cached for 60 s, apps/desktop/src/backend/DesktopServerExposure.ts). With the Mac App Store version of Tailscale, running its CLI starts the app, and if Tailscale's VPN configuration isn't installed, macOS asks again each time. That's why it keeps coming back after "Don't Allow".

T3 Code only does that when one of these is on, both in Settings → Connections:

• Network access (exposing the desktop server beyond localhost)
• Tailscale HTTPS

Turning both off stops it: the code skips the Tailscale CLI entirely in that case (the comment there mentions exactly this macOS prompt). Network access changes restart the app.

If you need network access (LAN pairing, T3 Connect) but don't use Tailscale, the other options are on the Tailscale side:

• remove the tailscale command from your PATH (usually /usr/local/bin/tailscale, created by Tailscale's "Install CLI" option) so T3 Code can't find it;
• or uninstall Tailscale if you don't use it;
• or click Allow once and then just leave Tailscale disconnected. Once the configuration exists, the prompt doesn't come back, and nothing is routed through it while it's off.