Tailcat is a remix of Tailscale open source pieces to act like netcat, but over Tailscale's data plane, without Tailscale's control plane. Tailscale's data plane (magicsock, internally) gives you point-to-point WireGuard®-encrypted tunnels between two machines with DERP as the NAT-hole-punching communication side channel and the ultimate relay-of-last-resort if NAT traversal fails. Instead of using the Tailscale control plane, all tailcat connection metadata is exchanged out of band, however you want.
Publisher’s description
What is tailcat?
tailcat by Tailscale Inc. is open-source Windows software. It is written in Go.
Installation and requirements
The publisher provides Portable installers for 64-bit and ARM64 Windows. It runs without installation (portable).
Updates and version history
The current version is 0.7.0, released on September 19, 2026. The version history goes back to August 31, 2026: 2 releases, all linked to the official files.
Popularity and file types
The source code on GitHub (tailscale/tailcat) has 8,445 stars.
Project description on GitHub: “like netcat, but over Tailscale's data plane, without Tailscale's control plane”
Pros / Cons
Pros
- Open source: the code can be inspected and built by anyone
- Native ARM64 build for Windows on Arm
- Portable: runs without installation
- Updated in the last two months
- Large user base
In short: tailcat is an open-source Windows tool for 64-bit and ARM64 PCs.
Is tailcat safe to download?
- The file is served by github.com, the publisher’s own domain
- The download link uses HTTPS
- A SHA256 hash is published, so you can verify the file:
F04CAC07E3BF6C700B0B543DF0D3315A3B312CD5A05EE76714E1CC848E9B2DFF· Open the VirusTotal report for this hash - The link has not been checked yet
- The source code is public
- ExeAtlas does not host, wrap or modify installers
Related guide: How to check a file’s SHA256 hash on Windows
Recent versions
All 2 versions ›| Version | Date | Size | Files |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.7.0Latest | September 19, 2026 | — | ARM64 ZIP64-bit ZIP |
| 0.4.0 | August 31, 2026 | — | 64-bit ZIPARM64 ZIP |
Install from the command line
Silent install ›winget install --id Tailscale.tailcat -escoop install main/tailcatProgram files (.exe): tailcat.exe
Related guide: How to use winget: install and update apps
Also for other systems
brew install tailcatInformation
- Publisher
- Tailscale Inc.
- Licence
- BSD-3-Clause
- Price
- Free
- Source code
- github.com/tailscale/tailcat
- Written in
- Go
- Requires
- Windows 11 / 10
- Architecture
- 64-bit, ARM64
- Installer
- Portable
- Version
- 0.7.0
- Released
- September 19, 2026
- Added to the catalogue
- September 26, 2026
- Versions listed
- 2
- GitHub stars
- 8,445
- GitHub forks
- 381
- Website
- tailscale.com
- winget ID
- Tailscale.tailcat
- Scoop package
- main/tailcat
Ratings and reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to rate it.
Frequently asked questions
Is tailcat free?
Yes. tailcat is open-source software under the BSD-3-Clause licence.
Is tailcat safe to download?
The download comes from github.com, which belongs to the publisher; ExeAtlas does not host or change the file. Compare its SHA256 hash with the one shown here, or open the VirusTotal report for that hash.
How do I install tailcat with winget?
Open PowerShell or Windows Terminal and run the winget command shown on this page. winget downloads the official installer and checks its SHA256 hash before running it.
Does tailcat run on ARM (Windows on Arm)?
Yes, there is a native ARM64 installer.
Where can I download an older version of tailcat?
The versions page lists all 2 versions with links to their official installer files, back to August 31, 2026.
Can I use tailcat without administrator rights?
Yes, it is portable: unpack and run it.
