Connect to a Dejima server
A Dejima server hosts the islands; you reach it from another computer. This is how you connect one, whether it's a teammate's machine or your own laptop pointed at a remote box. There are two sides: the operator sets up the invite, the other person accepts it.
Same steps either way. Adding a teammate and connecting your own laptop to a remote Mac mini are the same job. The only difference is whose computer it is. If you're doing both sides yourself, do the operator part on the server, then the other part on your laptop.
The idea in one line
A Dejima server's address, something like 100.84.12.7, only exists inside Tailscale, a private network that links your machines directly. So the computer you're connecting needs two things: Tailscale (with access to that one server) and the Dejima client. There's no public port to open. Once the computer can reach the server, dejima join does the rest.
Adding someone (on the server side)
Do this as the operator, the person who runs the server. You'll send the teammate two things: a way onto the network, and a Dejima invite.
1Mint an invite
dejima token invite --role operator --owner amanda --host your-server:7273This prints a paste-safe invite blob (it carries a secret, so treat it like a password). --owner amanda gives the teammate their own private fleet on the server, separate from yours; leave it off only if you want them acting in your islands. Use --role viewer for read-only, or scope to one island with --island foo. Revoke anytime with dejima token revoke.
Prefer the dashboard? In dejima, press I to open the Team panel: pick the role and scope, fill in the server address, and it mints the same invite for you to copy. Owner-only.
2Share the server over Tailscale
In the Tailscale admin console: Machines → your server → Share → enter their email → send the link. Sharing this one machine gives them that server and nothing else on your network.
Trust them with more? You can instead invite them to your whole Tailscale network (fewer clicks, but they can reach all your devices). Sharing the single server node is the safer default.
3Send them both
The Tailscale share link and the invite blob, over a channel you trust. Then point them at this page's next section.
You've been invited (on your computer)
You have nothing installed yet, and that's fine. Three steps and you're in.
1Get on Tailscale
Click the share link the operator sent. Tailscale walks you through installing it, signing in, and accepting that one machine, in a single flow. When it's done, your computer can reach that one server (and nothing else of theirs).
2Install the Dejima client
npm i -g dejimaOr the guided installer, which also captures the server's address for you:
curl -fsSL https://dejima.tech/install-client.sh | bashOn Windows, use npm i -g dejima, or the PowerShell installer irm https://dejima.tech/install-client.ps1 | iex. The client is just the CLI; it doesn't run a server of its own.
3Join, and open it
dejima join <invite>Paste the invite blob the operator sent. That saves the server and your token as your active connection. Then open the dashboard:
dejimaYou're in your own fleet on that server. Launch an island and you're working.
Connecting your own laptop to your own remote server? Same three steps. You're both the operator and the invitee: share the server to your own account (or you're already on the same network), install the client, and dejima join. If you'd rather not mint an invite for yourself, point the client at the server directly with dejima profile add mini your-server:7273 && dejima profile switch mini, then run dejima.
Common questions
What is Tailscale and why do I need it?
Tailscale is a private network that links your machines directly. A Dejima server's address (like 100.84.12.7) only exists inside that network, so the computer you're connecting needs Tailscale and access to that one server. There's no public port to expose.
Does my teammate see my other projects or machines?
No, if you share only the server node. Sharing one machine in Tailscale gives them that machine and nothing else. Mint their Dejima invite with --owner so they get their own private fleet on the server, separate from yours.
Can I connect my own laptop to a remote server the same way?
Yes. It's the same flow whether the second computer is a teammate's or your own. Get on Tailscale with the server, install the Dejima client, and run dejima join, or point the client at the server with dejima profile add.
The server has to be macOS or Linux, right?
Yes. The Dejima server (the daemon) runs on macOS or Linux, since it needs Docker. Windows is fine as a client: it can connect to and drive a server, it just can't host one.
New here? Start with the quickstart →
Related: Dejima for teams (roles, scoped tokens, and the audit log) · platform setup guides · API reference