diff --git a/cmd/tailscale/cli/status.go b/cmd/tailscale/cli/status.go
index d6245947b..8e40067a7 100644
--- a/cmd/tailscale/cli/status.go
+++ b/cmd/tailscale/cli/status.go
@@ -14,7 +14,6 @@ import (
 	"net/http"
 	"os"
 	"strings"
-	"time"
 
 	"github.com/peterbourgon/ff/v2/ffcli"
 	"github.com/toqueteos/webbrowser"
@@ -23,7 +22,6 @@ import (
 	"tailscale.com/ipn"
 	"tailscale.com/ipn/ipnstate"
 	"tailscale.com/net/interfaces"
-	"tailscale.com/tstime/mono"
 	"tailscale.com/util/dnsname"
 )
 
@@ -63,7 +61,7 @@ func runStatus(ctx context.Context, args []string) error {
 	if statusArgs.json {
 		if statusArgs.active {
 			for peer, ps := range st.Peer {
-				if !peerActive(ps) {
+				if !ps.Active {
 					delete(st.Peer, peer)
 				}
 			}
@@ -131,7 +129,6 @@ func runStatus(ctx context.Context, args []string) error {
 	var buf bytes.Buffer
 	f := func(format string, a ...interface{}) { fmt.Fprintf(&buf, format, a...) }
 	printPS := func(ps *ipnstate.PeerStatus) {
-		active := peerActive(ps)
 		f("%-15s %-20s %-12s %-7s ",
 			firstIPString(ps.TailscaleIPs),
 			dnsOrQuoteHostname(st, ps),
@@ -140,7 +137,7 @@ func runStatus(ctx context.Context, args []string) error {
 		)
 		relay := ps.Relay
 		anyTraffic := ps.TxBytes != 0 || ps.RxBytes != 0
-		if !active {
+		if !ps.Active {
 			if ps.ExitNode {
 				f("idle; exit node")
 			} else if anyTraffic {
@@ -179,8 +176,7 @@ func runStatus(ctx context.Context, args []string) error {
 		}
 		ipnstate.SortPeers(peers)
 		for _, ps := range peers {
-			active := peerActive(ps)
-			if statusArgs.active && !active {
+			if statusArgs.active && !ps.Active {
 				continue
 			}
 			printPS(ps)
@@ -190,13 +186,6 @@ func runStatus(ctx context.Context, args []string) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-// peerActive reports whether ps has recent activity.
-//
-// TODO: have the server report this bool instead.
-func peerActive(ps *ipnstate.PeerStatus) bool {
-	return !ps.LastWrite.IsZero() && mono.Since(ps.LastWrite) < 2*time.Minute
-}
-
 func dnsOrQuoteHostname(st *ipnstate.Status, ps *ipnstate.PeerStatus) string {
 	baseName := dnsname.TrimSuffix(ps.DNSName, st.MagicDNSSuffix)
 	if baseName != "" {
diff --git a/cmd/tailscale/depaware.txt b/cmd/tailscale/depaware.txt
index 37989e550..1a5f70f61 100644
--- a/cmd/tailscale/depaware.txt
+++ b/cmd/tailscale/depaware.txt
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ tailscale.com/cmd/tailscale dependencies: (generated by github.com/tailscale/dep
         tailscale.com/syncs                                          from tailscale.com/net/interfaces+
         tailscale.com/tailcfg                                        from tailscale.com/cmd/tailscale/cli+
    W    tailscale.com/tsconst                                        from tailscale.com/net/interfaces
-     💣 tailscale.com/tstime/mono                                    from tailscale.com/cmd/tailscale/cli+
+     💣 tailscale.com/tstime/mono                                    from tailscale.com/tstime/rate
         tailscale.com/tstime/rate                                    from tailscale.com/wgengine/filter
         tailscale.com/types/empty                                    from tailscale.com/ipn
         tailscale.com/types/ipproto                                  from tailscale.com/net/flowtrack+
diff --git a/ipn/ipnstate/ipnstate.go b/ipn/ipnstate/ipnstate.go
index 86c190f45..62d43b332 100644
--- a/ipn/ipnstate/ipnstate.go
+++ b/ipn/ipnstate/ipnstate.go
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@ import (
 
 	"inet.af/netaddr"
 	"tailscale.com/tailcfg"
-	"tailscale.com/tstime/mono"
 	"tailscale.com/types/key"
 	"tailscale.com/util/dnsname"
 )
@@ -91,12 +90,19 @@ type PeerStatus struct {
 	RxBytes       int64
 	TxBytes       int64
 	Created       time.Time // time registered with tailcontrol
-	LastWrite     mono.Time // time last packet sent
+	LastWrite     time.Time // time last packet sent
 	LastSeen      time.Time // last seen to tailcontrol
 	LastHandshake time.Time // with local wireguard
 	KeepAlive     bool
 	ExitNode      bool // true if this is the currently selected exit node.
 
