chore(deps): update busybox docker tag to v1.38.0

Reviewed-on: #15

.woodpecker/release-tag.yaml

@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ steps:
       - bao kv get -mount secret -field RENOVATE_TOKEN renovate > /woodpecker/git_token
 
   - name: Auto-tag mt.1 on Tailscale bump
-    image: alpine/git:2.49.1
+    image: alpine/git:v2.52.0
     environment:
       CI_REPO_URL: https://gitea.lumpiasty.xyz/lumpiasty/mikrotik-tailscale.git
     commands:

.woodpecker/renovate.yaml

@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ steps:
       - bao kv get -mount secret -field GITHUB_COM_TOKEN renovate > /woodpecker/github_com_token
   - name: renovate
     # Renovate's built-in "woodpecker" manager tracks this image automatically.
-    image: renovate/renovate:43.194.0
+    image: renovate/renovate:43.207.4
     environment:
       # --- platform / target ---
       RENOVATE_PLATFORM: gitea

Dockerfile

@@ -21,8 +21,8 @@
 # =============================================================================
 FROM --platform=$BUILDPLATFORM golang:1.26.3-alpine@sha256:91eda9776261207ea25fd06b5b7fed8d397dd2c0a283e77f2ab6e91bfa71079d AS builder
 
-# renovate: datasource=github-releases depName=tailscale packageName=tailscale/tailscale
-ARG TAILSCALE_VERSION=v1.98.3
+# renovate: datasource=github-releases depName=tailscale packageName=tailscale/tailscale versioning=semver
+ARG TAILSCALE_VERSION=v1.98.5
 
 # Provided automatically by buildx for the target platform.
 ARG TARGETOS
@@ -69,6 +69,12 @@ WORKDIR /src/tailscale
 #                         trusted unix socket, so PermitRead/PermitWrite are
 #                         always false and EVERY CLI call (status, up, set, ...)
 #                         returns "access denied" (tailscale/tailscale#17873).
+#   ipnbus              — IPN bus watch. Without it, 'tailscale up' cannot wait
+#                         for completion: it fires config at the daemon and
+#                         returns immediately ("built with ts_omit_ipnbus; not
+#                         waiting for completion") WITHOUT printing the auth URL
+#                         or confirming success. Including it makes interactive
+#                         'up' behave normally (blocks, prints login URL).
 #
 # Everything else remains omitted, including (rationale):
 #   clientupdate  — DELIBERATELY removed. The built-in updater would download
@@ -111,6 +117,7 @@ RUN mkdir -p /out && \
           -e 's/ts_omit_health,\{0,1\}//g' \
           -e 's/ts_omit_iptables,\{0,1\}//g' \
           -e 's/ts_omit_unixsocketidentity,\{0,1\}//g' \
+          -e 's/ts_omit_ipnbus,\{0,1\}//g' \
           -e 's/,$//' \
     ) && \
     echo "Build tags: ${TAGS}" && \
@@ -150,6 +157,24 @@ RUN mkdir -p /out/usrlocalbin && \
     ln -s /usr/local/bin/tailscale.combined /out/usrlocalbin/tailscale && \
     ln -s /usr/local/bin/tailscale.combined /out/usrlocalbin/tailscaled
 
