feat(tailscale): operator-set login user — VPN menu skips the sudo terminal

nomarchy.services.tailscale now makes the login user the Tailscale
operator (services.tailscale.extraSetFlags = ["--operator=<username>"],
mkDefault), so `tailscale up/down/set` — and the System → VPN menu's
Tailscale controls — run without sudo. The user is already in wheel, so
the operator grant is no real new privilege, just skips the prompt.

nomarchy-vpn's Tailscale actions are now operator-aware: a ts_priv
helper runs the subcommand inline and only falls back to a sudo terminal
if the operator grant is absent (downstream dropped it). Connect brings
an authed-but-down node up inline; a node that still needs interactive
login goes to a terminal so the auth URL is visible.

Option description + template comment updated; ROADMAP follow-up closed.
System + home builds green.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>

docs/ROADMAP.md

@@ -108,11 +108,13 @@ how to override it. Items marked ✓ are shipped.
     the `networkmanager-openvpn` plugin ships system-side
     (`networking.networkmanager.plugins`, mkDefault) so the openvpn type is
     available — import type is chosen by file extension.
-  - **Tailscale:** status (read-only, no privilege) + `up`/`down` + **exit-node**
+  - **Tailscale:** status (read-only) + `up`/`down` + **exit-node** selection. It
-    selection. It lives outside NetworkManager, so the menu drives the
+    lives outside NetworkManager, so the menu drives the `tailscale` CLI
-    `tailscale` CLI directly, **self-gated** on the CLI being present
+    directly, **self-gated** on the CLI being present (= `nomarchy.services.tailscale`,
-    (= `nomarchy.services.tailscale`). Privileged actions go through a terminal +
+    which makes the login user the **operator** via `extraSetFlags`). So
-    `sudo` (the snapshot-tool pattern) — no operator wiring.
+    up/down/exit-node run **inline without sudo**, falling back to a sudo terminal
+    only if the operator grant is absent; the first interactive login uses a
+    terminal (the auth URL is visible).
   Shape: a `nomarchy-menu vpn` rofi submenu under **System** — NM
   VPN/WireGuard connections shown ● active / ○ inactive and toggled on select
   (networkmanager-group users need no sudo), Import via the Files/`fd` picker
@@ -125,8 +127,8 @@ how to override it. Items marked ✓ are shipped.
   — a from-scratch WireGuard keypair/peer editor is too much rofi surface, so
   creation is deferred to `nm-connection-editor`. Eval + build green; **pending
   an on-machine check** (the nmcli import/up-down + Tailscale paths need a live
-  session with real configs). Remaining (optional): operator-set Tailscale so its
+  session with real configs). Remaining (optional): richer exit-node display
-  toggles skip the sudo terminal; richer exit-node display (country/city).
+  (country/city).
 - **Theme parity with legacy:** summer-day/night now carry their legacy
   bar layouts as `waybar.jsonc` whole-swaps (adapted: dead legacy script
   modules dropped, Nerd-Fonts-v2 codepoints remapped to FontAwesome/v3,

modules/home/rofi.nix

@@ -446,9 +446,10 @@ ${themeRows}
   #     up/down (networkmanager-group users need no sudo).
   #   · Import a WireGuard .conf or OpenVPN .ovpn (nmcli import; OpenVPN needs the
   #     networkmanager-openvpn plugin, shipped system-side).
-  #   · Tailscale (self-gated on the CLI being present = nomarchy.services.tailscale):
+  #   · Tailscale (self-gated on the CLI being present = nomarchy.services.tailscale,
-  #     status is read-only; up/down/exit-node need root, so they go via a
+  #     which makes the login user the operator): status is read-only; up/down/
-  #     terminal + sudo (the snapshot-tool pattern), no operator wiring needed.
+  #     exit-node run inline without sudo thanks to the operator grant, falling
+  #     back to a sudo terminal if it's absent. First login goes to a terminal.
   # Secrets stay in NetworkManager's / Tailscale's own store — no new manager.
   nomarchy-vpn = pkgs.writeShellScriptBin "nomarchy-vpn" ''
     set -u
@@ -485,12 +486,19 @@ ${themeRows}
     }
 
