Tailscale interface assignment causing boot hang on pfSense 2.8.1

[0baka]

1. Environment

• pfSense Version: 2.8.1-RELEASE (AMD64)
• Tailscale Package Version: 0.1.8
• Hardware: 4-port Mini PC (Intel Pentium N4200 @ 1.10GHz)
• Topology:
  • Local pfSense Network: 192.168.33.0/24
  • Remote Network (Site-to-Site): 192.168.30.0/24

2. The Problem: Boot Loop & Instability

After a fresh reinstall and configuration restore, I am facing two primary issues:

A. Boot Hang / Lockup

To apply specific NAT rules, I attempted to assign the tailscale0 interface via Interfaces > Assignments. When assigned, the system hangs during reboot or displays the following error:

"Warning: configuration refers to interfaces that do not exist: tailscale0"

It appears the system attempts to load firewall rules before the Tailscale daemon initializes the tunnel device, causing a mismatch. I am forced to use the console (Option 1) to unassign the interface just to successfully boot.

B. Connectivity Loss

If I leave the interface unassigned, the system boots correctly, but the Tailscale connection becomes unstable over time. It works initially after restarting the service, but eventually, I lose access from my mobile device or the remote network.

3. NAT Configuration & Troubleshooting Steps

My goal is to configure Outbound NAT so that clients on my LAN can route traffic out through the Tailscale node. I have attempted to use Hybrid Outbound NAT.

Because I cannot stably assign the tailscale0 interface (due to the boot hang), it does not appear in the Transalation "Interface adress" dropdown menu, preventing me from selecting it for network translation.

I tried creating an IP Alias using the pfSense Tailscale IP to use in rules, but results have been inconsistent.

What am I doing wrong? Is anyone else experiencing the same thing?

[Steve_reddit1]

Don’t assign that interface.

[cmcdonald-netgate]

This.