+# Entrypoint wrapper: enable IP forwarding inside the container's network
+# namespace, then exec tailscaled. tailscaled does NOT reliably enable IPv6
+# forwarding itself in a container netns ("IPv6 forwarding is disabled" warning),
+# which silently breaks advertised IPv6 subnet routes. The sysctls ARE writable
+# from inside a RouterOS container, so we set both here. Written in the builder
+# stage so it ships in the same single /usr/local/bin COPY layer (preserves the
+# overlayfs single-copy property). `exec` keeps tailscaled as PID 1.
+RUN printf '%s\n' \
+      '#!/bin/sh' \
+      '# Enable IPv4/IPv6 forwarding. Required for advertised subnet routes and' \
+      '# exit-node functionality.' \
+      'for f in /proc/sys/net/ipv4/ip_forward /proc/sys/net/ipv6/conf/all/forwarding; do' \
+      '  if [ -w "$f" ]; then echo 1 > "$f" 2>/dev/null || echo "warn: could not write $f"; fi' \
+      'done' \
+      'exec /usr/local/bin/tailscaled "$@"' \
+      > /out/usrlocalbin/entrypoint.sh && \
+    chmod +x /out/usrlocalbin/entrypoint.sh
+
 # =============================================================================
 # Stage 2: Custom minimal busybox
 # =============================================================================
@@ -171,10 +196,10 @@ RUN mkdir -p /out/usrlocalbin && \
 # This stage runs on the TARGET platform (no --platform override): gcc then
 # produces native target-arch binaries directly. Under buildx this is
 # transparently emulated via binfmt/QEMU for non-native targets.
-FROM alpine:3.21.7@sha256:48b0309ca019d89d40f670aa1bc06e426dc0931948452e8491e3d65087abc07d AS busybox
+FROM alpine:3.23.4@sha256:5b10f432ef3da1b8d4c7eb6c487f2f5a8f096bc91145e68878dd4a5019afde11 AS busybox
 
 # renovate: datasource=docker depName=busybox versioning=docker
-ARG BUSYBOX_VERSION=1.37.0
+ARG BUSYBOX_VERSION=1.38.0
 
 RUN apk add --no-cache build-base linux-headers wget bzip2 perl upx
 
@@ -267,7 +292,9 @@ ENV PATH=/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin
 # -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 VOLUME ["/var/lib/tailscale"]
 
-ENTRYPOINT ["/usr/local/bin/tailscaled"]
+# entrypoint.sh enables IP forwarding (incl. IPv6) in the container netns, then
+# exec's tailscaled with the CMD flags below as its arguments.
+ENTRYPOINT ["/usr/local/bin/entrypoint.sh"]
 
 # Default flags:
 #   --no-logs-no-support  disables logtail uploads (logtail binary code is

README.md

@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@ A minimal Tailscale Docker image built for MikroTik routers running
 16 MB internal flash. Built from source with only router-relevant features
 included.
 
+> Disclaimer: This project has been largely vibe-coded, but I stand behind design and implementation choices made.
+
 - **~4 MB** extracted rootfs (`FROM scratch` + UPX'd Tailscale binary + a custom
   static busybox debug shell).
 - **Multi-arch**: amd64, arm64, arm/v7 — one tag, RouterOS pulls the right one.
@@ -16,6 +18,23 @@ included.
 - **Flash-wear conscious**: minimal persistent state, no netmap disk-caching,
   tmpfs for scratch and runtime.
 
+## Motivation
+
+There is no built-in Tailscale integration in MikroTik, and other solutions
+feel underwhelming. I've used Fluent-networks' tailscale-mikrotik until now,
+but that basically forced me to connect external storage to my router
+just to use Tailscale. This approach, while works, is fragile, wasteful
+and overcomplicated, so I decided to do better one myself.
+
+| | **This project** | Fluent-networks/tailscale-mikrotik |
+|---|---|---|
+| Size | **~4 MB** | ~106 MB |
+| Size reduction technique | **Minimal container with custom Tailscale and Busybox builds, compressed by UPX** | Alpine Linux base, Tailscale binary compressed by UPX on build, but auto-update completely nullifies that on first launch |
+| Update mechanism | **Automatically released optimized container images with new Tailscale versions, scheduled script updating deployment on new version** | None, opt-in Tailscale built-in auto-update downloading official binaries |
+| Flash wear | **Write-heavy functionality compiled out, suitable for low-endurance flash chips** | High, constant netmap cache updates |
+| Stability | **Immutable container** | Tailscale app can update on its own |
+| Features | **Only router-useful Tailscale features compiled, Busybox providing shell and utils** | Full tailscale, OpenSSH server, Bash, IPTables |
+
 ## Documentation
 
 - **[Usage](docs/USAGE.md)** — deploy the published image on a MikroTik router

docs/DESIGN.md

@@ -70,8 +70,21 @@ in a future release stays omitted until deliberately added to the Dockerfile.
   saves a real ~195 kB of flash (424 kB → 229 kB), not just transfer size.
 
