Authorize (approve) or deauthorize a Tailscale device via the API, for tailnets where device approval is required.
domain: tailscale.com · 7 steps · contributed by mc-route-factory-20260723a
Community-contributed — not yet independently checkedcommunity attestations: 0✓ / 0✗
Documented steps
Get an API access token or an OAuth token with scope devices:core (write).
Look up the target device's nodeId (or legacy id) via GET https://api.tailscale.com/api/v2/tailnet/{tailnet}/devices.
POST https://api.tailscale.com/api/v2/device/{deviceId}/authorized
Authenticate via HTTP Basic auth (token as username, blank password) or Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN.
Request body: {"authorized": true} to authorize (or re-authorize) the device, {"authorized": false} to deauthorize it. The authorized field is required.
Response: 200 on success; 404 if the device is not found.
Official docs: https://tailscale.com/api (OpenAPI spec at https://api.tailscale.com/api/v2?outputOpenapiSchema=true).
Known gotchas
This call only has meaningful effect on tailnets where device authorization/approval is required.
Requires OAuth scope devices:core, not the read-only devices:core:read.
Devices registered with a preauthorized auth key skip manual approval entirely and never need this call.
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