Replace tailscale binary with tailscaled unix socket (#83)

We currently check for existence of the `tailscale` binary just for
guessing at whether you have tailscale installed. However, we already
show a similar message when tsrelay returns a NOT_RUNNING state.

Furthermore, showing those pop ups on first install when we already have
a walkthrough to show you how to install Tailscale is not a pleasant
experience.

Therefore, this PR removes the manual checks for the binary and switches
the VSCode configuration to be for setting the unix socket

Updates #76

Author: marwan-at-work

README.md

@@ -81,14 +81,12 @@ If the extension isn't working, we recommend following these steps to troublesho
    - If you have signed in to multiple Tailscale accounts on your device, ensure that the correct account is active.
 2. Ensure that your Tailnet access controls (ACLs) are [configured to allow Tailscale Funnel](https://tailscale.com/kb/1223/tailscale-funnel/#setup) on your device.
 3. Ensure that [magicDNS and HTTPS Certificates are enabled](https://tailscale.com/kb/1153/enabling-https/) on your tailnet.
-4. Ensure `tailscale` is available in the environment path. You can check this by running `tailscale status` in your CLI; if no command is found, you may need to add the Tailscale executable to your path. Alternatively, you can set its path via the `tailscale.path` setting in VS Code.
+4. If you are running `tailscaled` in a non-default path, you can set its path via the `tailscale.socketPath` setting in VS Code.
 
 ## Configuration
 
-- `tailscale.path`: A path to the `tailscale` executable. If unset, the extension will use
-  the environment path to resolve the `tailscale` executable. If set, the extension
-  will use the supplied path. The path should include the executable name (e.g.
-  `/usr/bin/tailscale`, `C:\Program Files\tailscale\tailscale.exe`).
+- `tailscale.socketPath`: A path to the `tailscaled` unix socket. If unset, the extension will use
+  the default path based on the platform. If set, the extension will use the supplied path.
 
 ## Contribute
 

package.json

@@ -189,14 +189,14 @@
         "type": "object",
         "title": "Tailscale",
         "properties": {
-          "tailscale.path": {
+          "tailscale.socketPath": {
             "type": "string",
             "default": null,
-            "markdownDescription": "An absolute path to the `tailscale` CLI executable. By default, the extension looks for `tailscale` in the `PATH`, but if set, will use the path specified instead.",
+            "markdownDescription": "An absolute path to the `tailscaled` unix socket. By default, the extension looks for the default path based on the platform.",
             "scope": "window",
             "examples": [
-              "/usr/bin/tailscale",
-              "C:\\Program Files\\Tailscale\\tailscale.exe"
+              "/var/run/tailscaled.socket",
+              "\\\\.\\pipe\\ProtectedPrefix\\Administrators\\Tailscale\\tailscaled"
             ]
           }
         }

src/extension.ts

@@ -1,55 +1,23 @@
 import * as vscode from 'vscode';
 
 import { ServePanelProvider } from './serve-panel-provider';
-import { getTailscaleCommandPath } from './tailscale';
-import { downloadLinkForPlatform, ADMIN_CONSOLE } from './utils/url';
+import { ADMIN_CONSOLE } from './utils/url';
 import { Tailscale } from './tailscale';
-import { fileExists } from './utils';
-import { EXTENSION_ID } from './constants';
 import { Logger } from './logger';
 import { errorForType } from './tailscale/error';
 
 let tailscaleInstance: Tailscale;
 
 export async function activate(context: vscode.ExtensionContext) {
-  const commandPath = await getTailscaleCommandPath();
-
-  Logger.info(`CLI path: ${commandPath}`);
   vscode.commands.executeCommand('setContext', 'tailscale.env', process.env.NODE_ENV);
 
