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The Mac mini that never sleeps

My Mac mini stays on at home and I use its full desktop from my iPad, on Wi-Fi or cellular. Tailscale, Jump Desktop, a fallback or two, and a watchdog.

The M4 Mac mini at home is always on, and I reach its desktop from my iPad Pro or iPhone on any network. Tailscale for the private network, Jump Desktop for the screen, Screen Sharing and SSH as backups, and a small watchdog. Set up in an afternoon with Claude Code.

How it connects

Two clients, one private network, three ways onto the mini. Pick a scenario to see what still works when something breaks.

What if…
CLIENTS · ANY NETWORKiPad ProJump DesktopTailscale (on demand)primaryiPhoneJump · TermiusTailscaleon the goTAILNET · WIREGUARD, END-TO-END ENCRYPTEDno router ports opened · MagicDNS name: miniHOME · ALWAYS ONMac mini (M4)Jump Desktop ConnectFluid protocolScreen SharingVNC · port 5900SSHport 22 · key-onlypowersleep 0 · autorestart 1loginauto-loginwatchhealth check / 15 minTailscale.app · login itemsFluid (main path)VNC fallbackSSH (shell)Jump cloud relaystandby · used if Tailscale is down

3 of 3 pathsJump, Screen Sharing and SSH all go over Tailscale. Jump's relay waits on standby.

The pieces

  • Tailscale. Puts the iPad, iPhone and mini on one encrypted network. No ports open on my router. Key expiry is off for the mini so it never quietly drops off.
  • Jump Desktop. The main path. Its Fluid protocol feels close to local on the iPad, with HiDPI and keyboard shortcuts. If Tailscale is down, it falls back to Jump's own relay.
  • Screen Sharing. Built-in VNC on port 5900, only reachable over Tailscale. The spare key if Jump stops.
  • SSH. Key-only login from Termius for anything that doesn't need a screen.
  • Power settings. Never sleeps, wakes on network, restarts after a power cut.
  • Health check. Runs every 15 minutes and reopens Tailscale or Jump if either one is down.

After a power cut

Nobody needs to be home. The mini boots, logs in, starts everything, and is back in a few minutes.

5 steps · no one at the keyboard
Power returnsautorestart 1Bootsno unlock screenAuto-logindesktop sessionApps startTailscale · JumpReachablewatchdog confirms

Decisions

  • FileVault off, auto-login on. Jump only starts after login, so the mini has to reach the desktop on its own after any reboot.
  • Updates download but don't install. Restarts happen when I'm watching.
  • Everything behind Tailscale. Screen Sharing and SSH aren't exposed to the internet.
  • Two independent paths. Jump's relay works if Tailscale fails, and VNC works if Jump fails.