     ts_state() { tailscale status --json 2>/dev/null | jq -r '.BackendState // "Unknown"'; }
+    # Run a privileged tailscale subcommand. nomarchy.services.tailscale makes
+    # the login user the operator, so this runs inline (no sudo); if the operator
+    # grant is absent (downstream dropped it) it falls back to a sudo terminal.
+    ts_priv() {
+      if tailscale "$@" >/dev/null 2>&1; then notify-send "Tailscale" "tailscale $*"
+      else ${cfg.terminal} -e sudo tailscale "$@"; fi
+    }
     ts_exit_node() {
       node=$( { printf 'none\n'; tailscale exit-node list 2>/dev/null | awk 'NR>1 && $2 {print $2}'; \
                 printf '%s\n' "$BACK"; } | rofi -dmenu -p "Exit node" ) || return
       { [ -z "$node" ] || [ "$node" = "$BACK" ]; } && return
       [ "$node" = none ] && node=""
-      ${cfg.terminal} -e sudo tailscale set --exit-node="$node"
+      ts_priv set --exit-node="$node"
     }
     tailscale_menu() {
       while :; do
@@ -502,8 +510,10 @@ ${themeRows}
         } | rofi -dmenu -p "Tailscale ($st)" ) || return
         case "$choice" in
           "$BACK"|"")   return ;;
-          Connect)      ${cfg.terminal} -e sudo tailscale up ;;
+          # Authed-but-down → bring it up inline; otherwise it needs an
-          Disconnect)   ${cfg.terminal} -e sudo tailscale down ;;
+          # interactive login, so show it in a terminal (URL visible).
+          Connect)      if [ "$st" = Stopped ]; then ts_priv up; else ${cfg.terminal} -e sudo tailscale up; fi ;;
+          Disconnect)   ts_priv down ;;
           "Exit node…") ts_exit_node ;;
         esac
       done

modules/nixos/services.nix

@@ -11,8 +11,9 @@ in
 {
   options.nomarchy.services = {
     tailscale.enable = lib.mkEnableOption ''
-      Tailscale, the mesh VPN — ships the daemon; authenticate once with
+      Tailscale, the mesh VPN — ships the daemon and makes the login user its
-      `sudo tailscale up`'';
+      operator, so `tailscale up/down/set` and the System → VPN menu work
+      without sudo. Authenticate once (the menu's Connect, or `tailscale up`)'';
 
     syncthing.enable = lib.mkEnableOption ''
       Syncthing continuous file sync, running as the login user — add
@@ -125,6 +126,12 @@ in
   config = lib.mkMerge [
     (lib.mkIf cfg.tailscale.enable {
       services.tailscale.enable = true;
+      # Let the login user drive tailscale (up/down/set — and so the VPN menu's
+      # Tailscale controls) without sudo. It's already in wheel, so the operator
+      # grant is no real new privilege, just skips the password prompt. The
+      # module's tailscaled-set unit applies this after the daemon starts.
+      # mkDefault so a downstream can drop or replace it (e.g. extraSetFlags = []).
+      services.tailscale.extraSetFlags = lib.mkDefault [ "--operator=${args.username}" ];
     })
 
     (lib.mkIf cfg.syncthing.enable {

templates/downstream/system.nix

@@ -48,7 +48,8 @@
   #   latestKernel = true;                       #   newest kernel for very-new hardware (drivers not yet in the default)
   # };
   #
-  # nomarchy.services.tailscale.enable = true; # mesh VPN — then `sudo tailscale up`
+  # nomarchy.services.tailscale.enable = true; # mesh VPN — connect from System › VPN
+  #                                            # (login user is operator, no sudo)
   # nomarchy.services.syncthing.enable = true; # file sync — GUI at http://127.0.0.1:8384
   # nomarchy.services.podman.enable = true;    # rootless containers (docker → podman)
   # nomarchy.services.flatpak.enable = true;   # Flatpak + the Flathub remote