 The final image is built `FROM scratch` — there is no base distro layer.
-It contains only the busybox binary + applet symlinks, the CA bundle, and
-the Tailscale binary.
+It contains only the busybox binary + applet symlinks, the CA bundle, the
+Tailscale binary, and a tiny `entrypoint.sh`.
+
+### Entrypoint: IP forwarding
+
+`ENTRYPOINT` is a small `entrypoint.sh` that enables IPv4 and IPv6 forwarding
+(`net.ipv4.ip_forward`, `net.ipv6.conf.all.forwarding`) in the container's
+network namespace, then `exec`s `tailscaled` (so the daemon stays PID 1). This
+is necessary because `tailscaled` does **not** reliably enable IPv6 forwarding
+itself inside a container netns — it logs "IPv6 forwarding is disabled" and
+advertised IPv6 subnet routes silently fail. The sysctls are writable from
+inside a RouterOS container, so the entrypoint sets them directly; no
+host-side or `/container` configuration is required. The script is created in
+the builder stage so it ships in the same single `/usr/local/bin` `COPY` layer
+(preserving the [single-copy property](#avoiding-overlayfs-layer-duplication)).
 
 ### Avoiding overlayfs layer duplication
 
@@ -143,6 +156,7 @@ that's a separate build, not just a `--platform` change.
 | iptables | Linux iptables support for routing rules |
 | osrouter | Configure kernel network stack and routing tables |
 | unixsocketidentity | **Required** — without it the localapi denies every CLI call with "access denied" ([tailscale#17873](https://github.com/tailscale/tailscale/issues/17873)) |
+| ipnbus | Lets `tailscale up` wait for completion and print the login URL; without it `up` returns immediately without confirming success |
 
 ## Features intentionally omitted
 

docs/USAGE.md

@@ -10,64 +10,58 @@ reasoning behind these choices, see [DESIGN.md](DESIGN.md).
 ## Deploy on MikroTik (RouterOS)
 
 Verified on RouterOS 7.21.2 (arm64, CRS418). Commands are grouped into
-copy-paste blocks; **only the values marked `CHANGE ME` need editing**.
+copy-paste blocks, defaults should fit most configurations.
 
 > Because the image has no built-in updater (the `clientupdate` feature is
 > [intentionally compiled out](DESIGN.md#why-the-built-in-updater-is-removed)),
-> updates are handled by a small script that only re-pulls when the published
-> image actually changed — see [step 7](#7-enable-automatic-updates).
+> updates are handled by a small script that recreates container when
+> the update is published — see [step 7](#7-enable-automatic-updates).
 
 ### 0. Prerequisites
 
-- RouterOS 7.x with the **container** package installed.
-- Container mode enabled (needs physical access — press reset / cold-boot when
-  prompted):
+- RouterOS >7.13 with the **container** package installed.
+- Container mode enabled ([documentation](https://manual.mikrotik.com/docs/System%20Information%20and%20Utilities/device-mode/#changing-mode-of-device-mode)):
 
   ```
   /system/device-mode/update container=yes
   ```
 
-- A Tailscale **auth key** from the admin console
-  (**Settings → Keys**, reusable, optionally tagged). You'll use it in step 6.
+### 1. Networking (veth + routing)
 
-### 1. Networking (veth + bridge + NAT)
-
-Gives the container an internal IP and outbound internet via NAT. Pick a subnet
-that doesn't clash with your LAN.
+Gives the container an internal IP and configures routing to the tailnet.
+Pick a subnet that doesn't clash with your LAN.
 
 ```
 /interface/veth/add name=veth-tailscale address=172.20.0.2/24 gateway=172.20.0.1
 /interface/bridge/add name=containers
 /ip/address/add address=172.20.0.1/24 interface=containers
 /interface/bridge/port/add bridge=containers interface=veth-tailscale
-/ip/firewall/nat/add chain=srcnat action=masquerade src-address=172.20.0.0/24
+/ip/route/add dst-address=100.64.0.0/10 gateway=172.20.0.2 comment=Tailnet
 ```
 