+	// Active is whether the node was recently active. The
+	// definition is somewhat undefined but has historically and
+	// currently means that there was some packet sent to this
+	// peer in the past two minutes. That definition is subject to
+	// change.
+	Active bool
+
 	PeerAPIURL   []string
 	Capabilities []string `json:",omitempty"`
 
@@ -278,6 +284,9 @@ func (sb *StatusBuilder) AddPeer(peer key.Public, st *PeerStatus) {
 	if st.ShareeNode {
 		e.ShareeNode = true
 	}
+	if st.Active {
+		e.Active = true
+	}
 }
 
 type StatusUpdater interface {
@@ -321,7 +330,7 @@ table tbody tr:nth-child(even) td { background-color: #f5f5f5; }
 	f("<tr><th>Peer</th><th>OS</th><th>Node</th><th>Owner</th><th>Rx</th><th>Tx</th><th>Activity</th><th>Connection</th></tr>\n")
 	f("</thead>\n<tbody>\n")
 
-	now := mono.Now()
+	now := time.Now()
 
 	var peers []*PeerStatus
 	for _, peer := range st.Peers() {
@@ -378,9 +387,7 @@ table tbody tr:nth-child(even) td { background-color: #f5f5f5; }
 		)
 		f("<td>")
 
-		// TODO: let server report this active bool instead
-		active := !ps.LastWrite.IsZero() && mono.Since(ps.LastWrite) < 2*time.Minute
-		if active {
+		if ps.Active {
 			if ps.Relay != "" && ps.CurAddr == "" {
 				f("relay <b>%s</b>", html.EscapeString(ps.Relay))
 			} else if ps.CurAddr != "" {
diff --git a/tstime/mono/mono.go b/tstime/mono/mono.go
index eda90684c..3e582f644 100644
--- a/tstime/mono/mono.go
+++ b/tstime/mono/mono.go
@@ -95,16 +95,21 @@ func (t Time) String() string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("mono.Time(ns=%d, estimated wall=%v)", int64(t), baseWall.Add(t.Sub(baseMono)).Truncate(0))
 }
 
+// WallTime returns an approximate wall time that corresponded to t.
+func (t Time) WallTime() time.Time {
+	if !t.IsZero() {
+		return baseWall.Add(t.Sub(baseMono)).Truncate(0)
+	}
+	return time.Time{}
+}
+
 // MarshalJSON formats t for JSON as if it were a time.Time.
 // We format Time this way for backwards-compatibility.
 // This is best-effort only. Time does not survive a MarshalJSON/UnmarshalJSON round trip unchanged.
 // Since t is a monotonic time, it can vary from the actual wall clock by arbitrary amounts.
 // Even in the best of circumstances, it may vary by a few milliseconds.
 func (t Time) MarshalJSON() ([]byte, error) {
-	var tt time.Time
-	if !t.IsZero() {
-		tt = baseWall.Add(t.Sub(baseMono)).Truncate(0)
-	}
+	tt := t.WallTime()
 	return tt.MarshalJSON()
 }
 
diff --git a/wgengine/magicsock/legacy.go b/wgengine/magicsock/legacy.go
index 23a531e7e..373aef370 100644
--- a/wgengine/magicsock/legacy.go
+++ b/wgengine/magicsock/legacy.go
@@ -538,7 +538,7 @@ func (as *addrSet) populatePeerStatus(ps *ipnstate.PeerStatus) {
 	as.mu.Lock()
 	defer as.mu.Unlock()
 
-	ps.LastWrite = as.lastSend
+	ps.LastWrite = as.lastSend.WallTime()
 	for i, ua := range as.ipPorts {
 		if ua.IP() == derpMagicIPAddr {
 			continue
diff --git a/wgengine/magicsock/magicsock.go b/wgengine/magicsock/magicsock.go
index 145eea7b7..107df0388 100644
--- a/wgengine/magicsock/magicsock.go
+++ b/wgengine/magicsock/magicsock.go
@@ -3836,9 +3836,10 @@ func (de *discoEndpoint) populatePeerStatus(ps *ipnstate.PeerStatus) {
 		return
 	}
 
-	ps.LastWrite = de.lastSend
-
 	now := mono.Now()
+	ps.LastWrite = de.lastSend.WallTime()
+	ps.Active = now.Sub(de.lastSend) < sessionActiveTimeout
+
 	if udpAddr, derpAddr := de.addrForSendLocked(now); !udpAddr.IsZero() && derpAddr.IsZero() {
 		ps.CurAddr = udpAddr.String()
 	}