"LocalSend" not working with "Block connections without VPN" enabled.

UpStream

Why isn't LocalSend working without disabling "Block connections without VPN"?

I have other apps that rely on LAN connections that are working and they don't need "Block connections without VPN" disabled. I can use them with mt VPN which has LAN connections enabled.

Is this a bug with LocalSend?

DeletedUser495

UpStream please, be so kind and don't start separate threads when you already discuss it elsewhere. Thanks.

Chipper

UpStream The Proton vpn app has a "lan connections" toggle which you could try as it would allow you to use the high security of Graphene's "block connections without vpn" without disabling localsend.

UpStream

DeletedUser495 I wanted to start a separate thread but unfortunately the forum doesn't let me delete a post for whatever reason:)

Didn't mean to revive an older thread.

other8026

UpStream the forum doesn't let me delete a post for whatever reason:)

I deleted it for you

UpStream

Edit: Yes I tried manually typing in the IP address.

calpurtmun

Did you ever solve this problem? Localsend on my phone can see my laptop, but localsend on my laptop cannot see my phone. Manually entering its IP address doesn't work.

MetropleX

It won't work as it works over the local network, with block connections enabled nothing can send data anywhere unless passing the VPN server first. You need to split tunnel, add Local Send and disable block connections if using Mullvad.

Read the entire issue discussion on the Localsend issue tracker:

https://github.com/localsend/localsend/issues/1598

llama420

MetropleX Would this rule out localhost IPC between apps? Sorry if it's been mentioned.

MetropleX

llama420 if you're referring to such activity as took place using Meta Pixel then Vanadium's default setup prevents it with it's WebRTC rules. I'm unaware of other examples that exist.

llama420

MetropleX Awesome, thank you.

SovereignCopper

Chipper Have you actually tried and confirmed this works? AFAIK setting LAN connections to be allowed through the VPN app still doesn't mean the OS allows LAN traffic with "Block connections without VPN" enabled. I haven't tried with Proton's app specifically, though, so I'm very curious if you have.

Chipper

SovereignCopper Nope, i dont use local send, i thought saying "you could try" was clear but prehaps i should have expanded that to "i have not tried but you could try" anyway i suspect your proberly right but regardless the op may try and see... I know that it doesnt allow the terminal to load but i assumed that was cause the terminal opens via a seperate subnet, i dont know how the vpn toggle nor the, proton vpn toggle work at code level i assumed it was basic linux kernel level packet stuff where they all get tagged for the vpn interface .... But i figured if the vpn recieves local packets from kernel it may then route locally... Rather than sending through tunnel which may be sufficient to for the kernel to consider it vpn traffic... But yeah who knows? Worth a shot i think.

Chipper

SovereignCopper also sorry if my reply seems snarky its not meant that way. I lost the chance to edit it to sound more friendly.

SovereignCopper

Chipper Didn't come off as snarky to me, so you're good 😉 And yeah your reasoning makes sense, I don't know the exact way these rules are applied either. I'll have a look later at my VPN's app source, but it seems that the OS's "Block connections without VPN" takes precedence over the API the VPN apps use to allow LAN connections.

calpurtmun

I was trying to use localsend over Tailscale, but I use tailscale with an exit node that's on my local network, but that exit node is behind Proton VPN. So I'm pretty confused what route localsend is even taking at that point. Strange it works but only one way.

Chipper

SovereignCopper oh actually if you read through the link metroplex posted here apparently mullvad vpn also has the "allow lan connections" toggle but specifically states that it wont allow traffic to bypass if the "block connections without vpn" os toggle is active... So yeah proberly more likely than not that proton works similar.

n3t_admin

Chipper it wont allow traffic to bypass if the "block connections without vpn" os toggle is active...

I'm not sure how it works on Android, but generally in the OSI model, the network layer (3) will take precedence over the higher layers (5-7), where software operates. In this case, the OS is application agnostic such as not knowing what is enabled in a VPN app. It just sees a connection to e.g. 192.168.1.1/24 and decides to route the connection through the VPN, because "block connections without VPN" is enabled at the OS level. The VPN app itself can only say "don't route this through the tunnel" and split tunnel to the local subnets, bypassing the VPN. So it completely makes sense that every connection is tunneled through the VPN when you set block connections without VPN, including everything based on mDNS.