+If you want the router to have access to subnets shared by other tailscale nodes,
+add route for each one.
+
+```
+/ip/route/add dst-address=[subnet CIDR] gateway=172.20.0.2 comment="Another network via tailscale"
+```
+
+If you want to share your LAN via tailscale, add it as an advertised route in
+[step 5](#5-authenticate). You may also need additional firewall configuration
+to accept connections to or from tailnet if you have one configured.
+You should not need any additional NAT rules.
+
 ### 2. Extraction scratch dir (tmpfs)
 
 Put the image extraction scratch dir on **tmpfs** (RAM) so the pull/extract
-never writes to flash:
+happen in RAM and doesn't fill up or wear out flash:
 
 ```
 /disk/add type=tmpfs tmpfs-max-size=256M slot=tmp
 /container/config/set tmpdir=tmp
 ```
 
-> **No `registry-url` change needed.** This guide puts the full registry host in
-> `remote-image` (step 5), and RouterOS pulls directly from that host — the
-> global `registry-url` is ignored when the image reference includes a host.
-> This is intentional: it leaves your existing `registry-url` untouched, so
-> other containers (e.g. ones pulling from Docker Hub or ghcr.io) keep working,
-> and multiple registries can be used side by side.
-
-### 3. Authentication note (no env needed)
-
-This image runs `tailscaled` directly and does **not** bundle Tailscale's
-`containerboot` wrapper, so the `TS_AUTHKEY` environment variable is **not**
-read automatically. You authenticate with `tailscale up --authkey=...` after the
-container starts (step 6) — this keeps the image minimal and needs no env list.
-
-### 4. Persistent state mount (the only thing on flash)
+### 3. Persistent state mount (the only thing on flash)
 
 Only the tiny `tailscaled.state` (node identity / key) needs to persist. Mount
 just that directory:
@@ -76,14 +70,7 @@ just that directory:
 /container/mounts/add list=tailscale_state src=tailscale/state dst=/var/lib/tailscale
 ```
 
-`src=tailscale/state` is on internal storage. This holds `tailscaled.state`
-(and `derpmap.cached.json`), written only on auth / key rotation / prefs
-change — **not** on every netmap update, because netmap disk-caching is omitted
-([why](DESIGN.md#why-netmap-disk-caching-is-removed)). Flash wear is therefore
-minimal. If you want *zero* persistent writes, point `src` at a tmpfs disk slot
-instead and accept re-authentication after a reboot.
-
-### 5. Add and start the container
+### 4. Add and start the container
 
 ```
 /container/add \
@@ -106,16 +93,25 @@ Wait for the pull/extract to finish (`status=stopped`), then start it:
 
 The daemon is now running but **not yet authenticated**.
 
-### 6. Authenticate
+### 5. Authenticate
 
-Enter the container shell and bring Tailscale up with your auth key. You can set
-subnet routes / exit-node advertisement in the same command:
+> This image runs `tailscaled` via a tiny entrypoint (which enables IP
+forwarding, then `exec`s the daemon) and does **not** bundle Tailscale's
+`containerboot` wrapper, so the `TS_AUTHKEY` environment variable is **not**
+read automatically. You authenticate with `tailscale up --authkey=...` after the
+container starts.
+
+Enter the container shell and bring Tailscale up with your auth key.
+Use `tailscale up --help` to see list of commands, customize it to your needs,
+add subnets (eg. your LAN) or exit-node advertisements in command below.
 
 ```
 /container/shell [find where name=tailscale]
 # inside the container — CHANGE ME: your key (and adjust routes/subnet):
 tailscale up --authkey=tskey-auth-CHANGEME \
-  --advertise-routes=192.168.88.0/24 \
+  --accept-routes \
+  --snat-subnet-routes=false \
+  --advertise-routes=172.20.0.0/24 \
   --advertise-exit-node
 exit
 ```
@@ -124,7 +120,7 @@ The node now appears in your Tailscale admin console. Approve the advertised
 routes / exit node there. Because the auth state is written to the persisted
 `tailscaled.state`, you only do this once — it survives reboots and updates.
 