-  if (commandPath && !(await fileExists(commandPath))) {
-    vscode.window
-      .showErrorMessage(
-        `Tailscale CLI not found at ${commandPath}. Set tailscale.path`,
-        'Open Settings'
-      )
-      .then(() => {
-        vscode.commands.executeCommand('workbench.action.openSettings', `@ext:${EXTENSION_ID}`);
-      });
-  }
-
-  if (!commandPath) {
-    vscode.window
-      .showErrorMessage(
-        'Tailscale CLI not found. Install Tailscale or set tailscale.path',
-        'Install Tailscale',
-        'Open Settings'
-      )
-      .then((selection) => {
-        if (selection === 'Install Tailscale') {
-          vscode.env.openExternal(vscode.Uri.parse(downloadLinkForPlatform(process.platform)));
-        } else if (selection === 'Open Settings') {
-          vscode.commands.executeCommand('workbench.action.openSettings', `@ext:${EXTENSION_ID}`);
-        }
-      });
-  }
-
   tailscaleInstance = await Tailscale.withInit(vscode);
 
   // walkthrough completion
   tailscaleInstance.serveStatus().then((status) => {
     // assume if we have any BackendState we are installed
-    vscode.commands.executeCommand('setContext', 'tailscale.walkthroughs.installed', !!commandPath);
+    const isInstalled = status.BackendState !== '';
+    vscode.commands.executeCommand('setContext', 'tailscale.walkthroughs.installed', isInstalled);
 
     // Funnel check
     const isFunnelOn = !status?.Errors?.some((e) => e.Type === 'FUNNEL_OFF');

src/tailscale/cli.ts

@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import { Logger } from '../logger';
 import * as path from 'node:path';
 import { LogLevel } from 'vscode';
 import { trimSuffix } from '../utils';
+import { EXTENSION_NS } from '../constants';
 
 const LOG_COMPONENT = 'tsrelay';
 
@@ -31,6 +32,7 @@ export class Tailscale {
   public authkey?: string;
   private childProcess?: cp.ChildProcess;
   private notifyExit?: () => void;
+  private socket?: string;
 
   constructor(vscode: vscodeModule) {
     this._vscode = vscode;
@@ -44,6 +46,7 @@ export class Tailscale {
 
   async init(port?: string, nonce?: string) {
     return new Promise<null>((resolve) => {
+      this.socket = vscode.workspace.getConfiguration(EXTENSION_NS).get<string>('socketPath');
       let binPath = this.tsrelayPath();
       let args = [];
       if (this._vscode.env.logLevel === LogLevel.Debug) {
@@ -61,6 +64,9 @@ export class Tailscale {
       if (nonce) {
         args.push(`-nonce=${this.nonce}`);
       }
+      if (this.socket) {
+        args.push(`-socket=${this.socket}`);
+      }
       Logger.debug(`path: ${binPath}`, LOG_COMPONENT);
       Logger.debug(`args: ${args.join(' ')}`, LOG_COMPONENT);
 
@@ -142,6 +148,9 @@ export class Tailscale {
       if (this._vscode.env.logLevel === LogLevel.Debug) {
         args.push('-v');
       }
+      if (this.socket) {
+        args.push(`-socket=${this.socket}`);
+      }
       Logger.info(`path: ${binPath}`, LOG_COMPONENT);
       this.notifyExit = () => {
         Logger.info('starting sudo tsrelay');

src/tailscale/command-path.ts

@@ -1,3 +1,2 @@
-export * from './command-path';
 export * from './cli';
 export * from './analytics';

src/tailscale/index.ts

@@ -1,2 +1 @@
-export * from './fs';
 export * from './string';

src/utils/fs.ts

@@ -3,23 +3,3 @@ export const ADMIN_CONSOLE_DNS = `${ADMIN_CONSOLE}/admin/dns`;
 export const KB_FUNNEL_SETUP = 'https://tailscale.com/kb/1223/tailscale-funnel/#setup';
 export const KB_FUNNEL_USE_CASES = 'https://tailscale.com/kb/1247/funnel-serve-use-cases';
 export const KB_ENABLE_HTTPS = 'https://tailscale.com/kb/1153/enabling-https/#configure-https';
-
-export function downloadLinkForPlatform(platform?: string) {
-  let page = '';
-
-  switch (platform) {
-    case 'darwin':
-      page = 'mac';
-      break;
-
-    case 'win32':
-      page = 'windows';
-      break;
-
-    case 'linux':
-      page = 'linux';
-      break;
-  }
-
-  return `https://tailscale.com/download/${page}`;
-}