AI Server ops toolkit

One script that answers the question every admin actually has about Software Tailor AI Server:

"Why can't the other machine connect?"

It checks the whole chain in the order it breaks, and every failure prints the specific fix.

PS> .\Check-AIServer.ps1 -Port 11436

AI Server diagnostics
Target: 127.0.0.1:11436 (this machine)

  [FAIL] Server process listening
         Listening only on 127.0.0.1 - LOOPBACK. Other computers cannot connect,
         no matter what the firewall allows.
         Fix: AI Server -> Server settings -> Access -> "This network", Save, then restart the
         server (or Stop/Start the Windows service). Network serving requires Pro.
  [OK  ] Network type
         Active profile(s): Private
  [OK  ] Firewall block rules
         No blocking rules for AI Server.
  [FAIL] Firewall allow rule for port 11436
         No inbound allow rule covers port 11436. Other computers will be refused.
         Fix (administrator):
           netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="AI Server (11436)" dir=in action=allow `
             protocol=TCP localport=11436 profile=private,domain

Run it

On the server (full diagnosis — listening scope, firewall, network type, API):

.\Check-AIServer.ps1 -Port 11436

From a client machine (is it reachable from here, and does auth work?):

.\Check-AIServer.ps1 -RemoteHost 192.168.1.42 -Port 11436 -ApiKey $env:AISERVER_API_KEY

Windows PowerShell 5.1 or PowerShell 7+. No modules to install. The script only reads state and makes HTTP requests — it changes nothing; the fixes are printed for you to run. Exit code is 0 when clean, 1 when something needs attention, so it works in a monitoring check.

What it checks, and why each one exists

Every check below corresponds to a real way a working-looking server ends up unreachable:

Check	The failure it catches
Listening scope	The server is running, but bound to 127.0.0.1 only. No firewall change can help — this is the single most common cause, and it looks identical to a firewall problem from the client side.
Network type	Windows marks any network you didn't explicitly trust as Public and blocks far more there. A rule scoped Private/Domain then permits nothing — the server looks configured, yet every remote connection is refused.
Firewall BLOCK rules	Windows silently creates inbound block rules for a program when its "Allow access?" prompt is dismissed. Deny beats allow, so adding allow rules afterwards changes nothing.
Firewall ALLOW rule	Verifies a rule covers this port and applies to the profile that's actually active.
TCP connect	Confirms the port genuinely accepts connections from where you're running the script.
API responding	GET /api/version — proves it's AI Server on that port and not something else.
Authentication enforced	An unauthenticated /v1/models must be refused. If it answers, anyone who can reach the port can use your models.
API key accepted	Your key works and returns the model list.
Address for clients	Prints the LAN base URL to hand out — the exact string other machines need.

Ports move

If you leave "Auto-pick a free port" enabled, the port can differ from the default — check AI Server's Server page for the current one and pass it with -Port. For a machine that serves other devices, a fixed port is usually better: one firewall rule, one address to hand out, nothing to re-point.

Common fixes

Loopback only. AI Server → Server settings → Access → "This network" → Save → restart the server (or Stop/Start the Windows service). Network serving is a Pro feature.

Network is Public. For a home or office network:

Set-NetConnectionProfile -InterfaceAlias "Wi-Fi" -NetworkCategory Private

Blocking rules exist (administrator):

Get-NetFirewallRule -Direction Inbound -Action Block |
  Where-Object { ($_ | Get-NetFirewallApplicationFilter).Program -like '*aisuite-server*' } |
  Remove-NetFirewallRule

No allow rule (administrator):

netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="AI Server (11436)" dir=in action=allow `
  protocol=TCP localport=11436 profile=private,domain

AI Server's own Network diagnostics → Test connectivity performs the equivalent checks in the app and can add the rule for you; this script is for scripting it, checking from a client, or monitoring.

Learn more

• AI Server administration
• ai-server-quickstarts — the API in five languages
• ai-server-dropin-recipes — point existing tools at your server

Licence

MIT.