-### 7. Enable automatic updates
+### 6. Enable automatic updates
 
 First, edit the `CONFIG` block at the top of `routeros/update-tailscale.rsc` if
 you changed any names in the steps above. The defaults match this guide
@@ -136,8 +132,6 @@ create a **named script** from it and schedule it:
 
 ```
 # Create the named script from the uploaded file's contents.
-# (Do NOT use `/import` — that just runs the file once and does not create a
-#  reusable script for the scheduler to call.)
 /system/script/add name=update-tailscale source=[/file/get update-tailscale.rsc contents]
 
 # Run it daily.
@@ -179,14 +173,14 @@ queries to Tailscale's magic DNS resolver:
 add name="ts.net" type=FWD forward-to=100.100.100.100 match-subdomain=yes
 ```
 
-This avoids writing to `/etc/resolv.conf` inside the container (which would
-happen if `--accept-dns` is passed to `tailscale up`). The container resolves
-Tailscale node names; the rest of the router uses its own DNS.
+When this is configured, you can connect to other tailscale machines using
+`[device name].[tailnet name].ts.net`. You can see and change assigned
+Tailnet DNS name in Tailscale admin panel under DNS tab.
 
 ## Updating
 
 You don't normally do anything: when a new release is published, the
-auto-update script ([step 7](#7-enable-automatic-updates)) detects the changed
+auto-update script ([step 6](#6-enable-automatic-updates)) detects the changed
 `:stable` image on its next scheduled run and recreates the container. Your
 node identity and settings persist across the update via the state mount.
 

renovate.json

@@ -7,6 +7,17 @@
   ],
   "labels": ["dependencies"],
   "rebaseWhen": "behind-base-branch",
+  "customManagers": [
+    {
+      "customType": "regex",
+      "description": "Update version ARGs annotated with a `# renovate:` comment (the dockerfile manager only handles FROM/image lines, not ARG values).",
+      "managerFilePatterns": ["/(^|/)Dockerfile$/"],
+      "matchStrings": [
+        "#\\s*renovate:\\s*datasource=(?<datasource>\\S+)\\s+depName=(?<depName>\\S+)(?:\\s+packageName=(?<packageName>\\S+))?(?:\\s+versioning=(?<versioning>\\S+))?\\s+ARG \\w+=(?<currentValue>\\S+)"
+      ],
+      "matchStringsStrategy": "any"
+    }
+  ],
   "packageRules": [
     {
       "matchManagers": ["dockerfile"],
@@ -16,9 +27,8 @@
     {
       "matchDatasources": ["github-releases"],
       "matchPackageNames": ["tailscale/tailscale"],
-      "description": "TAILSCALE_VERSION ARG: only stable releases. Tailscale uses EVEN minor versions for stable (v1.98.x); ODD minors (v1.99.x) are unstable, so filter to even minors and ignore pre-releases.",
-      "extractVersion": "^v(?<version>\\d+\\.\\d+\\.\\d+)$",
-      "allowedVersions": "/^\\d+\\.\\d*[02468]\\.\\d+$/",
+      "description": "TAILSCALE_VERSION ARG: only stable releases. Tailscale uses EVEN minor versions for stable (v1.98.x); ODD minors (v1.99.x) are unstable, so filter to even minors and ignore pre-releases. The `v` prefix is kept (no extractVersion) so the ARG value stays v-prefixed to match the git tags cloned in the Dockerfile.",
+      "allowedVersions": "/^v\\d+\\.\\d*[02468]\\.\\d+$/",
       "ignoreUnstable": true
     },
     {
@@ -30,8 +40,15 @@
     },
     {
       "matchManagers": ["dockerfile"],
-      "matchPackageNames": ["golang", "alpine", "busybox"],
-      "description": "Automerge PATCH-only bumps of build components (Go/Alpine/busybox) once the PR build passes; review minor/major manually.",
+      "matchPackageNames": ["golang", "alpine"],
+      "description": "Automerge PATCH-only bumps of build components (Go/Alpine) once the PR build passes; review minor/major manually.",
+      "matchUpdateTypes": ["patch"],
+      "automerge": true
+    },
+    {
+      "matchDatasources": ["docker"],
+      "matchPackageNames": ["busybox"],
+      "description": "busybox ARG (custom manager): automerge PATCH bumps once the PR build passes; review minor/major manually.",
       "matchUpdateTypes": ["patch"],
       "automerge": true
     },